In 2011, my brother Walter suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury that changed the course of our family’s life. After three years in the ICU, he passed away—and yet, I hadn’t fully faced my grief. It wasn’t until 2020, when my father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, that I knew I needed to find tools and rituals not only for myself, but for my daughter Sloane, who was grieving too.

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As a mother, yoga teacher, and retreat guide, I’ve come to understand that grief is not something we “get over”—it’s something we learn to carry. We need language, connection, and practices to make space for our sorrow and our memories.

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This book, For When You’re Ready, is a gentle offering born from those experiences. It shares tools and activities my daughter and I use to talk about our grief and keep the memories of my brother and father close to our hearts.

 

 I hope this book provides comfort, connection, and a sense that we’re never truly alone in our pain. As Robert Frost wrote, “The only way out is through.”