E45: Supporting Someone Grieving #5: Ask Shelby: What Do I Say to Someone Grieving?

Written By Shelby Forsythia

If you want to know how to support a grieving friend without saying the wrong thing—or disappearing altogether—you are not alone. In this “Ask Shelby” episode, I share practical, compassionate guidance for what to say to someone grieving, using words that actually help in the days, months, and years after loss.

You’ll learn:

  • Why words are one of the most powerful (and free) tools for grief support

  • What to say to someone grieving instead of clichés or silence

  • My three-phrase framework: Of course. I’m here. Right now.

  • How to use these phrases in sympathy cards, texts, and real-life conversations

  • What to say long after the loss, when most people stop checking in

  • How your words can strengthen relationships and change grief culture

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:

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

Submit your pre-order receipt to join the FREE Of Course I’m Here Right Now book club:

https://forms.gle/UKZUerJ91Cf1RwrC7

RSVP for Of Course I’m Here Right Now launch parties in Chicago and virtual:

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/events

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

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

 

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https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia

 

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

E44: How to Decide What to Keep After Someone Dies with Charlene Lam, Author of Curating Grief