Today we’d like to introduce you to Annah Elizabeth
Hi Annah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a young girl growing up in rural Raleigh, NC, I never thought much about marriage or my future family, though I clearly took those events for granted. Isn’t that the story? Child grows up. Meets Mate. Marries. Adds Baby. Household complete.
Having met a high-school classmate’s parents, whom I remembered being around sixty years of age and seemingly old and feeble, I made an unconscious vow to myself: I was going to have my children before I turned thirty.
After college, I moved to upstate New York, secured a job I enjoyed, “got the guy,” got engaged, got married, and seemed to be right on track with the “natural order of Life” and my family expansion plans.
During one of our final Lamaze classes during my first pregnancy, the leader asked us to consider what we might do and feel, if something should happen to our baby. A giant question mark formed inside and over my brain. What? Her inquiry felt absurd, for it certainly did not fit the familiar story in my head and my heart.
On the drive home, I spent less than a minute exploring the prompt.
“What would you do, if something happened to the baby?” I asked my spouse.
“I don’t know. You?” he replied.
“I don’t know, either.” I answered. We did not talk about it, again. Until we had to.
My life’s trajectory took a major detour from the expected, on May 11, 1990; the day my firstborn, Gavin, entered and exited this world, following unexpected delivery complications. Two days before Mother’s Day and hours after I heard the six words, “I’m sorry, he didn’t make it,” I had one distinct thought. I did not want to spend a lifetime mourning my son. I did not know what that meant, what it looked like on the other side, or how the *bleep* I was ever going to get there, but I knew what I did not want, and I went from there.
Over the next seven years, I would go on to experience two, second-trimester miscarriages; two, complicated but successful pregnancies; a six-week psychiatric stay for severe depression; and one final pregnancy. Six weeks before I gave birth to my last child, I discovered that my husband and my best friend were having an affair.
One question drove me forward during that latter string of losses: “How is it that some people go on to live happy, fulfilled lives following tragedy, mishap, or mayhem, while others succumb to drugs, despair, a life of void, or suicide?”
That single question spawned thousands more questions, to which I relentlessly pursued the answers. One of the most inspiring elements I unearthed is this: We are each born with five, universal gifts; Five Facets that exist in a hierarchy that is unique to each of us, and impact and influence our lives, our successes, and our suffering in different ways.
I eventually compiled my research into The Five Facets Philosophy on Healing™. It is a ground-breaking guide that blazes new trails in conflict and grief resolution, and helps you tap into your own universal gifts, and to learn how to put them to work for you, so that you, too, can live your best personal, professional, and philanthropic life, even in the face of adversity.
Along the way, I also discovered what it was that I DID want regarding my son: I wanted to one day be able to celebrate his life. I am happy to say that I no longer grieve a single aspect of my son’s death, and I stand as living, breathing testimony and a beacon of hope that your conflict, grief, or suffering does not have to be eternal. You can fully heal, no matter the loss experiences you face.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
This question makes me pause, and incites a silent small chuckle, even. Smooth road? Seemingly not.
And, yet, as that first thought enters my mind, I fondly lean into one of the many instrumental lessons I learned along the way: Grief and Healing walk hand-in-hand. As do Sadness and Smiles, Confusion and Clarity, Endings and Beginnings, Dark and Light… All of these juxtaposed truths exist simultaneously.
One of the hardest elements of healing from those Significant Life Loss Experiences was recognizing how cultural conditioning contributed to my suffering.
We Humans seem to have an underlying belief that the death of a person is the Ultimate Loss. In recent decades, child loss started being hailed as “The Worst Loss,” a title introduced to me shortly after my son died, as if it were some sort of badge: You have reached the pinnacle, and no other mountain will be harder to climb.
But in the wake of betrayal by two of the most important people in my life, I felt as bad, maybe even worse, than I did following my son’s death. In the years that followed, I carried an underlying thought that belied my grief and impeded my healing: “You’ve already experienced ‘The Worst Loss,’ why are you crying over spilt milk?”
When I finally allowed those whispers to rise to the surface of my awareness, then, and only then, was I able to heal them. This became a crucial element in the work I do today. There may be a hierarchy to your universal gifts, but there is no universal ranking when it comes to loss. If your loss feels like a Significant Loss Event to you,
then it IS a Significant Loss. Period.
Though we share common threads in loss, grief, and healing, your experiences are uniquely yours. I am proud to approach conflict and grief resolution from what I have coined a “Heal It Your Way™” approach.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I have always believed that it is seldom just one “thing” when we are struggling with something in our life. This has proved true time and again, both in my own life and in working with others. After years of focusing solely on the academic side of loss, grief, and healing, I went on to discover that combining both the academic and alternative concepts added depth and acceleration to many individuals’ healing.
I am proud to be a symbol of hope, promise, and possibility for those struggling with any loss event, and to be testimony to the truth that grief does not have to be forever; you have the ability–and everything you need–to fully heal and go on to live your best personal, professional, and philanthropic life, no matter your adversity. I also differ in that I Loss is Loss, and I believe there is no universal Loss ranking system.
I have an innate ability to demystify spiritual concepts and explain them in relatable ways, and I am breaking new ground in redefining what loss, grief, and healing are, while exploring the many myths, and lifestyle and language behaviors that hold you in a conflict and grief pattern.
As mentioned earlier, my Heal It Your Way™ approach incorporates a blend of academic and alternative modalities designed to meet your unique and individual needs, and I take pride in understanding and honoring everyone’s desires for elements they wish to incorporate into their healing journey.
My services include speaking at conferences and community events. I offer coaching in various forms; energy medicine to help with emotional and physical trauma; spiritual, Soul, and energy concepts; and evidential mediumship. As an empowerment coach, I also lead workshops, teach, and offer certifications in many of these areas, as well as provide 1:1 and group sessions. Services are offered in person and online, with clients across the globe. Watch for a series of online courses coming soon!
My work has been featured on TV, radio, and in print and live events, which include social work conferences and my TEDx speech, “The Power of ‘What if?’ to Heal Grief.”
My website is full of articles on a range of topics. As part of my pay-it-forward-and backwards beliefs, I offer twice monthly, free grief support events and reduced cost, group energy healing sessions in online formats. Join me on the first and third Wednesday’s for my “Hump Day” events!
I released the 10th anniversary edition of my memoir, “Digging for the Light: One Woman’s Journey from Heartache to Hope” in 2024 and have several other books currently underway.
As I like to say, “No one is exempt from suffering, but everyone is entitled to healing.” It truly is my honor to help you, your community, or your company turn struggle into success and heartache into healing.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Two books that were instrumental in leading me to the discovery of The 5 Facets were William Kamkwamba’s, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” and Elizabeth Smart’s, “My Story.” My personal library is extensive and includes a wide range of topics. A researcher at heart, I mostly read memoir to better understand the Human spirit and our immeasurable capabilities; self-help; mental health related pieces; and spiritually based books. My list of favorites is so exhaustive, I fear leaving any out.
A voracious listener of podcasts, I see value in each one, but my favorites are those who also represent a wide range of topics. Topping my list are Lewis Howes, “The School of Greatness,” Simon Sinek’s, “Simon Sinek” and his channel, “A Bit of Optimism”; Steven Bartlett’s, “Diary of a CEO;” Lisa Bilyeu’s, “Women of Impact,” and the recently discovered, “High Performance” by Jake Humphrey and Prof. Damian Hughes. In the relationship realm, I love Mat Boggs channel at Brave Thinking Institute; and Dr. Les Carter’s, “Surviving Narcissism.” Interviews with Esther Perel and Dr. Ramani Durvasula always intrigue me. On the spiritual side of things, I frequently visit astrology experts, Chris Reck of Minnow Pond Tarot, and Baba Jolie Guided Meditations, as well as energy expert, Lee Harris Energy.
For downtime and pure pleasure? Seeker’s Notes is my go-to game, and my music play list is as storied as my work, ranging from instrumental, 80’s, Christmas, blues, crooners like Harry Connick, Jr..; Scottish and Gaelic, and everything in between.
Pricing:
- Free Coaching Consultation
- See website for pricing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.annahelizabeth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annahelizabethheals/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnahElizabethHealGrief/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AnnahElizabethTheFiveFacets
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@annahelizabethheals?lang=en
