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Margo Fowkes on Losing her son, creating community, and Leading Through Loss at work
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"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea.” This quote by Isak Dinesen inspired today’s guest, Margot Fowkes, to create Salt Water, a virtual community where grievers can share their stories and honor their loved ones.
Margo is the founder and president of OnTarget Consulting and author of the award-winning book, LEADING THROUGH LOSS: HOW TO NAVIGATE GRIEF AT WORK, helps leaders create more compassionate workplaces by acknowledging and speaking openly about grief.
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Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube
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Margot shares her journey of grief after the death of her son, Jimmy. She discusses Jimmy's resilience during his illness, and the moments that shaped her perspective on motherhood and loss.
Salt Water was founded to honor all types of loss, as a virtual community providing resources and welcoming guest writers to share their experiences.
She delves into the challenges of grief in the workplace—how to support grieving colleagues, navigate work when grieving, handle the death of an employee, and find support in virtual or hybrid work environments.
Takeaways
- Each person's grief is unique and should be respected and validated.
- Grief can deepen our understanding of what is truly important in life, and how we want to show up for ourselves and others.
- Navigating grief as a family requires open communication, understanding, and allowing each person to grieve in their own way.
- Creating spaces for sharing stories and honoring all types of loss can provide comfort and support for grievers.
- Grief can impact one's definition of motherhood, and navigating the balance between letting go and stepping in can be challenging.
- Creating a compassionate culture that recognizes and supports grief and loss is essential in the workplace and in society.
- Grief at work can have a significant impact on productivity and well-being. It's essential to create a compassionate and supportive culture.
- Companies can implement simple initiatives to provide support & understanding for grieving employees.
Connect with Margo Fowkes:
- ontargetconsulting.net
- findyourharbor.com
- Book: LEADING THROUGH LOSS
- IG @findyourharbor
Connect with Nina Rodriguez:
Thank you for listening! Please share with someone who may need to hear this.
Want your story featured in a podcast episode?
Please contact me via IG @griefandlight, via email at nina@griefandlight.com.
Chapters
1. Preview & Intro song (00:00:00)
2. Introduction, Meet Margo (00:00:46)
3. Jimmy's Story, 'Type B Personality in a Type A Family' (00:06:04)
4. Our Expectations about Life, Death and Loss (00:11:35)
5. How does a terminal diagnosis impact motherhood? (00:14:30)
6. Terminal diagnosis, the challenges of supporting our daughter through sibling loss (00:18:15)
7. Redefining joy and hope through cancer diagnosis and treatment (00:19:33)
8. Jimmy's Final Wishes (00:24:59)
9. The Birth of Salt Water: Finding Strength in Shared Stories (00:27:26)
10. Every Single Loss is Different (00:35:35)
11. Find Your Harbor (00:37:15)
12. Leading Through Loss: Navigating Grief at Work (00:40:25)
13. Absenteeism and Presenteeism: The Cost of Neglecting Grief at Work (00:48:27)
14. The nuances of navigating loss and grief in the workplace (00:53:41)
15. Margo's closing thoughts: The only expert in the room is the person who his grieving (00:57:22)
16. Margo's advice to her younger self as a newly bereaved mother (00:59:18)
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