58: Courageous Mourning with Melinda Laus

Melinda Laus has always felt “different.” From her earliest memories, she struggled with asthma, allergies, and feeling like her body just worked differently than other bodies did. After working throughout childhood and adolescence to get her asthma and allergies under control, she thought she had her body somewhat “figured out.” When she experienced the tragic loss of her husband when she was 32, however, Melinda’s body went into a tailspin.

It took about 2 years after her husband’s death for her to be diagnosed with hypothyroidism and adrenal exhaustion. Since then, she’s been on a path to embracing her grief, exploring the power of rest, and accepting the ebbs and flows in her energy.

In our heartfelt conversation, Melinda and I cover grief, trauma, change, isolation, and the permission to feel deeply. Melinda shares some incredible insights with me, including how she navigated the “grief within grief” after her husband’s death and her diagnosis — from grieving family lasagna dinners to accepting that her home might look like a train wreck on any given Tuesday night.

This is a moving discussion where we talk about the gifts that come from grief, and how we can all hold joy and pain in equal measure to create a truly fulfilling life.