My recently released poetry book, Waves: Poems on Grief, was born out of the journaling I had done after the death of my dad in May 2019. Through writing, I was able to capture my emotional landscape of grieving and acknowledge the pain, love, and power in my path through loss. I'm honoured to guide others now in processing and illuminating their grief through reflective writing practices and gentle movement.
What writing through grief has helped me with, and what it may do for you, too:
* soften judgments on yourself and your circumstances
* give words and space to your fears so that you are not consumed by them
* feel better equipped to handle your experience of grief on a day-to-day basis
* increase your ability to treat yourself with kindness and compassion
* reduce your mental and emotional burdens by expressing thoughts and feelings through the power of words
* give yourself permission to feel and process your relationship with grief and grieving
* embrace the mysteries and unknowns of life with more grace and trust
* encounter some direction forward despite the fog of loss
* acknowledge what matters most, find wisdom in your experiences, and honour your stories
Join me in a 5-week workshop series where I’ll guide you through:
* creative and reflective writing prompts inspired by the poems in my book, Waves
* grief movement to shift energy and allow emotions to process through the body (all simple and gentle and can be done right from your chair - this is not about physical flexibility, but emotional liberation)
* community conversation and reflection sharing
* opening and closing rituals that honour passed loved ones and acknowledge the resilience of your grieving human spirit
In this busy world it's not often we have the gift of slowing down, but this circle gave me the space to do that. Gloria held our complicated feelings with such grace and compassion and allowed us to feel whatever we needed to feel, to let it all out. The breathing and movement exercises throughout also allowed me to reset and release energy and calm down after facing painful emotions or memories. It's powerful to be understood with no questions asked. Unless someone has lost someone close to them too soon, they cannot relate, and it can be hard to talk to people that just don't get it. Being seen in this way, without any need for explanation, is healing.
Jaz W; Toronto; Father loss
"It is a beautiful, safe space that allowed me to gently, kindly, and carefully look into my grief in a way that I can continue working with it for the time that it takes."
Mari
Arrive as you are.
Interact how you wish. There will be no more than 10 of us in the circle. You can come camera-on, pen and journal in hand or you can come camera-off, laying on the floor and writing sentences in your head. You may share your writings or you may embrace deep listening and keep your experience all to yourself. However you participate is perfect and totally up to you.
It's your own ‘write’ to grieve, after all.
But take care of you.
Grief is nuanced and looks and feels like many things. I believe you are not too early or too close to the event(s) associated with your grief to tell the truth to yourself on paper about what it’s like to be living in it. In the same way, you are not too “far out” from your loss to express your grief. Only you know if the timing is right to embrace your grief through writing, and if you choose to join us, I trust you to make this experience yours and care for yourself inside and outside the writing circle.
I will use the themes and lines from my book Waves: Poems on Grief as reflective writing prompts for you.
It’s encouraged (but not required) to purchase a copy in case you'd like to follow in your own time and rhythm.
next round Winter/Spring 2025
It felt like being wrapped in a warm and cozy blanket by the fire, or feeling a cool breeze while out in your favorite spot to be in nature. It felt like returning home to my heart. I had space to be with things I didn't even realize I needed to BE with. The tears I cried in the container were always cleansing, healing, tears of release. I'm no longer actively grieving; yet, it was so helpful to see younger versions of myself in Gloria's poems. This experience helped me have words for - and come to a deeper understanding of - what I've been through.
Ve'Lyn Crosby; Los Angeles, CA; Parent loss
Grieving is hard but it doesn't have to be lonely. This circle will give you a supportive space to explore and make sense of your grief in ways that will be tender and warm. The prompts from each poem were so thoughtful and relatable to my grief journey. Some of the most profound revelations where experienced not just in my writing, but also in the sharing of writing with our little community. I'm so grateful to Gloria for creating a space that for me was a valuable step in my journey of healing and being in relationship with my grief.
Lyn-Marie; Toronto; Parent loss
ABOUT your facilitator
Gloria is a writer, poet, leadership coach, and grief movement guide who helps people navigate their growth and transitions, access their creative abilities, and become who they need to be to fulfill their unique roles in life and career.
Through her own experiences with grief and death, her writing and coaching explores how to find peace in life’s mysteries, carry onward in the aftermath of loss, and live in the nuance of keeping it together when things have fallen apart.
She is a best-selling author of the recently released poetry book, "Waves: Poems on Grief," and is also a featured poet in a documentary called Heal Through Poetry. Her episode shares intimately about the death of her dad in 2019 and the ensuing experiences and perspectives she’s been left with while grieving and healing.
Drawing on her studies in sociology and human communication, her research in the art of authenticity and meaning-making, her training in transformational coaching, and her experience building inclusive educational communities and high-performing teams, her mission is to build a more expressive and honest world by helping leaders unlock their creative essence, communicate powerfully, transform their self-doubt into self-trust, and become their most loving selves.