Navigating the Rollercoaster of Grief with Joan Kpandei

Forgive Yourself

"Grief is hard work. It is a lonely journey sometimes. People do avoid it because we want to shy away from pain. But avoiding your grief doesn't help at all."

In this episode, I talk with Joan Kpandei, a certified advanced grief specialist from Nigeria. Kpandei is a certified grief-informed professional, grief and bereavement counselor, and Christian counselor with an impressive array of credentials.

Kpandei hosts a weekly online talk show called The Grief Show, which seeks to create awareness around grief, its effects, and guiding people to move forward. She works with corporations and churches, facilitating training sessions on grief and loss, and provides one-on-one counseling for grieving staff and clients. Kpandei is also the founder of the Gem Sisters Club, a nonprofit organization that inspires, encourages, advocates, and restores hope to the brokenhearted and emotionally wounded. Additionally, she has written a book titled "Give Your Pain a Voice: The Power of Talk," which highlights the importance of communication in the grieving process.

During the interview, Kpandei shares her personal journey into this important work. After the loss of her mother in 2019, she found herself navigating her own grief and discovering a calling to help others who are struggling with loss. Kpandei emphasizes the need to process grief rather than avoiding it, as grief is a natural response to love and something we all experience in life.

She explains the different types of grief, including anticipatory grief and ambiguous grief, and how they can impact individuals and organizations. Kpandei provides valuable insights on supporting those in grief, such as simply showing up, taking cues from the griever, and avoiding unhelpful platitudes. She also addresses the common misconception that grief follows a linear path, highlighting the oscillating nature of the grieving process.

"People are not comfortable around grief. They shy away because they don't know what to say. But I say, just show up with your presence. Silence speaks. Your presence is golden at that time."

This episode will help anyone who has experienced loss or is supporting a loved one through grief. Kpandei's compassionate and insightful approach offers a roadmap for navigating the complex emotions of grief with grace and resilience. Whether you're dealing with the loss of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or any other significant transition, Kpandei's wisdom can help you find the courage to confront your pain and ultimately emerge stronger.

To learn more about Joan Kpandei and her work, you can visit her on Instagram or check out her book "Give Your Pain a Voice: The Power of Talk." Listeners can also find her on grief.com, the platform founded by renowned grief expert David Kessler.

Thanks for listening, your support is greatly appreciated.

Resources:

Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/

Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60

About Joan Kapandei

Joan Kpandei is a certified advanced grief specialist, certified grief informed professional

from PESI Eau Claire Wisconsin USA, a certified grief and bereavement counselor from Centre

of excellence Manchester United kingdom, a certified Christian counselor from (IIFBC)

international institute of faith based counselor Beaumont Texas USA. She is also a grief

educator and advocate.

Joan hosts a weekly online talk show on Instagram called "The Grief Show" that seeks to create

awareness on grief, its effect, process and moving forward.

She also facilitates training sessions on grief and loss for corporate organizations and churches.

She works with the human resource department of organizations to provide one on one

counseling and advisory services to grieving staff and management. She also does counseling

and therapy for individual clients.

She is the founder of Gemme Sisters Club a non for profit (NGO) organization that seeks to

inspire, encourage, advocate and restore hope to the broken hearted and emotionally wounded.

Joan is the author of the book "Give your pain a voice - the power of talk.” It throws light on the

importance and essence of talk therapy.

She's married to Solomon Kpandei and they're blessed with three children.

Joan’s Website and Links:

• Website - https://grief.com/grief-counselor-directory/name/joan-kpandei/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-kpandei-a933711b6
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kpandeijoan
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/joan.kpandei
• Joan’s Book! - https://www.amazon.com/dp/9789920636/

Brenda’s Website/Links

• Website – https://brendareisscoaching.com/
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Brenda.Reiss.Coach/
• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/brendareisscoaching/
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/brendareiss1
• LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendareiss/