I thought I was OK after losing my dad. Then I collapsed in the kitchen and realised I’d been avoiding the real pain.
About Moving Forward After Loss
Moving Forward After Loss is a space for quietly capable, sensitive over-givers navigating life after losing a parent.
That loss might be through death, anticipatory loss such as dementia or long-term illness, or estrangement. It might be recent, or it might be years ago, but is still shaping how you feel, decide, and move through the world.
This is not a place for timelines, stages, or pressure to move on.
It’s for people who look like they are coping on the outside, but feel exhausted, unsettled, or quietly stuck underneath. People carrying grief alongside work, family, responsibility, and being the reliable one.
People who need a different perspective on grief and bereavement, and support in rebuilding a life after the ground has shifted.
Why I write this
Grief isn’t linear. It comes and goes. Some days are light and nostalgic. Others are heavy, cold, and grey. It disrupts energy, focus, and meaning in ways that are hard to explain.
After my dad died during COVID, my therapeutic coaching work and corporate contracts ended a month later. Overwhelmed by multiple losses at once, I dropped out of life for six months and lived off savings.
I drifted. I felt lost and disconnected. Everything seemed pointless.
When I eventually returned to work, I went into control mode. I overworked, kept myself busy, and tried to make life feel stable again. On paper, I was functioning. In reality, I was burnt out, people-pleasing, and avoiding joy because it felt undeserved.
I cried in the gaps, crashed at weekends, and told myself I was coping. I was not.
The truth landed one Sunday afternoon, close to the second anniversary of my dad’s death. A grief wave hit without warning and I collapsed on the kitchen floor, crying for hours on and off. The kind of ugly crying you don’t want anyone to see.
I realised I’d been surviving by staying busy and avoiding the deeper pain that needed space.
Complicated and prolonged grief is not talked about enough, especially when the relationship was complex or when life expects you to be “fine” before your body and mind are ready.
There was no map for the long, messy grief processing I needed, so I started creating one that fits real lives.
Small, repeatable steps. Ordinary rituals. Clear, evidence-based explanations. Creative practices for when words run out. Body-based tools for stress and exhaustion.
This Substack grew out of that work. It reflects lived experience alongside years of study in neuroscience, psychology, behavioural science, and creative practice.
What you’ll find here
I write about grief and bereavement as something you live with, not something you complete.
That includes:
making sense of mixed emotions after parent loss, including sadness, anger, relief, guilt, and numbness
understanding what grief does to the brain, body, identity, and energy in everyday life
gentle, realistic ways of supporting yourself without forcing change or bypassing what hurts
reflections that help you regain steadiness, clarity, and agency over time
This is for people who want thoughtful, grounded support, not platitudes, toxic positivity or pressure to be “further along”.
My approach
My work is guided by four core principles that shape everything I write, teach, and offer.
Steadiness first
Before insight or change, there needs to be enough steadiness and safety in the body and nervous system to think, feel, and reflect without overwhelm or shutdown.
Space for grief
Grief needs honest and open space, especially when emotions are mixed or the relationship was complicated. It is not something to rush, resolve, or perform “correctly”.
Meaning and sense-making
I support you to make sense of how loss has reshaped identity, values, and assumptions, so reactions stop feeling confusing or wrong.
Agency and direction
Grief can quietly erode choice. My work helps rebuild a sense of agency so decisions are guided by values rather than fear, guilt, or old roles.
Who is this for?
This space is for quietly capable, sensitive over-givers who are used to holding a lot together and want thoughtful, grounded support and insights.
It is for people navigating grief after parent loss, whether the relationship was close, complicated, distant, or unresolved, and whether the loss was recent or long ago.
If you are looking for a place that respects your pace, capacity, and need for clarity without asking you to perform grief in a particular way, you are welcome here.
How It Works
I share weekly writing exploring real stories, useful science, or one small practice you can actually use on a busy week. No stages. No fluff.
The point isn’t to get overwhelmed with solutions or info.
It’s to use what helps and repeat what works.
You can start free and upgrade any time.
If you want to go further
Navigating Grief with Compassion: A gentle, on-demand workshop with four short lessons, simple exercises, and resources to help you find steadiness with your grief without pressure to move on.
Embracing Life After Loss: A three-month one-to-one coaching container with six sessions. Structured, compassionate support to honour your bond or make sense of a complicated one, and shape a life that fits who you are now.
Not sure where to start? Reply to any email or leave a comment. I read every one.
If you want to feel seen, grounded, and less alone in this, you’re in the right place.
Moving forward, together.
Sabrina
