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KATHIE POWELL
CERTIFIED GRIEF COACH
END OF LIFE DOULA
AUTHOR
SPEAKER


Grief and Time Travel
I'm sitting in the back of an Uber on my way to an appointment that took a full year to get. A routine medical thing, nothing life-threatening… but it’s at the university hospital. That hospital. And the moment we turned onto the road that leads to it, my body reacted before my mind even caught up. I begin my time travel. One minute I’m watching the city move past the window. The next, I’m three years back in time. December 29th, 2022. The drive we took with John. The one Ra
Kathie Powell
Dec 11, 20254 min read


Christmas in Grief: When the Season Holds Both Heartache and Light
Christmas changes after loss. Not because the holiday itself is different, but because we are. Because the seat that should never be empty is empty. Because the traditions we once loved now hold echoes of someone we can’t bring back. Joy feels complicated, and grief well, grief cares about holidays, trees, or twinkle lights too. It will show up. This is my third Christmas without him, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that each year truly does carry its own story.
Kathie Powell
Nov 29, 20254 min read


When Connection Fades
Understanding the Final Stages of Life. What I've learned from the dying. One of the hardest truths I’ve learned, both as a wife and as an End of Life Doula, is that as people approach the end of life, their capacity for connection begins to fade. It’s not because they love us any less. It’s not because we’ve done something wrong. It’s because they are slowly turning inward, preparing to leave. For family and friends, this can be deeply painful. We might feel rejected or conf
Kathie Powell
Oct 19, 20254 min read


Adventures in Online Dating: The Glasses Got Me
This journey as a widow is one that has many twists and turns. My heart has always been one to share the adventures this change has...
Kathie Powell
Oct 12, 20254 min read
Stoke your fire
Little girls come into the world full of fire. They laugh with their whole bodies, speak their minds without hesitation, talk loud and...
Kathie Powell
Jul 29, 20253 min read


The Power Of One Unexpected Hug
We don’t outgrow the need for a hug. Not as children, not as adults, and certainly not in grief. Hugs are one of the most human things we...
Kathie Powell
Jul 13, 20252 min read


"64 – A Birthday for Us Both"
I’ve never been someone who made a big deal about my birthdays. It’s not that I didn’t care I just never really needed the spotlight. To...
Kathie Powell
Jun 27, 20253 min read


A Soft Place To Land
As sisters through the years we used to joke about moving in together someday. Two sisters, growing old side by side, long gray hair and...
Kathie Powell
May 28, 20252 min read


Grief Goes Where My Love Goes Which Is Everywhere
By Kathie Powell They say "grief is just love with nowhere to go". It’s meant to be comforting, I suppose. And in the early days, when I...
Kathie Powell
May 17, 20252 min read


Tuesdays Used to Be... Just Tuesdays
The Ordinary Becomes Sacred Tuesdays used to be just Tuesdays. A day like any other, caught between Monday’s groan and the slow coast...
Kathie Powell
Apr 8, 20254 min read


Holding Grief Gently
Grief is one of the heart’s natural responses to loss. When we grieve, we give ourselves permission to feel the truth of the pain of our...
Kathie Powell
Mar 2, 20254 min read


Year two...thoughts
Remember each one of our experiences is different. This is my current experience after completing 2 years of life without John. For me...
Kathie Powell
Feb 2, 20253 min read


Horses, Memories, and a Love That Endures
This memory isn’t the most flattering of me, but it’s an honest one—a glimpse into our lives together and the incredible man I shared so...
Kathie Powell
Jan 18, 20254 min read


I'm done talking about Christmas...but what's next? New Year's...ugh.
So, we’ve somehow got through Christmas—or dodged it altogether (because honestly, why not?). And just when we thought we could take a...
Kathie Powell
Dec 27, 20243 min read


Grief During the Holidays: Can grief and joy coexist?
The holidays have a way of amplifying our grief. It’s not that we don't miss our loved ones during the rest of the year, but as the world...
Kathie Powell
Nov 28, 20243 min read


Grief over the holidays
In Canada Thanksgiving is a few days away, other countries celebrate similar dates and some don't celebrate this holiday at all. Either...
Kathie Powell
Oct 7, 20244 min read


Embracing Joy Within Our Grief
Grief is such a wild ride, isn’t it? One moment you’re deep in your feelings, and the next, something—a song, a memory, or even a silly...
Kathie Powell
Sep 19, 20242 min read


Year two...is it harder? Why not try dating...and lets see...
I'm not sure who they are but "they" say the second year is the hardest. I heard this my first year and thought, "Really, you have got to...
Kathie Powell
Aug 4, 202410 min read


The things we've been taught aren't always true ...
I don't know about you but I was taught as a child that if I was feeling anything other than happy to keep those thoughts to myself. "No...
Kathie Powell
Jul 25, 20245 min read


Thoughtful gifts ideas
I am a gift giver its one of my love languages. So I thought I would share some simple things that really matter to me in my life as a...
Kathie Powell
Jul 1, 20245 min read
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