In my life, I didn’t always know I was grieving. I thought something was simply wrong with me—that other people had figured out something I hadn’t, that confidence and clarity came more easily to everyone else. I was searching, always searching, carrying a weight I couldn’t name.
When I experienced the sudden loss of my father, the devastating loss of my younger brother, and the long loss of my mother–all within three years–I began to understand what had been shaping me all along. Grief changes everything, especially how we see ourselves, leaving us uncertain about who we are and searching in ways we can’t always recognize or name.
I had training, credentials, and spiritual practices–yet grief bypassed all of it to teach me only what grief can.
Hello, I’m Bethany Frankel - grief guide, coach and someone who has lived what I teach.
We know that loss is a natural part of life, yet how many of us know what grief is actually asking of us—in our bodies, our minds, and daily lives. Most of us were never taught that grief also lives in the losses that don’t come with funerals. How many of us are walking around thinking something is wrong with us, when really, our sadness was never seen or recognized with the understanding it needed.
This is what grief illiteracy costs us. That’s why I do this work.
I hold a Master’s Degree in Social Work, I’m a certified women-centered coach, and a graduate of David Kessler’s Grief Educator Program. Beyond my credentials, I bring my own becoming.
Why I do this work
Horses—Where my heart opens and flows with love.
Paper & Pen—How I find my way and never stop learning.
Nature–The beach, the park, my backyard where I remember I am nature too. .
David–Seventeen years, still walking together and looking at each other like this. And Rocky too! 🐈
