Julia Samuel: grief, acceptance and having the hard conversations

In this episode of What's Next, Nina speaks with Julia Samuel MBE, psychotherapist, author of Grief Works: Life, Death and Surviving and the host of the brilliant podcast, Therapy Works. For the last 30 years, Julia has been helping the bereaved and making sense of their loss as they grieve the person they love. As someone living with Stage 4 Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Nina opens up about mourning her own life while she is still living, her desire to leave a positive legacy for her daughter and how to talk to friends and family so there are no regrets, unresolved issues or unanswered questions. Together, they discuss how to have small tender conversations that don't feel overwhelming and how to deal with the sense of urgency that comes with knowing you don't have much time left. In essence, this episode explores Nina's deepest fears about dying and how therapy has helped her find peace with what she is facing. In this podcast, Nina and Julia discuss: -How cancer can shift your perspective positively -How to talk to family members when you are dying -How to talk about death with someone who is dying -Mourning your own life -Co-denial among family and friends about death -Passing on a positive legacy about death to your children -Why people cope differently in the face of death -The power of therapy when living with cancer -Coping with scanxiety -How to develop tools to support yourself through difficult times -How to prioritise your time when your time is limited -How to juggle living in the paradox of hope and reality -How to find a therapist that’s right for you -How friends and family can support a person with cancer Follow Nina Lopes at instagram.com/frodayss tiktok.com/@frodayss patreon.com/NinaLopes Follow Julia Samuel MBE at instagram.com/juliasamuelmbe Listen to Julia's podcast, Therapy Works, at open.spotify.com/show/2xX6vhzpn7LtZ8vTeiWDf4 Follow Cancer Platform at instagram.com/cancerplatform