The Mel Robbins Podcast - Your Grief & Heartbreak Will Get Better the Moment You Listen to This

In today’s episode, you’re going to learn what nobody tells you about grief and loss. Whether you’ve lost someone recently, years ago, or are anticipating a loss, this conversation will give you clarity, relief, and a way forward. Or if someone you love is grieving and you feel helpless and want to know how to support them, after this conversation you will know exactly what to say and do. Joining Mel today is David Kessler, one of the world’s most renowned experts on grief and loss and bestselling author of eight books, who has spent more than 40 years helping millions of people through the hardest moments of their lives. David has lived profound loss himself, and he brings a rare combination of research, compassion, honesty, and hard-earned wisdom. What he shares today will change the way you understand grief, your own emotions, and what healing actually looks like. In this episode, you’ll learn: -The real reason grief feels so confusing (and why you’re not “doing it wrong”) -The biggest mistakes people make when they’re grieving -What to say (and what never to say) when someone you love is grieving - Why waves of sadness hit you out of nowhere - What grief bursts and love bursts are and what they mean -Why guilt is so common after loss and how to release it -How to carry your love forward without being trapped in pain -The surprising ways laughter and anger help you heal Today, David offers you a simple framework to live with more peace, grace, and meaning after loss. If you’ve ever felt alone in your grief, confused by your emotions, or pressured to “move on,” this conversation is for you. You are not doing it wrong. You are not alone. And with David’s clear, compassionate guidance, you’ll understand how healing can become possible. For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page. As a gift to listeners of The Mel Robbins Podcast, Mel has created a free 20-page workbook to help you make 2026 a great year. This workbook is designed using the latest research to help you get clear about what you want and empower you to take the next step forward in your life. And the cool part? It takes less than a minute for you to get your hands on it. Just sign up at melrobbins.com/bestyear. If you liked the episode, check out this one next: Why You Feel Lost in Life: Dr. Gabor Maté on Trauma & How to Heal Connect with Mel: Get Mel’s newsletter, packed with tools, coaching, and inspiration. Get Mel’s #1 bestselling book, The Let Them Theory Get on the waitlist for Pure Genius Watch the episodes on YouTube Follow Mel on Instagram The Mel Robbins Podcast Instagram Mel's TikTok Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes ad-free Disclaimer

Duration: 1h 38m
Broadcast on: 18 Dec 2025
Audio Format: other

In today’s episode, you’re going to learn what nobody tells you about grief and loss.

Whether you’ve lost someone recently, years ago, or are anticipating a loss, this conversation will give you clarity, relief, and a way forward.

Or if someone you love is grieving and you feel helpless and want to know how to support them, after this conversation you will know exactly what to say and do.

Joining Mel today is David Kessler, one of the world’s most renowned experts on grief and loss and bestselling author of eight books, who has spent more than 40 years helping millions of people through the hardest moments of their lives.

David has lived profound loss himself, and he brings a rare combination of research, compassion, honesty, and hard-earned wisdom.

What he shares today will change the way you understand grief, your own emotions, and what healing actually looks like.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
-The real reason grief feels so confusing (and why you’re not “doing it wrong”)

-The biggest mistakes people make when they’re grieving
-What to say (and what never to say) when someone you love is grieving

- Why waves of sadness hit you out of nowhere

- What grief bursts and love bursts are and what they mean
-Why guilt is so common after loss and how to release it
-How to carry your love forward without being trapped in pain
-The surprising ways laughter and anger help you heal

Today, David offers you a simple framework to live with more peace, grace, and meaning after loss.

If you’ve ever felt alone in your grief, confused by your emotions, or pressured to “move on,” this conversation is for you.

You are not doing it wrong. You are not alone.

And with David’s clear, compassionate guidance, you’ll understand how healing can become possible.

For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page.

As a gift to listeners of The Mel Robbins Podcast, Mel has created a free 20-page workbook to help you make 2026 a great year. This workbook is designed using the latest research to help you get clear about what you want and empower you to take the next step forward in your life. And the cool part? It takes less than a minute for you to get your hands on it. Just sign up at melrobbins.com/bestyear.

If you liked the episode, check out this one next: Why You Feel Lost in Life: Dr. Gabor Maté on Trauma & How to Heal

Connect with Mel:

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Hey, it's your friend Mel and welcome to the Mel Robbins Podcast. Today, you and I are going to cover a topic that over 18,000 of you have emailed in asking me to get a world-class expert to come talk about. It is one of the most requested topics that I've never discussed on this podcast, what nobody tells you about grief and loss. And I want to say something before we jump in. Thank you. Thank you for hitting play. This can be a hard topic for every one of us to lean into. And so I am so proud of you and proud of myself for being here. Now I've waited until now to have this conversation because I needed the right person to guide you and me through this topic. And that person is David Kessler. David has over 30 years of experience helping people through unimaginable loss. And David also knows what it's like to lose someone. He's lived it. He's studied it. He's taught it. And today he is here in our Boston studios for you and the people that you care about. He's going to walk you through the science and process of healing from grief. And he's also going to explain why love and grief are a package deal. He'll share what no one else tells you about grief and loss. And he's going to do it in a way that you've never heard before. This conversation is also about what comes next. Living with grief with more peace, more grace, more laughter, and more meaning. You're going to discover how to carry your love forward without being trapped in pain or guilt. You're going to get the tools for how to deal with intense emotions when they crash in. And you're also going to learn what to say and the things to never say in grief. Whether you're the one grieving and you're saying it to yourself or you're just trying to support someone who is. By the end of our conversation, you're going to feel less alone. And you're going to look at this topic and what's possible completely differently. Because it's going to open the door to healing, happiness, hope, and give you the road map to living a more meaningful life after loss. Okay, picture this. You're halfway through a weekend project. And you don't have the one thing you need. We'll let Lowe's make the run for you. My Lowe's rewards and my Lowe's pro rewards members get free same day delivery. Just place your order and Lowe's handles the rest. Members get more at Lowe's. Twenty five dollar minimum and loyalty membership required order eligible items by two p.m. Subject to weight and size restrictions and availability terms at Lowe's dot com slash shipping terms. The Mel Robbins podcast is brought to you by Expedia. I love Expedia because I love traveling and here's the thing. You may be holding off on booking a trip right now because you think you need the whole plan to come together. But guess what? You don't. With Expedia's bundle and save the more you book, the more you can save. Get up to 30% off every time you add something and then you add more later Expedia. The one place you go to go places sign in to save on select bookings. The Mel Robbins podcast is proudly sponsored by Amica insurance are exclusive insurance partner. Now maybe you're like me. Loyalty means something and Amica they believe lasting relationships are built the same way with loyalty showing up for people again and again when they need you most. That's why customers stay with Amica three times longer. Trust takes time and you can trust Amica to be there in the moments that matter. Visit amica.com and get a quote today. Hey, it's your friend Mel and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast. I am really excited that you're here. It is always an honor to be together and to spend this time with you. And if you're a new listener or you're here because somebody shared this episode with you. I wanted to personally take a moment and welcome you to the Mel Robbins podcast family. And I also wanted to thank you for hitting play on an extraordinarily important topic. Joining us in our Boston studios is one of the world's most trusted voices on grief and loss. David Kessler. David is the founder of grief.com an online platform with workbooks, workshops and support groups that have helped over 5 million people navigate every kind of grief that you can experience in life. David has also spent over 30 years training doctors, nurses, counselors and first responders on grief. He's also the best selling author of eight books. And across all of his work, David Kessler gives voice to what nobody tells you about grief and loss. David's wisdom doesn't just come from research or decades of counseling other people. It also comes from his own painful lived experience. David lost his mother at the age of 13. And David son died at the age of 21 in a very tragic and unexpected way. Both experiences have had a profound

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