Real Talk with Life After Grief Chris

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, I talk about a chance encounter in which I was asked to mentor a young boy some 20 plus years ago. This chance encounter forged into a brotherhood. The brotherhood turned into a situation where the young boy turned into a man and would pave the way for his brothers, creating better life circumstances. I am talking about my younger brother from another...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I discuss  "Dealing with Minutia". I share personal examples of things that have gone on in my life and I how I dealt with minutia, especially in times of grief. I also share mindsets when entering situations where minutia tends to sidetrack you. Also, I provide steps to deal with minutia and ways to either eliminate, or place it on the sideline.    Here...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, I answer questions as it pertains to dependent employee group benefits after the passing of a loved one. As we enter the time of year where benefits are renewing, I thought this episode would be very helpful.   The passing of a loved one can be daunting enough. Figuring out what to do, who to contact and options to chose going forward can be overwhelmi...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode I get to showoff an online education program I built several years ago,  "The Advisor's Guide to Grieving Clients." I built this program as a self-paced tool for advisors and non-financial types. The idea was born and came to fruition as advisors continuously sought me out for my expertise in working with grieving clients. Grieving client...

Send us Fan Mail A 3 part mini-series of tips for widows has been created due in part from a lot of feedback from good listeners like you. In this third episode, I focus on specific tips when seeking financial guidance from a professional. I provide information on what a fiduciary is, why it is important and how to find one. I also provide credentials of professionals who are certified in both fin...

Send us Fan Mail I have the distinct honor of interviewing Hall of Fame Coach Cindy Richardson on the podcast today.  Cindy comes with over twenty years of coaching experience and is the head coach at Colonial High School in Orlando, Florida. Outside of being a wife, mother and basketball coach she empowers young women. Through the podcast, you will see Cindy's unwavering commitment to giving...

Send us Fan Mail On this week's episode, I am delighted to have Daniel Kopp, CFP® MA on the podcast for a second time. Daniel has been gracious enough to bestow his wisdom and personal experience of Life After Losing a Spouse.   Daniel talks about his journey through personal growth and development after losing a  spouse. Through his journey, you will see how Daniel grew in his faith with God...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s podcast I introduce Lisa McFarland. Lisa is a mother who has thrived through significant grief from child loss, divorce and caring for a special needs child. You will hear her story and how her experiences have shaped her life, inevitably to help others. Lisa allows us to witness her raw emotions and struggles as she has traveled to the other side of grief. She shares h...

Send us Fan Mail On today's podcast I discuss a new topic to me---Grief and Incarceration. I recently came in contact with a few clients who have experienced incarceration within their family. From an outsider's perspective incarceration of a family member can certainly lead to grief.  Depending on the length of prison sentence, a sudden family member's incarceration can lead to tra...

Send us Fan Mail I wanted to follow up on last week's episode with some extended tips. If you recall, on last week's episode I had Daniel Kopp, CFP®, MA on the podcast discussing his experience gaining a new identity after the death of his spouse.   As a follow up, I wanted to provide a list timelines for widows. These timelines provide loose guidelines of things to consider immediately...

Send us Fan Mail On today's episode, I interview a truly driven and  philanthropic family man.  Please meet Mike Jackson.  I met Mike over a decade ago through our mutual love of competing on the basketball court. In our interview, you will hear his perspective  of making significant sacrifices for family. We also explore how our complicated (and grief driven) paths as black men has shaped an...

Send us Fan Mail Did you know that volunteering is one of the most exhilarating ways to accelerate your progression through grief? In this week's episode I talk about "Giving Back" as a source of healing for someone in grief.  It sounds like an oxymoron to even think about helping someone else while you deal with your own grief.  Studies have shown that there are definitive health b...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode I talk about Hospice. I talk about the origins and the tremendous benefit enacted by Congress in the 1980s. Many folks are unaware that Hospice organizations offer bereavement services at no cost, even to those who have not utilized Hospice in the formal sense. Hospice specializes in the care of the dying as well as their families. Hospice is not lookin...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode I am going to discuss "Setting Healthy Boundaries", both as someone in grief and an advisor helping a client in grief. I am going to draw on my formal training and education as a hospice volunteer with regard to  the area of setting therapeutic boundaries. I am also going to draw on a few personal examples of how I realized my boundaries were...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, I decided to talk about terminal illnesses, including cancer, as it relates to parents delivering the daunting news to children. I use my own personal example of when my folks delivered the news of my mother's cancer diagnosis. I present this information to you from that of a high school senior's perspective. In my research I have discovered...

Send us Fan Mail In the winter of 2010, I received some alarming calls that my parents' home was being raided by the police. Consequently, I received this news the day I returned from my paternal grandmother's funeral. I had rented the home to older college students (late 20s with their parents' co-signing on the lease). This was a tough situation and long drawn-out. Although this s...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever met someone that prevents grief. Well, I have. Let me introduce you to Heidi Burnett. Heidi is the owner and founder of SwimSprout.  SwimSprout’s mission is to  teach students the necessary skills and  confidence to survive an aquatic accident and build a foundation for a lifetime enjoyment of water activities. I was fortunate to meet Heidi a little over 8 years ago...

Send us Fan Mail I usually don’t openly talk about my experience with racism and discrimination because it is emotionally and physically exhausting. My experience with racism also brings up a lot of anxiety and grief. I must warn you, the situations, my reactions and the way I handled each are very raw. Imagine having a full time job in which you are working 40 hours a week. Now, imagine having a...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I am very humbled and delighted to interview someone whom I both admire and respect, Susan Bradley. Susan led me to a very specific training she created called the Certified Financial Transitionist® (CeFT®).  As I have mentioned in a previous podcast, I was searching for a training that would complete my personal and professional experience.  Susan's...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to another season of Real Talk with Life After Grief Chris. In this premier episode, we focus on feedback received from Season 1. Many listeners wanted to know the  difference between a financial planner vs. financial advisor vs. fiduciary. Listeners also wanted a little more background on my role and what I do in terms of the financial industry. You have spoken and I...

Send us Fan Mail I am so excited to have Amy Irvine on today’s podcast. Amy is well known in the financial arena. She is a trailblazer in the world of finance with a special emphasis on advancing women. We have a crossover podcast where Amy will be interviewing me and I will also interview her. If you don’t know Amy, you know her now. She co-founded the Southern Tier Women's Financial Confere...

Send us Fan Mail As we conclude the first season of Real Talk with Life After Grief, I wanted to bring my brother on as a special guest. As many have known, my brother and I have navigated our own very personal family feud for more than 35 years. Our relationship was a complete and utter disaster for most of those 35 years. The animosity and disfunction in our relationship reached a breaking point...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we will explore how to speak to a griever in their language. We will explore what to say, how to say it and what not to say to a griever.  I will provide real examples of what was said to me in my grief journey.  I will also give you tips and ways to practice to help normalize the feelings of someone in grief. Please note that we only have one episode left before...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I am very fortunate to interview my  earliest advisor, John Chesbrough, CFP®, whom I helped through a daunting, terminal client diagnosis. Listen to John as he helped a client navigate anticipatory grief.   John  is the owner and founder of Trail Financial Planning, which is based out of Bellingham, WA. He enjoys working with people who care for others and their co...

Send us Fan Mail I am really excited to have my good buddy on the podcast today, Daniel Kopp, CFP®. Daniel is a fellow Life After Griever who has made it to the other side of grief. He is the husband to Anna, father to a newborn bouncing boy, widower to Sarah and father to three children in heaven. Daniel and I share definitive paths in grief. We also share significant progress through Life After...