Ep #51: Beyond the Boardroom: Navigating Grief Coaching and Therapy

Overcoming Grief with Sandy Linda | Beyond the Boardroom: Navigating Grief Coaching and Therapy
Overcoming Grief with Sandy Linda | Beyond the Boardroom: Navigating Grief Coaching and Therapy

I’m diving into a topic that many of us face, but few discuss: navigating grief while balancing your drive for success. Whether you are a CEO, an entrepreneur, or a rising star in your field, loss doesn’t discriminate. But when grief strikes, would you benefit most from engaging the services of a coach or a therapist to help you keep moving forward?

In this episode, I break down the distinct approaches of grief coaching and grief therapy. Grief coaching is future-focused, helping you chart a course through your loss and toward your goals. On the flip side, grief therapy looks back to move forward, addressing deeper cognitive needs.

As high achievers, we’re used to having a strategy for everything. But grief is the ultimate disruptor. Tune in to learn which path might best align with your needs and relentless drive for growth. Acknowledging your grief and seeking support isn’t a detour from success – it’s an essential part of your journey toward healing.



Take my Grief Recovery Quiz to gain clarity on your grief journey and get guidance on the most effective support for your unique situation.

Are you ready to navigate the mourning process and connect with your emotions? Click here to get my Mourning Journaling Workbook to help you embrace your internal grief, expressing it through writing!


What You’ll Learn from this Episode:

  • Why unaddressed grief drains every aspect of leadership, from judgment to decision-making to creativity.
  • How grief coaching provides an action-oriented, future-focused approach tailored for leaders ready to move forward.
  • The benefits of grief therapy for those navigating profound loss or complex grief triggered by childhood trauma.
  • How to align your grief journey with your professional goals to enhance skills like emotional intelligence and resilience.
  • Tips for making the most out of your choice to start grief therapy or grief coaching,
  • Why seeking support is a sign of strength, not weakness, and crucial for sustainable growth as a leader.

Listen to the Full Episode:

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Full Episode Transcript:


Monday, you close a multi-million dollar deal. Your name splashes across business headlines. Friday, you’re standing at a graveside, your heart shattered as you bury a parent. For countless women leaders, this whiplash between triumph and tragedy isn’t fiction, it’s their reality. But what happens when the boardroom lights dim and the silence creeps in? Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on the hidden cause of unaddressed grief from leaders. Stay tuned.

Welcome to Overcoming Grief, a show for women experiencing profound grief and looking for support in healing and transforming their lives. If you are ready to heal after loss, create a new self-identity, take responsibility to do the hard things, and get massive results in your life, this show is for you. Now, here’s your host, Master Grief and Life Coach, Sandy Linda.

Hello, creative humans. Happy August. How are you all doing today? I hope you are taking care of yourselves, even if you are going through any challenging times. Today, I am diving into a topic that many of us face, but few discuss. Navigating grief while balancing your drive for success. Whether you are a CEO, an entrepreneur, or a rising star in your field, loss doesn’t discriminate.

But here’s the question. When grief strikes, do you need a coach or a therapist? Imagine two paths forward. One asks what’s next? Pushing you from functioning to thriving. The other gently inquires why? Helping you move from overwhelm to stability. These are the distinct approaches to grief coaching and grief therapy.

Grief coaching is your ally in action. Its future focused, propelling you from basic functioning to high performance. It’s for those of you who are standing, but eager to get back to work. Your grief coach won’t dwell on the past, but will ask what’s next? Helping you chart a course through your loss and towards your goals.

On the flip side, grief therapy looks back to move forward. It’s designed to guide you from non-functioning to functioning. Addressing deeper cognitive needs. Your therapist might explore the why behind your feelings, sometimes with the aid of medication to help you regain your footing. As high achievers, we’re used to having a strategy for everything. But grief, it’s the ultimate disrupter.

In the next few minutes, I will break down these two approaches. Helping you understand which path might best align with your needs and your relentless strive for growth. Because here’s the truth. Acknowledging your grief and seeking support isn’t a detour from success. It’s an essential part of your journey. So let’s explore how you can turn this challenging chapter into a launch pad for your next level of achievement and personal growth.

A CEO sits at the head of the table in the boardroom, where decisions shaping the fate of thousands are made. A woman’s leadership exterior is well exposed, but inside shattered by a recent loss. In a bustling startup, a visionary entrepreneur struggles to focus on pitch meanings. Her mind clouded by unprocessed sorrow.

Women leaders in different fields hide their grief behind a mask of strength. These leaders, pillars of strength in their professional lives, often find themselves unprepared to navigate the turbulent waters of personal loss. Society and the demands of work create an environment where vulnerability is seen as weakness and personal struggles are expected to be dealt with privately.

Although many organizations have arrangements for bereavement leave, the limited number of days off, usually one to five, is highly insufficient. The cost of this unacknowledged grief is puzzling. It drains into every aspect of leadership. Clouding judgment, destroying decision-making abilities, and drying the well of creativity and innovation. Productivity falters and the ripple effects touch everyone from employees to stakeholders.

Yet the tragedy lies not just in the immediate impact, but in the missed opportunity for growth and trustworthy leadership. Rushing to get over grief denies high achievers the opportunity to develop empathy, resilience, and emotional intelligence.

These qualities could make them more effective leaders. The consistent feelings of sadness, the unexpected ways of anger, the moments of paralyzing emptiness. These are not signs of weakness, but an urgent call for attention and care. They are the body and mind’s way of warning that it’s time to pause, reflect, and seek support. If you have experienced the loss of a parent, sibling, or multiple losses in a short period, you can choose between receiving coaching or bereavement counseling. However, what are the best options when faced with so many losses? Let’s get into the benefits of grief therapy and coaching.

You are a CEO that closes a multi-million dollar deal and then had to bury a parent. Grief therapy might be your best path forward. A skilled bereavement counselor can provide the support needed to move from a non-functional to a functional state. This is true when dealing with cumulative or complicated grief.

It’s important to recognize that in these situations, there shouldn’t be a rush to get back on the saddle or an urgency to forget your grief. These are hard losses, and grief therapy offers a safe space to express and process these unexpected and overwhelming emotions. Stay tuned for valuable tips to help you make the most of this healing journey.

Let’s understand why this approach can be so beneficial in certain circumstances. Grief counseling offers many benefits for high-achieving women navigating the complex journey of loss. When you seek professional help, you can gain access to expert advice and proven strategies that will empower you to deal with your grief. Grief counseling offers a structured way to address the different aspects of loss, helping people make progress in a balanced and comprehensive way.

Besides emotional support, grief counseling provides high-achieving leaders with essential skills for managing stress and intense emotions, enhancing your overall mental health and well-being. The dedicated safe space provided by counseling allows you to focus simply on your personal needs and free from external pressures and expectations.

Finally, grief counseling opens up the possibility of group therapy, connecting high-achieving women with peers who share similar experiences. This networking potential can lead to valuable support system, shared resources, and a sense of community during a challenging time.

By embracing the benefits of grief counseling, high-achieving women can transform their loss into an opportunity for profound personal growth and resilience. While grief therapy offers invaluable support for those navigating profound loss or complex grief, there’s another approach that might resonate with high-achievers who are ready to take actionable steps forward.

Let’s shift our focus to grief coaching. Grief coaching is designed for those who are functioning, but seeking to regain their peak performance and reignite their drive. If you process the initial shock of your loss and are asking yourself how do I move forward from here?

Grief coaching might be your next strategic move. Unlike therapy, which focus on the why, grief coaching is all about what’s next. It’s future-oriented and action-focused, adjusting well with the goal-driven mindset many of us high-achievers embody. This approach doesn’t dismiss your grief, but it helps you channel it into personal and professional growth.

For those of you who feel ready to transition from coping to thriving, let’s explore how grief coaching can provide the structure and support you need to navigate this next chapter of your journey. Just as you engage an executive coach to elevate your leadership skills, a grief coach can help you transform your loss experience into a spark for meaningful change and renewed purpose.

Grief coaching offers a supportive framework to navigate the challenging land of loss. It’s tailored, made suited for you fabulous leaders and entrepreneurs ready to move forward. Here’s how it can benefit you.

Number one is the action-oriented approach. Grief coaching provides clear, actionable steps to help you progress. It turns feelings into tangible goals adapting to your result-oriented thinking. Number two, future-focused perspective. While acknowledging your loss, coaching emphasizes building your future. It helps you envision and create a meaningful life that honors your loss while pursuing your ambitions.

Number three is accountability and progress tracking. Regular check-ins and measurable objectives provide the structure you’re accustomed to in your personal life applied to your emotional journey.

By providing this blend of design, future orientation and personalized support, grief coaching empowers you to transform your loss into a hint of growth. It offers a path to not just recover, but to emerge stronger, more resilient and better prepared to face both personal and professional challenges.

If you decided that grief therapy is the right path for you, here are three essential tips to help you maximize the benefits of this healing journey. Number one, the cumulative grief effect. As high achievers, we often relate strength with fortitude. Multiple losses may cause extensive mental health intervention.

In grief therapy, true strength lies in allowing yourself to be vulnerable. Share your deepest fears and angers and sorrows with your therapist. This openness isn’t weakness, it’s the cornerstone of profound healing and growth. Remember, the skills you gain in expressing vulnerability can translate into more credible leadership and deeper connection in your professional life.

Number two is the childhood trauma trigger. When a current loss reactivates unresolved past traumas, it’s essential to address both in therapy. Childhood wounds can intensify adult grief, creating a complex emotional scene. Your therapist can help you navigate this area, healing past traumas while processing current loss. This deep work can lead to transformative personal growth, enhancing your resilience and emotional intelligence as a leader.

Number three is the identity crisis. When grief hits, it can leave one feeling lost and unsure of who they are and what their purpose is, both personally and professionally. Grief therapy provides a safe space to explore these direct questions and rebuild a sense of identity that integrates your loss.

By rediscovering your authentic self through this process, you can emerge as a more grounded and purposeful leader, bringing renewed depth and meaning to your work. By embracing the transformative potential of grief therapy, you can not only heal from your loss, but also cultivate a deeper understanding of yourself and others. This emotional intelligence can enhance your leadership skill, fostering more empathetic and authentic connections with your team.

As you navigate the challenges of grief, remember that seeking support is a sign of strength, not weakness. By investing in your emotional wellbeing, you’re not only setting up your personal healing, but also investing in your professional growth as a leader. If you decide that grief coaching aligns with your current needs and goals, here are three powerful tips to help you make the most of this forward focused approach. Number one, align your grief journey with your professional goals. As a high achiever, you’re accustomed to setting and reaching demanding targets. Work with your grief coach to integrate your healing process into your broader life and career objectives.

Let’s say for instance, a high stake merger. You are in the middle of negotiating a game-changing merger when you lose a parent. You’re functioning, but not at your peak. A grief coach can help you maintain focus and performance during this critical business period without neglecting your emotional needs. Discuss with your coach how to channel your grief experience into enhanced emotional intelligence or resilience, skills that are invaluable in leadership roles. This alignment ensures that your grief work doesn’t feel separate from your professional progress, but becomes an incentive for it.

Number two, the public persona challenge. As a visible leader, you’re expected to be on at all times. After a significant loss, a grief coach can provide strategies to manage your public image while honoring your private grief, ensuring you maintain authenticity without compromising your leadership presence.

Number three, create a work-life rebalance. Work with your coach to guide you in reassessing and realigning your personal and professional life. This might involve crafting a narrative about your loss that you’re comfortable sharing with colleagues, scheduling brief reflection times during your workday, or identifying triggers and developing a rapid coping mechanism.

The goal is to acknowledge your grief while maintaining your professional effectiveness. This strategy allows you to honor your loss without letting it derail your ambitions, striking a balance that often challenging for high achievers. Remember, grief coaching is about moving from functioning to high functioning. By approaching your grief work with the same strategic mindset you apply to your career, you can turn a challenging life event into a chance for personal and professional growth.

As we explored today, grief is a deep and personal journey, especially for women leaders balancing the demands of their professional and personal lives. Whether you choose a path of grief coaching or grief therapy, the most important step is acknowledging your need for support. Remember, seeking help is not a sign of weakness, but a testament to your strength and commitment to your own wellbeing and growth. Just as you invest in your professional development, investing in your emotional health is crucial for sustainable growth.

To the women leaders listening, I encourage you to take a moment and honestly assess your needs. If you unsure about where to start, I invite you to take our grief recovery quiz. I’ll leave the info on the show notes. This quiz will help you gain clarity on your grief journey and guide you towards the most effective support for your unique situation.

If you’re ready to take action and move towards your next level of performance, consider grief coaching. If you need a safe space to process the thickness of your loss, grief therapy might be your path. Whichever route you choose, know that you’re not alone. By confronting the challenges of grief in leadership, we create a space for collective healing and growth. Your courage to face your grief head-on is not only a gift to yourself, but to many lives you touch as a leader.

Please share this episode with someone you know who might go through something similar. Each share brings support and understanding to our listener community. Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, lead with courage, grieve with grace, and know that your strength lies in your willingness to heal. Have a beautiful week. Talk to you soon. Bye.

Thanks for listening to today’s episode of Overcoming Grief. If you’re ready to move into a new, rewarding life experience, and want more information about how to work with Sandy, visit www.sandylinda.com.

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