"Don't let people bully you about your grief. You take as much time as you need." —Ally Dalsimer

Inner fabulosity — the idea that you're worthy and whole even on the days you can barely tread water — is the heart of this conversation with award-winning author and speaker Ally Dalsimer.
Ally lost her husband to cancer eleven years ago, and in this episode, she walks through what actually happened after: the job loss, a failed run for Congress, caring for a dying mother, and the morning she realized no one needed her to get out of bed.
This episode is for anyone grieving a spouse, parent, or child, and for anyone who's been told — directly or not — that they should be "over it" by now. Ally is candid about how long healing took her, how she helped her two kids process losing their father, and how she eventually rebuilt a life around writing, speaking, and a philosophy she calls inner fabulosity.
Key takeaways:
• Grief has no universal timeline — it took Ally almost ten years before she could speak about her husband without crying, and she insists that's neither too long nor too short.
• Kids process loss differently than adults because they lack the cognitive tools to name what they're feeling, so patience matters more than explanations.
• Trying to "solve" a grieving person's pain often backfires; listening without offering solutions is usually the more supportive move.
• Small, repeatable actions — Ally's rule was doing just three things a day — can rebuild a sense of purpose faster than waiting to "feel ready."
• Telling someone their grief has an expiration date is one of the most damaging things you can say to a person in mourning.
• Running for public office, even in a losing campaign, gave Ally proof that she was capable of far more than she believed.
Listen to the full conversation and subscribe to Live, Love, Survive, Thrive for more real stories on healing, resilience, and rediscovering purpose after loss.

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Episode Highlights:
04:07 Meet Ally Dalsimer
06:03 What "Inner Fabulosity" Really Means
08:16 Losing Her Husband: The Full Grief Story
15:02 Helping Her Kids Grieve Without Fixing Them
21:12 Grief as a Child vs. Grief as an Adult
24:20 Running for Congress While Grieving
27:20 Advice for Someone New to Grief
40:31 Where to Find Ally and Her Podcast
40:50 Ally's Favorite Plant-Based Recipe

Resources:
Get Ally's Book
📖 It's Okay Not to be Fabulous Every Day: A Journey to Self-Discovery

Get Kim's Books
📖Grid: Once in a Lifetime You Get to Start Over
📖Live, Love, Survive, Thrive!

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