STP 141 | The One Thing We Forget to Plan for During the Holidays (Hint: It’s Grief)

• The holidays can be a joyful season, but for anyone dealing with grief, they can also bring stress, loneliness, and moments you don’t expect. In this episode, I talk with therapist and author Debbra Riemann, who shares her personal journey through loss and how slowing down, journaling, and connecting with others helped her heal. Debbra explains why so many people enter the holidays without a plan for grief—and why making one can bring comfort, direction, and hope. If you or your clients are navigating grief during this season, you’ll find support, practical tools, and the reminder that you don’t have to do this alone.

• Debbra also opens up about the hidden cost of pushing through pain, the power of community, and how grief shows up in places we least expect. Therapists will appreciate her honest look at how personal healing shaped her private practice, her published book, and her online grief community. This episode blends heartfelt wisdom with actionable steps that can help you support yourself, your family, or the people you serve.

• Three Truths You’ll Learn in This Episode
  1. Grief needs a plan—especially during the holidays.
  2. Journaling slows you down so you can actually feel and release what’s hurting.
  3. Community reduces isolation, even when others don’t know what to say.
  Highlights

  00:04 – Journaling helps release holiday grief
  02:16 – Debbra’s story of stacked losses
  04:39 – Hidden impact of unprocessed grief
  07:53 – Marketing a grief-focused practice
  09:32 – “Ugly sells” for therapists online
  11:46 – Moving states and rebuilding practice
  15:10 – Creating an online grief community
  17:02 – Why grief feels so isolating
  20:12 – Holiday grief hits without warning
  22:57 – Making a clear holiday grief plan
  24:34 – Changing traditions without guilt
  26:05 – How to find Debbra’s resources

  Links And Resources
  • Sages of Grief Recovery Website: https://www.Stages-of-Grief-Recovery.com
  • Facebook: Stages-of-Grief-Recovery.com | Rochester Hills MI
  • Instagram: Debbra Bronstad, Grief Coach (@stagesofgriefrecovery) • Instagram profile
  • Hope for the Holidays Workshop free replay available at: https://stagesofgriefrecovery.mvsite.app/products/units/view/1544899
  • Inscribed Grief Journaling Community: https://www.InscribedGrief.com