Regarding Grief

In the last few decades of running

and tripping and falling through this life, one thing has been crystal clear: 

Time doesn't just march on. 

It races forward at warp speed.

And like it or not, it does that without

bothering to ask our permission.

Imagine that.

Over the course of those fleeting years,  

 I worked many  jobs ~ everything

 from bakery clerk to award-winning feature writer. But  in all that time my 

most important role was always

that of Mom to four loving, giving, 

free-spirited human beings, 

and now I am grandmother to five.

They are all my heart and my reason.

In 2011, the unthinkable happened. 

My husband and I lost our oldest child, 

and believe me when I say there is no

pain in this life more soul crushing than that. My entire family was living in grief and I didn't know how to help them .

I couldn't even help myself.

Fast forward a few  years and here I am ~ out of retirement and back to work, but

this time with a deeper passion and sense  of purpose. Now I find myself continually learning and searching for ways to ease 

the minds and hearts of  the grievers. I hope to help them see they are not alone and know that their love for whomever 

or whatever it is they are grieving will

 lift them up and carry them forward.

And those are two things I know

 for certain to be true.

We are Julie and Mallory Kettlewell,

a mother/daughter team of 

Certified Grief Educators

trained by renowned grief expert, 

David Kessler,

and we are all about anything

regarding grief. 

With our combined knowledge and

 insights on the topic of  grief, 

we hope to cast some light onto 

the hearts of those of you who have experienced a life-changing loss.

 We  promise to do our best to 

ensure our content leaves you feeling 

enlightened, encouraged, 

and comforted.

PEACE TO ALL 

WHO ENTER

THIS SPACE

I grew up in a rural Northern Michigan community and learned early on the importance of helping people out and making a positive contribution whenever 

I can.  And a huge benefit to living in a small-town was knowing I was always surrounded by family, along with many friends and neighbors who became 

just like family to me.

We as a family have suffered many heartbreaking losses over the past 

few years. But it was the death of 

my eldest sister when I was only 16 

that eventually activated a need in me 

to turn my pain into purpose. 

I just didn’t know how to do it.

Shortly after high school, I pursued 

a career in retail fashion,  which has

allowed me to express my creative self.

But I continued to look for something 

to help me understand my grief and

 find a way to express that part of myself 

in order to heal my broken heart.

Years later when my Mom became a 

Certified Grief Educator, I was inspired 

to  follow that same path as a means 

of feeding my desire to help others heal from their losses. In June 2024, I earned my Grief Educator Certification,  

and  I am very proud and happy to be working alongside my Mom toward a common goal and with a common 

purpose.  I am so eager to share what 

I have  learned to promote a higher level

of understanding and compassion for

 those living with the pain of grief.