#370 Returning to Work After Bereavement: What Nobody Tells You About Grief and Work

About this episode

Tara Humphrey shares her personal experience of navigating work while grieving the loss of her daughter, discussing the challenges and realities of bereavement in the workplace.

Returning to work after bereavement is one of the hardest things you will ever navigate — and almost nobody talks honestly about what it looks like from the inside. In this episode of The Business of Healthcare, Tara Humphrey shares her personal experience of working while grieving after losing her daughter. This is not a how-to guide. It is an honest, unfiltered account of what grief at work actually feels like — the contradictions, the cost of showing up, and what has genuinely helped. If you are currently working through bereavement, managing a team member who has experienced loss, or trying to understand what grief in the workplace really looks like, this episode is for you. Tara covers: Why professionalism at work is not the same as being okay The deliberate decision to keep work life and home life separate whilst grieving Why well-meaning messages during working hours can make things harder, not easier The difference between distraction and displacement — and why the language matters What hour-by-hour survival actually looks like on the worst days The role of therapy, trusted friendships, and small daily anchors in keeping going What managers and colleagues can do to…

People in this episode

Host: Tara Humphrey

Topics covered

• bereavement
• grief
• workplace support
• mental health
• professionalism
• personal experience

Keywords

• grief at work
• bereavement
• work-life balance
• mental health support
• professionalism
• therapy
• team management

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