The Million Stages Of Grief - Michael Reed On Finding His Way After Catastrophic Loss

What does grief look like when you lose your wife, two daughters, your home, and nearly everything you own - all in a single night? In this episode we talk with Michael Reed, a husband, father, and author whose life was forever changed when a wildfire swept through his community, taking the lives of his wife Constance, his older daughter Chloe, his youngest, Lily, their pets, and reducing their home to ashes. Nearly a decade later, Michael shares about the darkness he fell into, who was there to hold him and his son up, the ways he stays connected to his wife and daughters, and how he's re-engaged with life through writing and helping others.

Michael Reed is the author of The Million Stages of Grief, a self-published book born from years of middle-of-the-night writing as he tried to make sense of catastrophic loss. He also became an unexpected public face of his community's tragedy - a role he has since transformed into a mission of talking openly about grief, faith, and learning to live again.

In this episode:

• Michael shares vivid memories of his daughters: Chloe's extraordinary compassion and Lily's unforgettable sass and spirit.
• What it's like to lose not only the people you love but every physical trace of them - and how Michael keeps their memory close without tangible reminders.
• How his son Nicholas became a teacher for Michael in how to grieve.
• His experience with EMDR therapy and what acceptance means to him.
• The origin of The Million Stages of Grief: how raw, unedited Facebook posts led to a blog, then to a self-published book.
• Why the five stages of grief didn't work for Michael - and how he came to understand that grief can move through a million stages in a single day.
• A raw, honest account of his anger at God after the fire.
• What it was like to become the unwilling public spokesperson for a community's tragedy, and how he has reclaimed that platform on his own terms.
• His core message: loss is loss, no matter who or what you've lost — and using your own hurt to help others is how we change the world.

Connect with Michael:

Website - https://themillionstages.com/
Books - https://themillionstages.com/books
IG - https://www.instagram.com/reedstrong2020

Want to learn more about supporting children and teens who are grieving? Sign up for our online courses here: https://classes.dougy.org/