Crisis support: If you’re thinking about suicide, in crisis, or need to talk, call or text 988 (U.S.) or visit the 988 Lifeline.
Grief doesn’t follow a straight line—and it doesn’t cancel out joy. In this episode of It’s Both, Nikki P sits down with Annie Paraison to explore navigating transitions after profound loss, where devastation and gratitude, laughter and sorrow, can exist at the same time.
Annie shares her experience of losing multiple loved ones—including her father and her partner—and how community, ritual, and honest self-awareness supported her through seasons of grief and growth. Together, they name the emotional paradox of loss, the difference between pain and suffering, and why healing isn’t about “moving on,” but learning how to stay present with what’s real.
This conversation gently weaves in themes of grief and growth, mixed emotions, self-compassion, and emotional regulation—offering language for those moments when your body feels broken but life keeps inviting you forward.
If you’re grieving a person, a relationship, or the life you imagined, this episode offers companionship, clarity, and permission to feel without shame—without toxic positivity or pressure to be okay.
Because healing doesn’t mean choosing between sorrow and joy. Sometimes it means holding both.
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