In the spring of 2024, my life changed radically: After a brief, very aggressive illness, I lost my husband Jürgen to cancer. Anyone who knows us both understands: He was – and remains – the love of my life. After the diagnosis, we had less than three months together.

When Jürgen suddenly became ill and died, I had already been working as a coach for over 12 years. I had supported hundreds of people, many of them searching for new direction. Now it became clear to me: Finding a new direction – that’s what it’s about after the death of an important person too, just as after any other crisis-related loss. Often in a very fundamental way, where inner, existential questions also play an important role. I experienced firsthand what that feels like.

After my husband’s death, I immersed myself in understanding grief and loss. I read extensively, sought meaningful conversations with others who had experienced similar losses, and was fortunate to find a wonderful grief support group. Later, I deepened my knowledge through further professional training, including at the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition.

I combined these experiences with my previous coaching practice and my passion for narrative methods – true to my motto: ‘You decide about your story.’ This is how my offering Walk on after Loss came to be. In addition to Meaning-Oriented Grief Counseling (Robert Neimeyer and others), narrative approaches (following Michael White and others) play a central role for me.

It has always been important to me in my work as a coach to meet my clients as equals. I don’t judge your choices – I’m here to support, not to assess. In the face of loss, it’s often about first looking at and bearing witness to difficult things together. I know what it feels like to lose a beloved person, especially ‘before their time’ – whatever that might mean exactly. I don’t just understand it rationally, but emotionally too.

At the same time, I know that other losses can also deeply shake us. They too can pull the rug out from under our feet. Like most people of a certain age, I have my own ‘story of loss.’ In addition to loosing my husband, this includes:

• the loss of my dear mother after a long illness, as well as other important people and beloved four-legged family members,
• the sudden end of significant projects on which my/our professional existence depended in my earlier professional life, and
• the loss of friends, school, and familiar surroundings through many moves during my youth.

Each of these losses changed my world – to varying degrees. Jürgen’s death left a particularly large gap. At the same time, it brought new, uninvited facets into my life.

I, too, have changed, yet remain the same at heart. At least that’s how I feel. I’ve found a path into my changed life, and I’m still walking it. Walk on after Loss is part of that journey.

And who knows, perhaps our paths will cross along the way? If this feels right for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out.