Research, Reflection and Inspiration

This work continues to remind me that the most important conversations are often the ones we avoid.

Creating this service has been a journey. What began as an idea has required research, reflection, and a willingness to listen to different perspectives along the way.

Recently, I met with another mum who is living with a terminal illness and has children, to talk about CUBS Bereavement Support and to share my programme with her. I wanted to hear her thoughts and experiences, and gain her insight.

Something very special came from that meeting. We didn’t just talk about the service I am building — we talked about death, dying, and grief.

What might surprise you is that the conversation wasn’t heavy in the way people might expect. At times, it was light, open, and deeply human. There was space for honesty, reflection, and even moments of warmth and laughter. It felt refreshing to be in a conversation where nothing was avoided — where death wasn’t something to tiptoe around, but something we could speak about openly.

Afterwards, I messaged to thank her for meeting with me, and she replied:

“Having experience of child bereavement from 2 angles I think it’s so incredibly important to provide this help to children. You are saving a future of messed up adults. Thank you so much for doing this, it’s amazing. Weirdly for a conversation about death, dying and bereavement I feel quite inspired, or positive, or something I can’t quite put my finger on… very refreshing to chat with someone who has the courage to face challenging topics head on. Thank you xx”

Her words stayed with me, because I felt exactly the same.

So often in society, we avoid these conversations. We don’t know what to say, so we say very little. We stick to surface-level questions like “How are you?”, hoping for a simple answer in return — because anything deeper can feel uncomfortable.

But that avoidance leaves a gap.

We need to change that. We need to normalise conversations about death and grief in everyday life. Every one of us will experience loss at some point, yet it remains one of the least openly discussed parts of life. I have experienced grief as an adult, and I am also raising my own children. That combination has deepened my understanding of how important it is that we do better — for ourselves, and for the next generation.

Because when we start talking about death, we don’t make it heavier — we make it more human. 

Georgia 🤍