Leslie Barber, Founder of Grief Warrior
I had such a great discussion with Leslie Barber for this episode. Leslie is a widowed parent in Portland, Oregon, and is the founder of Grief Warrior. In this episode Leslie talks about losing her husband, Steve, when her daughter was almost 7, and about their experiences with grief since them.
Some topics we discuss include:
Dealing with physical symptoms of grief, both in herself and her daughter;
Her daughter moving into her bed after her dad died;
Relocating from the Bay Area to Portland a year after her husband died;
How her daughter maintains a relationship with her dad by texting his old number;
How the first two years were more about grieving “Emily’s Daddy,” and then it was Leslie’s turn to grieve losing her husband;
Developing the Grief Warrior box as a way to help people help their grieving friends;
Why she doesn’t believe in sending flowers to someone who has lost a loved one; and
How she was able to use a vacation donation program at her company to take several months off after her husband died, rather than the three day bereavement leave that was standard.
I hope you enjoy my discussion with Leslie Barber.
Links & resources for this episode
The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk
Podcast episodes mentioned:
Leslie on Grief Out Loud from the Dougy Center (and again discussing the pandemic)
More links for listeners
Thank you sponsors & partners:
Help Texts - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://helptexts.com/jennylisk
BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent
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