Guest: Theo Boyd
– Author, Grief Educator, and Speaker
Books:
📘 My Grief Is Not Like Yours
📗 Hope All The Way
Grief Study Resource: Download the National Grief Study
What if grief didn’t just break you—it rebuilt you?
In this deeply moving conversation, Theo Boyd shares how her life was upended by a string of heartbreaking losses: her mother in a tragic farm accident, her father’s suicide, the sudden death of her longtime counselor, and the end of her marriage. But Theo didn’t stay in the darkness.
Through writing, faith, and raw resilience, she created two life-affirming books that are helping thousands find healing. This episode is an emotional blueprint for anyone navigating the chaos of grief and searching for signs that love never dies.
📝 Key Topics Covered:
Why Theo says grief is like black paint—and how the light returns
The silent trauma of witnessing compounded loss
The surprising story of how signs from her parents helped restore her faith
What 79% of grieving Americans say they wish the media would do
How to help someone who's grieving (hint: just be there)
The most misunderstood truths about “prolonged grief disorder”
💬 Favorite Quotes:
“Grief is just like that black paint… it coats you and covers you. It takes a while for that to dry and chip away so that you see the rays of light come through. Those are the little specks of hope.” – Theo Boyd
“The loss that is the hardest… is the loss that you are experiencing.”
“I gave up on my faith, but my faith never gave up on me.”
🙋♀️ Your Turn:
What’s one way you’ve found light through the black paint of grief?
📩 Leave a comment or join the conversation on Substack: grieftogrowth.substack.com
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00:00 ⏳ Opening & Introduction
Brian introduces the mission of Grief 2 Growth and sets the stage for Theo’s extraordinary story of survival and purpose.
01:45 🌪️ The Tragedy That Changed Everything
Theo receives the call about her mother’s accident and describes the shock of walking into immediate, life-altering grief.
04:33 🖤 “Grief Is Black Paint” — Theo’s Powerful Metaphor
Theo shares her iconic description of early grief: the black paint that coats you before it cracks to let hope through.
07:18 💔 Losing Her Father to Suicide
Theo explains how her father’s grief, dementia acceleration, and isolation led to emotional unraveling and eventual suicide.
11:52 🧱 The Collapse of Her Marriage
Grief reveals everything. Theo discusses betrayal, counseling attempts, and losing her partner during her darkest season.
15:20 💬 Why We Must Let Grievers Speak
Stifling emotion harms healing. Theo explains why grievers need presence—not solutions.
18:40 📚 Writing as Survival
How journaling, napkin notes, and free-writes transformed into her bestselling book My Grief Is Not Like Yours.
22:55 🕊️ Divine Signs & The Alexa Moment
Theo shares incredible signs from her parents—including the emotional Alexa music incident.
26:48 ✨ Finding Love Again Through Synchronicity
A deaf farmer. Just like her parents. The stunning, undeniable sign that cracked open a new chapter.
30:01 📊 The National Grief Study
Theo reveals surprising data from her national research on how Americans grieve.
34:25 🧠 Why “Prolonged Grief Disorder” Is a Problem
Theo and Brian break down the dangers of medicalizing grief and misunderstanding normal sadness.
38:45 🛠️ Healthy Outlets for Grief
Yoga, writing, powerlifting, talking, volunteering, creativity—how to move grief through the body.
42:12 🌤️ What Hope Really Is
Theo explains how hope didn’t arrive instantly—it returned slowly, through signs, support, faith, and purpose.
45:30 🏡 Healing Is Integration, Not Forgetting
Theo describes building her new farmhouse on her childhood land—bringing her parents with her into a new life.
48:10 🎁 Final Wisdom for the Newly Bereaved
Feel your grief. Trust the process. Watch for signs. Hope is waiting when you’re ready to see it.
