SLP 592: Navigating the Love and Loss of a Parent with Sue Anderson-Stevens

In this heartfelt episode, Kim sits down with Sue Anderson-Stevens, author of Love and Loss of a Parent, to explore her deeply personal journey through grief, resilience, and healing. Sue reflects on her upbringing on the Central Coast of New South Wales, where her parents taught her the value of simplicity, gratitude, and finding joy even during difficult times. She shares how these lessons shaped her career as a project manager and leader, where her focus has always been on helping others feel seen, heard, and valued. Sue opens up about the profound experience of losing both of her parents within just 116 days and the emotional impact of caring for them through their final years. The conversation delves into the ways Sue navigated loss, including her passion for ultramarathon running and completing a challenging 100-kilometre race as part of her healing journey. Through stories of endurance, the Camino de Santiago, meaningful signs from her parents, and the support of family and friends, Sue reveals how grief can evolve into growth and transformation. Drawing from the framework outlined in her book Grief, Healing, Connection, and Transformation, Sue offers compassionate insights for anyone experiencing loss. Sue’s powerful message reminds listeners to honour their own grieving process, embrace self-love, and remember that “you have to feel it to heal it.” About Sue: Sue Anderson-Stevens is a Master Practitioner of NLP and Time Line Therapy®, a certified Transformational and Grief Coach, and a passionate advocate for helping others navigate life’s most challenging moments with courage and compassion. After losing both of her parents within months of each other, Sue felt called to transform her personal journey of grief into something meaningful–supporting others to move from grief toward healing, connection, and transformation through her book, Love and Loss of a Parent. With over 35 years of experience in leadership and project management, Sue brings a unique blend of structure and empathy to her work. An avid runner and ultramarathon finisher, she believes deeply in the power of movement, mindset, and connection to support healing. Sue lives on the Sunshine Coast, Australia, with her partner and is a proud mum to twin daughters. She is now building a supportive community so that no one has to walk through loss alone. Her definition of Self Love is: If I look in the context to loss, it would be to give yourself permission to grieve without judgement and allowing yourself to move forward when you are ready, and not when the world expects you to. Her favourite quote is: I would rather be the oldest person in the gym than the youngest person in the nursing home. You have to feel it, to heal it. Links to follow: Website: www.loveandlossofaparent.com.au Book Link: https://amzn.asia/d/0hNaQb1P Community Link: https://www.skool.com/loveandlossofaparent/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveandlossofaparent.com.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loveandlossofaparent Contact: [email protected] Quotes: Life was always full of love and laughter. Not a day goes by that I don’t acknowledge that I had a very privileged childhood growing up. They always made our childhood be the best they could in the circumstances that they had. Everybody will bring something unique to the team, and if you are the leader, it is your job to find what that is. I think making people feel heard and seen, is something that I really focussed in on. The longer runs, I love because you just get to just tune in. It is like a meditation. It is just being able to be lost in thought, in beautiful nature. I want to do something that people go is hard. I want to do something not everyone can do. I want to do that thing that is outside the box. One thing I love about the running community is a very supportive community, regardless of your age, shape, or condition. You are always welcomed in. The best place to start, if you really don’t know, is park runs. There was constant exhaustion and trying to manage lots of different things that I had going on at once. I felt like I was constantly living in a survival mode. They were the sort of people that didn’t ever want to be a burden. I just knew that when I walked in the door at Mum and Dad’s, and when I walked in the door at my home, I had to be a different person to the person that was being the carer, the juggler of everything. When I knew that they had given up the fight, then I knew it was time to prepare. I was grieving the loss of my parents, even though they were still alive, and I just never thought that that was a thing. I took the redundancy as a sign that was now my new job. It was to look after Mum and Dad. I knew I would have my time. My focus was 100% on the job I had at hand. The world was moving on so quick and my grief wasn’t. Everyone’s hard is something different. Mine happened to be long distance ultra running. If you can find your hard, something that you know is out of your comfort zone and it is going to take effort for you to do, then that is your hard. If I could share my story, that could help other people, then it would be worth me writing that book, even if it just helps a couple of people. I referred to myself as an accidental author. I felt that it is my story, in my words. I wanted it to sound very much like a conversation. I wanted it to sound so personal. This is about the community that I want to build and supporting people. I really wanted to normalise the conversation about grief. Grief is a place that you do need to visit, but it is not a place you want to stay. The next version of you is waiting. SELF LOVE PODCAST SPONSOR LINKS THANKYOU FOR LISTENING… If you would like to share your feedback on this podcast please head to my Facebook and Instagram pages below. Thanks so much if you take the time to give me a 5-star rating on iTunes so that others find this podcast easily and I sincerely appreciate all of your feedback and comments. It makes it all worthwhile as I know this podcast can plant a seed where big things can indeed grow! If you would love to work with Kim one on one coaching or be a part of her Self Love & Wellness Mentorship Program to continue to master the art of self-love click here – www.kimmorrison.com SIGNATURE ‘ESSENTIAL SELF CARE WEEKEND’ EVENT with Kim Morrison Immerse yourself in a whole weekend for you, dive into the powers of your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and how essential oils can create magic and change in your life. Learn the importance of self-care and what it means to indulge and recharge every day… after all you deserve it! Click here for more information and locations for your Standard or VIP ticket – https://twenty8.com/pages/essential-self-care-weekend PODCAST SPONSOR: Twenty8 Essentials – https://twenty8.com/ DISCOUNT CODE: Discount Code for SLP Listeners – selflovepodcast LINKS: Twenty8 Essentials Website: https://twenty8.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twenty8essentials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twenty8essentials/ Kim Morrison Website: www.kimmorrison.com Essential Self Mastery Program: https://www.kimmorrison.com/essential-self-mastery Essential Self Care Weekend: https://twenty8.com/pages/essential-self-care-weekend The Art Of Self Love – https://twenty8.com/products/the_art_of_self_love_book Self-Love & Wellness Mentoring Program – https://www.kimmorrison.com/mentorship Essential Oils 101 Program – https://www.kimmorrisontraining.com/essential-oil-101 Kim Morrison Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimmorrison28/ Kim Morrison Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimMorrisonTraining MUSIC INTRO & OUTRO Many thanks to Wes and Charlotte Carr – https://wesleydeanmusic.com/