Navigating trauma, burnout, and the nervous system of grief

I first connected with Korie Leigh at GriefTastic, and I knew I had to get her on the podcast, because we don't talk nearly enough about what it actually looks like to build grief-informed spaces, especially in the workplace. Korie's background is truly incredible. She started as a child life specialist in pediatric hospitals before going on to get her master's in thanatology and her PhD in transpersonal psychology. In this conversation, she opens up about how she learned to manage vicarious trauma and burnout through reflective practices, supervision, rituals, and understanding her own stress capacity—lessons that apply just as much to grievers as they do to the helpers supporting them. This episode is packed with practical guidance too. How to actually show up for someone who's grieving (hint: stop asking "let me know if you need anything" and just help), why saying the deceased's name matters more than you think, and why you don't need to expect a response every time you reach out. What we covered: ✨ How Korie's path from pediatric child life specialist to thanatologist shaped her understanding of grief ✨ Managing vicarious trauma and burnout as a grief professional (and what that teaches the rest of us) ✨ Why compartmentalizing helps in a crisis, and hurts when it becomes permanent ✨ Cultivating nervous system safety and regulation after loss ✨ The archaic bereavement policies most workplaces still operate under ✨ The inequities around pregnancy loss that don't get talked about enough ✨ How grief-informed leadership starts with understanding grief's cognitive and physical impact ✨ What actually helps a griever ✨ Korie's book, "When Everything Changes: Parenting Through Loss and Grief," as a practical resource for families Connect with Korie: 🔗 https://www.korieleighphd.com/ 🔗 https://www.korieleighphd.com/books 🔗   / drkorieleigh   ______ 00:00 Welcoming Korie Leigh 02:13 Why Grief Talks Matter 05:48 Korie's Calling Story 08:13 Child Life to Thanatology 18:26 Coping with Burnout 21:07 Reflective Practice Rituals 26:47 Externalizing Stress Creatively 31:54 Compartmentalizing and Getting Unstuck 35:13 Tracking Calm Moments 36:40 Grief Is Not Linear 40:24 Bereavement Policy Gaps 43:48 Hard Conversations Toolkit 44:59 What Not to Say 46:07 Say Their Name 48:55 Sitting With Discomfort 52:24 Grace for Grievers 54:16 Field Guide Structure ______ 📖 Life Beyond Grief Substack: https://taraaccardo.substack.com/ ☕️ Support the podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/lifewithgrie... 💛 Work with me: https://lossesbecomegains.com/work-wi... Connect with me: 🎙️ Leave a voice note through Speakpipe! https://www.speakpipe.com/LifeWithGrief 🫶🏼 Instagram:   / lossesbecomegains   🫶🏼 Instagram:   / lifewithgriefpodcast   💻 Website: https://lossesbecomegains.com/ 📖 Shop the LBG Daily Journal: https://lossesbecomegains.com/journal By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents are the property of Tara Accardo, or used by Tara Accardo with permission. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including—without limitation—reproduction, retransmission or editing of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Tara Accardo, which may be requested by contacting [email protected]. This podcast is for educational purposes only. This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for any necessary therapy or counseling to address deeper, past-focused traumas. We don’t attempt to give answers, fix, diagnose, or treat grief. The host claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the information presented herein. #GriefSupport #GriefJourney #GriefRecovery #LifeWithGriefPodcast #GriefEducation #PregnancyLossSupport #BereavementSupport #grief #griefandloss #NervousSystem