Honoring and Coping with Grief During the Holidays
NOTE: “Honoring and Coping with Grief During the Holidays” is part of The Gratitude Gathering Retreat, which starts the evening of Nov. 20.
To register for Claire’s event: click “RSVP”, and you will be redirected to The Gratitude Gathering Retreat Registration page.
When you're grappling with loss the holiday season can often feel overwhelming and trigger extra sadness and grief. Author and expert Claire Bidwell Smith has brought together a group of some of the most compassionate individuals in the grief space to talk about all different kinds of loss (from child loss to spousal loss) and how to best honor our feelings, our lost loved ones, and make conscientious and intentional plans to take care of ourselves during this vulnerable time. Tembi Locke, Allison Gilbert, Sukey Forbes and Corey Kennard have all walked through their own journeys of grief and are coming together to offer you support during yours. Please join us for this healing event.
Meet the speakers:
Claire Bidwell Smith is an internationally renowned author, speaker, and grief expert. She is the author of three books of nonfiction: The Rules of Inheritance, After This: When Life Is Over Where Do We Go? and Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief. Her books have been published in 18 countries and Claire lectures and writes regularly about grief.
Tembi Locke is an accomplished actor with over sixty television and film appearances, including The Magicians, NCIS: LA, Bones, Friends, and the Netflix comedy Never Have I Ever, Ms. Locke is also a grief advocate and author of the New York Times bestselling memoir and Reese’s Book Club’s pick (May 2019): FROM SCRATCH: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home. Currently, she is co-developing and writing the Netflix limited series based on her book. Zoe Saldana will star and serve as executive producer, along with Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine.
Allison Gilbert is an Emmy award-winning journalist and one of the most thought-provoking and influential writers on grief and resilience. The author of numerous books including the groundbreaking, Passed and Present: Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive, her stirring work exposes the secret and essential factor for harnessing loss to drive happiness and rebound from adversity. She serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Grieving Children and the Advisory Board for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the preeminent national organization providing grief support to families of America’s fallen heroes. Allison’s other books include, Parentless Parents: How the Loss of Our Mothers and Fathers Impacts the Way We Raise Our Children and Always Too Soon: Voices of Support for Those Who Have Lost Both Parents.
Sukey Forbes is the author of the bestselling memoir The Angel in My Pocket, A Story of Love, Loss, and Life After Death (Penguin 2014), and As To Polo (Amazon 2019). Her focus is on positive grief and resilience, both despite and because of loss. Sukey's work has been featured internationally in television, radio and media outlets including Time, NPR, and The Huffington Post. She is the mother of two young adults and one angel.
Corey L. Kennard is Pastor of Amplify Christian Church and also serves as an activist in the field of healthcare. His holistic approach (body, mind, and spirit) serves as the foundation for his desire to see all human beings treated with dignity, honor, and respect in all facets of life. He began his active work in ministry as well as the business sector over 25 years ago. Corey earned a Masters Degree from Ashland Theological Seminary and carries out his passion for people as a daring and devoted agent of change. In addition to serving as a Pastor and healthcare activist, Pastor Corey is a Spiritual Life Coach, Motivational Speaker, and Partner/Board Member for several community organizations that seek to uplift the poor and vulnerable in society. As a credit to his work, he has received the Michigan Chronicle’s Men Of Excellence Award as being one of the Top 50 Most Influential African-American Men in the Metropolitan Detroit Region. Corey has been involved in the field of healthcare for over 20 years with over a decade of experience in the areas of Palliative Care and Hospice. He currently seeks to enhance the patient/family experience in healthcare settings. He has been published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, written motivational columns for the Detroit News, and authored Goliath Must Fall (2005) and Hamburgers & A Holy Man (2018).
