E34: How to Grieve When Family Won’t Talk About the Loss with Susan Lieu, Author of The Manicurist’s Daughter

Written By Shelby Forsythia

What do you do when no one wants to talk about your loss—or hear your grief at all? In this episode, Susan Lieu, author of The Manicurist’s Daughter, shares what it was like to grow up in a family where her mother’s death was never acknowledged.

Together, we explore:

  • Why some families avoid talking about grief

  • The long-term effects of unspoken loss

  • How to process grief solo when support isn’t available

  • The healing power of creativity and storytelling

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Read The Manicurist's Daughter, subscribe to Susan's Substack "Live Like You're Mortal", and check out her foray into stand-up comedy:

https://www.susanlieu.me/

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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

E33: Feeling Hopeless in Grief? 8 Small Ways to Keep Going When It All Feels Too Heavy