In this insightful episode of *Grief to Growth*, host Brian Smith speaks with Natasha P. Trujillo, therapist, counseling and sports psychologist, and author of the transformative book *And She Was Never the Same Again*. With over a decade of experience helping individuals and families navigate grief and trauma, Natasha provides a deep understanding of grief and trauma, exploring how these life challenges shape us over time.

🔑 **Key Topics:**
- Understanding grief and trauma and why grief manifests differently for everyone.
- The myth of the five stages of grief and what grief truly looks like.
- The emotional and psychological impact of trauma, and how to build resilience.
- Practical strategies for supporting aging loved ones through their own grief journeys.
- Natasha’s personal story of navigating grief and trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Natasha’s unique blend of professional expertise and personal experience makes this episode a compassionate guide for anyone seeking a better understanding of grief and trauma. Whether you're grieving yourself or supporting someone you love, this conversation is full of wisdom and comfort.

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00:00 🌱 Introduction – Brian sets the tone with a powerful reflection on grief as a catalyst for growth.
01:25 👋 Welcome to Natasha P. Trujillo – Introduction to Natasha, her book, and her expertise in grief and trauma.
02:45 📘 Inspiration Behind the Book – Natasha shares her personal and professional experiences that led her to write And She Was Never the Same Again.
04:00 🤔 Why Study Grief? – Natasha explains why she was drawn to grief and loss even before her personal tragedies.
06:33 🌀 Grief Beyond Death – Exploring grief from non-death losses like identity changes, career transitions, and more.
08:19 💬 Debunking the Five Stages of Grief – Brian and Natasha discuss why the five stages of grief are a myth and how grief is truly experienced.
10:14 🛑 The Importance of Language in Grief – How language shapes our understanding of grief, and the harm in phrases like “at least” and “still.”
12:52 🙌 Embracing the "Both-And" in Grief – The complexity of feeling multiple, often conflicting emotions during grief.
15:21 🌿 Gains from Loss – Natasha highlights the unexpected gains and personal growth that can come from loss over time.
18:38 🔄 The Ever-Changing Nature of Grief – How grief evolves and changes shape, often revisiting us in waves.
21:52 🎶 The Power of Art in Grief – Natasha and Brian discuss how music, writing, and other forms of art help us process grief.
24:17 ⚖️ Navigating Emotional Conflict – Understanding how conflicting emotions like relief and sadness coexist in grief.
28:22 🌳 Life Lessons from Grief – Grief as a tool for understanding resilience, strength, and the complex nature of human experience.
32:16 🧠 Prolonged Grief Disorder – Natasha weighs in on the DSM’s categorization of grief as a disorder and what that means for the grieving process.
37:09 🏃‍♀️ Grief and Performance Anxiety – Comparing the relationship between anxiety in high performance and the natural anxiety in grief.
45:12 👵 Supporting Aging Loved Ones – Effective strategies for supporting loved ones through the aging process and end-of-life grief.
50:22 🌞 Preparing for Cyclical Grief – How to navigate anniversaries and recurring grief with self-compassion.
58:43 💡 Final Thoughts on Grief and Healing – Natasha shares tools for healing while honoring the ongoing nature of grief.