Grief is perhaps one of the hardest phases one can go through. With all the emotions grief brings, it’s truly a challenge in itself to put the burden in words. On a mission to help individuals and groups face grief, Rae Karim has dedicated her life to impacting lives. The thought leader, with her gift for words, pours her heart and soul into ensuring that her clients and audiences overcome grief with the right perspective. Because of her passion, expertise, and work ethic, Rae Karim is now one of the most sought-after writers and speakers in the field.
Rae Karim understands how overwhelming grief can be. Her experiences have allowed her to meet countless individuals who share the same struggle to materialize their grief. Hence, she has developed strategies and approaches that reassure grievers in their journey, letting them know that they are not alone. She employs strategies that help individuals navigate their emotions in the healthiest ways possible. As a grief consultant, she has assisted with and officiated funeral services , conducted workshops, and organized empowering events that ignite the drive for grievers to live with a purpose.
“Not only do I offer individual and group coaching, but I am also an advocate for grief support by way of communicating engagement. Such engagement consists of monthly events such as Pen the Pain, an expression of grief through art, workshops that explore the theological perspective of grief, one-day retreats, and five-day retreats. The retreats include workshops about grief, ways to practice self-care while grieving by way of massage, cooking, etc., and activities that help grievers discover that grief doesn’t have to be heavy and burdensome,” the coach said.
Throughout her career, Rae Karim saw how intense the journey of facing grief could be. The coach saw how many crumble after the death of a loved one and how it took away their hope to live. Her programs are dedicated to helping them find meaning in life again and face grief with the intention of remembering the life they shared with a loved one more than the loss. Having served as a pastor, Rae Karim has also serves people with faith and compassion.
“I am for those who know that grief has stopped them in their tracks, but they want to keep moving. I am for those who want to explore every aspect of grief, the known and unknown, that we’d pack as they work with me. I am for those who have experienced or are experiencing the grief of people, those who have passed and those who are still alive, and the grief of possibilities, those who have experienced or are experiencing the grief of identity and from trauma,” Rae Karim shared. “I am for those who are looking for a safe, liberated space to lay down their burdens of grief and pick up new ways of being even in the midst of the grief experience.”
Rae Karim approaches grief differently than other coaches because she allows her clients to unpack their grief and learn how to process it rather than simply get over it. The thought leader aims to empower people to better navigate their journey through the many facets of grieving.
“Five years from now, I see myself having helped to revolutionize grief perspectives—for what we grieve, how we grieve, and why we grieve. I would like to offer a curriculum to educate those in-service professionals, such as social workers, pastors, chaplains, doctors, and nurses, in ways that will increase their capacity for compassion and understanding. I especially hope to increase the knowledge of grief and grief expression for corporate America, in ways that will increase bereavement leave not only for adults but children as well,” Rae Karim explained.
