Laurel O'Sullivan, Grief Advocate

28/03/2026

This is hands down one of the most brilliant and truthful assessments of how grief transforms us that I have ever read. I’ve always been a deliberate and truthful person in a world where performative
ness is rewarded but losing Patrick made me less tolerant of people who cannot dwell in the space of truth.

Grief as an integrity filter

28/03/2026

This is one of the most absolutely brilliant articles I have read on grief in the last four years. While I’ve always considered myself a straight shooter with low intolerance for performative ness her summation of how grief recalibrates our integrity filter is spot on.

Grief as an integrity filter

16/03/2026

In our newest podcast episode, we talk about the surprising intersection between grief and travel — and how stepping outside the places where a loss occurred can sometimes give us enough space to breathe and see our lives a little differently.

Not because grief disappears. But because new landscapes can sometimes help us begin to imagine life again when the map has been completely rewritten.

If you’ve ever wondered why travel can feel so meaningful after a difficult season, this conversation might resonate.

🎧 Listen, subscribe and share here: https: open.substack.com/pub/laurelosullivanjd/p/travel-in-peace-episode-8-when-the?r=cixyl&utm_medium=ios

11/03/2026

"There is a particular loneliness in child loss that is difficult to explain. The world continues. People return to their routines and their children. And you are left standing in a wilderness without a map." My intention for sharing this most recent post on Substack is to offer hope and a map of sorts to any other parents or families struggling with the loss of a child from su***de.
LINK: https://substack.com//note/p-190085567?r=cixyl&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web

09/03/2026

What makes a place feel like home?
In our newest Travel in Peace podcast episode, Tim and I talk about leaving Girona and arriving in Mallorca—and the deeper question it stirred for us: what is home, really?
Is it a place? A country? A relationship?
�Or is it something we carry inside ourselves?

This conversation touches on change, belonging, grief, and the tension between wanting stability and embracing freedom. It turns out we each experience “home” very differently.

We’d love to hear your thoughts too—where do you feel most at home?

🎧 Listen here: https://open.substack.com/pub/laurelosullivanjd/p/travel-in-peace-episode-7-moving?r=cixyl&utm_medium=ios

17/02/2026

In our first episode, we talked about why we moved to Spain — and the idea that after catastrophic loss, you have to grow your life bigger than your grief.
In this episode, we talk about what that actually requires internally.
A few weeks after arriving in Girona, we began navigating the Spanish residency card process — something many people warned us would be frustrating and opaque. What surprised us wasn’t the bureaucracy.
It was our response to it.
We explore how repeated loss recalibrates your relationship to control, how accepting the unknown becomes less optional after grief, and why curiosity can become more powerful than certainty.
This episode is about paperwork on the surface.
But underneath, it’s about learning to live with what you cannot control — and discovering that grief may prepare you for more than you expected. LINK in bio.

17/02/2026

Episode 5 is out! One of the biggest lessons Tim and I have learned since losing Patrick is this: our grief doesn’t get smaller.
Instead, you learn to build a life big enough to hold it.

In this episode, we share how navigating the Spanish residency process in Girona revealed something deeper: grief had fundamentally changed how we respond to uncertainty.
We talk about control, curiosity, and how loss reshapes your tolerance for the unknown — not just in big life decisions, but in everyday frustrations like bureaucracy & broken boilers.
This isn’t really about residency cards.

It’s about what grief teaches you about living. Link to the episode:

In our first episode, we talked about why we moved to Spain — and the idea that after catastrophic loss, you have to grow your life bigger than your grief.

14/02/2026

10/02/2026

What does it actually take to feel settled—not just productive or busy, but at home—during periods of change?

In our latest podcast episode,we reflect on how daily rhythms, environment, and community shape our sense of security when life requires us to start over. We explore how experiences of loss can deepen adaptability, and how belonging is often built quietly through consistency, nature, and unexpected relationships.

While our story is rooted in travel, the questions are universal: How do we create stability amid uncertainty? And what does “home” really mean when everything is in motion?

Give us a listen and if you like what you hear we would love a subscribe or follow: http://bit.ly/46zIzhR

10/02/2026

Our 4th podcast episode is out! In it we talk about what it really means to feel settled and “at home”—even in a place we’d never been before. We explore the daily rhythms that grounded us, how loss shaped our ability to adapt, and how nature, quiet, and unexpected friendships helped us create a sense of peace. Though rooted in travel, this conversation is really about beginning again and finding home wherever you are. Episode Link: http://bit.ly/46zIzhR….

Please share and either subsribe on substack or leave us a review or comment if you follow along!

07/02/2026

Madrid: elegance & sophistication