196. The Grief of Being Human: Marriage, Motherhood & All the Invisible Losses

Welcome to the Grief Series, a collection of conversations about the grief woven throughout our lives with some extraordinary women bringing their raw, vulnerable stories to the mic. I hope you see yourself somewhere in these stories. … This episode is for anyone carrying grief that doesn't have an obvious name. My guest, Chrissy Powers, is a therapist, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy practitioner, and someone who has personally held space for me in some of my own deepest healing work. We talk about the grief that lives inside a marriage you're still in, the mourning of watching your children grow up, the loss that comes with deconstructing your religious upbringing, and what it actually takes to feel your way through grief instead of solving your way around it. **TOPICS WE EXPLORE** - Complicated grief vs. the grief we're taught is acceptable - Grieving inside a marriage you haven't left - Watching a partner struggle and the ultimatum that protects your family - The invisible loss of your children growing up - Outgrowing a partner who isn't on the same healing path - Raising emotionally literate sons in a culture that discourages it - Deconstructing religious upbringing and what it costs - Finding a guide, trusting your body, and reclaiming intuition **THE POINT** Grief isn't reserved for death. It lives inside the marriages we stay in, the children we watch grow, and the beliefs we outgrow, and the only way through any of it is to feel it instead of fix it. **ABOUT CHRISSY** Chrissy Powers is a licensed therapist and the founder of Paradigm Wellness Collective, a group practice in Southern California. She's trained in psychedelic somatic therapy and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, and has spent over 16 years in practice helping people heal through embodiment, vulnerability, and deep inner work. Her book, Woman Embodied: The Practice of Coming Home to Yourself, releases October 27th. Find her on Instagram @chrissyjpowers and at chrissypowers.com or email her @ **chrissypowersmft@gmail.com.**  **MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE** - Paradigm Wellness Collective - paradigmwellnesscollective.com (find a practitioner) - **Woman Embodied: The Practice of Coming Home to Yourself** (Chrissy's book, out October 27th) - Work with Ash Are you loving it? Send Ash a text! **MORE ABOUT ASH** I am the definition of duality — I swear like a sailor and break rules like it’s my job, but I also hold incredible space for my clients and work my ass off to help them achieve the success they’re after. But I'm also here for the non-preneur woman, too. My background in counseling gives me a unique perspective on what it means to show up, serve, & create connection for those who feel like they've never belonged before. **LINKS:** - **Become the** Regulated Woman - **Get** emails that feel like your best friend (if your best friend was a therapist and actually told you the truth). - Use code **BB20** to get The Burnout Breakthrough for only $7 - Follow me on IG (dropping in once a quarter for updates & gossip) - **Website:** ashmcdonaldmentoring.com Work with Ash