A virtual retreat featuring a mix of workshops to help people navigate the emotional complexities of the holiday season while honoring their grief.
The holiday season can be one of the most challenging times for those grieving—whether the loss is recent or long ago. While the world seems to lean toward joy and celebration, many grievers feel unseen, disconnected, or pressured to “mask” their pain.
Navigating Holiday Grief: Tools, Resources and a Soft Place to Land, an immersive full-day virtual retreat, will offer:
● Validation: Acknowledging that grief is valid year-round, especially during “celebratory” seasons.
● Practical Tools: Skills to help participants navigate family gatherings, traditions, and emotional triggers.
● Creative & Somatic Practices: Ways to process and express emotions beyond words.
● Community Connection: Reminding grievers that they are not alone in their experience.
Event Schedule (All Times are Eastern Standard Time)
7:00-8:15am PDT/10:00-11:15am EDT: Creating Holiday Harmony: Heartfelt Talk + Healing Tools – Tools for creating calm in the chaos of holiday grief, with live coaching and Q&A, hosted by Annah Elizabeth.
Founder of the Five Facets® of Healing, Healing Specialist Annah brings over 20 years of experience in coaching, energy medicine, spiritual mediumship, and speaking and writing, and has been featured on TV, radio, and national stages including TEDx.
8:30-10:45 PDT/11:30am-1:45pm EDT: Between Sorrow and Story: Creative Expression for Holiday Grief – Gentle art and creativity exercises to transform holiday heartache into connection and resilience. Hosted by Susie Stonefield.
Please come to this session with the following simple art supplies:
• A piece of heavy paper (watercolor or mixed media) or a sketchbook
• Pastels, markers or paints
• Pens or pencils
• Old magazines to cut up
• Glue stick
• Scissors
You don't need anything fancy! Whatever you have in your house is fine!
A transformational creativity and grief midwife, Susie supports her clients utilize simple art supplies and no-rules art-making to embrace their grief and other challenging emotions in order to tend to their hearts and transform their lives.
11:00am-12:15pm PDT/2:00-3:15pm EDT: The AND of the Holidays – Exploring how grief and joy can coexist. Writing, sharing, and grounding practices. Hosted by Amanda McKoy Flanagan, LMSW.
A certified intuitive loss + empowerment coach, writing coach, energy healer, award-winning, bestselling author of Trust Yourself to Be All In, and host of the Sol Rising podcast, Amanda uses honest communication to help grievers move through life’s hardest moments with clarity, creativity, and purpose.
12:30-1:45pm PDT/3:30-4:45pm EDT: Rituals, Breathwork, and Guided Relaxation – Somatic practices to honor emotions and restore balance. Hosted by Sundari Malcolm.
Please come to this session with the following items:
• 1 glass of water (any cup will do)
• 1 small candle (tea light or taper) + lighter/matches
• Pen + paper or journal
• A pinch of herbs or spices from the kitchen (choose any that you have: cinnamon, rosemary, thyme, sage, or even black tea) to hold during ritual as an offering of Earth’s support
Optional: blanket and pillow for the Deep Rest portion
Founder of A Healing Doula Academy, an online training program for Grief and Death Doulas rooted in ancient ritual, spiritual wisdom, and intuitive care, Sundari is the author of Grief Gems and a recognized Grief Expert with the For Grief Speakers Bureau.
2:00-3:15pm PDT/5:00-6:15pm EDT: When Holidays Hurt: Naming the Heavy and Hidden: – An interactive workshop using the Emotions Wheel to identify, name, and validate the feelings that arise during grief. Hosted by Dr. Elreacy Dock.
A thanatologist, death educator, and certified grief educator with a background in global and behavioral health, Elreacy currently serves as the Vice President of the National Home Funeral Alliance (NHFA) and as a U.S. Ambassador to the Association for the Study of Death and Society (ASDS).
4:00-5:30pm PDT/7:00-8:30pm EDT: This special day will culminate with a powerful roundtable discussion – Your Holiday, Your Way: Honoring Your Needs This Season. Panelists include all women listed above with the exception of Sundari Malcolm and the addition of Nina Rodriguez. In order to anticipate registration, we encourage you to register here for the roundtable, but you will use the same Zoom link provided for the first part of the program.
Nina Rodriguez is the creator and host of the award-winning podcast, Grief and Light. She guides grievers through authentic conversations, grief-tending circles, and 1:1 support, helping people navigate loss with compassion and hope. Get to know more at griefandlight.com | @griefandlight
All registrants will receive SIX valuable freebies:
5 Pillars for an Empowered Life After Loss: A Guide to Emotional Freedom,by Amanda McKoy Flanagan
Grief & Creativity Invitations Workbook, by Susie Stonefield
Daily Grief Affirmations to Carry You Through the Winter, by Sundari Malcolm
Naming the Nuances of Grief Workbook, by Dr. Elreacy Dock
Grief Tending Toolkit, by Grief and Light
Healing Through the Holidays eBook, by Annah Elizabeth
This special event is more than a set of workshops—it’s an invitation to step into the season feeling seen, resourced, supported, and connected! Get your tickets now!