Michelle Williams and Rachelle Bensoussan | Being Here Human

I’m thrilled to be bringing you a conversation I had with not just one, but two incredible humans, Michelle Williams and Rachel Bensoussan. These two are bringing their unique lived experiences, both personally and professionally, to honor the humanity in death, dying and grief. Both have faced personal loss, including the death of Michelle’s mother and the death of Rachelle’s partner Diane nearly 15 years ago. 

They also both recognize and are making visible the trauma and grief passed down through generations, helping us to understand the intergenerational impact of grief. As practitioners in the palliative care field, both of my guests have witnessed and experienced racism, classism, and homophobia in the current model of care. These shared experiences led them to co-found Being Here Human, an organization that centers anti-racism, anti-oppression, and inclusiveness in their work. 

Like me, they’re also taking a stance to denounce the pathology-focused language and systems that currently exist within standard grief delivery models. We explore some of the unexplored terrain of grief, including the consequences of unacknowledged grief and trauma across generations. We uncover some of the biases in the systems of care, and together invite you to honor what it means to be grieving and to being here human.

You can learn more about their work at Being Here Human here.

About the show

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow. From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter, follow on Instagram and Twitter or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

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