E19: Grief in the Mirror: Looking Like Someone Who Died with Cara Belvin of Empower

Written By Shelby Forsythia

What do you do when your own face reminds you—or others—of someone who died? In this conversation with Empower founder Cara Belvin, we talk about the surreal experience of resembling someone you’ve lost and how it shapes identity, memory, and the grief we carry.

Together we explore:

  • Why looking like someone who died can feel comforting—or complicated

  • The emotional weight of being a “living reminder” to friends and family

  • Why parent loss is SO life-changing

  • The powerful role of mentorship in navigating early parent loss

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Download the transcript for this episode here.

Shelby Forsythia

Shelby Forsythia (she/her) is a grief coach, author, and podcast host. In 2020, she founded Life After Loss Academy, an online course and community that has helped dozens of grievers grow and find their way after death, divorce, diagnosis, and other major life transitions.

Following her mother’s death in 2013, Shelby began calling herself a “student of grief” and now devotes her days to reading, writing, and speaking about loss. Through a combination of mindfulness tools and intuitive, open-ended questions, she guides her clients to welcome grief as a teacher and create meaningful lives that honor and include the heartbreaks they’ve faced. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Oprah Magazine.

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com
Next

E18: Not Sure How to "Let Go" of Grief? These 2 Lists Will Help You Get Started.