Crystal Chigbu

My journey to the Grief Recovery Institute ® began after giving birth to a daughter with a congenital limb deformity and the leg had to be amputated. Not long after this, my elder sister died and these two events led me into a season of grief. I then began to ask myself how I could grief properly as I was expected to “be strong” culturally and religiously, and I didn’t have any tools to cope with these tragic incidents. Interestingly, I could not find very readily any resources or specialists to speak to in my country and these experiences led me to seek out healthy ways to grieve a loss. Also, while I was on this journey, I discovered that there were thousands of people around me that had also experienced devastating loss throughout the course of their lives and did not have access to the right tools or resources to help them grieve the loss. Throughout my career which started in sales and has evolved over many years, I have met thousands of people who have spoken to me about different losses that they have suffered and how it has shaped their lives. I am one of Nigeria’s leading voices in the not-for-profit and advocacy space. I founded “The IREDE Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that works with children that have suffered limb loss either through trauma or by congenital defects. My work covers limb provision, replacement and advocacy for all children living with disability in Nigeria. I am also the founder of “The Social Good Company”’. A social enterprise that helps people build and start social organizations either for-profit or not-for-profit. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Lagos and obtained a certificate in Social Sector Management from Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan-African University. She currently serves as a facilitator for multiple programs, bringing her experience and expertise to bare in raising the next generation of African leaders. I am also a certified Life Coach. I work with multiple CEOs, Founders and Directors of organizations, helping them achieve peak performance for their organizations. I am also a Grief Recovery Specialist and certified by the Grief Recovery Institute. My organization, “The Hope Grill” is at the centre of grief recovery for hundreds of people that have suffered one form of loss or the other. I offer a variety of GRM programs, including in-person 1-on-1's, Online 1-on-1, Grief support Group and the Helping Children With Loss Program.