Grief doesn’t follow a script, but stories can help us find the next line. I sit down with writer Lisa Ellis to trace how caregiving for her aunt with MS and then supporting her mother through stage 4 lung cancer led her to write books that guide families through loss. Lisa shares the moment a loyal golden lab confronted an intruder and became an unexpected lifeline, the practical realities of home care and safety, and the quiet ways independence disappears long before goodbye. Her account is tender, frank, and full of small strategies that make hard days survivable.
We move from the first poems she wrote in early 2022 to the three‑page letter she penned the day her mother learned the prognosis. Lisa opens the door on what cancer really demands: oxygen lines and walker routes, the shift from daughter to caregiver, the late‑night collapse that signals the end is near. She explains how writing helped her name feelings, avoid storing pain in her body, and turn raw experience into resources.
Lisa’s mother had one final wish: to tell people everything they need to know. That promise powers this conversation. We talk about recognizing denial, granting permission to let go, and creating small rituals of hope, painted rocks, kind notes, and honest conversations. If you’re walking through MS, lung cancer, or any end‑of‑life journey, you’ll find practical guidance, emotional clarity, and a reminder that courage often looks like a letter written on a kitchen table.
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Who Is Julie Fairhurst?
Speaker • Author • Business Strategist • Founder of Women Like Me
Julie Fairhurst is a force of nature disguised as a woman with a pen and a business brain built for impact. As the founder of the Women Like Me Book Program, she has opened the door for women around the world to share their truth, heal their past, and rise into their power. Since 2019, she has published more than 30 books and over 350 true-life stories — without charging a single writer a dime! Why? Because women’s stories deserve daylight, not gatekeeping.
With 34 years in sales, marketing, and successful business leadership, Julie knows how to turn storytelling into influence and influence into income.
Her mission is clear and unapologetic: break generational trauma one story at a time and help women elevate both emotionally and financially. She doesn’t just publish books, she builds brands, confidence, and possibility, giving women the tools to rewrite their futures, grow their businesses, and lift their families with them.
