E32: Every Gain Includes Loss: The Hidden Grief of Success, Growth, and Accomplishment

Written By Shelby Forsythia

Society tells us that achievements are supposed to feel good—so why do they sometimes leave you feeling unsettled, sad, or even disconnected? This episode explores gain grief—the hidden grief that lives beneath “positive” milestones like graduation, marriage, promotions, parenthood, and more.

You’ll learn:

  • Why even “positive” transitions can be accompanied by real grief

  • How to recognize gain grief in your own life

  • Why naming hidden grief brings clarity, not heaviness

  • How to honor what you're leaving behind, even if you’re excited about what’s next

  • Ways to notice gains that may quietly exist within your losses

Listen to This Episode:

You can also…
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on YouTube | Listen on Insight Timer

Or Watch on YouTube:

Watch my FREE workshop: Grow Through Grief:

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/free-workshop

Pre-order my new book, Of Course I’m Here Right Now: Three Actually Helpful Things to Say to Someone Grieving:

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/of-course-im-here-right-now

Join me LIVE in Chicago (October) and LA (November):

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/events

Get FREE grief workshops, quizzes, and so much more:

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

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Join my online course + community, Life After Loss Academy:

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/life-after-loss-academy

 

Listen to more episodes of Grief Grower and submit a question for the show:

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/grief-grower-podcast

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

E31: Supporting Someone #3: 12 Texts to Send a Grieving Friend This Holiday Season