In today’s deeply moving episode, I’m joined in the studio by Helen Smith mum to Evelyn, her beautiful daughter who tragically died when she was just seven years old. Evelyn’s death was particularly heartbreaking, because it was something that could have been prevented.

Since that unimaginable loss, Helen has been learning to live with both grief, trauma and PTSD and her loss has shaped every part of her life. Yet from that deep heartbreak, Helen has created something truly special; a charity called Evelyn’s Gift, which shares kindness and compassion in Evelyn’s memory. Through this work, Helen has found small moments of light and a sense of purpose.

In this episode, Helen opens up about:

• What life was like before Evelyn died
• The events leading up to her daughter’s death and the devastating realisation that it was avoidable
• The long, painful journey of seeking answers through an inquest and civil litigation
• The ongoing fight for truth, accountability, and change
• How Evelyn’s Gift was born from grief, and how it continues to spread kindness in Evelyn’s name

We also talk about the challenges of medical trust and accountability, sharing personal reflections from my own experience with my son Matthew’s illness and the haunting “what ifs” that so many bereaved parents live with.

During our conversation, I also highlight the story of Jessica Brady, a 27-year-old engineer whose preventable death inspired ‘Jess’s Rule’, a vital reminder to doctors to take action when patients repeatedly present with the same symptoms.

Helen’s courage, honesty, and compassion shine through every word. Her story is not just about loss, it’s about turning pain into purpose, finding meaning through kindness, and keeping her daughter’s spirit alive in the most beautiful way.

So grab yourself a cuppa (and maybe a box of tissues) and sit back as Helen shares her powerful story and one that will stay with you long after the episode ends.

Connect with Helen through her wonderful charity www.evelynsgift.co.uk

Connect with your host Louise Bates: https://linktr.ee/louisebates

If this episode moved you, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who might need it.

You help this show reach others walking their own path through grief.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether your loss was sudden or expected, the first days and weeks can feel surreal, like the world is still spinning while you’re standing completely still. Louise shares her own honest and tender experience of losing her son Matthew, offering listeners reassurance that every reaction in grief is a normal one.

This episode explores:

• What those first hours and days after a loss can feel like
• The shock, numbness, and disbelief that often protect us in the beginning
• Why anticipatory grief doesn’t make the final moment any easier
• How emotions in early grief move in waves - sometimes tsunamis
• The fog, exhaustion, and confusion of that first week
• The strange push-and-pull of practical tasks in the middle of heartbreak
• The loneliness that can appear even when you’re surrounded by people
• The moment when the world seems to 'move on' while your grief is still raw
• The importance of glimmers, those tiny sparks of relief, laughter, or peace
• Why healing isn’t about forgetting, but about growing around your grief

This episode reminds listeners that grief has no timeline.

There is no right way to feel.

Early grief is not meant to be solved - it is meant to be survived, one breath and one step at a time.

Connect with your host Louise Bates: https://linktr.ee/louisebates

If this episode moved you, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who might need it.

You help this show reach others walking their own path through grief.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this solo episode, I explore a side of grief that is often overlooked but profoundly important: the way grief shows up in the body.

We tend to think of grief as emotional or psychological - but our bodies feel it just as deeply. From exhaustion and sleep changes to physical tension, aches, heaviness, digestive issues, and that sense of being stuck, the body often speaks before the mind can make sense of what’s happening.

Drawing on personal experience, therapeutic insight, and the somatic wisdom explored in The Body Keeps the Score, Louise gently explains how grief impacts the nervous system and why these physical symptoms are not signs of weakness, but natural responses to profound loss.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

How grief affects the body

• Stress responses like elevated cortisol, racing heartbeat, and weakened immunity
• Physical expressions of grief: tightness, heaviness, insomnia, aches, digestion changes
• Why symptoms like globus sensation (a lump in the throat) can appear during grief
• How tension, pain, and sensation can reflect emotional states
• Why the body remembers what the mind tries to manage

I lead listeners through a gentle body scan, inviting awareness of breath, tension, and sensation without judgment, without needing to fix anything.

Somatic tools that help grief move

• Gentle yoga for grounding, breath awareness, and emotional softening
• Breathwork to calm the nervous system and create emotional space
• Somatic therapy to help release stuck grief
• Everyday movement, as simple as walking or swaying, to help your body process loss

I share my own personal experience of using EFT tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and EMDR therapy.

Somatic tools that help to regulate the nervous system, release stuck emotion, and reconnect with a sense of inner safety.

Recommended Reading:

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Connect with your host Louise Bates: https://linktr.ee/louisebates

If this episode moved you, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who might need it.

You help this show reach others walking their own path through grief.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.