About Sandy

Sandy’s Story

Like most people, Sandy has experienced grief in her life. She has lost those for whom she cared deeply. The grief was real because the connections were sincere. Healing happened in bits and pieces, not along any specific timeline or path. Rather it happened as she processed the pain from her grief and very deliberately acknowledged all of the light, goodness, and joy that was in her life.

Traumatic, complicated grief came into Sandy’s life at 4 am on December 18, 2010, as two Deputy Sheriffs delivered the message that her youngest son, Mike had died sometime the day prior. Mike had died of suicide.

 Unexpected, deepest and most profound pain was delivered along with the message that Mike had taken his own life. This was indeed grief of a sort she had never imagined or expected. And yet it was now her reality. A path of pain some might say.

Sandy knew that this place of deepest pain was completely reasonable. Someone she loved with her entire being was now gone from the planet. At the same time, she knew that she could not and did not intend to spend the rest of her life feeling excruciating pain. This grief needed to be acknowledged, felt and processed in safe, healthy ways.

She had support, some from very unexpected but deeply appreciated sources. She was not alone. She had loving and incredibly supportive friends as well as many tools in her box, coaching, Reiki, meditation. She was also able to connect with others who were experiencing their own grief due to suicide as well as those who were much further along the path, well into their own healing.

And so Sandy began to focus on each step she was walking. Very aware that she was herself now taking a new path in her life… through grief and into healing.

No, the healing did not happen in a moment or even overnight. But each day there were moments, sometimes minutes or even hours that she felt better. Healing was happening. Soon, very soon, there were days where she laughed or spent time with others simply enjoying the company of one another. Healing takes many forms and happens in many ways. It was happening for Sandy. This was healing in action.

Now it is several years later and Sandy has shifted in the work that she has been doing for so very long. She has brought all of her many years of training and skill to focus on working with others as they heal their own broken hearts.

  • Life Coaching is now shifted to focus on Grief Coaching
  • Reiki, in person or distance
  • Hypnosis and meditation
Sandy Walden at Bodhi Tree

Master Grief Coach

“Should you shield the valleys from the windstorms, you would
never see the beauty of their canyons.”
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross