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.

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This episode is for anyone who has ever looked around and realized the people who were supposed to show up simply haven't. My guest, Emily Merrell, is a connector by nature, the founder of Second Degree Society, a business coach, and a two-time boy mom based in Denver, Colorado. She brought her whole, unfiltered heart to this conversation, and we both cried. We go deep into the grief of friendships that fall apart without explanation, the grandparent village that never materialized, and what it actually costs to need your mom and find that who she is now can't meet you there.

TOPICS WE EXPLORE

• When your friends don't show up for your business
• The slow fade of a deep friendship and the loop that never closes
• Being ghosted by people who you thought were your friends
• How ambition triggers the people closest to you
• The grandparent grief nobody talks about
• Asking for help once and being let down
• Grieving your mom while she's still alive
• Building a village when the one you expected never arrived

THE POINT

Sometimes the hardest grief isn't the loss of someone. It's the slow realization that the village you were counting on was never coming, and you have to build it yourself.

ABOUT EMILY

Emily Merrell is the founder of Second Degree Society, a networking community that takes the awkward out of connection by handpicking who you meet. She's also a business coach passionate about helping people grow, scale, and open the right doors. She's based in Denver, Colorado, and is a two-time boy mom who turns human connection into both a superpower and a business.

Find her on Instagram @emilyamerrell and at seconddegreesociety.com.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Second Degree Society
• Let Them by Mel Robbins
• Work with Ash

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MORE ABOUT ASH

I'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business.

I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time.

LINKS:

• Work with me 1:1 → Deep Cuts
• Fast-track your results → The Green Room
• Solve one thing right now → Studio Sessions
• Burnout-proof your life && business → Mixtape
• Get your free podcast playlists → The Soundcheck
• Weekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The Beat
• Website: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com