Nobody likes having difficult conversations, especially around death and grief.
My guest in today's episode, Sherrie Barch, has a Master's Degree in Communication and is an expert at tackling this topic. Her book, Heaven's Bell, offers a way for people to talk about death and grief and has a unique way to share memories and keep them alive. It was written for teens but people of all ages are enjoying this Amazon best seller!
The book is the story of two teenage best friends. They have a special friendship and are inseparable until one of them becomes ill. Then Ashley has to confront what her life would be like without Cody.
"The goal is to be able to have the courage to explore what those feelings are, because if we can get through the feelings, then we can start to heal."
Sherrie is the CEO of two Forbes-ranked executive search firms and a leadership consulting company, and a leadership consulting company. Her forward-thinking approach led to her participation in an altMBA programme led and designed by leadership guru Seth Godin. Yet it is her passion for story-telling and in that, making room for some heavy conversations, that motivated her to write Heaven's Bell. She is married with 3 sons. Her two youngest sons were both diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes within the same year and there have been plenty of open and honest conversations needed around this.
In this episode, you will learn the following:
Resources:
Get your copy of heaven's Bell: https://www.amazon.com/Heavens-Bell-Sherrie-Barch/dp/1736263803
Email: Sherrie@heavensbell.com
Website: www.heavensbell.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SherrieBarchAuthor
IG: www.instagram.com/SherrieBarch
Connect with me:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/healing2bu_
Facebook: https://facebook.com/thebeautifulsideofgrief
Website: https://healing2bu.com
Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://tbs0g2021.libsyn.com/
Thanks, Gabe Dovaston for creating the music www.themusicacademypapamoa.com
Chapter Summaries:
[00:00:00] - Heaven's Bell is a book written about preteens. Sherry is the CEO of two Forbes-ranked executive search firms and a leadership consulting company she wrote Heaven's Bell because she wanted to talk about death with her children and also with her family.
[00:02:06] - Sherrie has a master's degree is in communication, and her thesis was on communication, competence, and the propensity to take conflict personally. Helen shares that it took her half of her life to learn not to take life so personally.
[00:05:48] - Heaven's Bell is the story of two friends and their experiences: one in heaven, one on earth.
[00:09:47] - In the book, the main goal is to start a conversation about the loss of a loved one. The story elicits memories of the deceased and brings people to talk about their loved ones. The children in the book were listening to the story and the adults were talking to them.
[00:12:25] - Heaven's Bell is an agnostic book with a concrete description of heaven. The theme of the book is that bells are hung in heaven when you die and your bell represents your world. Cody comes to heaven, and while he's in heaven, he watches what the bell hangers are doing.
[00:16:03] - Heaven's Bell shares some tips on how to have difficult conversations about grief with people who have lost their loved ones. The book focuses on the 8-12-year-old age group. The book has been bought by hospices for their children's bereavement programs. The feedback from adults reading the book is that it takes them back to their first experience of death and helps them remember their losses.
[00:30:14] - Sherrie lost her father figure about a month and a half ago. Sherrie wrote about it. Many people have read the book and sent her cards and letters. She misses Ray and finds comfort in the messages she receives from people who reference the story.
[00:32:00] - Heaven's Bell has 60 or 75-star reviews on Amazon for a children's book.
[00:36:21] - Sherrie's book, Heaven's Bell, is getting critical acclaim. 150000 children have lost either a parent or a caregiver. Sherrie hired a book coach to write the book. The illustrator, a college senior who had just lost her father, illustrated the cover.
[00:41:37] - Two of her sons were diagnosed with type one diabetes when they were in first grade. And in fifth grade, her daughter was paralyzed. Sherrie is proud of her family and their journey together. She is grateful for the opportunities to talk about difficult topics.
[00:45:49] - Sherrie's book Heavens Bell is available on Amazon. Sherrie's brother took a while to read it because he didn't want to be sad, but it's a good story.
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