THE PODCAST

The Growth After Loss Podcast is a compassionate, research-informed space created by Dr. Mari Marquez, PhD, a personal growth educator. This podcast is dedicated to exploring what it means to live with grief while navigating growth, meaning, and identity after the death of a loved one.

Drawing from both professional expertise and lived experience, Dr. Marquez offers educational and supportive resources for individuals who feel ready to start making positive changes in their lives through education, self-awareness, and intentionality. 

Please note that these resources are not therapy or diagnosis, but they are designed to help support your journey of life after loss.

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In this episode, Dr. Mari Marquez, PhD invites listeners into a grounded, compassionate conversation about the actions we take while living with loss. While it is often said there is no "right" way to grieve, research shows that certain coping strategies are more supportive of long-term psychological flexibility and adaptation than others.

Sharing her own journey of sudden loss alongside over 30 years of psychological research, Dr. Marquez helps clarify why we sometimes feel "stuck" in certain patterns. She breaks down complex coping models into practical, human terms, helping you identify which strategies align with your unique journey.

This episode explores:

• The Spectrum of Coping: Understanding the difference between adaptive strategies that provide long-term relief and maladaptive strategies that offer only temporary reprieve.
• The Role of Action: Why moving from "understanding" grief to "taking action" is a vital part of the adaptation process.
• Research-Informed Insights: A look at problem-focused, emotion-focused, and meaning-focused coping and how they buffer against stress.
• Gentle Course Correction: How to compassionately recognize and shift away from isolation, perfectionism, or rumination toward connection and creative expression.

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• The research-backed definitions of "adaptive" versus "maladaptive" coping strategies.
• How social support acts as a vital buffer against the intensity of grief-related stress.
• Why meaning-focused coping can significantly improve life satisfaction during adversity.
• The impact of physical movement and nature on emotional restoration.
• How rituals and memorials assist in maintaining continuing bonds with loved ones.

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• PhD in Psychology with a research emphasis on grief and personal growth after loss .
• Conducted research with individuals who experienced growth following the death of a loved one. 
• Combines academic knowledge with lived experience.
• Passionate about translating research into accessible, compassionate education.
   

Dr. Marquez is not here to tell you how to grieve.
She offers research-informed insight and support so you can decide what growth with grief looks like in your own life.

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Your grief matters.
Your loss matters.
And you matter.

 Growth after loss is possible—not because grief ends, but because meaning, connection, and purpose can still be shaped alongside it. You don’t have to walk this path alone. 

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