Grieving as an Entrepreneur – Year 2

This Saturday, June 26th, marks two full years since my best friend, and little brother, died.

This grief journey is never ending.  It is unrelenting.

This time last year, I thought that I had closed the door on the depth of my grief.  I thought that year two would mark subtle longing and missing..that it would be a gentler, softer grief than year one that would carry with it acceptance and compassion.

I was wrong.

Year two has brought soul crushing closure as the reality of my brother’s death finally set in.  In year two, my mind could no longer pretend that he was just on vacation or safely residing in his college apartment a few states away.  Year two brought about finality: I was never going to get my brother back.

It has been gut wrenching.

It has been lonely.

It has been exhausting in every measure imaginable.

And to hold all of this emotion (and all of this grief) while running a team and a business has, at many times, felt impossible.

As business owners, we carry a lot: maintaining the trust of our clients, providing our teams with the income we promised them, trying to pay our own stack of never ending bills, providing support and value to our communities.  The list is endless.

To be a business owner without the burden of grief is a lot.

To be a business owner mourning the death of your loved one is like climbing Mount Everest with a 100 pound pack.

So, to all of you who are doing the near impossible, and are running a business while grieving the loss of someone or something you love, please know:

~You are not alone.  I see you and the tremendously hard sh*t you are doing every day just to make it work.

~You are never wrong for tending to your heart.  Your business can only survive if you do.  You must do what you need to do even if it goes against the norm.

~When it comes to choosing between work and spending time with the people you love most, you are allowed to choose the people.  Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for your shift in priorities.

We stand firm in our mission to provide women more time to do what they love with the people they love because, after all, that’s what this short and precious life is all about.

We are here to collect moments and memories with the people we couldn’t imagine our lives without.

I never thought that my brother would die at the age of 20. 

I never imagined that I would outlive and have to bury my younger brother.

I never will stop wishing that I had more time to enjoy and share in life together.

At the end of the day, we never know when death will arrive and take with it what we love the most.

Fearlessly dedicate your existence to honoring and loving your people and yourself while life is still gifted to you even if that means showing up differently as a business owner.

You will never regret that incredibly hard, yet incredibly important, shift in priorities. 

With love and a tender heart,

Maddie