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Mother’s Day… The lead up to this day when you are a Motherless Daughter can be Excruciating. The commercials, advertisement for flowers and gifts it seems that everywhere you turn there is a constant reminder of the loss of our Mother.  Alica Forneret calls it the Dead Mom’s Club she created pins and had them uniquely designed for other Motherless daughters to wear as a reminder of the club you find yourself in when you have lost your Mom. The artist Alica worked with is from Australia and the company that printed the pins is from Thunder Bay(where Alica’s mom grew up).  It’s a club you didn’t sign up for but when you enter this club there is a sisterhood that is deep and wide.    Alica is a creative writer, editor and she explores death, dying and grief through storytelling. Mud to Lotus Podcast On Today’s episode, Angela interviews Alica forneret. Alica is a creative exploring grief, death and dying through story telling. She is also the founder of the Dead Moms Club. Alica, at the age of 27, lost her mom in 2016. In this episode, Alica discusses her Mom’s story, the Dead Moms Club, her experience with grief, the grieving process and Mother’s Day. Alica’s mom was raised in Canada then moved to California. She passed in October 2016. Alica has been grieving her mother’s death for two years now. Key Topics The Dead Moms Club Emotions around Mother’s Day Alica’s mud to lotus moment The anticipation is the worst Story of how her mother’s passing Travel heals trauma You have to feel it Life before Mother’s loss and life after Overwhelming gratitude You don’t need the words or condolences How writing has helped Alica through this process Vulnerability and bravery Importance of sharing the experience you don’t want to talk about The place you don’t want to go is the place you need to go Knowing what to say or do Knowing what not to say Dead Mom’s Club pins Book recommendations It’s okay not to be okay Connect with Alica: Alicaforneret.com alica@eatchrowpie.com Angela True is a writer, speaker, coach and counselor in training. Through narrative therapy, coaching and walking with survivors, Angela counsels others on grief, loss, trauma and resilience. As a survivor of gun violence, Angela created Mud to Lotus as a way to talk with people about how they crawled out of the darkest day of their life. You can find Angela at angelatruewriter.com and contact her at angela@angelatruewriter.com. Angela also provides 20-minute free consultations. To schedule, please visit angelatruewriter.com/coaching/.     Resource Recommendations: It’s ok that you’re not ok – Megan Devine Dead Moms Club – Kate Spencer Someone you love is gone – Gurjinder Basran Bloodroot: Tracing the Untelling of Motherloss Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found Claire Warden Online Courses The Dead Mom’s Club pins that Alica created with a design from a local artist where her mother was from. The Lead up to Mother’s Day as a Motherless Daughter. The things people say and don’t say when we lose our Mother’s. How to normalize the conversations we have around the loss of our mothers. How writing helps us work through our grief and sharing helps others feel a little less alone in the world of grief. How Travel can be helpful and also difficult when your not surrounded with a support system.  Creating memories outside of your loss. It’s Ok to not be OK. Grieving takes time and it’s specific for each person there is no manual for your grief. The things we hold onto that help us stay close to our Mothers.  Hummingbirds, Flowers, Dragonflies You can find Alica Forneret here and sign up to receive a list of books or resources via email. www.alicaforneret.com     Here are the books Alica Forneret mentioned: It’s ok that you’re not ok – Megan Devine Dead Moms Club – Kate Spencer Someone you love is gone – Gurjinder Basran http://www.betsywarland.com/project/bloodroot-tracing-the-untelling-of-motherloss/ Classes and Books Mentioned by Angela True: https://www.amazon.ca/Motherless-Daughters-Legacy-Loss-Second/dp/0738210269 https://www.amazon.ca/Blackbird-Childhood-Found-Jennifer-Lauck/dp/0671042564 https://clairebidwellsmith.com

On Today’s episode, Angela interviews Rachael Joseph, the cofounder and executive director of Survivors Lead. One of the many reasons for starting Survivors Lead is to offer political training to assist survivors of gun violence, sexual violence, sex trafficking and domestic violence to run for office. On this episode Rachael shares her story relating to gun violence. In September of 2003, Rachael was a 25-year-old college student studying to be a veterinarian. After working an over night shift at an emergency veterinary clinic, Rachael received a voicemail from her dad saying her Aunt Shelley had been shot. After arriving at the hospital, Rachael was informed her Aunt had passed away and was shot by a distant cousin of her grandmother. Find out more about Rachael’s experience and how she continues to advocate in this episode. Key Topics Trauma isn’t a wound that heals, it changes PTSD Where the gun came from The trauma of the trial Trying to understand the psychology of the shooter Learning who your real friends are Coping with gun violence How trauma changes you Grief counseling Shout out to the people who show up The struggle of regulating emotions with PTSD The “lotus moment” Importance of self care and soul care Contact Rachael Website: Survivorslead.com Email: Rachael@SurvivorsLead.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/survivorslead1/ Angela True is a writer, speaker, coach and counselor in training. Through narrative therapy, coaching and walking with survivors, Angela counsels others on grief, loss, trauma and resilience. As a survivor of gun violence, Angela created Mud to Lotus as a way to talk with people about how they crawled out of the darkest day of their life. You can find Angela at angelatruewriter.com and contact her at angela@angelatruewriter.com. Angela also provides 20 minute free consultations. To schedule, please visit angelatruewriter.com/coaching/.

Mud to Lotus Podcast Episode #001 – Kate Ranta   On Today’s episode, Angela interviews Kate Ranta, who shares her gun violence survival story. After leaving her abusive husband of three years, Kate was harassed, stalked and experienced vandalism to her car from her ex husband.  On Friday, November 2, 2012 Kate and her father were shot by Kate’s ex husband in her Florida apartment in the presence of her son. Kate was shot in the hand and chest before being airlifted to the hospital. Learn more about Kate’s domestic violence story, the trauma she experienced, aspects of her healing process and how she lives with trauma during this episode.   Key Topics   Bringing light to the down falls of the system that was set up to protect women and children What it feels like to experience the trauma of gun violence How Kate advocates for women in abusive relationships Tendencies of women in abusive relationships The “abuse fog” It’s not just weak women who fall into abusive relationships The blame and guilt that comes with abusive trauma The ins and outs of mental and physical recovery There’s no road map following traumatic events Life after gun violence Interview with Kate Ranta a gun violence survivor, you can find Kate at http://www.kateranta.com   Angela True is a writer, speaker, coach and counselor in training. Through narrative therapy, coaching and walking with survivors, Angela counsels others on grief, loss, trauma and resilience. As a survivor of gun violence, Angela created Mud to Lotus as a way to talk with people about how they crawled out of the darkest day of their life. You can find Angela at angelatruewriter.com and contact her at angela@angelatruewriter.com. Angela also provides 20 minute free consultations. To schedule, please visit angelatruewriter.com/coaching/.