Transforming Grief: Lessons from Losing a Child with Suzanne Jabour

In this episode of The Art of Imperfect Adulting (TAOIA), host Amy Stone chats with Suzanne Jabour about rebuilding life after the loss of her adult son. Suzanne shares her personal journey through grief, the practical and emotional realities of loss, and her mission to create space for more open and supportive conversations around grief and healing. Together, they explore not only the pain, but also the opportunities for connection, growth, and compassion that arise in the aftermath of tragedy.About the Guest:Suzanne is a grieving mom who has found meaning in her loss through providing grief education – sharing how grief really works and how we can support people experiencing it. She works with grievers to chart their own path through Conscious and Curious Grief Coaching. She offers a regular rotation of workshops and sessions for grievers and people supporting them to share the information, skills and tools so we can respond to grief in a more meaningful way. Her TEDx talk “Grief is Hard - Let’s do Better” will be released in 2025. She is available as a speaker to share her story and help normalize grief as a healthy response to losses big and small. She has a BA and B Ed and decades of experience as a trainer. She is a certified Grief Educator, a Transformational Coach and Workshop Leader.Main Topics Covered:Suzanne’s life before and after her son’s passingHow the COVID-19 pandemic shaped her family’s experience of lossThe realities of grief, including its physical, emotional, and mental impact (“grief brain”)Why our society struggles to handle grief and what needs to changeHonoring loved ones by sharing stories and memoriesPractical advice for supporting grievers and having better conversations about lossThe importance of foundational well-being in facing life’s challengesSuzanne’s new grief workshops and available resourcesQuote from the Episode:“If we were having more conversations about it, about grief and loss and rebuilding, we would be much better adulting.” — Suzanne JabourTimestamps:00:00 – Introductions, Vancouver vs. Seattle, and Suzanne’s hobbies02:04 – Discussing the loss of Suzanne’s adult son; the context of the pandemic07:13 – Exposure to grief prior to Ben’s death; unique impact of losing a child09:59 – How Ben passed away and reframing mental health loss14:01 – Honoring and remembering Ben’s life19:16 – The physical and mental impact of grief; normalizing the experience22:05 – “Fork in the road” moments and puzzle pieces of identity28:08 – Rebuilding life, shifting priorities and boundaries38:18 – Supporting grievers: what helps, and what doesn’t46:26 – Why we must get better at handling grief47:00 – Suzanne’s workshops, resources, and special offer for listeners49:15 – Rapid fire questions: fear, Mars, and beveragesResources & Links:Special offer from Suzanne Jabour drop-in grief workshops (code “AIA” for 10% off) https://www.suzannejabour.com/Suzanne’s TEDx Talk: “Grief is Hard. Let’s Do Better.” https://youtu.be/3wRQTueKxJY?si=EaGmKD6jSrjqrZPx Never Miss a Moment of Imperfect AdultingWe invite you to join our email community and let us bring the podcast directly to you! As a subscriber, you'll receive notifications about new episodes, exclusive offers from our amazing guests, and easier access to any of the important links mentioned on the show—no more scrambling to write down websites or remember special codes.Why subscribe?Stay up-to-date without checking your podcast appGet guest offers delivered straight to your inboxAccess all important links in one convenient placeCatch the highlights even when you don't have time to listenAre you ready? Join us at https://www.imperfectadulting.com If you have a story to share and you'd like to be a guest on The Art of Imperfect Adulting, here are the steps for how you can make that happen. Pitch yourself at https://www.imperfectadulting.com/be-a-guestHere are a few resources that Amy uses to make all this great content. These are affiliate links :-)For livestreaming and recording ECamm https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=amy69Podcast hosting and distribution: Captivate FM https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=ntczmwi Website hosting with Siteground https://www.siteground.com/?referrer_id=9115590Ai Transcription Tool: Castmagic https://get.castmagic.io/ugrmjjrt8ofjFor Email I recently switched to Beehiiv https://www.beehiiv.com?via=Amy-Stonebefore that I used Kit. Books I like and books written by show guests on Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/lists/podcast-guest-authors