B. McMasters, Grief Educator & Coach

11/21/2025

Multiple opportunities to participate in this online Holiday Grief Support with David Kessler.

Join us this holiday season for FREE grief support to learn strategies to navigate the holidays, learn meaningful coping tools, and be with others who are grieving and truly "get it".

11/20/2025

Today is Children’s Grief Awareness Day.

I am moved when a client tells me their goal is to grieve authentically so they can model that for their children. Knowing that kids learn their grieving style from us is a powerful kind of awareness.

And on the flip side, we can learn a lot from children. They approach grief with fewer misconceptions and fewer rules about what they are supposed to feel. They tell the truth. They feel what they feel. They dose their grief in manageable ways. They remind us that grief does not need to be hidden or perfected.

Here are some support options for bereaved children and teens:

- Cork's Place through Tri-Cities Chaplaincy is a grief center in Richland, WA that offers supportive, age-appropriate groups and activities.

- Cason's Place: Grief Support for Children and Families of Eastern Oregon is a grief center in Pendleton, OR that offers supportive, age-appropriate groups and activities.

- Camp Amanda at Walla Walla Community Hospice is a three-day summer camp for grieving children ages 8-14 in Walla Walla, WA.

- The Dougy Center is a grief center in Portland, OR, but has many online resources for families anywhere.

- The Compassionate Friends/USA has a page on their website called Caring for Surving Children.

If you know a grieving child, let them talk, draw, remember, cry, laugh. They do not need answers. They just need steady grownups who show up.

Children's Grief Awareness Day is designed to help us all become more aware of the needs of grieving children — and of the benefits they obtain through the support of others. Children's Grief Awareness Day is an opportunity to make sure that grieving children receive the support they need.

11/12/2025

Wow. I had the opportunity to attend a powerful presentation with grief educator David Kessler and Matthias Barker (), a psychotherapist who focuses on estrangement. The data they shared was eye-opening. The percentage of adult children who are estranged from a parent is staggering, and the reasons behind those ruptures shift significantly depending on whether the child is a daughter or son and whether the parent is the mother or father.

Matthias, the founder of www.estrangement.com was such a thoughtful, grounded, and insightful presenter. His work has something to offer just about everyone.

11/11/2025

I am honored to present again this year at the Holiday Grief Seminar hosted by Walla Walla Community Hospice. Their Bereavement Team is made up of compassionate and wise social workers and spiritual support counselors. They bring together additional professionals to speak about the challenges of moving through the holiday season while grieving. If you are feeling unsettled as the season approaches, consider attending or sharing this event with a friend.

Holiday Grief Seminar Date/Time: November 12th, 2025, 11:30AM - 1:00PM Location: Walla Walla Community Hospice, 1067 E. Isaacs Ave, Walla Walla, WA About this event: Featuring expert-led presentations and guided discussion, this seminar offers practical tools and heartfelt support for those coping w...

11/07/2025

The grief of a caregiver is truly unique and multi-faceted. If you or someone you know is a caregiver, consider watching this conversation with David Kessler and Emma Heming Willis.

Care partners often go unseen.

They’re not just helping with meds or meals.
They’re holding the emotional weight of watching someone they love slowly change — sometimes disappear — while staying present through it all.

Emma Heming Willis is shining a light on that experience.

As a care partner to her husband, Bruce Willis, Emma has become a steady, honest voice for others walking a similar path that’s filled with uncertainty, devotion, exhaustion, and fierce love.

She’s telling the truth about what it means to show up, day after day, when the world doesn’t always understand what you’re carrying.

I’m honored to be in conversation with Emma for a free event on:

📅 Wednesday, October 16
🕔 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET
🎥 Live on Zoom | Replay with RSVP

We’ll talk about:
• The invisible labor of caregiving
• How care partners hold grief, love, and responsibility
• What helps (and what doesn’t)
• Why being honest about the hard parts is an act of love, too

If you’re a caregiver — or someone who walks alongside those who are — I hope you’ll join us.

This is about being seen. And about honoring the work that too often goes unnamed.

To join us click here for to register free https://www.davidkesslertraining.com/emma

11/04/2025

I’m excited to be presenting again at this year’s holiday grief seminar with Walla Walla Community Hospice. I’ll be talking about how holiday traditions, like the music, food, and gatherings, can feel very different after the loss of a loved one. We’ll explore why familiar routines may be difficult and share practical ways to ease the stress, sadness, and emotional weight this season can bring.

This FREE event features local grief work experts Hospice partners with, and we encourage anyone dealing with grief and loss during these upcoming holidays to attend. Call our office at: 508-525-5561 or go to the link in our Bio to sign up. We would love to walk along side you as you navigate grief and loss this holiday season. You are not alone.

11/03/2025

As someone who has experienced the loss of a sibling, I understand the deep and complicated nature of this grief. Sibling loss is often disenfranchised—minimized or overlooked by others who may not fully grasp its impact. Yet, losing a sibling means losing someone who has known you for most or all of your life, someone who shared your history, stories, and memories.

Often, siblings find themselves managing practical matters after a loss, supporting parents, partners, or other family members, while quietly setting aside their own need to grieve. This can make healing even more difficult.

If you or someone you know is navigating the pain of sibling loss, I invite you to attend a meeting of The Compassionate Friends (TCF Walla Walla).
TCF is a peer-led support group for parents, grandparents, and siblings grieving the death of a child, grandchild, or sibling.

Meetings: Second Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM
Location: Blue Mountain Grief and Loss Foundation
1637 E. Isaacs Ave., Walla Walla, WA
(509) 593-0450

Siblings have a unique relationship with one another. They often are the witnesses of important milestones in their growth and development. They can be confidants, protectors, and partners amid life’s challenges. When a sibling dies, surviving siblings’ lives are forever changed. Siblings feel the pressure of the loss in many ways. Siblings may feel pressure to take care of their parents, to be strong for others in the family, or to fill the void left by their sibling. They often feel that a piece of them died when their sibling died. Visit our website to connect with other bereaved siblings.

10/29/2025

What About Halloween?

When we talk about holidays that stir up grief, we usually think of the Big Four: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s. But what about Halloween?

For many, October 31st carries its own candy bag of memories, memories that can unexpectedly ache in the absence of someone we love. Maybe you once spent hours crafting costumes for your child, or carved pumpkins side by side. Maybe you and your partner attended parties in themed costumes every year. Or maybe your parents were the ones who made your childhood magical, the “cool house” on the block, covered in cobwebs and spooky lights, with a bowl of full-sized candy bars.

When those traditions stop, or the people you shared them with are no longer here, it’s natural to feel that emptiness. Halloween, with all its nostalgia and energy, can shine a light on what’s missing, reminding us of lightness and laughter that used to echo through the dark night.

So if this season feels tender, know that you’re not strange and you are not alone. You’re simply remembering, and that remembering is a form of love.

Take it easy on yourself this Halloween. Turn the lights off if you need to. Put out one small decoration. Watch a favorite movie. Or simply allow the memories to come. They’re proof of the joy that once was and the love that still is.

10/21/2025

A fellow grief educator alum, Jesse, was recently interviewed for a podcast about his experience as a widow[er]. It’s such a meaningful conversation in which he shares his story with honesty and heart, giving a voice to what so many are feeling, helping them feel less alone, and showing that hope is possible.

I especially appreciate hearing this from a male perspective, which isn’t always talked about enough.

This is Part 1. I’ll share Part 2 in the comments. Please consider sharing with any men you know who might be navigating the loss of a spouse/partner.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/43gAr6yNA64dhHM0jy2ivN?si=P_5l7exJTvmqv43zLWyUYg

Perks of Being a Widow · Episode

10/20/2025

Several of my clients, two current ones in particular, have shared that they’ve struggled deeply with sleep since the death of their loved ones. I wanted to better understand why this happens, so I gathered research and insights about how grief affects sleep, what can help, and resources that may offer support. You can read this new post, along with many other grief-related posts, on my website.

Grief can profoundly affect our ability to rest. Sleep is not only a physical need but a vital component of emotional and spiritual healing. Understanding why sleep disturbances occur during grief …