Made to Mend: An Interview with Megan Bruneau, M.A., RCC
Grief is not linear and you have to make room for all sorts of emotions with that. The shitty thing is it just takes time, but the great thing is, it just takes time.
I think we all wish heartbreak looked like it does in the movies. Unfortunately, it doesn’t.
It isn’t reserved for private moments with a bottle of wine and a friend’s shoulder. It’s always there, threatening to surface at any moment. It shows up as a breakdown in the middle of the produce aisle at the sight of a red pepper you’ll never cook with him again. It knocks the wind out of you when you see a man put his hand on the small of a woman’s back at a crosswalk and you realize he’ll never touch you like that again. It drops your heart into the pit of your stomach when department stores start to decorate for Christmas and you’re suddenly very aware that he might be bringing someone new home to his family.
It’s every good song, funny moment, milestone, interesting email, fun fact, accomplishment, adversity, new jar of peanut butter, job opportunity, inside joke, wedding invitation, newborn baby, holiday, cup of coffee, sip of scotch, new outfit or Sunday morning that you’ll never share with your best friend again.
And it disappears in the matter of one sentence.
Heartbreak isn’t some rite of passage set to a romantic soundtrack. It isn’t a sad face on the subway or a bit of distraction at the office. It’s actually one of the most hideous things a human has to endure. It is an all-consuming, nearly fatal, seemingly never-ending grief that won’t let up.
Until one day it does.
My next guest, Megan Bruneau, M.A., RCC, is somewhat of an expert in helping people piece back together a shattered heart. Her willingness to draw on her personal life makes her relatable and her masters in counselling psychology and over 12 years of experience make her incredibly skilled at what she does. She has written honest, hilarious and helpful articles for The Huffington Post and Forbes, and previously hosted the Forbes Failure Factor podcast.
Megan and I cover a lot of ground in this episode, from heartbreak and loss, to Megan’s move to New York City, to psychedelics, perfectionism and the problem with reaching our ‘potential.’
I hope this episode serves as reminder that we’re all in this together 🙂