meet MELODY B: GRIEVING a parent-in-law and discovering how to help her children grieve in healthy ways
meet MELODY B: GRIEVING a parent-in-law and discovering how to help her children grieve in healthy ways
meet MELODY B: GRIEVING a parent-in-law and discovering how to help her children grieve in healthy ways
I started working with Sarah in 2021. There was so much loss with the pandemic, friend loss and also the loss of my father in law.
I wanted to be able to know how to help my children with grief. Throughout the process, I learned so much more than how to help my children. I learned and accepted that grief is different for everyone. I learn
I started working with Sarah in 2021. There was so much loss with the pandemic, friend loss and also the loss of my father in law.
I wanted to be able to know how to help my children with grief. Throughout the process, I learned so much more than how to help my children. I learned and accepted that grief is different for everyone. I learned how to express myself in my own grief and how to be there for people in my life in their grief.
Sarah has been a safe space to share all my struggles with grief and a support to nudge me in a gentler understanding of it all. She was open and honest with me at all times and it was a pleasure to have her coach me in this area of my life.
The program itself has been eye opening. It taught me to be open about grief. Everything I had seen or been taught about grief was so blurred with societal beliefs, how to grieve and what we say to people while they are grieving. I would recommend this program to everyone because we will all grieve something and someone at some point in our lives.
-- Melody B
meet MELODY H: GRIEVING MULTIPLE FAMILY LOSSES & LOSS OF PHYSICAL HEALTH
meet MELODY B: GRIEVING a parent-in-law and discovering how to help her children grieve in healthy ways
meet MELODY B: GRIEVING a parent-in-law and discovering how to help her children grieve in healthy ways
My name is Melody Hawley and my experiences leading up to meeting and working with Sarah have included several areas of grief, loss and change.
In 2018, I was diagnosed with Blast Phase Leukemia. After months of strong chemotherapy, I received a life saving bone marrow transplant. My recovery has included side effects and overall loss of c
My name is Melody Hawley and my experiences leading up to meeting and working with Sarah have included several areas of grief, loss and change.
In 2018, I was diagnosed with Blast Phase Leukemia. After months of strong chemotherapy, I received a life saving bone marrow transplant. My recovery has included side effects and overall loss of certain aspects of my health. I lost my career of 31 years as well as a large financial loss.
As I was starting to recover in 2020, COVID hit. I switched my focus to caring for my parents and trying to keep them safe. September 2020 my father passed away from kidney failure. Due to my mothers dementia, I immediately became her primary caretaker. Just a few months later, my only sibling (my younger brother) passed away January 2021. I was now responsible for everything from attorneys, accountants, medical decisions for my mom and funeral arrangements for my dad and brother.
By the time I found Sarah in November 2021, I was spiraling in complete overwhelm and numbness. I was surviving but nowhere near thriving. I wasn’t even really sure how to heal or move forward. I had kept so busy with details I didn’t take time to grieve or heal.
As I spoke to Sarah about her 1-on-1 program, I had mixed feelings of hope and fear. I knew if I was going to commit to my healing and this process I would have to be all in. I knew I didn’t want to feel the way I was feeling for the rest of my life so I did it, I committed to the work and I’m so glad I did.
A few months into our working together, my mom passed February 2022. I won’t say it’s been easy but I will say I have tools and a mindset now that I didn’t have before and I’ve been able to navigate and allow space for my feelings…knowing whatever they are at the time is absolutely okay.
Letting go of lifelong conditioning and expectations of myself and others has been huge. I have a new perspective on loss, grief and change. Understanding how perfectly normal it is to feel many things all at the same time helps so much. I now don’t feel guilt or shame when I feel joy or happiness; emotions are so complex we can feel several things simultaneously and I discovered it’s all okay.
Working with Sarah was a big commitment and working through my grief was scary at times. I can testify that many times the greatest gifts are on the other side of fear. Sarah is great at listening without judgment, she offers insight and ideas to consider while respecting your space and your own ideas. She' s genuine, authentic and freely shares her own experiences if she thinks it may be helpful to you. I would absolutely recommend consulting with her to see if she can facilitate a healing journey for you.
-- Melody H
meet G.S.: GRIEVING the deaths of FAMILY members, postpartum & other major life changes
meet MELODY B: GRIEVING a parent-in-law and discovering how to help her children grieve in healthy ways
meet G.S.: GRIEVING the deaths of FAMILY members, postpartum & other major life changes
Hello, my name is GS. I began my work with Sarah because I was experiencing a lot of major life changes in a very short amount of time. These experiences were related to many different things -- birth and traumatic postpartum experience, the loss of my ill aunt, my family and I moved to a different country and the loss of the support syst
Hello, my name is GS. I began my work with Sarah because I was experiencing a lot of major life changes in a very short amount of time. These experiences were related to many different things -- birth and traumatic postpartum experience, the loss of my ill aunt, my family and I moved to a different country and the loss of the support system I had taken years to grow at our old home. But the event that ultimately led me to seek help was the traumatic loss of my 15 year old cousin. His loss came only months after our move to Germany and I was unable to fly home to see my aunt who had just lost her child.
All my life, my mother always told me that I was strong, that I could get through anything because I was strong. This program taught me HOW to be strong. It taught me new techniques to get through my grief and not just "over it". It taught me how to look deeper into why I was feeling certain ways and not just brush them as “normal” feelings. The loss of my cousin hit me like a ton of bricks despite the fact that I was never close to him. This program showed me that my grief was more than just sadness for the loss of his life but a whole array of different feelings; anger, confusion, disbelief. And in a weird way, this realization brought comfort and insight. I learned that grief is not one thing but a multitude of different feelings that need to be acknowledged and explored.
Some things I had tried in the past was seeing different therapists. However, as soon as I unloaded everything I would feel better and then never return to future sessions. I never allowed myself to dig deeper. What resonated with me about this program is that it was a set program with a specific direction for me to go in. Each session had a purpose and I learned so much from each one.
I would recommend this program so you can clear space in your heart and mind for future happiness. Allow yourself to shed years of unknown feelings so your future self can heal correctly. I would recommend this program to anyone who has experienced a tremendous loss in their lives, but I would also like to note that a loss doesn’t necessarily have to be from death. It could be the loss of a marriage, a job, a lifestyle. I never realized the extent of losses I had experienced in my life until I began this program. There were things that I thought were “over” in my life, but Sarah very quickly helped me learn that I was still holding on to some grief. Sarah is an amazing mentor. She is compassionate, caring, and devoted to helping those who come to her. Her openness to express her own experiences with grief really helped me to open as much as I could with her. I am forever grateful for my experience and journey with Sarah, and I know others will feel the same.
Loss is inevitable and the greatest part about this program is that I now have the tools to help me work through and heal when loss hits my life again. I now have tools to teach my kids as well. Being able to tend to your mental health is essential to living a happy life. For me, it was important that I invested in myself so that I could invest more into my children. Before this journey I was trying to pour from an empty cup, but now I am learning (and will continue to learn) how to balance my cup so I can maintain my fulfillment while I help others. This journey has helped me make improvements in the relationships in my life. My kids are getting a healthier and happier mom, my husband is getting the woman he fell in love with back, and in my new place of residence, I am making lasting friendships. Without this program, I would still be lost but Sarah has helped me find myself again and I am so grateful!
-- G. S.