Shows
Planning & Beyond®24. Mastering Grief Literacy: Why Widows Leave Their Advisors and How to Keep Them with Kathi BalasekText us to share what you found helpful!What happens when your widowed client can't focus on financial decisions because they're drowning in grief fog? Grief literacy expert Kathi Balasek pulls back the curtain on the psychological reality facing clients after loss, sharing her own journey as a young widow who made financial mistakes despite having a trusted advisor. You'll discover why 70% of widowed clients leave their advisors and gain practical strategies to create a safe space for grieving clients. From understanding the cognitive delays that cloud decision-making to learning exactly what phrases to avoid, this conversation...
2025-05-0841 min
How Did We Get Here?27. From College Dropout to Grief Guru with Kathi BalasekKathi Balasek shares her remarkable journey from flunking college, becoming a physical education teacher and then eventually, a grief expert. Kathi demonstrates how seemingly unrelated skills create a unique path for helping others navigate loss.Key Takeaways:• Grief is not a competition – "the only loss that matters is your loss"• Focusing on emotions rather than comparing experiences creates connection• How financial professionals can support grieving clientsWhether you're navigating personal grief or supporting someone through loss, this conversation offers practical wisdom for showing up when life gets messy.Connec...
2025-03-2740 min
The Human Side of Money123: The Language of Loss: How to Communicate With Grieving Clients with Kathi BalasekFinancial advisors are on the front lines of bad news.
Your entire business is filled with clients who have either experienced grief or will experience grief at some point in their lives.
When that time comes, you’ll often be one of the first people they talk to.
And, unfortunately, we aren’t naturally “grief-literate.” We feel awkward, don’t know what to say, and generally mishandle the conversation.
But, when you have a process for handling grieving clients, you can capitalize on the opportunity to forge deeper relationships and grow your busin...
2024-10-041h 40
Kick it Open with Shelby NichollWhat Do Modern Widows Really Need from Financial Advisors?Widowhood isn’t just a personal loss—it’s a financial turning point.With the average age of widowhood at just 59, too many women face a financial and identity crisis during what should be their peak earning years. In this powerful episode of Kick It Open, host Shelby Nicholl sits down with Megan Kopka, CFP, RLP to discuss how the wealth management industry can—and must—do better in serving modern widows.Megan shares her own experience of early widowhood, offering a deeply personal l...
2024-05-1840 min
Women's Money WisdomEpisode 207: You Inherited A Lot of Money Or Assets. Now What?Melissa Fradenburg explores the complicated nature of receiving an inheritance, especially as a woman. You'll get practical guidance on managing inherited assets, honoring the wishes of passed loved ones, and making informed decisions during this sensitive time. Listen and Learn:How to make what you inherit last & honor a loved oneAn easy way to prioritize the overwhelming list of to-dosTax consequences to be aware of with a transfer of accountsOverlooked expenses that can surprise you with inherited propertyResources:Listen: Episode 59: Inheritance Mistakes with Cathy Curtis Listen: Episode 138: How to De...
2024-02-2018 min
Healthy Love and MoneyIt's Okay To Not Be Okay Navigating Grief, Loss and Financial Well-Being with Kathi Balasek
“We're not eager as a culture, to embrace that sense of sadness and loss to somebody who has a gazillion dollars in the bank. And that's really a wrong approach.”
Discover the intersection of heartache and finances as our host Ed Coambs chats with Kathi Balasek, an educator and grief guide, who shares invaluable insights on coping with loss while navigating the complex world of financial planning. With Kathi's compassionate approach, you'll learn how intertwined our self-worth is with our professions and how vital it is for financial advisors to possess a deep understanding of grief...
2023-12-2847 min
Inside Out Leadership with Robb HolmanGrief-Informed Leadership with Kathi BalasekIf there is one thing that we need right now, our teams and workplaces alike, it's more compassion in the workplace. This requires Grief-Informed Leadership. As leaders and team members spend a significant portion of their time in the workplace, cultivating understanding of grief becomes a powerful way to foster connection and trust among colleagues.
During this episode of Inside Out Leadership, I engage in a conversation with grief literacy coach, speaker, trainer, Kathi Balasek.
Together, we explore various facets of grief, addressing both the personal considerations individuals face while grieving and the important insights leaders should be mindful of...
2023-11-0245 min
Money TalesWidowhood is Financial, with Kathi BalasekIn this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Kathi Balasek. Life can take unexpected turns and change in an instant. For Kathi, life went from wife to caregiver to widow when her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Suddenly, she was left to parent five kids on her own. The experience taught Kathi the importance of having a dream team of professionals to help navigate life’s challenges.
Kathi is an educator, empathy and grief communication coach, university lecturer, speaker and widow advocate. Experiencing the uniqueness of widowhood firsthand, she learned that the relationship between pr...
2023-10-2632 minMoney TalesWidowhood is Financial, with Kathi BalasekIn this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Kathi Balasek. Life can take unexpected turns and change in an instant. For Kathi, life went from wife to caregiver to widow when her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Suddenly, she was left to parent five kids on her own. The experience taught Kathi the importance of having a dream team of professionals to help navigate life’s challenges.
Kathi is an educator, empathy and grief communication coach, university lecturer, speaker and widow advocate. Experiencing the uniqueness of widowhood firsthand, she learned that the relationship between pr...
2023-10-2632 min
Wicked Pissah Podcast#172 - Grieving Clients and how Financial Advisors can help - Kathi Balasek As part of this journey we call life, all of us will experience and grieve a loss or know someone who has. What do you say? How do you say it? Acknolwedging the loss and grief of another person can be uncomfortable and awkward, but it doesn’t have to be. Kathi Balasek is on a mission to help financial advisors relate to a person who is a grieving. As an educator and grief literacy communication coach, Kathi works with advisors to help them understand language around grief, how to better communicate with empathy, and how to cr...
2023-10-0355 min
Standard Deviations with Dr. Daniel CrosbyKathi Balasek - Becoming Grief Literate: A Comprehensive Guide to Coping with Loss and Supporting OthersTune in to hear:- What life journey brought Kathi to a place where she focused on grief professionally?- Why did Kathi experience guilt and shame around her lack of financial literacy in a moment of crisis?- People often say very inappropriate things when they are struggling to address the grieving, even if well-intentioned. Why is this the case and what can be done about it?- Why something as simple as asking a deceased person’s name can be so meaningful to their loved ones.- Wh...
2023-09-0756 min
Love in ActionKathi Balasek: Supporting Professionals Experiencing Loss and GriefKathi Balasek is a grief literacy communication coach and widow advocate. Through her podcast, Well Widow, and being on the advisory board at Modern Widows Club, she stands up and fights for the rights of widows, their livelihood, and their financial future. Along with her mission driven business, Grief Smart Professional, she is a university professor, and currently she teaches at California State University, Chico, in the Department of Communication and Education. She has a passion for motivating leaders to develop communication skills that engage and connect.Show-Notes:“You need to grieve, you have to grieve, but...
2023-06-2245 min
Ensombl Advice South Africa#91 Kathi BalasekKathi is the Founder of Grief Smart Advisor. She and Louis discuss becoming grief literate to empower planners to start productive yet empathetic conversations, and the bests ways to connect with a grieving client.
Kathi Balasek LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathibalasek/
Kathi Balasek Website: https://www.kathibalasek.com/
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2023-06-1453 min
Breaking Money SilenceAre You Grief Smart? | Episode 177
Are You Grief Smart?
Episode 177
In today’s episode, I talk with Kathi Balasek, founder of Grief Smart Advisor. She is an educator, grief literacy communication coach, speaker, and podcast host. In this interview, Kathi shares her personal experience of becoming a widow in her thirties and parenting five children after the death of her spouse. She offers tips for advisors and family members on how to break money silence and comfort a loved one during this transition.
Kathi is on a mission to change the conversation about experiencing loss in the fin...
2023-04-1730 min
Real Talk with Life After Grief ChrisLearning from the Grief Smart Professional, Kathi Balasek, MASend us a textIn today's episode, I have an awe inspiring guest. Please meet Kathi Balasek, MA. Kathi is an educator, grief literacy communication coach, corporate consultant, university lecturer, speaker, podcast host, and widow advocate. She teaches professionals how to improve their grief literacy communication skills to best serve bereaved clients.I asked Kathi to be on the podcast, not only for her accolades, but for the compassion she brings to others during a major transition of widowhood. Kathi truly has a gift that she has decided to bestow on others. I w...
2023-03-2040 min
SHIFT with Ross MarinoConnecting with Grieving Clients with Kathi BalasekOn the very first episode of SHIFT Ross Marino talks with Kathi Balasek, Founder of Grief Smart Advisor, about her mission to help financial professionals connect with grieving clients, specifically those going through widowhood. #shifttheconversationVisit humanfirst.live to learn more about SHIFTConnect with Kathi:TwitterWebsiteLinkedInConnect With A2X Social:FacebookLinkedInInstagramTwitterLearn More About Advisor2X©Advisor2X. All Rights Reserved.
2022-11-1410 minWomen's Money WisdomEpisode 138: How to Deal with Grief and Financial Decisions with Kathi BalasekIn this episode Melissa Joy, CFP, ® discusses grief with Kathi Balasek. Kathi is an educator, grief literacy communication coach, corporate consultant, university lecturer, speaker, widow advocate, and host of the One Well Widow podcast. In this episode she shares her journey in widowhood and talks about the emotional and financial challenges women, in particular, face when losing a spouse.Resources:Learn more about Kathi Balasek.Listen to the One Well Widow podcast. Connect with Kathi on Instagram and Facebook.Learn more about Melissa Joy...
2022-10-1834 min
Keeping the Well in Well-thyHow to Prepare your Family for What We Will Never Avoid with Kathi BalasekHaving tough conversations about the future and preparing the inevitable can be extremely tough for many. As our guest Kathi puts it, “Grief is grief, no matter how you spin it, it can define you or strengthen you.” In this episode, Barbara Archer is joined by Kathi Balasek, university lecturer, educator, empathy and grief communication counselor and widow ambassador on a mission to normalize the hard conversations surrounding loss and life’s difficult transitions. As the founder of Grief Smart Advisor, she is here to teach financial professionals how to improve their grief and literacy communication skills to bett...
2022-10-1336 min
The Get Ready Money PodcastThe Tony Steuer Podcast with Kathi Balasek: Grief LeadershipSend us a textOn the latest episode of The Tony Steuer Podcast, I spoke with Kathi Balasek, Widow Advocate about becoming a grief smart advisor.Kathi Balasek is an educator, empathy and grief communication coach, university lecturer, speaker, podcast host, and widow advocate. She teaches professionals how to improve their empathy and grief literacy communication skills to best serve bereaved clients. Grief leadership and communication are critical right now. In this episode we discussed:Why it’s important to learn to talk about grief.How financial professionals can improve their grief lit...
2022-08-0332 min
Financial FinesseSimple Strategies for Improving Your Grief Literacy with Kathi BalasekCathy interviews Kathi Balasek, an educator, empathy and grief communication coach, university lecturer, speaker, and widow advocate. Kathi teaches financial professionals how to improve their grief literacy communication skills to best serve bereaved clients. She also hosts the One Well Widow podcast, helping widows process their grief and learn from one another. [08:16] What people don’t always know about grieving families, and how they can talk about death better—especially with children.[09:36] Kathi Balasek describes her work as a grief communications coach.[12:37] What is grief literacy?[16:00] Kathi Balasek explains why it’s so important for wo...
2022-07-2053 minSHIFT with Ross MarinoRetirement & Longevity Summit Wrap-Up with Kathi Balasek, Joy Lere & Joanne BurkeOn this episode of Shaping Change Ross talks with Kathi Balasek, Joy Lere & Joanne Burke about their experiences at the 2022 Retirement & Longevity Summit. They discuss the sessions they led as speakers and the most memorable moments and takeaways from RLS 2022.Get your copy of "Shaping Change"Connect With A2X Social:FacebookLinkedInInstagramTwitterLearn More About Advisor2X©Advisor2X. All Rights Reserved.
2022-05-0425 min
Own Your Choices Own Your Life#242: One Well Widow with Kathi Balasek#242: One Well Widow with Kathi Balasek Today we are speaking with University Lecturer, Coach and Speaker, Kathi Balasek. Kathi founded One Well Widow and also lectures at the University training new teachers and coaches. A love of teaching and experience becoming a young widow raising 5 children, she has blended the two in her purpose to empower widows and advocate for them moving forward to rebuild their life. A widow CAN move forward in ALL things!In this episode we discuss: 1) The spectrum of emotions that a widow can experience from relationships, fina...
2021-04-0948 min
Own Your Choices Own Your LifeOne Well Widow with Kathi Balasek#242: One Well Widow with Kathi Balasek Today we are speaking with University Lecturer, Coach and Speaker, Kathi Balasek. Kathi founded One Well Widow and also lectures at the University training new teachers and coaches. A love of teaching and experience becoming a young widow raising 5 children, she has blended the two in her purpose to empower widows and advocate for them moving forward to rebuild their life. A widow CAN move forward in ALL things!In this episode we discuss: 1) The spectrum of emotions that a widow can experience from relationships, fina...
2021-04-0948 min
Every Body Holds A Story PodcastEp 12: One Wise Widow with Kathi BalasekToday we are speaking with University Lecturer, Coach and Speaker, Kathi Balasek. Kathi founded One Well Widow and also lectures at the University training new teachers and coaches. A love of teaching and experience becoming a young widow raising 5 children, she has blended the two in her purpose to empower widows and advocate for them moving forward to rebuild their life. A widow CAN move forward in ALL things!In this episode we discuss: 1) The spectrum of emotions that a widow can experience from relationships, financial during their experience and how difficult it can be to...
2021-03-2456 min