28 Clover Stroud | The Ambiguous Loss of Her Mother and the Early Loss of Her Sister

Send us Fan MailConsider making a small donation to support the Podcast here. Thank you! Today on the podcast I am speaking with Clover Stroud, a British journalist, and author, telling us about her beautifully rich and colorful life, which also included deep trauma within her family of origin. She shares about the ambiguous loss of her mother who suffered a horse-riding accident and because of it became brain-damaged when Clover was only sixteen years old. Her mother was alive but no longer capable to fulfil her role as a mother. She required full-time care following her accident and died 20 years later. During their teenage years, Clover and her two years older sister Nell formed a close bond, as they first cared for their mother in their home. This role reversal had a huge impact on Clover’s outlook on life. Not even 50, Nell was diagnosed with cancer and died within a couple of years of their mother’s death.Clover believes that what saved her life was to be creating and really going after life. One of her quotes from the podcast that I will keep as a reminder of our conversation is that grief can be a creative act. About this week’s guest Clover Stroud is a writer and a journalist and has five children. She writes about the way life feels, mining her own experiences to draw universal truths about what it means to be human. She never shies away from the big topics and writes with startling honesty about life, death, sex, addiction, motherhood, nature, grief, ecstasy, and suffering.She started her career as a journalist at 24, and since then has written regularly for all the major newspapers and publications, including The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, Vogue, Red, Harpers, Elle, and she frequently appears on radio or podcasts as a distinctive and singular voice. She has published three memoirs, all Sunday Times bestsellers, and is working on her next book. Clover hosts a weekly author interview on her popular Instagram page @clover.stroud. Check out her website here for details on her memoirs. Topics discussed in this episodeGrieving the relationship with her mother after her accident and brain damage, the first loss, and caring for her at home with her sister as two teenagersTwenty years later her mother died, and a new kind of griefTwo years later her sister’s cancer diagnosis led to her deathResources mentioned in this episode Clover’s book: The Red of My Blood Links--> For more information, please visit Nathalie’s website. --> Subscribe to the newsletter to receive updates on future episodes here.--> Join the podcast’s Instagram page Thanks for listening to HOW TO DEAL WITH GRIEF AND TRAUMA. If you’d like to be updated on future episodes, please subscribe to my newsletter on Nathalie Himmelrich.comIf you need grief support, please contact me for a FREE 30 min discovery session.Support the show💡 If today’s episode touched you, please share it with someone who might need it. 🤝 Become a supporter of the show! Starting at $3/month & leave a review.Stay Connected🌐 Visit nathaliehimmelrich.com💌 Subscribe to the newsletter for resources and updates🎧 Never miss an episode—follow the podcast!💛 Socials   Instagram   FacebookFind Support Resources 💜 For Grievers – Resourceshttps://nathaliehimmelrich.com/grief-trauma-support/💜 For Supporters – Supporting someone https://nathaliehimmelrich.com/supporters-resources/💜 Books – Explore books on grief and healing https://nathaliehimmelrich.com/books/💜 Support – Offers - free and paid https://nathaliehimmelrich.com/free-resources-hub/