Meet Michelle

In 2018, my life changed forever when my partner Nathan died suddenly, leaving me widowed at the age of 38 and raising two young children who were just two and six years old at the time.

Like many people who find themselves suddenly navigating a world they never expected to be part of, I was overwhelmed by the heartbreak, shock, practical responsibilities, endless paperwork, and the reality of trying to survive one day at a time while parenting young grieving children and managing my own grief.

As a social worker, I understood grief professionally. I had supported people through loss, trauma, crisis, and significant life changes for many years. What I wasn’t prepared for was experiencing grief personally.

In the weeks and months that followed, I became increasingly aware of something many grieving people know all too well. While support often surrounds us immediately after a death, much of that support disappears fairly quickly as life moves forward for others around us. It goes like this:

Flowers arrive. Sometimes some of us have food arrive.

The messages come in.

People attend the funeral.

For a few weeks the messages continue.

Then it goes quiet.

In this quiet that we are left with, we are still trying to understand what has just happened to our lives and how we are supposed to live in a world that feels out of control and no longer looks the way we thought it would. It certainly wasn’t what we asked for or wanted. If only we could hand it right back! 

A few years later, my Dad, Neville, died suddenly, I adored him (and still do). His death brought another profound loss into my life and deepened my understanding of how grief can continue to shape us throughout our lives.

As I searched for support, I met countless grieving people who were asking the same questions.

🟣Why am I struggling to concentrate?

🟣Why am I so exhausted all of the time?

🟣Why do I feel disconnected from people around me?

🟣Why does nobody seem to understand what this is like?

🟣Why isn’t anyone talking about what happens after the funeral? What do I do next?

🟣I’m still not coping. What’s wrong with me?

Those conversations planted the seeds for Grief Connect®.

I created Grief Connect® because I believed grieving people deserved more after the funeral services had ended. They deserved ongoing support, practical guidance, honest conversations, meaningful connection, and access to people who genuinely understood the impact of loss.

Today, Grief Connect® supports individuals, families, workplaces, professionals, and communities through counselling, education, speaking, peer support, and community connection, helping people navigate life after the death of someone important.

If You’re Wondering Whether You’re In The Right Place

You may have arrived here because someone important in your life has died and you’re trying to make sense of what comes next.

You may be struggling with loneliness, exhaustion, anxiety, overwhelm, guilt, anger, sadness, numbness, or emotions that seem to change from one moment to the next.

You may be questioning whether what you’re experiencing is normal.

You may be finding it difficult to concentrate, make decisions, return to work, support your family, or imagine a future that feels anything like the one you had planned.

You may simply be looking for people who understand what grief actually feels like.

If any part of this sounds familiar, you are in the right place.