loader from loading.io

The Raw Reality of Grief

Grieve That Sh!t

Release Date: 09/04/2025

The Grief Men Are Never Taught to Talk About with Coach Martize show art The Grief Men Are Never Taught to Talk About with Coach Martize

Grieve That Sh!t

Episode Description “Grief does not disappear when you ignore it. It just gets heavier when you carry it alone.” In this episode of Grieve That Shit, Sharon Brubaker, grief specialist and founder of The Grief School, opens an honest conversation about men, grief, and emotional pain. After losing her nephew Austin, Sharon learned that grief is not just sadness. It is a full-body experience that affects thoughts, emotions, and the nervous system. And while grief impacts everyone, many men are taught early that strength means silence. This episode challenges the belief that “big boys...

info_outline
How to Grieve a Mother Who Was Your Best Friend with Nikki Part 2 show art How to Grieve a Mother Who Was Your Best Friend with Nikki Part 2

Grieve That Sh!t

“She was more than her ending. And healing didn’t mean letting her go. It meant letting the pain stop running the show.” In Part 2 of this deeply personal episode of Grieve That Shit, Sharon Brubaker, grief specialist and founder of The Grief School, continues the raw conversation with Nikki about grieving a mother who was also her best friend. This episode moves beyond the loss and into what happens after the world keeps spinning and you’re still stuck. Nikki shares what it was really like to resist grief work, to believe that suffering was the only way to honor her mom, and to carry...

info_outline
How to Grieve a Mother Who Was Your Best Friend with Nikki Part 1 show art How to Grieve a Mother Who Was Your Best Friend with Nikki Part 1

Grieve That Sh!t

“You were never meant to grieve quietly. Your emotions didn’t show up to hurt you. They showed up to help you process what just happened.” In this episode of Grieve That Shit, Sharon Brubaker, Certified Grief Specialist and founder of The Grief School, sits down with Nikki to talk about a kind of loss that cuts straight to the core. The loss of a mother who was also a best friend. After losing her nephew Austin, Sharon learned that grief isn’t one-dimensional. There are layers. And one of the most overlooked layers is the grief that comes from losing the person who knew you,...

info_outline
Your Grief Brain vs Your Grieving Heart show art Your Grief Brain vs Your Grieving Heart

Grieve That Sh!t

“Your brain didn’t break when your person died. It’s just doing what it knows—trying to protect you from pain. But grief doesn’t live in your brain. It lives in your heart.” In this episode of Grieve That Shit, Sharon Brubaker, Certified Grief Specialist and founder of The Grief School, dives deep into one of the biggest truths about grief: you can’t think your way out of it. After losing her nephew Austin, Sharon discovered firsthand that grief isn’t logical—it’s emotional. Your brain tries to reason, fix, and explain the unexplainable, while your heart just breaks wide...

info_outline
How to Stop Treating Grief Like a System with Dr. Elijah Frazier Part 2 show art How to Stop Treating Grief Like a System with Dr. Elijah Frazier Part 2

Grieve That Sh!t

In Part Two of this Grieve That Shit conversation, Sharon Brubaker and Dr. Elijah Frazier move past introductions and into the heart of what grievers struggle with most: choice, accountability, faith, emotions, and permission to heal. This episode challenges one of the most damaging beliefs grievers carry—that grief is something they must endure forever. Sharon and Dr. Frazier speak directly to the idea that pain is inevitable after loss, but staying trapped in suffering is not the only option. They talk honestly about how grief can steal joy, peace, and energy when we are not aware of the...

info_outline
How to Stop Treating Grief Like a System with Dr. Elijah Frazier Part 1 show art How to Stop Treating Grief Like a System with Dr. Elijah Frazier Part 1

Grieve That Sh!t

In this episode of Grieve That Shit, Sharon Brubaker introduces a defining moment for The Grief School and the podcast. For the first time, she welcomes Dr. Elijah Frazier and shares the news that The Grief School is now powered by The Frazier Group. This is not an announcement episode filled with buzzwords or credentials. It’s a conversation about people, pain, and what real care actually looks like when someone is at their breaking point. Sharon and Dr. Frazier talk openly about why grief cannot be handled by systems, scripts, or one-size-fits-all solutions. They explore the difference...

info_outline
What Grief Is Not show art What Grief Is Not

Grieve That Sh!t

“Grief is not a mental illness. It’s not weakness. It’s not a checklist to finish or a line you’re supposed to move through. It’s love—with nowhere left to go.” In this episode of Grieve That Shit, Sharon Brubaker, Certified Grief Specialist and founder of The Grief School, gets brutally honest about everything grief isn’t. For too long, society has treated grief like a disorder to diagnose, a problem to medicate, or a series of stages to climb. But grief isn’t logical, linear, or tidy—it’s wild, unpredictable, and deeply human. Sharon unpacks why labeling grief as...

info_outline
Forever Changed But Not Broken show art Forever Changed But Not Broken

Grieve That Sh!t

“When your person died, a part of you died too. Not your whole self—but the version of you that only existed in connection with them. That’s the part grief takes. That’s what forever changed really means.” In this episode of Grieve That Shit, Sharon Brubaker, Certified Grief Specialist and founder of The Grief School, opens her heart about what it truly means to be forever changed—but not broken. After losing her nephew Austin and later her best friend Sharon, her life split into two: before and after. But in this episode, she invites you into the middle—the space between who you...

info_outline
When a Memory Hits You Like Fear show art When a Memory Hits You Like Fear

Grieve That Sh!t

Episode Summary: This episode cracks open one of the most frightening and misunderstood parts of grief: when a memory hits your body like a shock. You’re sitting still, lost in a moment with your person, and suddenly your stomach drops, your breath tightens, your heart races, and you remember all over again that they died. It feels like you’re grieving in two places at once. Sharon Brubaker takes you inside the neurobiology behind that jolt. She breaks down how the hippocampus pulls old memories like scenes from a movie, why the amygdala tags those memories as danger, and how your brain...

info_outline
Why Noise Feels Like an Attack In Grief show art Why Noise Feels Like an Attack In Grief

Grieve That Sh!t

Episode Summary: In this episode of Grieve That Shit, Sharon Brubaker talks about something most grievers never see coming: why normal sounds suddenly feel like an attack. The kids laughing, the microwave door slamming, a choir starting at church, a car alarm in the parking lot. Things you used to handle just fine now hit your body like lightning. Sharon walks you through what is really happening inside your grieving brain. She breaks down the amygdala, the nervous system, the HPA axis, and why grief flips all of them into survival mode. This is not you “being dramatic.” This is biology....

info_outline
 
More Episodes

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.” It’s a full-body, full-heart experience that demands to be felt.

If you’ve ever wondered “What the hell is happening to me?” this episode is your answer: you’re not broken—you’re grieving.


🧠 Key Points Discussed:

  • The moment everything changes: the call, the diagnosis, the hospital, the knock at the door.

  • Why grief is a full-body experience—chest tightness, heavy head, shallow breath, restless nervous system, twisted stomach, sleepless nights.

  • The battle between your logical mind (searching for answers) and your heart (knowing the truth).

  • How grief shows up in everyday life—seeing their favorite cereal in the store, picking up the phone to call them, lying awake at night unable to breathe.

  • The danger of performing instead of grieving—wearing a smile, staying busy, saying “I’m fine,” while silently falling apart.

  • Why society has left us unprepared: no one showed us how to grieve, only how to hide.

  • Grief isn’t just sadness—it’s anger, numbness, confusion, shutdown, and longing all at once.

  • Pain is not the problem; pretending is.

  • Surviving grief is not about fixing or outrunning it—it’s about one breath, one moment, one day at a time.

  • Tools Sharon shares in That Grief Sht* ebook + video series:

    • Why grief feels like it does in the body

    • What it means to “be strong” vs. fall apart

    • Allowing emotions (anger, numbness, tears) instead of suppressing them

    • Answering the question: Am I crazy or am I normal?


📓 Journal Questions for Reflection:

  • What was the moment my life split into “before” and “after”?

  • How does grief show up in my body right now?

  • Where am I performing instead of allowing myself to feel?

  • What everyday moments trigger my grief—and what do they teach me about my love?

  • How have I silenced my emotions to comfort others?

  • What might it look like to take grief one moment, one breath, at a time?


🩶 Conclusion:

Grief is not weakness. It’s not madness. It’s love with nowhere to go.

You were never taught how to grieve—only how to perform, suppress, and “be strong.” But pretending suffocates the heart. Healing starts when you stop performing and let yourself feel.

So if you’re exhausted from holding it all together, if your nervous system is on fire and your heart is begging to be heard—this episode is your reminder: you are not broken. You are grieving. And grieving is natural.

One moment, one breath, one day at a time—you will survive this.


📬 Contact Us:

Upcoming Events:
📝 Grief Study Hall – Wednesdays @ 7PM CST
📍 Live in The Grief School Facebook Group

🎤 Grieve That Sht* – Next Live Lecture: Monday, August 4th @ 7PM CST
💻 clickhereforhope.com (Sign up to attend or receive the replay)

📩 Email: info@thegriefschool.com
📱 TikTok, Instagram, YouTube: @thegriefschool