When Life Breaks You Open: A Financial Planner's Grief Story

Season 8, Ep. 13: When Life Breaks You Open: A Financial Planner's Grief Story

What happens when grief becomes not just an event but a lifelong journey that shapes your entire mission? Chris opens his heart in this deeply personal episode, revealing the profound losses that have defined his path.

From the moment his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 to becoming her caregiver through Alzheimer's, Chris takes listeners through the raw reality of watching both parents decline and ultimately pass away within months of each other. With unflinching honesty, he details the financial burdens he shouldered as a young adult – from managing a $5,000 monthly nursing home bill to making gut-wrenching medical decisions that put him at odds with his surviving parent.

The story grows even more poignant as Chris shares his rock bottom moments after these losses – the anxiety, depression, and turning to alcohol before finding healing through grief counseling, a medical mission to Ghana, and reconnecting with his faith. But perhaps most heart-wrenching is his account of losing one of his twin sons, an experience that finally taught him the true meaning of "life after grief" as his surviving twin and later-born son became living embodiments of finding purpose through pain.

This episode illuminates why Chris is uniquely qualified to help others navigate both the emotional and financial complexities of grief. His journey from repeated trauma to becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Certified Financial Transitionist® demonstrates how personal suffering can transform into professional purpose. Whether you're currently walking through grief or supporting someone who is, Chris's story offers both validation and hope that there is indeed life waiting on the other side of profound loss.

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