I promised I'd be back this week, and I'm here—though not in the way I planned. In the last 24 hours, we lost our beloved family dog in a really tragic way, and I almost sent a note instead. But life is always going to life, and there's never a moment without some stress or heartbreak or challenge. So I decided to come on anyway and talk about something I'm sitting right in the middle of: grief.
This episode is also a turning point. The Athenaeum is transforming—I'm building out a searchable library of curated readings, listenings, and resources on the back end—and the podcast is shifting with it. Instead of trying to cram big research topics into 20 minutes, I want to bring research into real life and real practice. Today is my first try at that, using what the research actually says about grief alongside what I'm experiencing in this exact moment.
We talk about why the "stages of grief" aren't the tidy roadmap popular culture made them out to be, and what I'm noticing in myself: not wanting to broadly share, going through unpredictable waves of feeling, not wanting advice or hugs even when they're kindly offered. I connect all of it back to the families we work with—the grief parents may carry for a life they imagined, and how we might create space for them without being intrusive. (A small, perfect example from my friend Taylor makes an appearance.)
I also share what's coming: doors to the Athenaeum opening this summer, idea meetings and book club on the horizon, and a new Missouri First Steps early intervention fellowship launching this September.
Thanks for your patience with me. I'd love to know what you think of this more story-forward direction—DM me @HelloJoyOT or email katie@hellojoyot.com.