Episode 14: Grief, Boundaries, and Grace: Marie Alessi on Navigating Sudden Loss and Finding Emotional Resilience Marie Alessi

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses sudden loss and emotional trauma.

Joining us from Australia, Marie Alessi brings quiet strength and heartfelt wisdom to this conversation on grief, healing, and personal boundaries. When Marie’s husband passed away unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm at just 45, she was thrust into sudden widowhood, left to raise her two young sons alone.

With clarity and vulnerability, Marie shares her grief journey and how she found emotional resilience in the face of unimaginable heartbreak. She discusses the importance of setting clear boundaries, protecting her space and energy during a time when the outside world, although well-meaning, often didn’t respect her needs.

From being overwhelmed by unannounced visitors to managing the unrealistic expectations of constant digital connection, Marie had to learn how to prioritize mental health, teach her children about loss, and reclaim her own sense of peace.

In this episode, we explore:

• Coping with the sudden loss of a partner

• Parenting through grief

• The role of boundaries in emotional healing

• Managing unsolicited advice and emotional overload

• How language and self-talk shape our recovery

• Digital burnout and the need to unplug

• How to support someone grieving without overstepping

Marie’s insights are a powerful reminder that healing is not about "getting over it," but it's about growing through it. Her story will resonate with anyone navigating grief, burnout, emotional fatigue, or the quiet power of reclaiming your peace.

Grief & Mental Health Support

If you're navigating grief, you're not alone. Support is available: GriefShare

Ways to Engage: As Marie says in the episode, language can be very debilitating or very nurturing depending on how you use it. Think about this when you are setting boundaries, using self-talk, creating a dialogue, or anything else that comes to mind with the use of language.

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Timestamps:

Prioritizing Self Care - ( 4:04 )

Confidently Setting Boundaries - ( 19:43 )

Taking Care of Your Emotional Health as much as Your Physical Health - ( 21:56 )

Support self & other women unapologetically - ( 28:09 )

Coming Back to Your WHY and Your VALUES - ( 36:14 )

Living Out of Your Own Expectations - ( 41:33 )

Accepting the Layered Aspects of Yourself - ( 53:34 )

Living out FEEL, how does it affect your relationships - ( 1:03:08 )

5 Activities That Nourish You - ( 1:10:12 )

5 Words for How You Want to Feel in the Next Six Months - ( 1:12:40 )

Original FEEL Podcast Theme Music by Rio & Valencia Saint-Louis

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