David Kessler is not just a grief expert, he is a bereaved parent. His personal experience with loss deeply informs his work and commitment to helping others navigate grief with compassion, honesty, and meaning.
He is also considered the world’s foremost expert on grief and loss. He is the author of seven books including his latest bestselling book, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief, as well as a new Finding Meaning Companion Workbook. He co-authored two books with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and one with Louise Hay and also wrote Visions, Trips and Crowded Rooms: Who and What You See Before You Die. His first book received praise from Saint (Mother) Teresa.
His article in the Harvard Business Review, titled, The Discomfort you are Feeling is Grief went viral and was named one of “The Most Influential and Innovative Articles from Harvard Business Review’s First Century. His talk with Brené Brown was the #1 podcast in the world. He also hosted his own Spotify Podcast called Healing with David Kessler.
He is Chief Empathy Officer for the Empathy.com app. David’s volunteer work includes being a founding member of Project Angel Food, a well-known and loved non-profit organization. He has a unique place in pop culture as one of his books being the premise for the season premiere of The Walking Dead and he was a question on Alex Trebek’s Jeopardy. His new online model of grief support, Tender Hearts, offers over twenty-five groups. Additionally, David leads one of the most respected Grief Educator Certification programs. He is the founder of Grief.com.
Learn more about David at his website: www.grief.com
KEYNOTE
Finding Meaning: The Afterlife and Continued Connections
Even as a grief expert, David was unprepared for the sudden death of his son, who died at age 21. People asked him, “What’s it like for the grief expert to lose his son?” He would answer, “The grief expert did not lose his son, the father did.” Everything he knew about grief turned out to be true, but he found himself wanting more. He found an expected meaning in the exploration of the afterlife. He learned that healing occurs not when grief gets smaller, but when life gets bigger. This led to the discovery of the sixth stage of grief.
