What if grief isn't something to get over — but something to grow through?

In this powerful episode, Brian sits down with intuitive healer, ThetaHealing practitioner, and bestselling author Amanda Beth Johnson, who was widowed at just 27 years old when her husband Jeff was killed suddenly in a car accident. Nearly 30 years later, Amanda has transformed that devastating loss into a life of service — helping others navigate the emotional, physical, and spiritual terrain of grief with wisdom that can only come from having lived it.

This conversation goes places most grief discussions never reach. Amanda opens up about the premonition dream she'd been having since age 12, the guilt of moving forward after loss, why healing isn't linear but layered, and how energy medicine and ThetaHealing can access what talk therapy sometimes can't touch. 

If you've been wondering why grief keeps showing up even years after your loss, or whether it's possible to carry your person forward without staying stuck — this episode is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why the five stages of grief are widely misunderstood — and what to expect instead
• The "rock in a jar" model of grief that changed how Amanda thinks about healing
• What ThetaHealing is and why it works at a level that surprises people
• How to honor your person's memory in healthy versus unhealthy ways
• The role of intuition, energy work, and somatic healing in grief recovery
• Why moving forward is not betrayal — and how your person may actually be cheering you on
• What Amanda would tell her 27-year-old self about feeling the feelings

Connect with Amanda:

Website: https://amandabethhealing.com

All platforms: https://amandabethhealing.com/linktree

Books: Search "Amanda Beth Johnson" wherever you buy books

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Grief doesn’t follow stages, timelines, or rules.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”—you’re not alone.

That’s why I created the Grief Check-In.
It’s not a test. There are no right or wrong answers.
 

In just a few minutes, you’ll gain clarity, reassurance, and language for what you’re experiencing.

👉 Visit grief2growth.com/checkin

This deck is a labor of love. It's a 44 card oracle deck that's about connecting you to your loved one in spirit. The deck comes with a companion digital guide that gives you an affirmation, a reflection, and an activity for the day.

Check it out at https://stan.store/grief2growth/p/oracle-deck

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

What if the most painful moments of your life were actually part of a plan? And what if the people you've lost are closer than you ever imagined — just three feet away?

In this beautiful, wide-ranging conversation, Brian welcomes spiritual messenger and author Fara Gibson for a long-overdue first interview. Fara has been sharing messages from heaven her entire life — without training, without a roadmap, and for years, without telling a single soul. Today she opens up about all of it: how her gifts unfolded, what soul communication really feels like, where heaven actually is, and why even the most devastating losses carry deep spiritual meaning.

This one will stay with you.

In This Episode:

• How Fara's mediumistic abilities developed from childhood — and why she kept them secret for years
• What soul communication actually feels and looks like from the inside
• Where heaven really is (spoiler: it's only 3 feet above your floor)
• Why losses through suicide, addiction, and accidents are not random — and how soul plans bring meaning to the unthinkable
• Why Helping Parents Heal has Fara's whole heart — and what she's observed about grieving dads specifically
• The no-filter bar story that perfectly captures why Fara delivers messages the way she does
• What your loved ones in spirit most want you to know

About Fara Gibson: Fara Gibson is a spiritual messenger, psychic medium, and author of four books including How Do I Live Life When My Child Is in Heaven and Heaven Is Within Us. Her work is rooted in a lifelong connection with spirit, and her no-BS, deeply compassionate style has made her one of the most sought-after mediums in the grief community. She is scheduling approximately 8 months out — and as she says, an honest reading is worth the wait.

Connect With Fara: Website: https://faragibson.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaraGibsonPsychicMedium

C

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Grief doesn’t follow stages, timelines, or rules.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”—you’re not alone.

That’s why I created the Grief Check-In.
It’s not a test. There are no right or wrong answers.
 

In just a few minutes, you’ll gain clarity, reassurance, and language for what you’re experiencing.

👉 Visit grief2growth.com/checkin

This deck is a labor of love. It's a 44 card oracle deck that's about connecting you to your loved one in spirit. The deck comes with a companion digital guide that gives you an affirmation, a reflection, and an activity for the day.

Check it out at https://stan.store/grief2growth/p/oracle-deck

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

The materialist argument that consciousness ends with the brain has a serious problem: the evidence. 

In this episode, I sit down with Simon Bown — clinical hypnotherapist, past life regression guide, and author of Verified Near-Death Experiences: Proof of an Afterlife — to examine the cases that no materialist theory can explain.

Simon has interviewed hundreds of NDE experiencers across more than 900 podcast episodes. His book focuses on 30 verified cases — people who witnessed real, confirmable events while clinically dead. The details were checked. The witnesses were interviewed. The evidence holds up.

We dig into the Pamela Reynolds case, Tibor's astonishing out-of-body journey 7 kilometers from the hospital, and Barbara Bartolome's resuscitation — plus the bigger picture of what NDEs tell us about consciousness, reincarnation, remote viewing, and what it means to be human.

Topics covered in this episode:

• What "verified" (veridical) means and why it matters
• The Pamela Reynolds case — the gold standard of NDE evidence
• Barbara Bartolome — killed by a medical error and back to describe it
• Tibor Rudnicki — consciousness traveling 7km from a hospital while in cardiac arrest
• The brain-as-receiver model of consciousness
• Common NDE themes: tunnels, life reviews, barriers, deceased loved ones
• NDE aftereffects — returning with new abilities and gifts
• Past life regression and its connection to NDEs
• 
  

About Simon Bown: Simon Bown is a clinical hypnotherapist, past life regression facilitator, and host of the Paranormal Afterlife and Alien UFO Podcast — with over 900 combined episodes exploring NDEs, reincarnation, and consciousness. His new book, Verified Near-Death Experiences: Proof of an Afterlife, brings together 30 rigorously documented cases, each confirmed by the experiencers themselves.

🌐 Simon's website: pastliveshypnosis.co.uk 🎙️ Paranormal Afterlife Podcast 🎙️ Alien UFO Podcast

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Grief doesn’t follow stages, timelines, or rules.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”—you’re not alone.

That’s why I created the Grief Check-In.
It’s not a test. There are no right or wrong answers.
 

In just a few minutes, you’ll gain clarity, reassurance, and language for what you’re experiencing.

👉 Visit grief2growth.com/checkin

This deck is a labor of love. It's a 44 card oracle deck that's about connecting you to your loved one in spirit. The deck comes with a companion digital guide that gives you an affirmation, a reflection, and an activity for the day.

Check it out at https://stan.store/grief2growth/p/oracle-deck

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

What happens when someone doesn't just brush the edge of death — but actually crosses over?

On May 22nd, 2023, Jonathan Ashford's organs failed. He collapsed alone on his bathroom floor at 4:30 in the morning, clinically dead for three hours. When he woke up, his temperature was 94 degrees — and the man who had lived inside that body for 25 years was gone.

The corporate executive who dismissed spirituality, chased material success, and would have laughed in your face if you mentioned an NDE — he didn't come back. What returned was something profoundly different. And what Jonathan experienced during those three hours may be the most complete account of the other side you'll ever hear.

In this episode, Jonathan shares what he was shown, what he was taught, and why he came back.

In this episode, we explore:

• What the other side looked like, felt like, and how he was welcomed by a being of love
• The life review — and how he felt the ripple of his actions through every person he'd ever affected
• The teachings he was given about time, consciousness, free will, and our connection to all things
• Why he chose to come back — and what he sacrificed to do it
• The psychic gifts (all the clairs) he returned with and how he uses them only to serve others
• What he wants grieving people to know about the love that surrounds them right now

About Jonathan Ashford

Jonathan Ashford is a near-death experience survivor, spiritual messenger, and member of IANDS (International Association for Near-Death Studies) and the NDERF Research Studies. After dying from sepsis-induced organ failure in May 2023, Jonathan returned completely transformed — leaving behind his career, his possessions, and his former identity. He now offers spiritual guidance and private sessions free of charge, living entirely on donations. He does not self-promote. He was told not to.

🌐 Website: https://jonathanashford.com

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Grief doesn’t follow stages, timelines, or rules.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”—you’re not alone.

That’s why I created the Grief Check-In.
It’s not a test. There are no right or wrong answers.
 

In just a few minutes, you’ll gain clarity, reassurance, and language for what you’re experiencing.

👉 Visit grief2growth.com/checkin

This deck is a labor of love. It's a 44 card oracle deck that's about connecting you to your loved one in spirit. The deck comes with a companion digital guide that gives you an affirmation, a reflection, and an activity for the day.

Check it out at https://stan.store/grief2growth/p/oracle-deck

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

What if your daughter spent years telling you exactly how she was going to die — and then kept communicating after she did?

That's the extraordinary story Louise Crist lives every day. In this episode, Louise shares the most remarkable account of a child predicting their own death and continued after-death communication I've ever featured on this podcast. From premonitions that began at age four, to the moment Jilly's voice came through minutes after the accident saying "I jumped — I didn't feel a thing," to signs so undeniable they've moved total strangers — this conversation will change the way you think about death, love, and what comes after.

If you've lost a child and wondered whether they're still with you, Louise's answer — backed by story after story — is yes.

About Louise Crist: Louise is a registered nurse with decades of bedside experience, a certified grief educator, a shining light parent, and the author of Always Remember to Kiss Me Goodnight. All proceeds from the book fund scholarships for future healthcare professionals in Jilly's honor — over 115 scholarships awarded to date. Louise is also an affiliate leader with Helping Parents Heal.

📖 Always Remember to Kiss Me Goodnight — available on Amazon 🌐 Helping Parents Heal: helpingparentsheal.org

In this episode we cover:

• Jilly's premonitions from age 4 and how they all came true
• What "I jumped" means and why it matters for every grieving parent
• The ring that appeared under a funeral home table
• The quarter buried a foot underground — and why Jilly sends quarters
• How forgiveness unlocked a profound connection from the other side
• Louise's emerging mediumship gifts and what she's learned to see
• How to stop missing the signs your loved ones are sending

What resonated with you most in this episode? Did Louise's stories of Jilly's signs spark something for you? Drop a comment and share — your story might be exactly what another grieving parent needs to hear today.

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Grief doesn’t follow stages, timelines, or rules.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”—you’re not alone.

That’s why I created the Grief Check-In.
It’s not a test. There are no right or wrong answers.
 

In just a few minutes, you’ll gain clarity, reassurance, and language for what you’re experiencing.

👉 Visit grief2growth.com/checkin

This deck is a labor of love. It's a 44 card oracle deck that's about connecting you to your loved one in spirit. The deck comes with a companion digital guide that gives you an affirmation, a reflection, and an activity for the day.

Check it out at https://stan.store/grief2growth/p/oracle-deck

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

When Lisa Woolery found her husband Eric slumped over in his home office—gone at 53 from sudden heart failure—she never imagined what would come next. Not just the frozen assets, the angry 12-year-old, or walking 20,000 steps a day to process the pain. But this: grief made her a better parent.

In this honest, hope-filled conversation, Lisa shares how losing everything forced her to shed perfectionism, step into uncomfortable leadership, and discover that transformation often comes wrapped in tragedy. From getting kicked out of a grief group to sending her son to military boarding school, from hearing God "with her whole body" to healing generational wounds with her 82-year-old mother—Lisa's journey reveals what's possible when you take just one step forward every day.

About Lisa Woolery: Lisa is the voice behind The Widow's Comeback, a ministry supporting widows through grief and reinvention. Her memoir, The Widow's Comeback, chronicles the first two years after Eric's death with raw honesty and unexpected humor. She also created a 365-day grief calendar and a guided grief journal to help others process loss. Lisa lives in Kansas City with her daughter and travels the world solo—something the "old Lisa" never imagined doing.

Key Topics Covered:

• How grief made Lisa a better parent by stripping away perfectionism
• Processing grief through the body: 20,000 steps, breaking furniture, and physical release
• The surprising journey from "because I say so" to collaborative parenting
• Financial survival after sudden loss: frozen assets and practical widow wisdom
• The controversial choice to send her son to military boarding school (and why it worked)
• Trusting God as "husband" after losing her earthly partner
• Creating a new life: from homebody to solo world traveler and bestselling author
• Why "your life is not over" at 40, 50, 60, or beyond

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Grief doesn’t follow stages, timelines, or rules.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”—you’re not alone.

That’s why I created the Grief Check-In.
It’s not a test. There are no right or wrong answers.
 

In just a few minutes, you’ll gain clarity, reassurance, and language for what you’re experiencing.

👉 Visit grief2growth.com/checkin

This deck is a labor of love. It's a 44 card oracle deck that's about connecting you to your loved one in spirit. The deck comes with a companion digital guide that gives you an affirmation, a reflection, and an activity for the day.

Check it out at https://stan.store/grief2growth/p/oracle-deck

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

What if those unexplainable feelings you get — those quiet nudges that something is about to change — aren't just anxiety or imagination, but your soul preparing you for what's ahead?

In this deeply moving episode, I talk with Tami Pitetti Sanders, an intuitive guide whose journey began with subtle intuitive signs before death that she didn't fully understand until after loss transformed her life. Tami shares how she received "unknowing knowings" about a year before her father's passing — scheduling family photos on an off-year, feeling pulled toward Reiki training, and sensing something was coming for her dad.

When her beloved dog died unexpectedly, followed months later by her father's peaceful transition, those intuitive nudges suddenly made perfect sense. In her grief, Tami discovered she could see, feel, and communicate with the other side — and she's now dedicated to helping others find the same comfort and validation she desperately needed.

About Tami Pitetti Sanders:

Tami is an intuitive medium and Reiki practitioner who specializes in helping grieving people reconnect with their loved ones in spirit. After experiencing profound loss during COVID and finding little support available, she developed her intuitive gifts to become the guide she wished she'd had. Through her unique reading style at Divine Lens Readings, Tami provides evidence-based comfort that love and connection continue beyond death.

Connect with Tami: Instagram @DivineLensReadings

Special offer for listeners: Tami is offering discounted readings ($55 instead of $111) for Grief 2 Growth podcast listeners. Message her on Instagram and mention you heard this episode.

Resources mentioned:

• Divine Lens Readings on Instagram: @DivineLensReadings
• Grief 2 Growth Substack: grief2growth.substack.com
• Free consultation with Brian: https://grief2growth.as.me/30-minute-consult

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Grief doesn’t follow stages, timelines, or rules.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”—you’re not alone.

That’s why I created the Grief Check-In.
It’s not a test. There are no right or wrong answers.
 

In just a few minutes, you’ll gain clarity, reassurance, and language for what you’re experiencing.

👉 Visit grief2growth.com/checkin

This deck is a labor of love. It's a 44 card oracle deck that's about connecting you to your loved one in spirit. The deck comes with a companion digital guide that gives you an affirmation, a reflection, and an activity for the day.

Check it out at https://stan.store/grief2growth/p/oracle-deck

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

What happens when grief doesn't just visit once—but keeps coming back? In this deeply honest conversation, Vanessa May shares how she navigated losing her son Harry, then her husband Anthony, and father during the pandemic, all while battling COVID and later a cancer diagnosis.

Vanessa doesn't sugarcoat. She doesn't spiritually bypass. She tells the truth about what it's like when the ground keeps getting ripped out from under you—and how she's found her way forward anyway.

In this episode, we explore:

• The unique pain of compounded grief—losing a child and a spouse
• How trauma lives in the body and can manifest as illness
• Why "resilience" can feel like pressure instead of praise
• Soul planning, earth school, and making meaning from loss
• The loneliness of widowhood in the middle years
• How Vanessa still feels Harry and Anthony guiding her
• The six women featured in her new book and what they have in common
• Finding the balance between spiritual hope and raw human grief

About Vanessa May:

Vanessa is a holistic grief coach, certified grief educator, nutritional therapist, and author of three books including Love Untethered: How to Live When Your Child Dies and her newest release, When Grief Takes Everything: A Survival Guide to Devastating Loss.

Connect with Vanessa:

• Website: VanessaMay.co.uk
• Instagram: @may.wellbeing.griefsupport

What resonated with you in this conversation?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Join the discussion at grief2growth.substack.com, leave a comment, and connect with others walking this road.

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Grief doesn’t follow stages, timelines, or rules.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”—you’re not alone.

That’s why I created the Grief Check-In.
It’s not a test. There are no right or wrong answers.
 

In just a few minutes, you’ll gain clarity, reassurance, and language for what you’re experiencing.

👉 Visit grief2growth.com/checkin

This deck is a labor of love. It's a 44 card oracle deck that's about connecting you to your loved one in spirit. The deck comes with a companion digital guide that gives you an affirmation, a reflection, and an activity for the day.

Check it out at https://stan.store/grief2growth/p/oracle-deck

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Some struggles don’t make sense.

You do the work.
You try to heal.
And yet the same emotional patterns, grief, anxiety, or disconnection keep resurfacing.

In this special Grief 2 Growth episode, Brian D. Smith welcomes back Dr. Lotte Valentin, medical doctor, psychotherapist, ancestral healer, and two-time near-death experiencer, for a profound conversation about inherited emotional patterns and why some challenges may not have started with you.

Dr. Lotte shares how grief, trauma, and unresolved experiences can be passed down through generations—encoded not only in DNA, but in the nervous system, language, and subconscious. These patterns, she explains, often surface when someone in the family line finally has the awareness and capacity to heal them.

✨ That may be why this conversation found you.

🌟 Special Free Event with Dr. Lotte (Highly Recommended)

Dr. Lotte is offering a free online experience this Tuesday, February 3:

Healing Inherited Patterns Through the Kindraya™ Method
Activate Superconscious Senses to Transform Ancestral Wounds

During this event, you’ll:
 • Learn the LIGHT Mapping System™ to identify inherited patterns
• Experience a guided ancestral healing meditation
• Understand how the body holds ancestral memory
• Discover how emotionally charged language reveals lineage wounds
• Explore healing through presence—not force—in a trauma-informed way

👉 Register for the FREE event: https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/hepBS/a22175/

🔗 Resources & Links

• Dr. Lotte Valentin’s Website: https://drlotte.com

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Grief doesn’t follow stages, timelines, or rules.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”—you’re not alone.

That’s why I created the Grief Check-In.
It’s not a test. There are no right or wrong answers.
 

In just a few minutes, you’ll gain clarity, reassurance, and language for what you’re experiencing.

👉 Visit grief2growth.com/checkin

This deck is a labor of love. It's a 44 card oracle deck that's about connecting you to your loved one in spirit. The deck comes with a companion digital guide that gives you an affirmation, a reflection, and an activity for the day.

Check it out at https://stan.store/grief2growth/p/oracle-deck

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

In this deeply moving episode of Grief to Growth, Brian Smith is joined by writer and seeker Alexis Lee, author of Pain Is a Portal to Beauty, for a courageous conversation about grief, trauma, and radical self-healing.

Alexis shares the moment that changed her life — hearing a voice while walking in the woods that told her her life would have been a tragedy if it ended that day. That message became the beginning of a profound journey into grief she had buried since childhood, including the loss of her mother and generational trauma carried in the body.

Together, Brian and Alexis explore what happens when we stop running from pain and instead listen to it.

This episode isn’t about fixing yourself.
 It’s about remembering who you are beneath the pain.

🌱 In This Episode, You’ll Explore:

• Why avoiding pain may be keeping you stuck
• How grief can live in the body for decades
• What “parts work” and Internal Family Systems teach us about self-compassion
• The role of psychedelic-assisted healing (MDMA, psilocybin, ayahuasca) in trauma recovery
• How pain can become a portal to beauty, authenticity, and love
• Why healing doesn’t require having a plan — only honesty

📖 About Today’s Guest

Alexis Lee is a writer, seeker, and advocate for radical self-healing. Her book, Pain Is a Portal to Beauty, explores grief, trauma, spirituality, and the courage it takes to turn toward what hurts.

🌐 Learn more about Alexis and her work:
 👉 https://alexislee.com

📘 Pain Is a Portal to Beauty is available wherever books are sold.

🤍 Continue the Conversation

And if you’re wondering where you are in your own grief journey, you’re invited to take the Grief Check-In — a gentle, judgment-free way to understand how grief may be showing up for you right now.

👉 https://grief2growth.com/check-in

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Grief doesn’t follow stages, timelines, or rules.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”—you’re not alone.

That’s why I created the Grief Check-In.
It’s not a test. There are no right or wrong answers.
 

In just a few minutes, you’ll gain clarity, reassurance, and language for what you’re experiencing.

👉 Visit grief2growth.com/checkin

This deck is a labor of love. It's a 44 card oracle deck that's about connecting you to your loved one in spirit. The deck comes with a companion digital guide that gives you an affirmation, a reflection, and an activity for the day.

Check it out at https://stan.store/grief2growth/p/oracle-deck

Support the show

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join Facebook Group- Get Support and Education
👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)
📰 Get A Free Gift
📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call
📈 Leave A Review

Thanks so much for your support

Before the microphones were turned on, Richard Ashworth asked Brian for his birth information. What followed was an unexpected and deeply personal moment—Richard identified a pivotal event at age seven that reshaped Brian’s view of life.

He was right.

In this episode of Grief 2 Growth, Brian and Richard explore how grief, destiny, and choice intersect—and how ancient systems like Bazi can help us understand the moments that quietly define us.

This is a conversation about:

• Childhood loss and lifelong impact
• Fate vs free will
• Healing heartbreak without bypassing pain
• Why grief is not something to “fix,” but something to listen to

Guest Information

Richard Ashworth
🌐 Find him online: Search Richard Ashworth Feng Shui
📘 Book: I Talk to the Animals
📧 Email: [email protected]

Listener Reflection Prompt 💬

• Was there a moment in childhood that changed how you see the world?
• How do you relate to the idea that grief can be a teacher?

👉 Join the conversation at https://grief2growth.substack.com

Visit the Grief 2 Growth store for FREE items as well as other tools to help you along your journey:

• Guided Meditations
• My book GEMS of Healing (signed copy)
• My Oracle deck to help you connect with your loved ones
• Mini-courses
• Mini-guides
  
  

Check it out at https://grief2growth.com/store

Grief doesn’t follow stages, timelines, or rules.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”—you’re not alone.

That’s why I created the Grief Check-In.
It’s not a test. There are no right or wrong answers.
 

In just a few minutes, you’ll gain clarity, reassurance, and language for what you’re experiencing.

👉 Visit grief2growth.com/checkin

This deck is a labor of love. It's a 44 card oracle deck that's about connecting you to your loved one in spirit. The deck comes with a companion digital guide that gives you an affirmation, a reflection, and an activity for the day.

Check it out at https://stan.store/grief2growth/p/oracle-deck

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