A few weeks ago, I wrote something I don’t usually write. I asked for help. I told you I was pushing toward 100 paid subscribers — the number Substack uses to award Bestseller status. I told you why it mattered, not just for the badge, but for the visibility it…
What if your daughter spent years telling you exactly how she was going to die — and then kept communicating after she did? That's the extraordinary story Louise Crist lives every day. In this episode, Louise shares the most remarkable account of a child predicting their own death and continued…
Someone asked me a question after a recent talk, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. “What if we come here just to experience the uncontrollable?” Not to complete a mission. Not to fulfill a contract. Not to check off some cosmic to-do list. Certainly not to…
What if your daughter had been telling you — for years — exactly how she was going to die? That's not a hypothetical. That's Louise Crist's life. Louise is a registered nurse, certified grief educator, shining light parent, and author of *Always Remember to Kiss Me Goodnight*. Her daughter Jilly…
Are soul contracts real? Or is that the wrong way to think about it? 🤔✨ In this powerful episode of Grief 2 Growth, we dive deep into one of the most misunderstood spiritual concepts: soul contracts vs soul agreements. Do we come into this life with everything planned out? Is…
When Lisa Woolery found her husband Eric slumped over in his home office—gone at 53 from sudden heart failure—she never imagined what would come next. Not just the frozen assets, the angry 12-year-old, or walking 20,000 steps a day to process the pain. But this: grief made her a better…
What if losing everything was the beginning of becoming your best self? When Lisa Woolery's husband Eric died suddenly at 53—after 36 years together—she never imagined grief would make her a better mother. But that's exactly what happened. Through frozen assets, angry tweens, spiritual warfare, and 20,000 daily steps of…
I used to think “passed away” was just a euphemism. A way to avoid the hard truth. I thought, “Why do they say passed away, transitioned, or went home?” Just be plain. “He died." Don’t sugarcoat it.” My first grief counselor told me, “When you can say ‘died instead of…
What if those unexplainable feelings you get — those quiet nudges that something is about to change — aren't just anxiety or imagination, but your soul preparing you for what's ahead? In this deeply moving episode, I talk with Tami Pitetti Sanders, an intuitive guide whose journey began with subtle…
Have you ever experienced intuitive signs before death — those unexplainable nudges that something is about to change? In this profound conversation, I sit down with Tami Pitetti Sanders, an intuitive guide whose story reveals how the universe prepares us for loss in ways we often don't recognize until later.…
I hate him. I can and should hate this malevolence. All decent, loving, compassionate people should. Every person claiming to care about what Jesus cared about should hate it. Good people should unapologetically hate atrocities against humanity. Christians should be fighting it instead of cultivating it. * John Pavlovitz I…
TL;DR Grief ambushes you at random—at the grocery store, in the car, at work. Emotional regulation isn’t about controlling your feelings or forcing positivity. It’s about intentionally moving through them. I use a 6-mile walk with three playlist phases: * Processing grief with sad/angry music (Evanescence, Linkin Park) * Transitioning…
“I’m sorry,” she said, reaching for the tissue box. “I didn’t mean to cry.” I hear this in almost every session. Clients apologizing for their tears. As if grief should be neat and dry. As if showing emotion is something to be embarrassed about. But here’s what I always tell…
What happens when grief doesn't just visit once—but keeps coming back? In this deeply honest conversation, Vanessa May shares how she navigated losing her son Harry, then her husband Anthony, and father during the pandemic, all while battling COVID and later a cancer diagnosis. Vanessa doesn't sugarcoat. She doesn't spiritually…
What happens when grief doesn't just visit—but moves in and takes everything? Vanessa May knows. She lost her son Harry at 24. Then, during the pandemic, she lost her husband, Anthony, and her father within weeks of each other—while battling COVID herself and unable to say goodbye in person. Together,…
This morning, Tampa, Florida was colder than Juneau, Alaska. Let that sink in. The Sunshine State shivered at 27°F while the Alaskan capital sat at a balmy 33°F. Polar vortexes buckling. Weather patterns flipping upside down. And honestly? The weather is the least of it. Our leaders are being exposed…
Dr. Valentin shares stories of miraculous changes through ancestral healing. Communication restored, depression lifted, and lifelong patterns broken—sometimes overnight. Discover the power of healing your lineage. #AncestralHealing #RelationshipHealing #DepressionRelief #Transformation
Some struggles don’t make sense. You do the work. You try to heal. And yet the same emotional patterns, grief, anxiety, or disconnection keep resurfacing. In this special Grief 2 Growth episode, Brian D. Smith welcomes back Dr. Lotte Valentin, medical doctor, psychotherapist, ancestral healer, and two-time near-death experiencer, for…
Some struggles don’t respond to effort, logic, or “trying harder.” They repeat. They linger. They feel bigger than your life story. What if they didn’t begin with you? 🌿 In this special Grief 2 Growth episode, Brian D. Smith welcomes back Dr. Lotte Valentin, ancestral healer, medical doctor, and psychotherapist,…
TL;DR I’m 51/100 of the way to Substack Bestseller status. I’m offering limited-time discount tiers ($2, $4, or $6/month for your first year) until I hit 100 paid subscribers—then they close forever. Only 49 spots left. This is my full-time work, and paid subscriptions help sustain the mission: creating space…
I don’t know how to do this. You were the first to see me in the morning and the last at night. My days began and ended because you were there to hold them. When I had a good day, you made me tell it again, so we could live…
Alexis Leigh heard a voice in the woods that changed everything. A stark message: dying that day would make her life a tragedy. This revelation peeled back layers of pain and loneliness. #WakeUpCall #LifeChanging #PersonalGrowth #InnerPeace
What if your pain isn’t something to escape… but something guiding you toward healing? 🌱 In this powerful episode of Grief to Growth, Brian Smith sits down with writer and seeker Alexis Lee, author of Pain Is a Portal to Beauty, for a raw and deeply honest conversation about healing…
In this deeply moving episode of Grief to Growth, Brian Smith is joined by writer and seeker Alexis Lee, author of Pain Is a Portal to Beauty, for a courageous conversation about grief, trauma, and radical self-healing. Alexis shares the moment that changed her life — hearing a voice while…