Travel Thru Grief

Travel Thru Grief

by Ellen Beckemeyer

Mental Health Places & Travel

Season 1

National Coaches Day

National Coaches Day: Thank You to the Life Coaches Who Helped Me Find My Way On National Coaches Day, I am pausing to honor the coaches whose guidance, wisdom, encouragement, and belief have shaped both my personal healing and the work I am building today. The right coach does more than offer advice. They helps us recognize what we cannot yet see for ourselves. They challenge the stories keeping us small, reminds us of our strength, and holds space for the person we are becoming. In this episode, I reflect on the coaches who have supported me through grief, reinvention, business growth, self-discovery, and some of the biggest transitions of my life. Each coach brought something different to my journey, but together they helped me trust myself, expand what I believed was possible, and keep moving forward. I also share why coaching has become such an important part of my own calling. The support I received did not erase the difficult parts of my story. It helped me learn how to carry them differently—and ultimately inspired me to help other women find their own way through change. In this episode: The difference between receiving advice and experiencing meaningful coaching Why being challenged can be one of the greatest forms of support How coaches help us see possibilities beyond our current circumstances The value of having someone believe in us while we rebuild belief in ourselves How my own coaches influenced the woman and coach I am becoming Why we do not have to navigate every life transition alone Dedicated to my friend and mentor Susan Hyatt and my Big Yes Energy Friends. To Tonya Leigh, Laura Hinton, and my SOSI Friends To my OG Laura Wagner who was my first life coach and taught me how wonderful this profession can be , To Martha Beck and all my Wayfinder instructors who taught me to become a life coach., And the other coaches (including Robert, Rachel, Andrew) who have guided, challenged, encouraged, and believed in me: thank you. Your coaching helped me heal, grow, and find my way. And to every coach who creates a safe place for someone to tell the truth, imagine something bigger, and take the next brave step—your work matters. Work With Ellen Are you moving through grief, change, or a major life transition and wondering what comes next? To inquire about working with Ellen, visit her https://paperbell.me/ellen-beckemeyer or email travelthrugrief@gmail.com Travel Thru Grief® A Path to Healing. Find Hope. Find You.

VFW Day, a day to not only say thank you but say I will listen

National VFW Day: Honoring Those Who Served Far From Home On National VFW Day, we honor the men and women whose military service carried them across oceans and into foreign lands. Their experiences did not always end when they returned home. Many veterans continued to carry memories, losses, friendships, and sacrifices that shaped the rest of their lives. In this episode of Travel Thru Grief, Ellen reflects on the courage of Veterans of Foreign Wars, the bonds formed during military service, and the grief that can follow veterans and their families long after deployment ends. We also recognize the importance of listening to veterans’ stories, remembering those who never returned, and supporting those who came home changed by what they experienced. This episode is a heartfelt thank-you to every veteran who served with honor—and a reminder that their sacrifices, their stories, and the people they lost should never be forgotten. In This Episode Why National VFW Day deserves recognition The lasting emotional impact of serving in foreign conflicts Grief for fallen comrades and the life that existed before deployment The powerful bonds created through military service The experiences carried by military spouses, children, and families Why listening and remembering are meaningful forms of support Honoring veterans as individuals, not only for their uniforms or service records To inquire about working with Ellen, visit her Paperbell page: https://paperbell.me/ellen-beckemeyer Questions or comments may be sent to TravelThruGrief@gmail.com. Thank you to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. You are seen. You are valued. You are never forgotten.

Seasons Always Change Because It is Time

Autumn Equinox: Seasons Always Change Because It Is Time The autumn equinox marks a moment of balance—nearly equal hours of daylight and darkness—and the beginning of a new season. It reminds us that change does not always happen because we are ready. Sometimes, it happens simply because it is time. Grief has seasons too. There are periods when everything feels raw and exposed, quieter stretches when life begins to settle, and unexpected moments when an old memory returns with surprising force. None of these seasons means you are moving backward. They are part of the way grief continues to change as you do. In this episode of Travel Thru Grief, Ellen reflects on what autumn can teach us about letting go without rushing, staying present with what remains, and trusting that a changing season does not erase what came before. In this episode: Why seasonal transitions can intensify grief and memory The difference between letting go and leaving someone behind How balance may look different during a season of loss Why change can feel necessary and painful at the same time Giving yourself permission to move at the pace your life requires Trusting the season you are in, even when you cannot see what comes next Autumn does not ask the trees to hold every leaf forever. It also does not suggest that what falls was meaningless. The season simply makes room for what is changing. Let go of what is ready to be released. Be present with what is still here. Trust that every season carries its own purpose. To inquire about working with Ellen, visit her Paperbell page: https://paperbell.me/ellen-beckemeyer You may also email: TravelThruGrief@gmail.com

Honoring Little Lives

Honoring Little Lives Some lives are measured in decades. Others are measured in months, weeks, days, or even moments. Their length does not determine their meaning. In this episode of Travel Thru Grief, Ellen reflects on National Tackle Kids Cancer Day and National Neonatal Nurses Day—two observances connected by courage, compassion, and the determination to care for our smallest and most vulnerable children. We honor the children facing cancer with extraordinary strength, the babies beginning life in neonatal intensive care, and the families living through uncertainty that no parent expects to face. We also recognize the neonatal nurses and medical teams who provide skilled care while offering comfort, reassurance, and a steady presence during frightening and fragile moments. This episode acknowledges that hopeful outcomes and heartbreaking losses can exist within the same hospital corridors. For families whose children did not survive, remembrance is not about remaining trapped in grief. It is about continuing to speak a child’s name, recognize the life that was lived, and carry that love forward. In this episode: Why every child’s life deserves to be recognized and remembered The emotional realities faced by families during serious childhood illness or neonatal care The lasting impact of nurses who care for both patients and parents How friends and communities can offer meaningful support without relying on empty reassurance Why grief does not erase hope, and hope does not erase grief Ways to honor little lives through remembrance, advocacy, generosity, and compassion Every child matters. Every family deserves support. Every heartbeat leaves an imprint. To inquire about working with Ellen, visit her Paperbell page: https://paperbell.me/ellen-beckemeyer Questions or comments may be sent to: TravelThruGrief@gmail.com This episode is dedicated to our Eila and to everyone who works at Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, KY and everyone who works in a unit sharing your calling with children. www.crusadeforchildren.com www.stjude.org Homepage - Children's Miracle Network

Labor Day Mission on the Enterprise

Star Trek Day: The Mission Depends on Everyone On Star Trek Day, we celebrate the explorers who beam down to confront the unknown—but no mission succeeds because of the people on the bridge alone. Every journey depends on those who build, repair, organize, communicate, protect, and care for the crew. In honor of Labor Day, this episode recognizes the workers whose contributions may happen beyond the spotlight but remain essential to keeping the ship moving forward. Grief can also make us feel as though we have been transported into unfamiliar territory. We may not know what lies ahead or feel prepared for the changes we must face. During those moments, support matters. Strength is not always found in traveling alone. Sometimes it is found in the people who help us steady the controls, repair what has been damaged, and remember that hope is still part of the mission. In this episode: Why every role matters, even when it is not highly visible How Starfleet reflects teamwork, service, and shared responsibility The connection between Labor Day and the workers who keep communities functioning Why grief requires both courage and support How compassion helps keep the whole crew moving forward What it means to boldly enter the next chapter without exploring alone The mission may change. The crew may change. The person we were before grief may change. But we are still here, learning how to navigate what comes next. To boldly go where no one has gone before—it takes all of us. Explore coaching and schedule a conversation with Ellen through Paperbell: https://paperbell.me/ellen-beckemeyer Questions or thoughts about the episode? Email: travelthrugrief@gmail.com Travel thru Grief® A Path to Healing. Find Hope. Find You.

Hotel Employees That Make Your Day

National Forgiveness Day & National Hotel Employee Day Forgiveness is often described as something we offer another person, but it can also become a way of releasing what continues to occupy space inside us. It does not require pretending that something was acceptable, restoring a relationship, or forgetting what happened. Forgiveness can simply mean deciding that the pain will no longer control every part of the journey ahead. In this episode of Travel Thru Grief, Ellen reflects on National Forgiveness Day and the complicated role forgiveness can play after loss, disappointment, betrayal, or unresolved conflict. Some situations may eventually invite reconciliation. Others may require distance, boundaries, and the quiet decision to stop carrying a burden that has become too heavy. September 1 is also National Hotel Employee Day. Hotel employees often become part of meaningful journeys without ever knowing the full story behind them. They welcome travelers arriving for celebrations, funerals, reunions, medical appointments, retreats, and necessary escapes. A kind greeting, a clean room, or patient assistance can provide comfort during a day that feels far more difficult than it appears. In this episode: Forgiveness as release rather than approval Why reconciliation is not always required The importance of forgiving ourselves How grief can leave conversations unfinished Recognizing the people who quietly support our travels Offering kindness to hotel employees and other hospitality workers Forgiveness may not change the past, but it can change how much of the past we carry into the future. Kindness may seem small, yet it can completely alter another person’s experience of the day. To learn more about coaching with Ellen, visit: https://paperbell.me/ellen-beckemeyer Questions, reflections, or episode ideas may be sent to: travelthrugrief@gmail.com Travel Thru Grief — A Path to Healing. Find Hope. Find You.

National Park Service Founders Day

National Park Service Founders Day On August 25, we recognize the founding of the National Park Service and the people who protect the places that preserve our history, invite us into wonder, and give us room to breathe. In this episode of Travel Thru Grief, Ellen reflects on what national parks can teach us about grief, healing, and finding our way forward. Nature does not rush its seasons. Trails unfold one section at a time. Landscapes carry evidence of storms, fire, change, and renewal—and still remain worthy of care. This conversation explores how stepping into a larger landscape can soften the pressure to have everything figured out. Healing may not come from reaching a dramatic destination. Sometimes it begins by changing the view, noticing what is still here, and allowing ourselves to move at a pace we can sustain. In this episode: Why natural spaces can create room for grief without demanding an explanation What trails, seasons, and protected landscapes can teach us about change The difference between moving forward and forcing ourselves to “move on” How small shifts in perspective can reconnect us with possibility Why healing deserves patience, stewardship, and care This episode is dedicated to my friend Matthew, a National Park Service ranger in the Washington, D.C., area. You have taught me so much about the parks, their history, and the people who protect them. Sometimes healing begins with the view. Connect with Ellen Explore coaching and schedule a conversation: https://paperbell.me/ellen-beckemeyer Email: travelthrugrief@gmail.com Reflect. Heal. Connect. Rebuild. Together. You are not alone.

National Mail Order Catalog Day

National Mail Order Catalog Day Long before we could click “Buy Now” and have a package arrive at our door the next day, there was the mail-order catalog. For National Mail Order Catalog Day, Ellen remembers the catalogs that once arrived in our mailboxes and invited us into entire worlds of clothing, toys, household goods, holiday dreams, and possibilities. Before Amazon, the internet, HSN, or QVC, catalogs were one of the main ways people could shop for items that were not available in their local stores. We flipped through the pages, circled our favorites, filled out an order form, mailed it with a check or money order, and then waited—sometimes for weeks—for the package to arrive. That waiting was part of the experience. There were no tracking notifications, delivery updates, or pictures showing exactly where the package was. There was simply anticipation and the hope that one day soon, a box bearing your name would appear at the door. But catalogs offered more than merchandise. They allowed us to imagine different homes, different wardrobes, different adventures, and sometimes even different versions of ourselves. A catalog could make the world feel larger and bring things within reach that we might never have found in the stores around us. In this episode, Ellen explores the nostalgia of catalog shopping and what those pages represented: access, possibility, anticipation, identity, and hope. She also imagines what a future Travel Thru Grief catalog might include—shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, journals, tote bags, and other meaningful reminders that healing is possible and no one has to travel through grief alone. The Travel Thru Grief catalog does not exist yet, but creating TTG merchandise is on Ellen’s bucket list. One day, listeners may be able to wear their journeys, share their light, and carry a little hope with them wherever they go. This episode is also a reminder that what we purchase can sometimes represent something deeper. A comforting sweatshirt, an encouraging mug, or a journal for processing difficult days can become part of the way we care for ourselves and honor the stories we have survived. In This Episode Remembering the excitement of receiving catalogs in the mail How people shopped from home before Amazon, the internet, HSN, and QVC The ritual of circling items and completing paper order forms Waiting for packages without tracking numbers or delivery alerts Why catalogs represented possibility as much as merchandise The connection between clothing, objects, identity, and memory Imagining future Travel Thru Grief merchandise Choosing meaningful reminders of hope, healing, and growth Recognizing that healing is not something we have to do alone Reflection Question What catalog did you look forward to receiving, and what did its pages allow you to imagine for your life? Connect with Ellen To learn more about Ellen’s coaching services or schedule a conversation, visit: https://paperbell.me/ellen-beckemeyer You can also learn more about Travel Thru Grief at: https://TravelThruGrief.com Or email Ellen at: travelthrugrief@gmail.com Until next time, keep traveling through grief—one memory, one choice, and one hopeful step at a time.

Back to School DO NOT DISTURB Healing in Progress

Do Not Disturb: Healing in Progress Grief does not always need an answer, a solution, or another conversation. Sometimes it needs silence, distance, privacy, and room to breathe. In this episode of Travel Thru Grief, Queen E Bee explores the importance of creating a personal Do Not Disturb boundary while healing. For many of us, especially those who are accustomed to caring for everyone else, protecting our time and emotional energy can feel uncomfortable. We may believe we need permission to rest, explain why we are unavailable, or reassure everyone that we will return quickly. But grief changes what we have available to give. Learning to say, “I am not available right now,” is not selfish. It is a form of self-care. It may mean turning off the phone, declining an invitation, taking a trip, sitting quietly in your own home, or allowing yourself to experience your thoughts and feelings without anyone asking you to perform, respond, explain, or make them more comfortable. In this episode, we talk about: Why Do Not Disturb can be a necessary grief boundary The difference between healthy solitude and complete isolation Why grieving people often feel pressured to remain accessible The exhaustion of repeatedly explaining your feelings Giving yourself permission to rest without earning it first Creating physical and emotional space inside your own home Letting calls, messages, requests, and expectations wait Protecting your peace without apologizing for it Recognizing when your body and mind are asking for quiet Allowing healing to happen on your own timeline Leaving room for one another without disappearing completely Returning to the world when you are ready, not simply when others expect you to Your Do Not Disturb sign does not have to remain up forever. It can simply mean: Healing is happening here. Please enter gently. This episode also includes a special dedication and shout-out to the alumni and students of CHS, with a reminder to: Focus. Learn. Grow. Be kind. Leave each other room. Reflection Question Where in your life do you need to place a temporary Do Not Disturb: Healing in Progress sign? Work With Queen E Bee Learn more about coaching, explore current offerings, or schedule time with Queen E Bee: https://paperbell.me/ellen-beckemeyer Connect With the Podcast Questions, reflections, or stories for the podcast may be sent to: travelthrugrief@gmail.com Please follow, share, and leave a review for Travel Thru Grief wherever you listen to podcasts. Your support helps more people find a place where their grief is understood, their boundaries are respected, and their healing is allowed to unfold without interruption.

Always Ready. The Boundaries that Guard Our Peace

Always Ready: The Boundaries That Guard Our Peace On Coast Guard Day, we honor those who remain ready to protect our shores, guide people through uncertain waters, and respond when conditions suddenly change. That same kind of readiness can become part of our healing. Grief changes our internal landscape. Responsibilities that once felt manageable may now feel exhausting. Conversations can become overwhelming. Family gatherings may require both preparation and recovery. An unexpected song, photograph, anniversary, smell, or question can change the emotional weather without warning. Boundaries help us respond to the conditions that exist now. A boundary is not always a dramatic confrontation or a wall that shuts everyone out. Sometimes it is a shoreline—a clear recognition of where your responsibility ends and another person’s begins. In this episode of Travel Thru Grief, Ellen explores how healthy boundaries can protect our energy, preserve our peace, and help us remain connected without abandoning ourselves. In this episode: Why grief can change our emotional capacity and personal limits How to recognize the physical warning signs that a conversation or commitment is becoming too much Why setting a boundary is different from guarding one The difference between disappointing someone and harming them How grief can turn us into the emotional caretaker for everyone around us Why other people do not get to decide how long we grieve or how we remember Creating boundaries around regret, guilt, and the courtroom in our minds Why a boundary cannot control another person’s behavior Deciding what you will do when someone repeatedly crosses a line Asking for support when you can no longer reach solid ground alone How boundaries allow love to remain without resentment A boundary may sound like: “I would love to come, but I can only stay for an hour.” “I am not ready to talk about that.” “I need some time before I make a decision.” “I do not have the capacity to help with that today.” “No, I am not available.” The goal of boundaries is not isolation. The goal is peace. As you move through this week, ask yourself: Is this mine to carry? You do not have to guard every person’s peace. You do not have to respond to every distress signal as though you are the only available rescue crew. Your life, your energy, and your healing deserve protection too. Connect with Travel Thru Grief To learn more about coaching and working with Ellen, visit: https://paperbell.me/ellen-beckemeyer Questions, reflections, or ideas for a future episode may be sent to: travelthrugrief@gmail.com There is no single map for grief, but there is a way through.

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