Karen, Growing THRU Grief

When I began my journey with moveTHRU grief it had been about 7 months since my husband died. Up until this point I was just surviving by “avoiding” any emotions and finding things to fill the void he left behind. My heart was aching as the reality of the permanency of his death was setting in and the “shock” was wearing off. I knew I needed to get some help from the outside to help me navigate through my grief and these emotions I had been trying so hard to avoid.

I had come across a few courses but Emily’s caught my eye the most because of the fitness aspect. Working out was already a part of my daily routine so I thought it would be a good fit. And it was! Through the course I learned how to really feel my emotions, lean into and sit in them, allow them to come in and move through me. Most importantly my feelings were validated not only by Emily but everyone in our group.

I still use the tools I learned through the course and guided workouts and apply them when I go for a run or strength train. I highly recommend moveTHRU Grief course and group.

Even if you don’t like to workout, if you are afraid or intimidated by the idea of being on live coaching calls, I want to encourage you to take that leap today. You are not alone but surrounded by Emily and others who are walking in the same space as you are right now. This course is truly one of a kind. Created by a compassionate understanding kind person who has a heart that wants to motivate and teach you how thrive and grow stronger as you move forward in your grief.

Dawn

“I started the 12-Week Guided Group Grief Journey three years after my husband’s sudden, traumatic death. I felt stuck, sad, lonely and anxious and I had reached a plateau in my progression with my grief counselor. I knew an important missing piece for processing my grief was sharing and witnessing grief with other widows and widowers who experienced similar life-changing devastation…but I was unable to find such a group, until I met Emily.

During my initial conversation with Emily, I felt her compassion and empathy for my experience with my loss. After she described her program to me, I knew it was the missing piece I’d been searching for in my grief journey. The group proved to incorporate everything Emily described: modules focusing on the emotions and feelings that arise from grief (anger, guilt, anxiety, loneliness, sadness…) which allowed me to examine and process feelings I was suppressing; guest speakers guided me to a deeper understanding about figuring out my enneagram type (this was amazing!); finding effective ways to process trauma (so important for me!); understanding my purpose and creating a new vision for my life without my husband (critical!)

Emily’s weekly reflection questions/prompts provided invaluable guided examination into a wide variety of grief topics dedicated time for sharing with the other members in the group allowed for compassionate dialogue and support.

I felt supported by Emily and the members in the group to share my story in a safe space. I shared my traumatic experience, my emotional struggles and my external stressors (all of which I’m not often comfortable sharing in a group setting). I am still moving through my grief, but I am no longer ‘stuck’…I now have additional tools and strategies to help me move forward. For the first time in over 3 years, I am feeling ready to open my heart to new experiences and I am excited for the next chapter in my life!

I highly recommend this wonderful group…it has been life-changing for me! One of the most important things I learned is to allow ALL of the feelings in as they come (even the uncomfortable ones), to acknowledge them and to move through them – Emily will meet you where you are and will help you to figure out how to do it, it’s amazing!”

Ashley

“When I started Emily’s moveTHRU Group Grief Journey my husband had been gone for 7.5 months. I had a lot of anxiety about moving forward and a lot of guilt when I would go and do things, especially with family. Exhaustion was also a huge struggle.

I joined the group because I knew that I was struggling and did not know how or what to do to even take a step forward with my life. Also, my sister encouraged me to join, even though I was extremely anxious sharing my story.

The biggest breakthrough I had was when I was journaling / answering a question that Emily provided during a session and I wrote out what it meant for me to move forward. I had told myself that he would want me to be happy and move forward, but something about writing it out was so helpful in fully understanding and accepting what it meant for me — knowing it would honor him to move forward…even it was baby steps. I have reminded myself many times that moving forward does not mean moving on, and this has been HUGE in my grief journey.

I also realized that most of my exhaustion came from not being able to process what I was feeling. This journey has taught me that it is okay to sit with my emotions and that moving my body in any form also helps process them (especially the sad/hurt ones).

If I were to give advice to anyone thinking about joining this group I would say to TAKE THE LEAP! I am not a very open person, especially with discussing my feelings. Joining this group there was never any pressure to speak and share. However, the comfort of having others who share made it so easy to open and share when I felt like I could. Being surrounding by others in a time of so much hurt and heartache gave me a sense of normalcy.”

Helene

“Like anyone that decides to join a grief group, I live with profound loss. My husband John was diagnosed on 12/30/2019 with ALS and passed away on 8/21/2021.

Well that brings me to Emily’s grief group.

Emily is pretty amazing. She somehow, despite her own profound loss manages to show you that life is meant to be lived.

Our grief group started on 9/1/2021. For some people that might be too tight but for me after 19.5 months of anticipatory grief I was ready. Quickly, I met a group of people who actually understood my loss. No one judged, everyone just came to this group with an open heart.

For some strange reason within this group, I felt like I could speak, I didn’t need to be someone I wasn’t. Emily gave us tools, workshops, modules to work through on our own and with each one and each week I just learned more about myself and I got a little bit stronger.

A twelve week grief group can’t make it all go away, but Emily gave me a platform and a tool box to open up whenever I just need a little help. Now we are at the holidays, so there is no question my box of tools is wide open, and I am grateful for the box!

Grief is so hard, but I have learned through this group that grief and love go hand in hand. Without grief there is no love and if you want to have a life filled with love you will have grief. Emily is not a therapist, she is a coach, she listens, she speaks, but mostly she helps you to find your way and to understand that together we can move through our grief and we can continue to live our lives. I don’t know where I would be without Emily and without this group that I now consider my friends. From the bottom of my heart, Emily, I thank you!”

Holly

“When I joined Emily’s moveTHRU Guided Grief Group Journey, I had passed the 14th month after my husband died (following his 14 month journey through cancer). I had “made it through” the 1st year, as difficult as it was, and was feeling less numb but more aware of my deep sadness, loneliness and some continued anxiety.

I made the decision to join this group because I had been helped with some individual counseling but I felt the need to connect to people who truly understood this level of loss. I also had already begun to recognize the benefit moving my body had on improving my mood, anxiety, and ability to process my grief. I appreciated that Emily was a fellow widow, the fact that the group was not too large, and that we would have ongoing access to all the resources.

During this group experience, I gained so much support from sharing my story, hearing others stories, and learning that each story is different, but each needs to be heard(not fixed). It was a safe, supportive space where I learned to acknowledge my emotions, name them, and continue to move in/through them.

I am glad I participated in this group since I felt Emily provided genuine, compassionate support with lots of amazing resources. I will forever be grateful to Emily and the members of my group for the time we shared during this challenging part of our life stories.”

Julie

“I saw Emily on TikTok and started following her after my losses. I had four major losses in five months including my husband, Emily has truly helped me to understand my grief. Grief is life changing and understanding my grief is paramount to my healing.

She has helped me tremendously on learning how to take my loved ones with me as I move through my grief. I know they will always be with me and know how to honor them while taking steps forward. She has also shown me how important movement is to make sure my grief does not get stuck in my body.

Emily helps you to be curious of your emotions which helps you learn more about your own self. The biggest takeaway was finding more of myself in this program as we learned more about our personalities! That was life changing for me on how I viewed myself and my grieving.

I highly recommend her program! She has been worth every penny spent on helping with my grief. I feel so supported by her even after group is done.”

Bobby

“[Since joining the group] I’m more comfortable with understanding it’s ok to still grieve even 4 plus years later. Previously I felt like I should be over this and I realize I never will to some degree and its ok to feel this way. I wish I could have found a group like this quicker. I know I would have been at a better place sooner.”