Ep. 2: The Grief of What We Expected But Didn’t Receive

Grief isn’t always about death or major loss—it can also arise in the quiet, unspoken spaces between our expectations and reality. This week on This Week in Life, I’m opening the door to this subtle, often unacknowledged form of grief.

I’m sharing my personal experience with the grief I’ve encountered during my pregnancy and postpartum journey, while exploring Francis Weller’s 4th Gate of Grief: What We Expected and Did Not Receive.

In this episode, we’ll uncover how grief often lives under feelings of anger, frustration, and resentment, waiting to be seen and felt. Together, we’ll explore how to:
✨ Recognize grief that doesn’t always "make sense" but is very real.
✨ Hold space for unmet expectations with tenderness and compassion.
✨ Use curious questions and body awareness to give grief permission to move.

Grief has wisdom to offer us, teaching us about our depths, resilience, and capacity for love. Join me as we honor this universal experience and explore the deep healing that can come from naming and feeling the grief we carry.

Tune in now to begin this compassionate journey.

Resources Mentioned:

• Francis Weller’s The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief

• Guided visualization for sitting with grief

Let’s embrace the truth of what is, and in doing so, grow into the fullness of who we are. As Carl Jung beautifully reminds us: “Embrace your grief, for there your soul will grow.”