Becoming Your Own Best Friend in Grief with Erika Duncan

In this powerful episode, Angel chats with Erika Duncan for an honest and deeply moving conversation about grief, faith, self-compassion, and what happens when life asks more of you than you feel able to give.

Erika shares the three defining “stops” of her grieving journey: surviving her husband’s life-altering stroke, navigating the sudden loss of her sister, and losing her father just years later. She opens up about caregiver grief, survivor’s guilt, and the moment when she realized she had been pushing through pain she never fully allowed herself to feel — until her body and spirit could no longer carry it.

Throughout the conversation, Erika reflects on how self-compassion became the turning point in her healing. Not self-care. Not pushing forward. But learning to slow down, trust God, and ask herself the grounding question: What do I need right now? She also shares how faith, therapy, and community support helped her rebuild when “the wheels fell off.”

Together, Angel and Erika explore the reality that grief is not linear, emotions need motion, and healing requires permission — permission to feel, to rest, to receive support, and to be human. As Angel reflects, Erika’s words echo a familiar truth: you need to feel to heal.

This episode is a reminder that strength doesn’t come from holding everything together, grief doesn’t follow a checklist, and self-compassion isn’t selfish — it’s sacred.

💛 Key Themes

Survivor and caregiver grief
Sudden and cumulative loss
Faith and trusting God through unanswered questions
Self-compassion as a healing practice
Therapy and mental health awareness
The importance of community and support
Why grief is not linear and emotions need motion

✨ Connect with Erika Duncan
Instagram: @statgirl97
LinkedIn: Erika Young Duncan

🎧 Connect with The Grieving Journey Podcast
Instagram + Facebook: @thegrievingjourneypodcast
📧 Share your story or inquire about being a guest: thegrievingjourney@gmail.com

Tune in to hear Erika’s story and the reminder we all need: slow down, feel what you feel, and give yourself grace.