Michele Neff Hernandez, author of Different after You: Rediscovering Yourself and Healing After Grief and Trauma and 2021 CNN Hero, is a gifted speaker and committed advocate for the widowed and bereaved. Her creation of Camp Widow and Soaring Spirits has brought her international acclaim. Michele regularly speaks to first responders, hospital workers, religious congregations, and diverse community organizations. Please visit www.micheleneffhernandez.com.
Michele was widowed in her thirties when her husband was hit while riding his bicycle. She discovered that: “We can’t forget the lessons that grief and trauma teach us. And if we determine that the only way to consider ourselves healed is to return to the same self we were before trauma entered our lives, we are bound to fail. Instead, I believe that our work is to integrate every life experience, the wonderful and the terrible, into our lives and to view our healing through a lens that encourages and welcomes personal evolution–even if that evolution is fueled by trauma.” Michele’s healing process is helpful for anyone who has experienced the transition of a loved one, and any trauma such as physical injury, life-altering illness, violence, or abuse. Listen to my July 28th show on-demand to learn how we can integrate all our life experiences to become more resilient, strong, courageous, and transformed.