085: The Guilt that Comes with Grief with Audree Thurman

Previous Episode: 084: Overcoming the Guilt of Estrangement After Losing a Loved One to Homicide with Maya Roffler

Next Episode: 086: Finding Purpose in My Son and Husband’s Death with Mary Assel

Welcome to LEAP where we sit down with people from all over the world to hear their transformational stories and perspectives on their grief and loss journeys.

In this episode, Audree Thurman shares her personal journey of grief and how she navigated the loss of her sister and grandson – decades apart.

Audree begins by sharing her family dynamic growing up and how her family was unequipped to handle her sister's autism. She then shares the story of losing her sister over 50 years ago to an unexpected illness and finding out in a room full of people. Her mother got pregnant just five months later, which left Audree feeling guilty when her new brother was born.

As Audree's grief turned into perfectionism, she moved away from her parents and fell into co-dependent relationships. However, she eventually got married and had the children she always wanted. Sadly, she later experienced the tragic loss of her grandson, and Audree shares how she navigated the grief and guilt that came with it.

Audree resumed therapy after her grandson's death, which led her to start her own nonprofit organization. She shares how she learned to cope with grief and the importance of grief and loss support groups.

In the latter half of the episode, Audree discusses where she is now in her healing journey and what self-love looks like for her today. She also shares how her own inner work helped prepare her daughter and granddaughter through their loss.

Audree is the Founder of Sibs Forever, a non-profit company. She is also a deep techie with 40+ years riding the tech wave, a huge fitness enthusiast and yogi.

Join us for this heartfelt and inspiring conversation on grief and loss with Audree.

**TRIGGER WARNING** This episode covers sensitive subject matter and is not suitable for all listeners. If this topic could be a trigger for you, listen to this episode with a friend, a sibling, a loved one or a parent so you can talk about any emotions that come up for you. The contents of this episode are not intended to replace therapy and should not be taken as such. If you need immediate help, please call the crisis hotline listed below in our resources.

Listen in as we talk about:

[1:40] Her family dynamic growing up, and how they were unequipped to handle her sister’s autism

[3:50] Losing her sister more than 50 years ago to an unexpected illness and finding out in a room full of people, and her mother getting pregnant 5 months later

[5:45] The guilt she felt when her new brother was born

[7:00] How her grief turned into perfectionism

[8:00] Moving away from her parents and falling into co-dependent relationships

[11:00] Her background: getting married and having the children she always wanted

[12:00] The story of how her grandson died

[15:55] How she navigated the grief and loss that came with losing her grandson

[20:45] Resuming therapy after her grandson’s death to help cope with the guilt

[21:55] Choosing to start her nonprofit

[24:00] How she learned to cope with grief

[30:00] How her own inner work helped to prepare her daughter and granddaughter through their loss

[34:30] Grief and loss support groups

[37:30] Where Audree is now in her healing journey