Episode 147: Grief + Healing: What 18 Years Without My Dad Taught Me About Life, Love + Living fully

Episode 147: Grief + Healing: What 18 Years Without My Dad Taught Me About Life, Love + Living fully This week's episode is one of the most personal I've ever recorded.With Father's Day here and 18 years since my dad passed away, I found myself reflecting on something profound: I've now lived more of my life without him than with him.In this raw and honest conversation, I share my journey with grief, healing, forgiveness, and the lessons that have shaped me into the woman I am today.We often talk about "moving on" from loss, but I don't believe that's how grief works. Grief doesn't disappear. We learn to live with it. We grow around it. And in doing so, it becomes part of the fabric of who we are.I speak openly about my father's addiction, the forgiveness that took years to find, and the unexpected gift of having a stepdad who brought safety, stability, and unconditional support into my life when I needed it most. Looking back, I can see how that external safety created the foundation that allowed me to do the deeper healing work within myself.I also reflect on losing 11 family members at a young age, including my dad at 45, my nan at 56, and my cousin at just 21. Those experiences taught me something I carry with me every day:Tomorrow is never guaranteed.It's why I choose to go all in.It's why I say what I mean.It's why I shine brightly.It's why I refuse to wait for the "right time."In this episode, we explore:​ Why grief never truly leaves us and what it means to grow around loss​ Forgiveness, acceptance, and healing complicated family relationships​ The profound impact of safety and support on our healing journey​ How loss can deepen our appreciation for life rather than diminish it​ The lessons grief teaches us about courage, love, and presence​ Why healing creates an internal foundation that can withstand life's inevitable stormsI also share reflections on the Summer Solstice, the next six months of growth and possibility, and why the upcoming Capricorn Full Moon invites us to ask ourselves a powerful question:Do I truly believe I am worthy of receiving what I desire?This episode is a reminder that life is not meant to be perfect. It is meant to be lived. The joy, the heartbreak, the beauty, the messiness, the love, the loss, all of it belongs.And perhaps the greatest gift healing gives us is not a life free from pain, but the ability to find our way home to ourselves no matter what life brings.If this episode resonates with you, I would genuinely love to hear from you. Send me a message and let me know what landed.