Grief Turned Me Into a Robot… Until Hope Crept Back In

Grief Turned Me Into a Robot… Until Hope Crept Back In

From Survival Mode Disrupted with Leticia R Francis by Leticia Francis

December 21, 2025 · 33 min · Season 2 · Episode 96

About this episode

Linda Henderson shares her experience of navigating grief after losing a child and the journey towards hope and healing.

Linda Henderson shares the raw reality of what survival mode looks like after losing a child — not the polished version, the real one. In this episode, we talk about grief as a full-body experience and why time moves you forward even when you don’t want to go. Highlights include: 🖤 Why grief can make you feel like a “robot” 📝 How micro-actions (like writing “shower” on a list) can restart life 🤝 Why community changes everything when the world doesn’t get it 🔥 Her 3 pillars: acknowledgement, action, appreciation 🌤️ How hope quietly returns — without erasing the pain 🎙️ What We Talk About: The day Andrea died and how Linda’s life changed instantly Grief brain: memory loss, cognitive struggle, daily functioning Why “stages of grief” didn’t match her reality The power of tiny tasks and celebrating small wins PTSD, counseling, medication support, and long-term healing tools Finding “your people” and why isolation makes survival mode worse Gratitude as a sign of healing (not denial) 🔑 Key Takeaways: “Grief is ugly. It’s messy. Trauma is ugly. It’s messy.” “I was surviving… with help. Not even on my own.” “Acknowledgement. Action. Appreciation.” “Embrace the moments, cherish the…

People in this episode

Host: Leticia R Francis

Guest: Linda Henderson

Topics covered

  • grief
  • survival mode
  • mental health
  • community support
  • healing

Keywords

  • grief
  • loss
  • survival mode
  • mental health
  • healing
  • community
  • PTSD

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