When someone you love dies, the world doesn’t just change—it stops. Everything familiar becomes unfamiliar, and the language of daily life suddenly feels impossible to speak. In this episode, we explore those first disorienting days and weeks of grief with guest Stacy Parker, a bereaved mother and longtime grief educator who has spent more than two decades helping families survive the unimaginable.

About Stacy Parker:
Stacy is a native Californian living in the Los Angeles area with her husband and two children. She became a grief expert after the death of her first daughter, Alyssa, in 1997. Since then, she and her husband have been deeply involved with The Compassionate Friends, facilitating their local chapter beginning in 2000 and co-chairing the 2004 TCF National Conference in Hollywood, as well as assisting with the TCF International Conference in 2012.

Stacy has volunteered at Our House Grief Support Center in Los Angeles, served as a parent advocate at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, and sat on the board for the Children’s Hospice of America Foundation. She is also a certified grief educator through David Kessler’s program, has been a guest on Open to Hope, and is the author of the powerful book Grief As a Second Language.

Together, we talk about:
• What acute grief does to the brain, body, and spirit
• Why nothing feels real—and why that’s normal
• How to function when you’re barely surviving
• What to do when others don’t know what to say
• The earliest steps toward rebuilding a shattered world

If you’re grieving today, this episode offers compassion, understanding, and a reminder that you don’t have to navigate loss alone.

Explore Stacy’s work & grief resources:
Book: Grief As a Second Language — https://www.amazon.com/Grief-Second-Language-Guidebook-Living/dp/1725918897
The Compassionate Friends — https://www.compassionatefriends.org/
Love Mama Grief Retreat (1440 Multiversity) — https://www.1440.org/events/scotts-valley/love-mama-grief-retreat
The Grief Healing Collective — https://drlauraberman.com/griefhealingcollective/

Rooted & Wild provides general information for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of David Allen Tracy. The content shared on this podcast is not intended to replace individualized medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor should it be used to diagnose or treat any health condition. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any medical or mental health concerns.