58. Your Whole Axis Shifts: What Grief Changes About Work and Life

About this episode

This episode explores how grief can fundamentally alter one's perspective on work and life, featuring insights from wellbeing consultant Chrissy Orson.

What happens when loss changes everything—not just emotionally, but structurally? In this episode of Psychologically Speaking , Leila Ainge is joined by wellbeing consultant and psychotherapist Chrissy Orson to explore grief, identity shifts, and the moment your life no longer fits the way it used to. After losing both her sister and father within weeks during lockdown, Chrissy shares how grief didn’t just affect her personally—it completely changed how she saw work, time, family, and what actually matters. We talk about the psychology of grief, why many women “keep going” until they hit a wall, and how organisations often fail people at the moments they most need support. This is a conversation about loss—but also about clarity, boundaries, and building a life that reflects what you now know to be true. We cover: Grief, trauma, and identity shifts Why women keep going (even when they shouldn’t) The hidden admin and emotional labour of loss Psychological safety at work during life events Why flexible working often isn’t truly flexible Therapy vs coaching—and when you actually need each Link to EMDR explainer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIJZQAr9nQo You can find Chrissy at…

People in this episode

Host: Leila Ainge

Guest: Chrissy Orson

Topics covered

• grief
• identity shifts
• psychology of grief
• work-life balance
• emotional labour
• psychological safety

Keywords

• grief
• identity
• work
• emotional labour
• psychological safety
• flexible working
• therapy
• coaching

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Decibelle Creative

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