Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

Can you truly find joy after profound loss? Join us as we explore this compelling question with Dr. Natasha Trujillo, a psychologist who has dedicated her career to helping individuals navigate the intertwining paths of grief, trauma, and performance. In this heartfelt conversation, Dr. Trujillo shares insights from her multifaceted career, explaining how grief often intersects with other mental health issues like eating disorders and trauma. Her experiences working with athletes and her deeply personal book provide a foundation for discussing the importance of normalizing grief and avoiding self-criticism along the way.

Family dynamics play a crucial role in our understanding and processing of trauma, as Dr. Trujillo elaborates on the empathy that can arise from recognizing a parent's past traumas. We discuss the unique challenges faced by grieving mothers and the importance of "doing the work" to navigate through grief. From basic survival tasks to deeper therapeutic efforts, Dr. Trujillo stresses the necessity of integrating loss into one’s life while maintaining commitment despite fluctuating motivation. Practical strategies for managing social interactions and the dual nature of life events are also discussed, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging both gains and losses.

Living with both joy and sorrow is a complex journey, one that we explore through various lenses. Dr. Trujillo underscores the significance of open communication within families and respecting each individual's unique coping mechanisms. We touch on the book And She Was Never The Same Again, a multi-generational memoir that encapsulates the lasting effects of grief and loss on families. This episode is a powerful reminder of the value of self-awareness, mutual understanding, and open dialogue in navigating grief and supporting each other. Join us for this insightful discussion and discover how facing grief can eventually lead to finding joy.

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope in telling of our losses, it may help someone on their own grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals.

We'd love to hear from our followers!
Website: https://www.warriormoms.me/
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be In
Instagram: WarriorMoms.SurvivingChildLoss

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

Planning a summer vacation should be joyful, right? But what happens when the simple thought of packing your bags brings on a wave of anxiety and sadness? Join us as we unravel our own emotional journeys through vacation planning. Amy and I candidly share the frustration, excitement, and sometimes overwhelming grief that accompany these family trips. From the struggle to sync schedules for our podcast to the bittersweet moments of joy upon arriving at our destinations, we don’t hold back on the complex feelings that vacations can entail, especially when dealing with loss.

In this heartfelt episode, we discuss practical strategies to manage vacation-related stress and embrace family time, even when it's tough. By opening up about our personal experiences, we emphasize the importance of being present and having open conversations with our children about their expectations and feelings.

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope in telling of our losses, it may help someone on their own grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals.

We'd love to hear from our followers!
Website: https://www.warriormoms.me/
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be In
Instagram: WarriorMoms.SurvivingChildLoss

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

What a beautiful interview we had with Anna Howard, lovingly referred to as "Annie" in her early years. Her wisdom is beyond her twenty-three years and shares important advice for other siblings who have lived losing their beloved sibling. For Annie, she lost her best friend, Ashley.

This episode Annie, a successful, young hairdresser, tells her grief journey weaving threads of loss, remembrance, and healing.

Annie shares what helped her through the first 3-5 years, one being Kate's Club, a safe place for kids who have lost a sibling or parent to share their sorrow as well as learn how to cope...knowing they are not alone. Here, Annie discusses the transformation grief forces a child to go through; for her, the traumatic boat accident and loss of Ashley turned her "into a shell of herself." Yet, now years later, Annie is once again outgoing and finds strength in her own voice.

We are so thankful to Annie and how she bravely peels back the layers of her personal struggles with faith, her protective instincts in times of trauma, and the way loss entwines with everyday interactions—be it with family or clients in her hairdressing chair.

Annie's courage offers a hope to us moms, wanting to hear what helps our surviving children. She also offers clear advice to other siblings that it is "ok to cry" and shares her belief in the subtle signs that keep the memory of Ashley ever-present, from digital frames to conversations with her nephews to noticing butterflies or a "fat bird" nearby.

Join us for a heartfelt testament to the enduring impact of sibling loss and Annie's profound comfort found in Ashley's continued presence.

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope in telling of our losses, it may help someone on their own grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals.

We'd love to hear from our followers!
Website: https://www.warriormoms.me/
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be In
Instagram: WarriorMoms.SurvivingChildLoss

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele