If you’ve ever struggled with loss, felt unsure how to support someone grieving, or wondered why you’re not “moving on” fast enough, this episode is for you.
More info, resources & ways to connect - https://www.tacosfallapart.com/podcast-live-show/podcast-guests/karen-taylor
In this episode of Even Tacos Fall Apart, MommaFoxFire sat down with grief educator and coach Karen Taylor for a raw conversation about loss and what it means to live with it. Karen’s path into this work began after her sister died in a house fire in 2019. The loss turned her life upside down, and she realized how poorly equipped most of us are when it comes to handling grief. Outdated models like the “five stages of grief” left her feeling broken because they didn’t reflect her lived experience. That realization pushed her to train as a grief coach and educator, determined to bring a modern, compassionate perspective to how we support each other.
Karen explained the difference between grief and grieving. Grief itself is the pain and emotion tied to what we’ve lost. It never goes away because it’s bound to the love and attachment we still hold. Grieving, on the other hand, is the longer-term process of adapting to life after a loss. That can involve rediscovering who we are once the roles we’ve lived in shift (like becoming a widow, losing a parent, or even facing divorce or job loss). She emphasized that grief isn’t limited to death. Any major change, even the absence of a childhood we needed but didn’t have, can leave behind grief.
One theme Karen returned to again and again is how badly society handles grief. In the weeks right after a loss, people swarm in with food, calls, and cards. But around the two-month mark, support often dries up just as the hardest part sets in. That’s when loneliness and pain deepen. For Karen, the lesson is simple: there are no perfect words to offer, only presence. Just showing up and continuing to acknowledge the person or loss matters far more than any attempt to fix things.
She also talked about the responsibility grieving people have to speak up about what they need. When her father died, Karen realized she had to clearly communicate her needs to her partner instead of expecting him to guess. That meant asking for regular time to talk about her dad, more hugs, and not being treated as broken. Setting boundaries and naming needs transformed how she was supported.
Karen addressed some common myths too. The idea that “time heals all wounds” is misleading. Time alone doesn’t do anything... it’s what you do with that time that matters. Grief will resurface in unexpected moments years later. A song, a smell, or an anniversary can bring back a wave of pain, and that’s normal. The goal isn’t to “get over” grief but to learn how to carry it alongside love and meaning.
She described practical tools she uses with clients, like the “loss inventory,” where people go back through their lives to name losses they never recognized as grief. She also uses hypnosis to bypass surface thoughts and help people revisit stuck emotions.
The conversation underscored that grief is deeply individual. There’s no one right way to do it, and there’s no finish line. What matters is honesty, compassion, and continuing to talk about the people we’ve lost so they aren’t erased from memory.
