Listen to the Story Behind Grief Specialists on the Living with Dying Podcast

If you’ve ever wondered why Grief Specialists was created and what fuels our commitment to providing immediate grief support to anyone who needs it, this is a podcast episode you won’t want to miss.

Living with Dying is a podcast where presenter, Dilys Morgan, Finalist in the 2024 BBC Make a Difference Awards, tries to smash the taboos around death and dying and open up the subject.

We'll all encounter death at some stage, so why are we so shy of talking about it? When her husband Michael Barratt died, Dilys felt really lost. They had been together 47 years, and as she was trying to rebuild her life, she felt there was so much to learn, and wished they had spoken about it more.

In Episode 77, one of our founders, Maria, shared her personal journey of grief with Dilys, along with what led her to start Grief Specialists, and how her own experiences have shaped the way this organisation supports others.

A Personal and Professional Story

In this conversation, Maria talks about the time when the world was grieving alongside her and the realisation that grief doesn’t follow a one-size-fits-all model. As someone who worked for a grief training organisation, Maria’s personal losses during the pandemic helped form her decision that support needs to be accessible, nuanced, and immediate.

Inspired by that insight, she set up Grief Specialists with co-founder Matt to provide a hub of resources, connections to professionals, and free guidance for anyone experiencing loss.