Can Grief Influence Career Choices?



As we leave 2020 behind, we ask: can grief influence career choices?

Meet New York Times best-selling author Hope Edelman. Through a series of books starting with Motherless Daughters, Hope helps people turn grief into a healing and meaningful experience.

Now, her latest book, The AfterGrief, gets grieving people to a place a positivity and purpose:

“There really are only two stages of grief that people care about: there’s the stage where you feel really bad and then there’s the stage where you feel better … [That’s what] the aftergrief is.”

In a wide ranging podcast episode, Hope:

  • Describes being a 17-year-old who lost her mom to cancer and the grief journey that led her to write Motherless Daughters. Starts at 2:23
  • Defines The AfterGrief. Starts at 7:09
  • Explains how the Covid pandemic changed bereavement. Starts at 14:32
  • Takes us through the “gendered” way we discuss grief at work. Starts at 20:08
  • Provides insight on how grief can influence career choices that lead to meaningful work. Starts at 27:41

On the recognition of grief at work, Hope says:

“It’s really important for hiring managers to be grief-literate, to know what to expect and to support their employees who are going through a period of grief.”

Above all else, grieving is tough. But it can influence career choices that lead people to meaningful work opportunities.

About our guest:

Hope Edelman is the world renowned thought-leader on grief and bereavement: the author of several books; a noted speaker, and; a certified life coach. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a Masters of Arts in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Iowa. Hope lives and works in Southern California.

EPISODE DATE: February 12, 2021

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HopeEdeman.com Website

Motherless Daughters

The AfterGrief

Coaching