We live in a culture that recognizes some griefs and quietly overlooks the rest. Nicole Collins — a former tech executive, twice-over caregiver, founder of Bea, and grief educator— joins Julie to talk about grief in all its forms and why processing it is essential to thriving

WHAT WE COVER

• Caregiving for two while leading a team — and the self-abandonment that came with it
• Grief beyond death: job loss, fractured friendships, family estrangement
• Why we have rituals for some griefs and none for others
• Collective grief and what we're still carrying from COVID
• Why processing grief is essential to thriving, not separate from it
• Humor as a legitimate grief skill
• Why the first year after loss is a dangerous financial window
• Nicole's three regular practices for thriving

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Anderson Cooper's podcast All There Is
• Tara Brach — Radical Acceptance

ABOUT MY GUEST

Nicole Collins is the founder of Bea, a voice AI guide that helps widows through the financial decisions of the first year after loss. Before founding Bea, she spent 15+ years leading people and marketing teams in tech, most recently as VP of People and Marketing at Innovasea. She was a caregiver twice over — for her mom and for her partner Christian, who died of brain cancer in 2023 — all while holding down an executive role. She's a certified grief educator and a believer that humor is a legitimate grief skill.

CONNECT WITH NICOLE

• Bea
• LinkedIn