Ambition, Grief and the Holidays - Rewriting How We Overcome and Move Through Loss with Dr. Sherry Walling

IMPACT

On this week’s episode of IMPACT, we’re joined by Dr. Sherry Walling, a clinical psychologist, entrepreneur and an expert on handling grief. She is also the author of Touching Two Worlds about the duality of joy and grief.

All of us experience pain and grief at some point in our lives because it’s a very normal and important part of human relationships and human emotion. But some of us get stuck in grief and hold trauma in our bodies, especially entrepreneurs and high performers who seldom slow down.

Grief is not linear – it may go away for a while and then months later, resurface in a different way. Grief can show itself through anger, anguish, sadness, and stillness. But it can also be fuel, passion and the determination to change something or advocate for a cause. This is all part of the grief process.

It’s important to tell stories of loved ones who have passed on to share the reality of grief. The deeper work of grief is internal storytelling so that the role of that person in your life doesn’t get glossed over.

The holidays are a great time to acknowledge the joy a loved one brought while honoring their memory with family, children, and friends.

This episode is special. It is for everyone. There are things that we are ALL going to experience in our lifetime… and grief is one of them.

Grief is complicated but giving space for all that comes with grief is important. What does this involve? Listen to this week’s episode to learn more.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[1:32] How Dr. Walling became a grief expert through family loss

[6:22] Similarities to losing a loved one and going through the pandemic

[6:41] The Great Resignation

[10:42] The negative and positive manifestations of grief

[15:10] Integrating grief into our lives

[18:26] The importance of talking to kids about grief

[23:29] Deeper work of storytelling in grief

[27:47] The importance of talking with your family about end-of-life wishes

HOW TO CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST

https://www.sherrywalling.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sherrywalling/

[e-mail]

Books on Amazon: Touching Two Worlds and The Entrepreneurs Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together

MEMORABLE QUOTES

“Grief is a very normal part of human relationship and human emotion, and one that has all of these sort of riches and depths instead of like an ailment that needs to be treated.”

• Dr. Sherry Walling

“Integrating the body and movement into a course of working through grief is now absolutely central to how I think about what humans need when they're grieving.”

• Dr. Sherry Walling

“The unique thing about helping entrepreneurs or high performers grieve is that we're really good at not grieving. Our lives are really full, so it's very, very difficult for us to give the time and space to grief that it may warrant.”

• Dr. Sherry Walling

“The deeper work of grief is the remembering. It is the storytelling internally so that the role of that person in your life doesn't get sort of glossed over.”

• Dr. Sherry Walling

“I also think this idea of grief as sadness is not super helpful because grief is many, many things. It can be anger, it can be anguish, it can be sadness, it can be stillness, but it can also be fuel, it can also be passion. It can be the determination to change something, fix something, advocate for something that's all part of a grief process. And so I think grief can be fiery as much as it can be blue. And so giving space to all the parts of grief I think is really helpful.”

• Dr. Sherry Walling