In this episode, Lynda and Jon explore the powerful need to belong, to be in places where we feel known, recognized, comfortable and embraced.

As they talk, they realize just how deeply this need may be connected to what they each experienced as children. Both had the rug pulled out from underneath them by profound loss, and neither had people around them who openly talked about what had happened or helped them make sense of it.

Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that throughout their lives they have both been drawn to places that feel familiar and predictable, places where they know the people and the people know them. Places where they can walk in and think, These are my people. This is my place. I belong here.

For anyone who has experienced loss or had their sense of security suddenly disrupted, there can be tremendous comfort in familiarity and predictability. It is the opposite of being in limbo. Belonging gives us connection. It reminds us that we are not alone. We feel seen rather than invisible.

This is a powerful and validating conversation about why, after life has rattled us, we may spend years searching for the people and places that help us feel grounded again, where we can exhale, feel embraced and simply know that we belong.

In this episode, Lynda and Jon explore one of the most powerful things we have control over: the choices we make about how we respond to what happens to us.

Life will bring challenges, disappointments and losses we never would have chosen. But we can choose whether those experiences help us grow or leave us stuck. We can become better, or we can become bitter.

Lynda shares how she tried to help her father become more present after the devastating loss of his wife and two daughters, but without the support, tools or capacity to see the blessings that remained, he stayed shattered by his grief. Jon shares how he chose to honour his mother’s memory by turning his own loss into purpose through Myra’s Kids, which now makes a difference in the lives of hundreds of grieving children and families.

Together, they talk about continually learning, growing and evolving, recognizing that none of us ever has it all figured out. As the saying goes, you don’t learn to sail in calm waters. It is often during life’s most difficult moments that we discover what we’re capable of.

They also explore how contagious positivity can be, and how even a small, intentional act can change someone else’s day and perhaps help them find a little light during a dark time.

At its heart, this episode is about continuing to move forward, striving to become a better version of yourself, and using what you’ve learned along the way to make a difference in the lives of others, even in the smallest ways.

We often hear that kids are resilient. That after loss, they’ll “bounce back.” But what does resilience really mean, and does anyone ever simply get over losing someone they love?

In this episode, Lynda and Jon challenge the idea that grief follows a timeline, or that a year is somehow the magic amount of time after which life should return to normal.

Often, in an effort to make grief less uncomfortable, people stop mentioning the person who died. Pictures come down. Conversations move on. Yet for many grieving children and adults, talking about the person they lost and keeping their memory present is exactly what they need.

Grief is unique. There is no timetable and no single right way through it.

Lynda and Jon share their own childhood experiences with profound loss, what resilience has come to mean to them, and how, over the years, they learned to carry their bruises while turning them into purpose.