Kathi Balasek - Becoming Grief Literate

This week on Standard Deviations with Dr. Daniel Crosby, Dr. Crosby is joined by Kathi Balasek. Kathi Balasek is an educator, grief literacy & empathy communication coach, corporate consultant, university lecturer, speaker, podcast host, and widow advocate. She teaches professionals how to improve their grief literacy communication skills to best serve bereaved clients. Experiencing the financial uniqueness of widowhood first hand, she learned that the relationship between professionals and bereaved clients is pivotal. Combining her 25 years of teaching, coaching and personal experience, she created Grief Smart Advisor as a tool to help professionals retain, connect and support clients experiencing loss and grief. She is currently a lecturer at California State University, Chico in the Department of Communication and Education where she trains future teachers and athletic coaches. She has a passion for motivating leaders to develop communication skills that engage and connect.