This week on Wake the F*** Up podcast, our hosts Alix and Jami sit down with Whitney Lyn Allen, mother, widow, and bestselling author. If you want to dive deep into the complexities of grief, healing, and rebuilding after loss, you don’t want to miss this episode. Whitney Lyn joins us to talk about her personal grief journey following the death of her husband, and how she decided to turn her pain into purpose. Whitney Lyn’s book titled, “Running in Trauma Stilettos,” is an Amazon Best Seller. Whitney Lyn is also a certified grief educator and grief coach. And most importantly she is a mom of two boys, Jackson and Leo. Even though Whitney Lyn is a trained and certified grief educator and coach, dealing with the complexities of grief can be just as hard for her as anyone else. In this interview Whitney Lyn shares the challenges of being a young widow and the lack of support in society.Alix and Whitney have a lot in common when it comes to navigating life after a traumatic loss, particularly in relation to finding support and entering new relationships. Whitney reflects on the societal judgment and misunderstanding surrounding grief and moving on, emphasizing the importance of honoring oneself and making choices based on personal needs rather than outside opinions. If you haven’t been through it yourself, it’s hard to imagine how grief can truly lead to feelings of disembodiment and losing trust in yourself. You have to work hard to find alignment between emotional responses and rational thoughts. Alix and Whitney also touch on therapy modalities that helped them in their grief journey, such as somatic work, EMDR therapy, and separating traumatic memories from the associated sensations.If you’re new to the idea of grief coaching, this podcast episode is a great place to start. Whitney Lyn explains that grief coaching focuses on managing the grief experience rather than eliminating it entirely. The goal is to find ways to live with grief in a way that allows people to continue their lives while honoring the memory of their loved ones. Whitney Lyn and Alix also can attest to the value of connecting with fellow widows to share experiences and support one another through the grief journey. Whitney Lyn says the ultimate goal of sharing her story is to help others facing similar struggles, so they don’t feel alone. It’s all about normalizing messy healing strategies.
