Grief Rewired: Healing Without the Rulebook 🧠💔🔓 - TTST Interview with Author Vicki Paris Goodman

Show Notes

Vicki Paris Goodman is the author of To Sam, With Love: A Surviving Spouse’s Story of Inspired Grief. Having lived most of her life in the Los Angeles area, Ms. Goodman now resides in the mountains of central Arizona. She is a retired mechanical engineer. She sings and plays violin semi-professionally. And for over twenty years she served a Long Beach (CA) area newspaper as theater critic. She is currently writing her second book, Speed Bumps: And Other Impediments to Life in the Fast Lane, a slightly self-deprecating treatise on the trials of life of a type A personality. 

QUOTE: "We’ve been conditioned to grieve in ways that keep us stuck. I’m living proof you can move forward and still miss someone deeply." 🔓 - Vicki Paris Goodman

Fergie’s Top 5+ Knowledge Nuggets and Take-Aways:

1. Transform your grief into growth. 💥 Don’t just survive your pain — let it lift you and show you a deeper strength you didn’t know you had.
2.  Stay open to unexpected awakenings. 🌅 Your most spiritual and transformative moments may arrive when you least expect them — be ready to receive.
3. Laugh through the tears. 😂 Don’t underestimate the power of humor. It’s not weakness — it’s a survival tool and a bridge back to joy.
4. Let optimism in. 🌞 Feeling hopeful after loss isn’t betrayal — it’s bravery. It means your heart is still open.
5. Challenge the grief script. ✍️ Just because culture says grief must look a certain way doesn't mean it’s right for you. Write your own healing story.
6. Don’t do grief alone. 🤝 Seek voices that understand. Books, podcasts, and community can help you feel seen and supported. 

🔹 Valuable Time-Stamps🔹

• [00:05:00] – Honoring Sam's Decency & Humor
• [00:10:00] – The Day He Died… Flooded with Optimism
• [00:17:00] – “Is Death Tragic?” A Bold Reframe
• [00:21:00] – Grief Myth-Busting: Activity vs Quiet Time
• [00:28:00] – Smelling the Roses: Slowing Down a Type A

 

Recommended Resources:  

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Music Courtesy of: fight by urmymuse (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/58696 Ft: Stefan Kartenberg, Kara Square

Artwork courtesy of Dylan Allen