In this heartfelt episode of The Finding Forward Podcast, host Karen Morland Cannon sits down with life and business coach Caroline Heath to talk openly about grief, loss, and coping at Christmas.

Caroline shares her powerful personal story — losing her brother suddenly, supporting her parents through dementia and terminal illness, and then facing the devastating loss of both parents only weeks apart. She explains how grief shows up in the body, how it shapes family dynamics, and how she found her way from survival mode back to hope.

This episode is for anyone who:

• is grieving a loved one during the holidays
• has experienced the loss of a relationship, job, home, or identity
• feels pressure to “be festive” when life feels anything but
• wants practical emotional wellbeing tools for Christmas
• needs reassurance that grief is valid, natural, and nothing to hide

We explore:

• How to navigate grief anniversaries and emotionally charged dates
• Why Christmas can feel overwhelming after loss
• How to set boundaries and protect your energy
• Simple rituals to honour loved ones who have died
• Reframing Christmas without guilt
• The power of breathwork, journaling, and allowing your emotions
• What it looks like to rebuild your life after devastating grief

If Christmas feels complicated this year, Caroline’s honesty, compassion, and practical wisdom will help you feel less alone — and remind you that healing doesn’t mean forgetting.

To connect with Caroline online:

Find her on Facebook here.

Find her on Instagram here.

Find her on Tik Tok here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Finding Forward Podcast, we’re joined by the brilliant Dr Jemma Andrew-Adiamah — empowerment coach and wellbeing expert, In this special Christmas episode, we dive into how women can protect their mental health during the festive season, set boundaries without guilt, and create a calmer, more connected holiday that actually feels good.

If you’re feeling stretched thin, overwhelmed by expectations, or simply craving a more grounded Christmas, this conversation will give you the reassurance, tools, and mindset shifts you need. We talk emotional load, festive burnout, people-pleasing, family dynamics, and how to bring more compassion, rest, and honesty into a time of year that often asks far too much of us.

Whether you love Christmas or quietly dread it, this episode helps you step into the season with more ease — and reminds you that your wellbeing matters every single day of the year.

What we discuss

• Why Christmas feels heavier for the person who carries the invisible load.
• Practical ways to share the load: delegation, simple swaps and small rituals.
• Letting go of perfectionism — why a “good enough” Christmas still feels special.
• Budgeting, gifting, and teaching children realistic expectations.
• How to notice and honour difficult feelings on Christmas Day.
• Low-cost, meaningful traditions: bucket lists, second-hand gifting, community groups.
• Quick grounding and self-care ideas for two days before, during, and after Christmas.

Who this helps

Busy parents, neurodivergent listeners, carers, anyone who dreads the logistics or emotion of the festive season.

Links

• Find Jemma on Instagram: @_dr.jemma
• On here website here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode of Finding Forward, Host Karen Cannon sits down with Sian Smith — a non-fiction book editor, proofreader, and recently diagnosed ADHD woman — to talk honestly about late diagnosis, overwhelm, and the reality of navigating work and life as a neurodivergent adult.

Sian shares the subtle signs she ignored, the emotional toll of masking, the pressure to keep everything together, and why so many women are diagnosed with ADHD in midlife. She also explains how neurodivergence shows up in her work as an editor, the strategies that actually help her focus, and the misconceptions she’s determined to challenge.

We dive into:

• What ADHD really looks like in women
• The pressure to mask and “hold it all together”
• How ADHD shows up in creative work like editing and writing
• Practical strategies Sian uses to manage focus and burnout
• Advice for writers who feel stuck, messy, or scattered
• The importance of telling women’s stories honestly and without shame

This conversation is real, grounded, and incredibly validating — especially for women who feel they’re “not coping” and don’t know why.

You can connect with Sian on Instagram here and here.

Visit Sian's Substack here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.