The Raw Reality of Grief
Healing Starts with the Heart
Episode Summary: Welcome to Healing Starts With the Heart, the podcast where grief meets resilience. In this episode, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker gets raw and real about the unspoken chaos of grief—what it feels like in your body, why your mind can’t stop replaying the moment it all changed, and how society leaves us completely unprepared to deal with it. From the hospital diagnosis to the late-night phone call that split life into “before and after,” Sharon lays out what really happens when grief hits—and why it’s not weakness, madness, or something you just “get over.”...
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9 Lies About Grief That Are Keeping You Stuck
Healing Starts with the Heart
Episode Summary: Welcome to Healing Starts With the Heart, where grief gets real and healing gets honest. In this episode, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker pulls back the curtain on the 9 biggest lies we’ve been told about grief—and how they’ve shaped generations of silent suffering. From pretending you're okay to being told “just stay busy,” this episode is a deep and raw dive into the ways our society teaches us to perform instead of process our pain. If you’ve ever felt like you’re grieving “wrong,” this is your invitation to unlearn the myths and finally make space for...
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Why Pain Is The Missing Piece
Healing Starts with the Heart
Episode Summary: In this powerful and raw episode of Healing Starts With the Heart, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker asks a deeply uncomfortable—but necessary—question: What if the pain isn’t the problem… but the key to your healing? Sharon breaks down why so many of us are still stuck in our grief—not because we’re doing it wrong, but because no one ever taught us how to feel the pain instead of managing it. From performative grief to inherited patterns, she shares how unprocessed pain keeps us in a holding pattern of burnout, resentment, and silence. You’ll learn how to stop...
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When the Whole Community Is Hurting
Healing Starts with the Heart
Episode Description: In this powerful episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker takes us into the often-unspoken world of collective grief—the grief that doesn’t belong to just one person, one family, or one household. It belongs to all of us. When tragedy strikes a community—whether it’s a school shooting, a local accident, a sudden death, or a public loss—every face reflects the sorrow. And every heart carries a piece of it. Sharon unpacks what it means to grieve together, how public mourning impacts private pain, and why it’s so hard to know what...
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What Grief Steals from You
Healing Starts with the Heart
Episode Description: In this raw, heart-opening episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker walks you through one of the deepest truths about loss—grief doesn't just take your person. It takes everything. And no one prepares you for that part. With her own story and the stories of thousands of grievers she’s supported, Sharon names the unspoken: how grief sneaks in like a thief in the night and strips away your energy, your motivation, your peace, and even your sense of time. This isn’t just emotional pain. It’s physical, spiritual, mental—and it...
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Grief Is Not Just Sadness
Healing Starts with the Heart
Episode Description: In this deep and unfiltered episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker unpacks one of the most misunderstood truths about grief—that it’s not just sadness. So many grievers are led to believe that they’re supposed to carry this endless, heavy sadness for the rest of their lives—that sadness is the whole story of grief. But in this powerful conversation, Sharon reveals what most people don’t talk about: that grief affects your entire body, your mind, your spirit, and your entire world. With honesty, compassion, and her...
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Your Grief Story
Healing Starts with the Heart
Episode Summary: In this heartfelt episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, Sharon Brubaker opens the door to a topic many avoid—your grief story. Not the polite, watered-down version, but the real, raw, unfiltered story of what happened, what you felt, and what you still carry. Sharon explains why telling this story—first to yourself and then to others—is a necessary part of healing. She shares how the truth of our pain holds the key to transformation, connection, and true emotional release. Whether you’ve lost a person, a dream, a relationship, or a piece of yourself—this episode...
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You Knew How to Grieve
Healing Starts with the Heart
In this empowering episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, Sharon Brubaker pulls back the curtain on one of the greatest grief misconceptions: that we need to learn how to grieve. Sharon reveals a deeper truth—we were all born knowing how to grieve. From your first cry to your instinct to reach out when in pain, grief is not something to be taught but something we’ve been taught to forget. Through raw, compassionate storytelling and the powerful example of a client who found her way back to healing, Sharon reminds us that grief is not a flaw—it’s our body and spirit doing exactly...
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Lean Into the Pain, Don’t Run From It
Healing Starts with the Heart
In this raw and deeply honest episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, Sharon Brubaker invites listeners into the messy, painful, and necessary truth of what it means to lean in to grief. Instead of hiding, numbing, or pretending you’re okay, Sharon challenges you to stop running from the pain and start facing it head-on. This is not about suffering for suffering’s sake—it’s about healing the only way that works: by feeling it all. If you’ve ever told yourself, “If I let this out, I’ll never stop crying,” this episode is for you. Sharon unpacks the myths we’re told about...
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The Day Everything Fell Apart
Healing Starts with the Heart
🎙️ Episode Summary: In this unforgettable episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker shares the story of the exact moment her life split into “before” and “after.” Through a searingly honest account of the phone call that changed everything—the loss of her nephew Austin—Sharon takes listeners inside the collapse that grief can cause. This isn’t a conversation about “moving on” or checking boxes—it’s a journey through the mess, the silence, and the search for truth. If you’ve had that day—the one where it all fell apart—this...
info_outlineThe Hidden Cost of Unprocessed Grief
Episode Description: In this episode of Healing Starts with the Heart, grief specialist Sharon Brubaker delves into the often-overlooked process of truly understanding and working through grief. She challenges the misconceptions around "moving on" and highlights the importance of acknowledging and processing pain as essential steps toward healing. Through personal experiences and expert insights, Sharon shares a powerful approach to grief that transforms pain into progress.
Key Points Discussed:
Why Grief Feels Endless
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Many people struggle with lingering grief for years because they were never taught how to process it properly.
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Healing doesn't mean forgetting—it means learning to carry grief in a healthy way.
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Ignoring pain only intensifies it, making healing feel impossible.
Acknowledging the Pain as a First Step
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The first step to healing is recognizing and allowing yourself to feel the pain of grief.
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Suppressing grief leads to emotional wounds that can fester, much like an untreated physical injury.
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Saying "This hurts" and acknowledging grief’s presence is a powerful act of self-compassion.
The Role of Processing Grief
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Healing requires intentional work—grief is not something you simply "get over."
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Before true emotional healing can begin, one must first learn how to grieve.
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Processing grief involves daily, small steps rather than a single breakthrough moment.
Understanding the Two-Part Healing Approach
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Processing the Pain of Grief: Identifying and working through the pain step by step.
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The Courage to Grieve: Once pain has been processed, this stage allows for deeper grief work and transformation.
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Healing is not about erasing pain but about learning to tend to it properly.
Journal Questions for Reflection:
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Have you been avoiding your grief, and if so, in what ways?
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How does unprocessed pain show up in your life?
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What small steps can you take today to begin acknowledging and tending to your grief?
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How can you reframe your grief as a process rather than something to "get over"?
Conclusion: Grief is not an enemy—it is a signal that healing needs to take place. Sharon encourages listeners to take the first step by acknowledging their pain and starting the process of working through it. With the right tools and mindset, grief can become a pathway to resilience and growth rather than an overwhelming burden.
Resources and Support:
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Join Grief Study Hall – Connect with others in a supportive environment: Tuesdays at 1 PM CST & Thursdays at 10 AM CST.
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Processing the Pain of Grief Program – A step-by-step guide to tending to your grief.
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Website: healingstartswiththeheart.com
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Facebook Group: The Grief School
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Contact: Email Sharon at [email protected]
Thank you for listening! Stay tuned for more conversations on healing, grief, and resilience.