Eric Hodgdon: Why Do Most People Merely Survive the Loss of a Loved One and Struggle for the Rest of Their Lives?

Published: Oct. 11, 2023, 10:02 a.m.

Eric Hodgdon is a coach, an author, and a trainer who experienced the struggle that grips us after the loss of a loved one when he lost his precious 15-year-old daughter Zoi to suicide. When he became frustrated with grief support resources that focused on survival as the endgame of a grief journey, Eric made it his mission to change the way we approach grief support. 


He has coached and trained thousands of grieving women and men on how to navigate one of the worst setbacks in life, his inspiring, #1 Amazon bestselling book titled A Sherpa Named Zoi serves as an insightful guide along the journey through grief, and he has a TedX Talk titled \u201cWhat My Daughter\u2019s Death Taught Me About Life.\u201d   


A few weeks after losing Zoi, Eric told his friend, \u201cThis feels like I am walking through a chasm with no map.\u201d His friend replied, \u201cZoi will always guide you.\u201d Tune in for an insightful, meaningful, and touching interview with this special man. 


IN THIS EPISODE, YOU\u2019LL HEAR ABOUT THINGS LIKE:

  • The life challenges Zoi was struggling with before she took her life.
  • The way Eric discovered that he had lost Zoi to suicide. 
  • How a therapist, counselor or mentor can help a person move through the \u201cfog of grief\u201d to find purpose.
  • How connecting with Zoi in a meditation saved Eric\u2019s life, and how Zoi now guides Eric in his life. 
  • Why most people merely survive the loss of a loved one and struggle for the rest of their lives.
  • How forming new core values help to fuel movement up and out of grief. 
  • Eric\u2019s concept of forgiveness, both to our loved ones for dying and to ourselves for what we perceive were our failings with them.


SOME QUESTIONS IRENE ASKS ERIC:

  • What is your guidance for walking through grief with all its challenges?
  • How is expressing gratitude a huge positive disruptor on our journey through grief?
  • What is your 3-step process to finding joy in life?
  • Why is forgiveness one of the best gifts we can give ourselves in our grief? 
  • What did Zoi\u2019s death teach you about life?
  • What are \u201cthe tracks\u201d we leave that are our legacy?