The Grief Nobody Talks About: When Work Was Family

This episode is raw.

In this deeply personal conversation, I share the story of how my husband and I met at work, built our life around a place that once felt like family, and what happens when that sense of belonging slowly disappears.

This is not a story about blame, companies, or decisions. It’s about the kind of grief people rarely name. The grief that comes when work is more than a paycheck. When it’s identity, purpose, routine, and community. And what happens to a person, and a family, when that is taken away after decades of loyalty.

We talk about how this kind of loss shows up quietly. In forgetfulness. In irritability. In animals acting out. In a household feeling heavy before anyone has words for it. We talk about what it’s like to watch someone you love feel defeated, disconnected from their sense of worth, and unsure of who they are without the role they lived inside of for so long.

This episode is about invisible grief.
It’s about love, identity, and rebuilding.
And it’s about hope that doesn’t erase the pain, but opens a new door.

If you or someone you love is navigating job loss, career upheaval, or the quiet grief that comes with starting over, this episode is for you.

You are not failing.
You are not broken.
And you are not alone.

In this episode of the Eleven Intuitions Podcast, Melissa sits down with author Sara Escobar for an honest, thoughtful conversation about writing as a lifeline, navigating loss, and finding meaning after life changes you forever.

Sara shares the stories behind her poetry collections Old Flames and Wildflowers and Ashes & Stardust: What Comes After, reflecting on heartbreak, grief, love, memory, and the quiet ways we learn to carry what we’ve lost. Together, they explore how words can hold what feels impossible to say, how creativity becomes a form of healing, and what it looks like to keep moving forward without pretending everything is “fixed.”

This episode isn’t about rushing through pain or tying life up neatly. It’s about truth, tenderness, and the space we give ourselves to feel, reflect, and keep writing our way through whatever comes next.

If you’ve ever turned to words to survive, understand yourself, or make sense of change, this conversation will resonate deeply.

Find information about Sara's books and socials on her linktree here: https://linktr.ee/sarasunshine_

Content note: In this episode I talk about trauma and painful family experiences. I do not share graphic details, but the themes may feel heavy for some listeners. Please take care of yourself while listening.

I’ve been overweight since I was 6 years old, and for most of my life I believed that was just “a weight problem.” In reality, my body has been carrying a terrible secret that I haven’t been able to talk about publicly… until now. In this episode, I finally share the story behind my weight and the unspoken pain my body has been holding for me all these years.

I don’t name names and I stay in my lane, telling my story through my own experience as a daughter, a medium, and a cycle breaker in my family line. My hope is that by speaking this out loud, the weight can begin to come off—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—and that someone listening will feel less alone, seen, and maybe a little more ready to speak their own truth too.