Helen Kirwan-Taylor on Grief, Silence, and the Impact of Unspoken Loss

So, I just want to say upfront — this is one of those conversations that really stays with you. Today I’m talking to the brilliant Helen Kirwan-Taylor, who honestly blew me away with how open, and completely unfiltered she is about trauma — real trauma. Helen lost her sister in an unimaginably tragic way when she was 12, and we talk about what happens when no one around you talks about it, and you're just expected to get on with things — and how that silence seeps into everything: your body, your relationships, your anxiety, your ability to feel safe.

What I found so powerful is how Helen challenges a lot of the current language around trauma — she talks about the difference between real, shattering trauma and what she sees as the overuse of the term in pop culture. But she also gets into what it actually looks like when your nervous system doesn’t feel safe for years — the health stuff, the spirals, the coping. And she does it all with this really sharp, self-aware humour that just cuts through the heaviness. It’s a big, honest conversation — and I’m really grateful she had it with me but a warning for anyone who may find references to murder, death and grief triggering as this might not be one for you.

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Instagram: @helenkirwantaylor

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