Press Releases

May 15, 2022 

Finding Gratitude Through Grief

Jennifer Underwood

May 15, 2022
When Jennifer first approached me to publish a book, it wasn’t the idea that came to fruition and is being published today: Finding Gratitude Through Grief. If I’ve learned anything about this wonderful human being, it’s that she wears many hats and takes radical ownership over many roles in her life. She defines success on her own terms, and has found much of it through varying different life and business passions. Jennifer is a Gratitude and Abundance Coach, Published Author, Licensed Esthetician, New Home Sales Professional, and Mentor in a globally recognized Network Marketing company. She is a driven and passionate entrepreneur who loves helping others transform their lives, gain confidence, be courageous, strong, abundant, and truly live a life of freedom. In other words, not just a triple threat, but a quintuple threat of sorts (except she isn’t “threatening” she’s lovely). Simply put, she just kicks major ass.

Jennifer and I first connected through a collaborative author project where one of my friends and clients put together a team of women who had recently made major life, business and mindset shifts - and as a team of 12, they all wrote about their experiences in becoming “the badass woman [they] were born to be.” (In case you were wondering, yes, the book of the same name, How to Be the Badass Woman You Were Born to Be, is available on Amazon and, you don’t want to miss it!) Jennifer’s chapter was both inspiring and deeply moving, and it was in this project that we began getting to know a little more about one another.

When Jenn (we’re on a short-form basis now, and please note, it’s two n’s, not one!) approached me during that project to create her own book, it was an idea she had about highlighting an industry she had been a part of for years: Network Marketing. This industry has created abundance for many determined women (including Jenn), and yet, it undoubtedly receives constant unfavourable and/or mixed reviews from naysayers and doubters alike - or in other words, many of whom have tried their luck but did not find the success they desired, so it’s an easy road to blame and criticize the system. I, myself, have been part of a large Network Marketing company for nearly five years, and I have personally seen how this industry can benefit people who want to start their own at-home businesses. It’s not for everyone, surely, but it can be an excellent fit for many people. As with anything in life, everything is nuanced and nobody has exactly the same experiences or circumstances. I can understand where some of the mixed reviews may come from, but I can also see things from the other side. So, the thought of helping Jenn highlight this industry in a positive light intrigued and delighted me in many ways.

As mentioned, Jenn is a Gratitude and Abundance coach (among other things!), and in her years of training and studying herself and the laws of the universe, she has cultivated a very open and welcoming mindset about life and business. She believes (as well as I do) that there is more at play in our lives than just what we can see on the physical plane, and that there is more working with us in the collective Universe than we can see in this realm. This piece of knowledge will reveal its relevance soon; stay with me.

After a few weeks, and then a few months, of trying to get the book about Network Marketing off the ground, both Jenn and I were up against some resistance. Even though we were offering the opportunity for people in this industry to have some of their words published (for free!) to share about their positive experience in Network Marketing, it seemed that there was not an overwhelming abundance of desire for people to contribute to the project. We were scratching our heads wondering why people weren’t jumping at the opportunity to participate. It seemed like a no-brainer.

Where a “regular”, perhaps “negative-default” perspective person would have rested on frustration, complaining, and giving up… Jenn did not. I don’t remember the exact terminology, but Jenn’s overall perspective on the perceived roadblock was one dripping with patience and a classic “if it’s meant to be, it will be.” So we took a breath and focused on being patient. We stayed in stillness for a little while, waiting.

Now, this may not seem relevant right now, but it is. I truly believe that we are meant to meet, cross paths with, and connect with certain people in our lives for a reason, and I believe that wholeheartedly about my relationship with Jenn now. Around the same time Jenn and I were trying to make lemonade from our lemon-scented Network Marketing project, on July 4th, 2021 my 8 year old dog Molson passed away very suddenly, traumatically, and without any warning signs. He was 8, in excellent shape, happy, healthy and the best dog we’ve ever had. It was a devastating loss for our family, as he was a very important presence in our lives. I did not take it very well, and I struggled with the grief of his loss for a very long time. I still do. It’s almost been a year.

Jenn felt my emotions deeply. I haven’t asked her, so I’d have to fact check; but it could be that she is a very empathic person. I think she understood my feelings. Or, it could be that she knew exactly why I was feeling so wounded, because she had her own 17-year-old pup, named Presley, and couldn’t imagine life without him. It hit home.

(As it turns out, my own daughter’s name is Presley, so I guess we’ll add that to the list of synchronicities between the two of us.)

I recall having a few video meetings with Jenn when the loss of Molson was still very fresh and raw. I also recall Jenn being quite emotional alongside me, mirroring my vulnerable state and truly showing empathy for my situation.

A few short months later, Jenn lost Presley. (Some time has now passed, but even the act of writing that last sentence has elicited heavy tears.)

As the news broke about her own devastating loss, it again hit close to home for me. I knew exactly how she was feeling and hearing the news shook me hard. We cried together on a few video meetings as we talked about how the grief felt. Heavy. Impossible. Overwhelming. Devastating. Heartbreaking. Losing a pet has an added level of difficulty, in my opinion, because like the narrator of your favourite piece of fiction, a pet is omnipresent in your life. Even when they aren’t “doing anything” in your day-to-day life, they are always… there. It’s a presence that you can’t fully describe or explain, but can only feel. And I could feel how difficult that loss was for Jenn, as well as reflecting on how it was (still) difficult for me to cope with the loss of my own best-dog-ever.

A few weeks after losing Presley, suddenly Jenn’s purpose became clear. She wanted to create something she needed as she was experiencing her own devastating loss. She needed somewhere to explore her grief and a tool to help her see the good, so she could move forward even when she felt stuck in the heavy emotions of loss. Not only that, but she wanted to create something that could honour her sweet Presley as well as help others who were navigating their own complicated stages of grief after loss.

Finding Gratitude Through Grief was born. It came naturally, easily, and quickly. It felt… meant to be.

And so it is.

The book about Network Marketing was never the project Jenn was meant to publish. (Well, maybe not never… I think if we continue to be patient and the timing is right, that book could still be a raving success. We’ve just shelved the concept for now. Pun intended.)

This journal is a beautiful tribute to Presley Underwood, and is a resource that will truly help others as they attempt to navigate their lives after immeasurable loss. It is the journal I could have used following Molson’s death, and it’s the one I will recommend to everyone I know if and when they are experiencing the devastation of loss in their own lives.

Working with Jenn to create this incredible resource has simultaneously been an honour and a blast. We know this journal may not be inherently “needed” by everybody at the same moment, but your support in purchasing a copy to have on hand is more meaningful than you will ever know. Having it nearby to pass along to a friend or family member in times of need would be a beautiful gesture of love and a tribute to what or who your friend has lost.

Jenn with two n’s, it has been a pleasure working with you on this book, and I know it will ripple into the world with meaning and support for those who need it most.

Congratulations to you, my dear friend and client!

If you haven’t already, you can support Jenn and grab your copy of Finding Gratitude Through Grief on Amazon, here.

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