When we first experience grief, it’s hard to know where to begin when looking for support. Google “grief resources” and you get a list of the same generic websites with the same generic advice. What’s usually more helpful is hearing from someone who has been through it themselves.
So my fellow grievers who have been through it, let’s support our newbie grievers and create a list of some of our favorite resources. These can be:
Share with us in the comments your favorite tips, practical tools, or helpful resources for someone in need of grief support (if you have a relevant business, service, or product, feel free to list your own too!).
I felt so alone in my grief in the first couple months so searched widow podcasts and came upon Widowcast by Joanne Filomena. It was the first time I heard someone validate everything I was feeling and I knew I needed more! I searched on Instagram and came across Heather Quisel, Empowered Through Grief, New Moon Mira, Julia Warren, The Forced Joy Club and Dating After Death. I took a leap of faith and joined Heather Quisel's Real Widowhood, then attended her first live event. I discovered that being in the presence of other widows, being with people that get it, is where I needed to be. I continue to attend Heather's live events and just finished her NEX program. I have been to Joy Scout Camp with Dana and The Forced Joy Project. I have been on two Widow in the Wild trips, to Bali and Italy, and I'm signed up for Patagonia next year. I'll be attending Julia Warren's yoga retreat in Sedona. Connection with women going through the same grief has been tremendously helpful to me as I navigate this journey.
Finding you, Dana on IG has been such an anchor. Your words speak to me in so many ways.
Your IG account, your website Forced Joy Project (reading others' grief stories, writing my own), your online grief community Forced Joy Club, travelling with Widows in the wild (excellent hosted and initiated by you and Tiffany Rampey - @rebuilding.joy ), all of these resources are a part of my support system. And it's been an honour to get to know you for real.
I also love your six episode of grief talk with Mira Sorvino (@newmoonmira) that you hosted as a podcast a few years ago.
I also follow a few other widows' account on IG whom all, in my opinion, are sharing about grief in the most honest, raw, beautiful and open way, which really speaks to me ... There is also a stark
poetic touch in everything they share, which goes straight to my heart.
Megan Devine - @refugeingrief
I really reccomend to read her book "It's Ok that You're not Ok and to listen to her podcast with the same name. You'll find the podcast on Spotify.
Karen Sutton - @karensuttonwidowcoach
Karen is offering grief groups, retreats and hosting a podcast "The widows podcast", which is filled with stories and resources. You'll find it on Spotify.
Julia Warren - @juliainvision - Love her somatic approach in so much of what she shares and do.
Mira Sorvino - @newmoonmira - She is offering grief groups, retreats and somatic work.
Katherine Brito - @griefembracedwithlove - I love her raw, honest and unfiltered way of portraying grief. Her words mirror my own in so many ways. She is offering grief groups and one to one consultation.
Heather Quisel - @heatherquisel
She is organising grief groups, live events and Safe Speak, which is a member ship community online for widows.
Heather also talks a lot about being a mother to grieving children, and as a mother myself, this has been very comforting and validating to me (she is also, occasionally, hosting online gatherings with this topic).
Marie- Claude Goudreau - @empowered_through_grief
Nora McInerny - @ttfapodcast
She used to host a a podcast "Terrible, Thanks For Asking". You'll find all the episode on Spotify.
And also, her Ted Talk "We don't move on from grief. We move forward with it" is a "ahaa" moment!
I also reccomend to listen to "My person died too" podcast (you'll find it on Spotify) hosted by Carolyn Gower and John Polo.
Another account on IG worth following (and this is for everyone who don't get support at their work place) is @Bloomwell Partners. They are offering training for leaders in how to support grieving employees and create more grief-informed workplaces.
And at last, but not least I really want to reccomend the book "Notes of grief" by one of my absolute favourite authors Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Like all her books, this one is such a kick in the gut. You feel what she feels!!
Marina, it's been such a joy getting to know you and have so many incredible conversations about our lives. I'm excited for our own Grief Chats conversation in the Forced Joy Club!
And thank you for sharing such a great list of resources!
Yes! I think the first Grief Chats episode was a couple of months after I became a widow and it was so helpful seeing and listening to women at different stages of widowhood.
The biggest thing for me in the beginning was finding people going through a similar loss. I went to Instagram and searched hashtags related to my loss and found people to follow.
I also found podcast episodes related to, again, people going through a similar loss
Love this question! I've been in the process of making a resource list to share as well and these are some of my favourites:
I’ll always recommend Megan Devine as my favourite grief experts/writers. She has a great website (https://refugeingrief.com/) and her book It’s Ok That You’re Not Ok saved me. I found a lot of grief books focus on growing/transforming or getting out of the feelings, whereas her book really meets you where you are in the loss.
Thank you for sharing your favorites (and please feel free to shre your list when it's ready too!). Megan and Nora have both been helpful in my grief (and books I recommend frequently).
My grief currently is anticipatory. My husband has been diagnosed with a fatal illness. Paula Boss writes about anticipatory grief and ambiguous loss, which has helped. Also, Substack has been a game changer. Being with others who are grieving, even if their grief is different than mine, helps me feel less alone.
Thank you for sharing about your anticipatory grief - I think it's helpful for others who don't know there is a name for that type of grief. And I agree, being among others who know grief (even if different) can be such a balm 💛
Karen Sutton from the UK was the very first podcast I listened to as well. She was on point and comforting. Also the book, Widowland, by Rachel Brougham. Joining a Griefshare group at my church was pivotal for me and my life. The friends I have met at this group have been supportive and a few have become my very best friends.
I haven't read Widowland yet, so thank you for that recommendation.
For me, it took a long time to find any sort of in-person groups that were helpful (maybe I didn't know to look until years into grief), but have heard good things about GriefShare.
Karen Sutton from the Uk, her podcast and FB group widowed and rising were my first intro while I was searching for resources. Her podcast really helped me that first year as she’s so uplifting and nurturing. That led me to Heather Quisel (Instagram) guest on her podcast. I have kids I am still raising and am middle aged so they both fit for me in that regard and their personalities.
Megan Devine It’s ok your not Ok is a great book I have gifted to other widows
There is so much from early on in my journey that I have forgotten quite a bit of it. I remember desperately searching for something, but having no idea what it was. The things that I do remember helping along the way were megan devines book, and IG accounts. Somewhere along the line, a post went up of "the 10 best grief accounts" so I went and followed them. This lead to finding more and more fellow widows. Upon finding others who were in the same boat as me, I finally found some validation. All of the accounts that I found helpful have been mentioned in other comments already.
I felt so alone in my grief in the first couple months so searched widow podcasts and came upon Widowcast by Joanne Filomena. It was the first time I heard someone validate everything I was feeling and I knew I needed more! I searched on Instagram and came across Heather Quisel, Empowered Through Grief, New Moon Mira, Julia Warren, The Forced Joy Club and Dating After Death. I took a leap of faith and joined Heather Quisel's Real Widowhood, then attended her first live event. I discovered that being in the presence of other widows, being with people that get it, is where I needed to be. I continue to attend Heather's live events and just finished her NEX program. I have been to Joy Scout Camp with Dana and The Forced Joy Project. I have been on two Widow in the Wild trips, to Bali and Italy, and I'm signed up for Patagonia next year. I'll be attending Julia Warren's yoga retreat in Sedona. Connection with women going through the same grief has been tremendously helpful to me as I navigate this journey.
So many incredible in person connections!
(And linking Widows in the Wild here in case people want to stay in the loop with future trips: https://www.widowstravel.com/)
Finding you, Dana on IG has been such an anchor. Your words speak to me in so many ways.
Your IG account, your website Forced Joy Project (reading others' grief stories, writing my own), your online grief community Forced Joy Club, travelling with Widows in the wild (excellent hosted and initiated by you and Tiffany Rampey - @rebuilding.joy ), all of these resources are a part of my support system. And it's been an honour to get to know you for real.
I also love your six episode of grief talk with Mira Sorvino (@newmoonmira) that you hosted as a podcast a few years ago.
I also follow a few other widows' account on IG whom all, in my opinion, are sharing about grief in the most honest, raw, beautiful and open way, which really speaks to me ... There is also a stark
poetic touch in everything they share, which goes straight to my heart.
Megan Devine - @refugeingrief
I really reccomend to read her book "It's Ok that You're not Ok and to listen to her podcast with the same name. You'll find the podcast on Spotify.
Karen Sutton - @karensuttonwidowcoach
Karen is offering grief groups, retreats and hosting a podcast "The widows podcast", which is filled with stories and resources. You'll find it on Spotify.
Julia Warren - @juliainvision - Love her somatic approach in so much of what she shares and do.
Mira Sorvino - @newmoonmira - She is offering grief groups, retreats and somatic work.
Katherine Brito - @griefembracedwithlove - I love her raw, honest and unfiltered way of portraying grief. Her words mirror my own in so many ways. She is offering grief groups and one to one consultation.
Heather Quisel - @heatherquisel
She is organising grief groups, live events and Safe Speak, which is a member ship community online for widows.
Heather also talks a lot about being a mother to grieving children, and as a mother myself, this has been very comforting and validating to me (she is also, occasionally, hosting online gatherings with this topic).
Marie- Claude Goudreau - @empowered_through_grief
Nora McInerny - @ttfapodcast
She used to host a a podcast "Terrible, Thanks For Asking". You'll find all the episode on Spotify.
And also, her Ted Talk "We don't move on from grief. We move forward with it" is a "ahaa" moment!
I also reccomend to listen to "My person died too" podcast (you'll find it on Spotify) hosted by Carolyn Gower and John Polo.
Another account on IG worth following (and this is for everyone who don't get support at their work place) is @Bloomwell Partners. They are offering training for leaders in how to support grieving employees and create more grief-informed workplaces.
And at last, but not least I really want to reccomend the book "Notes of grief" by one of my absolute favourite authors Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Like all her books, this one is such a kick in the gut. You feel what she feels!!
Marina, it's been such a joy getting to know you and have so many incredible conversations about our lives. I'm excited for our own Grief Chats conversation in the Forced Joy Club!
And thank you for sharing such a great list of resources!
Yes! I think the first Grief Chats episode was a couple of months after I became a widow and it was so helpful seeing and listening to women at different stages of widowhood.
The biggest thing for me in the beginning was finding people going through a similar loss. I went to Instagram and searched hashtags related to my loss and found people to follow.
I also found podcast episodes related to, again, people going through a similar loss
Me too - I wanted to feel less alone and I also wanted to know that others had survived something similar.
Love this question! I've been in the process of making a resource list to share as well and these are some of my favourites:
I’ll always recommend Megan Devine as my favourite grief experts/writers. She has a great website (https://refugeingrief.com/) and her book It’s Ok That You’re Not Ok saved me. I found a lot of grief books focus on growing/transforming or getting out of the feelings, whereas her book really meets you where you are in the loss.
I also love anything written by Nora McInerny (https://noraborealis.substack.com/). Her TED talk is a great starting place “We don't "move on" from grief. We move forward with it” https://www.ted.com/talks/nora_mcinerny_we_don_t_move_on_from_grief_we_move_forward_with_it?subtitle=en
My husband died from drug poisoning, so I found this TED talk from Sarah Keast about stigma helpful too. “Your empathy can save a life” https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_keast_your_empathy_can_save_a_life?subtitle=en
Looking forward to seeing what has helped other grievers!
Thank you for sharing your favorites (and please feel free to shre your list when it's ready too!). Megan and Nora have both been helpful in my grief (and books I recommend frequently).
Sarah's ted talk is amazing 💛
Thank you for sharing resources! I would highly recommend https://www.adventuringloss.com/ which is an online clinic that specializes in grief (all different kinds of loss, life transitions etc). They also have an Instagram page where they write beautiful and impactful posts which I find really resonate. https://www.instagram.com/adventuringloss?igsh=MW5yYzhlamJqamZ0MA==
https://www.instagram.com/ameliabradaric?igsh=ejEwYm5tczdrMDd6
Great recommendation - Amelia is a gift!
My grief currently is anticipatory. My husband has been diagnosed with a fatal illness. Paula Boss writes about anticipatory grief and ambiguous loss, which has helped. Also, Substack has been a game changer. Being with others who are grieving, even if their grief is different than mine, helps me feel less alone.
Thank you for sharing about your anticipatory grief - I think it's helpful for others who don't know there is a name for that type of grief. And I agree, being among others who know grief (even if different) can be such a balm 💛
Karen Sutton from the UK was the very first podcast I listened to as well. She was on point and comforting. Also the book, Widowland, by Rachel Brougham. Joining a Griefshare group at my church was pivotal for me and my life. The friends I have met at this group have been supportive and a few have become my very best friends.
Love Karen! (Shameless plug) I was on her podcast too https://www.karensutton.co.uk/podcasts/the-widow-podcast/episodes/2147736823
I haven't read Widowland yet, so thank you for that recommendation.
For me, it took a long time to find any sort of in-person groups that were helpful (maybe I didn't know to look until years into grief), but have heard good things about GriefShare.
Karen Sutton from the Uk, her podcast and FB group widowed and rising were my first intro while I was searching for resources. Her podcast really helped me that first year as she’s so uplifting and nurturing. That led me to Heather Quisel (Instagram) guest on her podcast. I have kids I am still raising and am middle aged so they both fit for me in that regard and their personalities.
Megan Devine It’s ok your not Ok is a great book I have gifted to other widows
All great resources! I also love the trail of one widow leading to others.
Learning about grief instagram to helped me know I wasn’t the only one who felt that way
Go to www.every1dies.org for no cost podcasts and to www.everyonediesthebook.com for a children’s picture book that explains why people die.
Thank you! Some really amazing resources here!
Thank you
The Elements by Kat Lister
This is in my TBR pile - definitely moving it up.
Soaring Spirits was really helpful to me as a new widow.
There is so much from early on in my journey that I have forgotten quite a bit of it. I remember desperately searching for something, but having no idea what it was. The things that I do remember helping along the way were megan devines book, and IG accounts. Somewhere along the line, a post went up of "the 10 best grief accounts" so I went and followed them. This lead to finding more and more fellow widows. Upon finding others who were in the same boat as me, I finally found some validation. All of the accounts that I found helpful have been mentioned in other comments already.