#188 Finding a Voice for Unspoken Grief

#188 Finding a Voice for Unspoken Grief

Today, I interview Beth Erlander, a grief expert and therapist who spent years believing she had to stop being a caregiver before she could truly support other caregivers. Although she had helped people through grief for more than 26 years, Beth hesitated to focus on this work because she was still living it herself.  In our conversation, she didn't think she was ready, and she wasn't sure she had enough distance from her own experience to guide others through theirs. She shares what helped her stop waiting, why she finally became comfortable with not having all the answers, and how her own experience gave her a deeper understanding of the people she felt called to serve. We also explore why grief is more than death loss, how it can show up in life's transitions, and what it means to give grief a voice. Today, Beth helps those who unexpectedly find themselves caring for a spouse or partner navigate the emotional realities of caregiving. Through her professional experience and her own journey, she is creating programs that help caregivers feel seen, understood, and supported while navigating a grief that often goes unrecognized. __________________ Beth Erlander, LPC, grief expert and seasoned therapist with over 26 years of experience. She works with grief and loss issues from any kind of sudden life transition. Yet the main focus of her work is serving those who find themselves thrust into the role of being the caregiver for their spouse or partner. Her memoir, Life Upside Down: The Fall That Transformed Our Lives, Lifting Me Through Grief Love and Quadriplegia speaks to the journey of being her partner’s caregiver for the past 13 years. Beth is a Creative Grief Support Practitioner, Art Therapist and EMDR practitioner. She is currently training in Somatic Experiencing, Peter Levine’s work where she is gathering more tools to equip grievers to navigate the overwhelming experience of grief in the body. Beth runs an online program called The Wheel of Grief, which gives grievers a map to navigate the wild terrain of loss. She co-leads grief rituals and ceremonies, both online and in person. She is also a Cowry Shell Diviner taught to her by the late and great Elder Malidoma Somé. __________________ Find BETH here: Book: https://crowflowpublications.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betherlander_grief2joy/ Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1751770/support] I’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com .

#187 Two Sisters Who Turned Shyness Into a Global Sisterhood

Today, I interview sisters and business partners Amy and Nancy Harrington, who both grew up shy and spent years navigating environments that made it hard to be heard, until they decided to leave their high-powered Hollywood careers and build something that could give other women the voice they had to fight for themselves. Amy rose to vice president at Warner Brothers at 27, often the youngest and only woman in the room, quietly doing the work while men took the credit. Nancy built a solitary graphic design business for nearly two decades to avoid the very rooms that made her shrink. Together, they built The Passionistas Project Sisterhood, a global community that gives women from marginalized backgrounds the space, support, and platform to finally be heard. __________________ Sisters and business partners, Amy and Nancy Harrington are the co-founders of The Passionistas Project Sisterhood, a global community for passion-driven women, especially from marginalized backgrounds, to find support, purpose, and empowerment.  After leaving high-powered careers in Hollywood, where Amy worked on major films like Harry Potter and The Matrix, and Nancy created Academy Award campaigns, they now use their platform to uplift others.  Through their Power of Passionistas Women's Summit podcast, number one international bestselling anthology book, Awakening Your Power, writing mentorship program, and online global community, they give a voice to women who often don't feel seen and heard. __________________ Find Amy and Nancy here: Website: https://www.thepassionistasproject.com/ Community: https://www.thepassionistasproject.com/membership Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePassionistasProject LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-passionistas-project/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepassionistasproject/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PCPassionistas Free Download: https://www.thepassionistasproject.com/30-days-journal Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1751770/support] I’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com .

#186 She Spent Years Hiding What Made Her Different

Today, I interview Lizzie Siegel, who came into this world deeply connected to her gifts but spent years learning to suppress them, until a series of accidents, illnesses, and a relationship where she felt completely invisible forced her to stop abandoning herself and come back to her voice. Raised with a heightened sensitivity that others around her often misunderstood, Lizzie spent nearly two decades as an international school teacher before her body began breaking down from years of ignoring her inner voice. Autoimmune diseases, a spinal injury, and a recommended hip replacement were the signals she could no longer dismiss. Through energy healing, sound work, and a journey across more than 70 countries, she found her way back to the voice she had always had, and built a practice around helping others remember theirs. __________________ Lizzie Siegel is a Resource and Reality Architect, Subconscious Freedom Coach, and global gridworker who has traveled to over 70 countries activating the Earth's energetic grids, sacred sites, and collective consciousness. She works at the intersection of voice, frequency, and remembrance, using sound, light language, and intuitive transmission to awaken what she calls Divine Source Codes within the human system. With a rare clairaudient gift, Lizzie hears beyond words, reading the energetic field of what is spoken, suppressed, and ready to be liberated. Her presence alone becomes a catalyst for transformation, dissolving deep rooted patterns of fear, trauma, and limitation, and recalibrating individuals at the level of identity, nervous system, and soul. She doesn't just help people find their voice. She helps them remember who they were before they ever learned to silence it. __________________ Find Lizzie here: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizziesiegel/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilybity  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzienamasteplantbased/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartshomewithlizzie/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heartshomewithlizzie  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2y8L6exu2GxJeBQSEUSX5K?si=0a10cdc09bec41c4  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hearts-home-podcast/id1648081724 Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1751770/support] I’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com .

#185 He Forgot the Words, Then Found Himself

Today, I interview Fabio da Silva Fernandes, who has always known his voice mattered but faced moments throughout his life that tested that conviction, from a humiliating childhood experience on stage to navigating corporate spaces where he felt he did not belong, to a pandemic burnout that forced him to completely change direction. Raised with a deep sensitivity and awareness, Fabio spent more than 20 years in the fintech industry before recognizing that the life he had built no longer aligned with who he was. In 2021, he took a month off, listened to himself, and made the decision to start over. Since leaving corporate, he has built a practice centered on helping others do the same, working with individuals and organizations as a speaker, writer, and consultant focused on resilience, mindful leadership, and authentic expression. Fabio da Silva Fernandes runs a holistic wellness practice focused on resiliency, mindfulness, and Reiki. His passion is helping others cultivate greater resilience as a speaker, writer, and consultant. After more than 20 years in the fintech industry, Fabio left the corporate world to found Resting Bell Wellness Inc., now known by the name of his podcast, The Stumbling Spirit. He works primarily with corporate and nonprofit organizations to elevate mindful leadership, build trust, and enhance team collaboration. Find Fabio here: Website: http://thestumblingspirit.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabiofernandes27/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestumblingspirit/  Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thestumblingspirit.bsky.social  About the Show Find Your Voice, Change Your Life is hosted by Dr. Doreen Downing, psychologist and speaking confidence coach. Each episode features guests who lost their voice, or never felt they had one, and found their way back to it. New episodes on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1751770/support] I’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com .

#184 From Painfully Shy to Unshakeable Leader

Today, I interview Andrea Horvath who struggled to speak up for most of her life due to a fear that using her voice would lead to rejection. She followed expectations, stayed quiet, and avoided conflict, which affected her confidence and ability to express herself. Raised in a strict environment, Andrea learned that questioning the norm could mean being labeled “crazy” and risking connection. She built a stable life with a CPA career and family, but kept her thoughts and voice suppressed for years. When her daughter showed signs something was wrong, her concerns were dismissed. Instead of staying silent, she spent nearly two years seeking answers, choosing to trust her intuition and speak up despite the discomfort. Today, Andrea helps leaders reconnect with their voice and build confidence in how they show up, focusing on self-trust and grounded self-expression in their speaking and leadership. __________________ Andrea is a high-performance mentor for corporate leaders and executives seeking measurable and meaningful growth fueled by alignment. For more than two decades, she rose as a CPA and leader in corporate, driving performance at the highest level while learning how to achieve without compromise and hold both success and peace at once. Today, she mentors high-performing, awakened leaders to reach the next level of success in their careers and life from a place of deep alignment and inner authority. Her work combines energetic alignment and strategy to support leaders in elevating their leadership and stepping into greater opportunities. She is also a speaker who works with organizations and teams ready to lead and perform at a higher level without abandoning who they are. __________________ Find Andrea here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreamhorvath/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreamhorvath/]  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-V0tlhCwHkNED3kD1G0KA [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-V0tlhCwHkNED3kD1G0KA] https://www.andreahorvath.com/titlepaypeaceform [https://www.andreahorvath.com/titlepaypeaceform]  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1751770/support] I’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com .