Grief After Suicide Loss: Stigma, Boundaries, and Finding Support with Sarah Shelton
Grief After Suicide Loss: Stigma, Boundaries, and Finding Support with Sarah Shelton
Suicide loss is one of the most isolating and misunderstood grief experiences there is — and Sara Shelton knows this firsthand. After losing her sister Heidi to suicide in 2019, Sara navigated stigma, family silence, and a profound lack of resources for suicide loss survivors. Now, as founder of The Postvention Project, she's working to change that.
In this episode, Sara talks openly about why suicide grief is different, how stigma keeps survivors isolated, and why boundaries during grief are not about pushing people away — they're an act of love and self-preservation. She also shares what she's learning through her survivor research interviews, why finding community with other suicide loss survivors is one of the most powerful steps toward healing, and what to say — and not say — when someone you love is grieving a suicide loss.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by suicide loss, this episode offers honest, compassionate insight from someone who has lived it.
If you are struggling, please reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
🔗 The Postvention Project: https://www.postventionproject.com 🔗 Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarashelton/
What Learning to Swim Taught Us About Grief — with Cori Myka | GRIEF Ladies Ep. 25
what-learning-to-swim-taught-us-about-grief-cori-myka
What could learning to swim possibly have to do with grief?
More than you'd think.
In Episode 25 of GRIEF Ladies: A Guide to What Comes Next, we welcomed Cori Myka, founder of Calm Within Adult Swim, and the conversation took
a turn we didn't expect — in the best possible way.
Fear. Overwhelm. Not Knowing What Comes Next.
Cori works with adults who are terrified of the water. And as she started describing what her clients experience — the fear, the overwhelm,
the pressure to get it right — we couldn't help but notice how much it sounded like grief.
Because grief puts you in a whole new world too. One where you don't know the rules, you don't know what's coming, and everyone around you
seems to expect you to just figure it out.
Cori shared a powerful framework for slowing all of that down — and it turns out it works whether you're standing at the edge of a pool or
standing at the edge of a whole new life without someone you love.
The Takeaway You Can Try Right Now
One of our favorite moments in this episode was when Cori shared a simple, practical tool you can use anywhere — in a meeting, in a grocery
store line, at a family gathering — when a grief wave hits and you need to come back to yourself.
It's small. It's tangible. And it just might help.
You'll have to listen to get the full details. 🎧
Plus — Cori Shares Something Personal
We also asked Cori how she celebrates those who have died in her own life. Her answer was beautiful, unexpected, and something that stuck
with us long after we stopped recording.
Listen to Episode 25 here: https://youtu.be/aiLqrtJuFI8
Connect with Cori:
📲 @CalmWithinAdultSwim
Have you ever found an unexpected connection between something in your life and your grief? Tell us in the comments of the video — we'd love to hear it.