I first connected with Korie Leigh at GriefTastic and I knew I had to get her on the podcast, because we don’t talk nearly enough about what it actually looks like to build grief-informed spaces, especially in the workplace.
Korie’s background is truly incredible. She started as a child life specialist in pediatric hospitals before going on to get her master’s in thanatology and her PhD in transpersonal psychology. In this conversation, she opens up about how she learned to manage vicarious trauma and burnout through reflective practices, supervision, rituals, and understanding her own stress capacity—lessons that apply just as much to grievers as they do to the helpers supporting them.
This episode is packed with practical guidance, too. How to actually show up for someone who’s grieving (hint: stop asking “let me know if you need anything” and just help), why saying the deceased’s name matters more than you think, and why you don’t need to expect a response every time you reach out.
What we covered:
✨ How Korie’s path from pediatric child life specialist to thanatologist shaped her understanding of grief
✨ Managing vicarious trauma and burnout as a grief professional (and what that teaches the rest of us)
✨ Why compartmentalizing helps in a crisis, and hurts when it becomes permanent
✨ Cultivating nervous system safety and regulation after loss
✨ The archaic bereavement policies most workplaces still operate under
✨ The inequities around pregnancy loss that don’t get talked about enough
✨ How grief-informed leadership starts with understanding grief’s cognitive and physical impact
✨ What actually helps a griever
✨ Korie’s book, “When Everything Changes: Parenting Through Loss and Grief”, as a practical resource for families
Connect with Korie:
Support the podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/lifewithgriefpodcast
📖 Life Beyond Grief Substack:
Connect with me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lossesbecomegains/
Website: https://lossesbecomegains.com/
Work with me one-on-one: https://lossesbecomegains.com/work-with-tara
Shop the LBG Daily Journal: https://lossesbecomegains.com/journal
