How to Show Up For A Grieving Friend (feat. Shelby Forsythia)

Shelby Forsythia, a grief coach and author of Of Course I’m Here Right Now: Three Actually Helpful Things to Say to Someone Grieving, joins Mary B to offer practical guidance on how to show up for people in grief. When unsure of the “right” words, many people default to silence rather than risk saying the wrong thing, often leaving grievers feeling isolated. 

Shelby’s work aims to interrupt that pattern. The title of her book is structured around three simple statements: Of course. I’m here. Right now. These serve as guideposts for offering genuine, supportive language. Shelby also explores the idea of collateral grief, the secondary losses that often accompany a primary grief event, such as routines, relationships, or imagined futures. 

Together, Mary B and Shelby examine a form of grief that is frequently minimized in our culture: the grief that follows the end of a friendship or relationship.

Shelby Forsythia (she/her) is a grief coach, author, and podcast host. In 2020, she founded Life After Loss Academy, an online course and community that has helped dozens of grievers grow and find their way after death, divorce, diagnosis, and other major life transitions.

Following her mother’s death in 2013, Shelby began calling herself a “student of grief” and now devotes her days to reading, writing, and speaking about loss. Through a combination of mindfulness tools and intuitive, open-ended questions, she guides her clients to welcome grief as a teacher and create meaningful lives that honor and include the heartbreaks they’ve faced. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Oprah Magazine.

Preorder your copy of Of Course I'm Here Right Now wherever you buy books. Get your hands on the many resources Shelby offers at shelbyforsythia.com. 

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