Story & Lesson Highlights with Natasha Smith of Near Raleigh NC

We recently had the chance to connect with Natasha Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Natasha, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I feel called to help others find hope in grief, to create resources and opportunities that help people navigate sorrow in real, practical ways. For a while, I hesitated to step fully into this work. Grief can be heavy, and I didn’t want to be known as the “grief girl.” But I’ve learned that healing begins when we’re able to name the pain, and that most often happens in safe spaces intentionally created for honesty and connection.

Now, I’m leaning into that call with confidence, building communities, workshops, and gatherings that remind people they’re not alone. It’s both sacred and humbling work, and I trust that God continues to use my own story to help others find light in their darkest seasons.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Natasha Smith, Certified Grief Educator, Speaker, author of Can You Just Sit With Me: Healthy Grieving for the Losses of Life and Black Woman Grief: A Guide to Hope and Wholeness, and host of the Can You Just Sit With Me? podcast. I have a passion for helping those navigating grief, drawing on over 30 years of lived grief experience, research, and biblical study.

Over the past few years, I’ve created a community and space where grief is welcomed; where grief grows, and so does hope. From that vision, Grief Grows Here was born: planting seeds of hope after loss and curating opportunities to support grievers. This includes the Grief Grows Here Summit, my Monthly Circle, and PopUps; all designed to hold grief with care, foster connection, offer hope, and provide practical tools for healing.

My work is rooted in both personal experience and professional insight, to remind grievers that they are not alone, even in their heaviest seasons, and there is hope even here.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
One moment that truly shaped how I see the world was the loss of my sister Angie. I was a sophomore in college and couldn’t understand how my sister could die so young, at just 32. I was oblivious to the grief-filled world until that point. Her death opened my eyes to the reality that life is short, long life isn’t guaranteed, and every moment matters. That experience, along with the other losses I’ve experienced, has shaped me, revealed who I am, and guided me toward my purpose: helping others navigate grief with compassion, honesty, and hope. I share many of my loss stories in my first book, Can You Just Sit With Me: Healthy Grieving for the Losses of Life, published with InterVarsity Press in 2023.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
2020 kind of pushed me out of hiding. I was no longer able to carry the weight of grief I’d been holding for over 30 years. I began writing about grief and sharing parts of my story, and it started resonating with my community. As that community grew, I realized that the darkest, hardest parts of my life had become my superpower, a way to help others navigate their own deepest moments of loss and pain.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say that my relationship with God, my family, and helping those who are grieving matter most to me, hands down. Faith and family are my anchors, and serving others who are navigating loss is both my calling and my passion.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
What a great question. I definitely feel that I’m doing what I was born to do now, but that’s only been for about five years. Before that, I was mostly doing what I was told to do: go to college, get a good job. I earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University, landed an engineering job in big Pharma, and climbed the proverbial corporate ladder. On paper, I was soaring.

But many of the environments I worked in were toxic and dog-eat-dog, and I was miserable. During that time, I began dabbling in blogging and photography as creative outlets, not knowing they would ultimately lead me to becoming a writer. Fast forward, and I’m now a two-time published author, working on my third book with a traditional publishing house, and working toward my Master’s degree in Counseling, finally fully stepping into the work I was born to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://imnatashasmith.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imnatashasmith/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imnatashasmith
• Twitter: https://x.com/imnatashasmith
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imnatashasmith/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@imnatashasmith