Managing While Grieving: How to Lead When You’re Barely Holding On

Hey hey friend,

Today, we’re getting all the way real about something most folks would rather tiptoe around: grief. 🕊️

We’re talking about what it means to lead a team when your heart is heavy and your world feels upside down. From survivor’s guilt to those “crying in the car” moments, we’re sharing our stories—the messy, the complicated, and yes, even the moments that made us laugh through the tears. 😭😂

We get into how grief doesn’t care about your deadlines, your title, or your to-do list. It shows up in your body, your brain, and your work (hello, brain fog and late-night ice cream). We talk boundaries, vulnerability, and why sometimes B+ work is more than enough while your soul is healing. 

Plus, we’re giving you permission to be human at work—messy, marvelous, grieving, and all. And if you’re leading while grieving, or loving someone who is, we’ve got your back. 💚

So grab your favorite cozy drink, take a deep breath, and join us for a conversation that’s honest, heartfelt, and full of solidarity. You’re not alone, friend—and you never have to be. 

With love (and a whole lot of grace),

Kishshana & Maria 💌

Tune in to hear:

• How to lead a team when you’re grieving (and still show up as your real self)
• How to set boundaries and ask for help while navigating loss
• How to support your team (and yourself) through grief with empathy and humanity

Episode Overview

• (00:00) Welcome & Setting the Stage: Leading While Grieving  
• (02:00) Personal Stories: Loss, Survivor’s Guilt, and the Reality of Grief  
• (10:00) Grief in the Workplace: The Invisible Weight Leaders Carry  
• (20:00) Boundaries, Vulnerability, and Asking for Help  
• (30:00) Supporting Others Through Grief at Work  
• (40:00) Reflections, Self-Care, and the Power of Empathy  
• (50:00) Closing Thoughts: Permission to Be Human & What’s Next

Powerful Quotes

"Grief doesn’t care about your title, your deadlines or your deliverables, because when it hits, it hits." -Kishshana

"Leadership doesn’t pause just because grief walks in the room." -Kishshana

"I had to start leading with vulnerability, and I had to, like, speak truth to power, and I had to ask for the help I needed." -Kishshana

"You can’t leave that grief behind and go back to your job—that’s following you like a wet blankie." -Kishshana

"If you need help, get help, and help doesn’t have to be you’re going to go speak to a therapist, though, if you need that, you should." -Maria

"We are holding all the space today for the complicated, unspoken and often invisible experience of leading a team while your whole world is falling apart." -Maria

"There are days where I could barely string together an email, and here I was running a company." -Kishshana

"You don’t have to compartmentalize your pain to do good work. You can be in process and in power." -Kishshana

"Vulnerability invites empathy, and so when you lead with transparency and not trauma dumping, you give people permission to see you as a human." -Maria

"Grief is universal. Everyone experiences it at some level. In some way, it is part of our human life." -Maria

"Letting someone witness you be a human and still work through it anyway, can be an even more impactful lesson than sending someone to an online self-paced training." -Maria

"If you want a resilient team, create a culture that makes space for grief." -Maria

Let’s go deeper 👇🏾

📖 Get Kishshana’s Book https://kishshanapalmer.com/book 

💚 Stay in Touch https://bit.ly/managemint-news

🎧 Subscribe to Never Miss an Episode https://mangemintmadeeasy.com   

🎙️ Meet Your Hosts: 

✔️ Connect with Kishshana on LinkedIn: @kishshanapalmer 

✔️ Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: @mariadautruche 

Episode Resources:

• For more Management Mastery, head over to ManageMint, Inc. (https://www.managemint.co)
• “Sticky Teams” Free on-demand training: Unlocking the Secrets to a Cohesive Team (https://www.managemint.co/freeresources)

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