Most people think of grief as something that only happens after someone dies. But what if the loss that changed your life wasn’t about death at all? What if it looked like moving away, hearing hard news from a doctor, or realizing your future isn’t going to look like you planned?

In a recent episode of the Feel Free Again podcast, host Cole James talked with Kansas City-based grief specialist Casey McBroom. She opened up about a season in her life when everything seemed to fall apart. Within just a few months, Casey lost her dream of living in Colorado, faced serious health issues, found out her relationship wasn’t what she thought it was, lost her dog, and watched close friends go through heartbreaking situations. Some of those losses were obvious. Others were not.

One of the first things she realized? Even the most hopeful or “good” changes can still carry a lot of pain.

“I had no idea moving was a loss,” Casey said. “It felt like a good thing. But I didn’t realize how much I was leaving behind.”

Not All Grief Looks the Same

Ay The Grief Recovery Institute, we define grief as the natural emotional response to loss. That loss can come from more than forty different life experiences. Death is one of them. But grief also comes from things like:

• Moving to a new place
• Losing your health
• Feeling unsafe
• A relationship ending, even if it needed to
• Unfulfilled dreams
• Struggles with infertility or miscarriage
• Losing trust in someone

Sometimes these things happen quietly. There’s no service, no cards, and no one saying “I’m sorry for your loss.” But your heart still feels it. And if you don’t know that grief is what you’re feeling, it can start to build up in ways that affect your body, your energy, and your relationships.

You Don’t Have to Keep Carrying It

One of the most significant turning points in Casey’s story came when someone introduced her to the Grief Recovery Method. She had already tried other forms of mental health support, but this was the first thing that helped her process all of the pain, not just the parts that seemed acceptable to talk about.

“I knew I wanted to help people, but I had to help myself first,” she shared. “Once I did that, I realized this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

That’s the heart of the Grief Recovery Method. You don’t need to wait for something tragic to happen to start healing. If something in your life causes pain when you think about it, you can get help. It’s not about forgetting or pretending it didn’t matter. It’s about finding emotional peace so you can move forward without carrying the weight of the past.

Your Pain Matters

Whether you’re grieving a person, a place, a plan, or a part of yourself that feels lost, your experience is real. You don’t need to justify it or rank it or explain it away. It’s enough to say, “This still hurts,” and take the next step.

Grief recovery is not just for people going through a crisis; it is also for those who have experienced loss. It’s for anyone who wants to feel better. And that includes you.

Want to hear Casey’s whole story?

Listen to her episode on the Feel Free Again podcast and hear how she found hope, healing, and purpose after a season of profound loss:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l61p-2c5qKY