Philadelphia woman aims to change how workplaces handle grief with coaching, conversations

Sunday is National Grief Awareness Day, loss being an inevitable part of life. 

A Philadelphia woman wants to change how bereavement is handled in the workplace to encourage more empathy.

Sarah Kagan was inspired to act following her experience when her mom died. 

"My mom was my absolute best friend, champion. She is incredible," she said. 

And it was an incredible loss when her mom died from pancreatic cancer two and a half years ago. 

"Devastating, devastating," Kagan said.

And then there was another blow when she went back to work after five days of bereavement with no support or sympathy, she said. 

"Not a note, not a card, nothing," she said. 

And when she was expected to quickly bounce back to being happy and productive, she realized: "The conversation around grief at work needs to change. … One in nine employees are grieving at any given time, and two-thirds of them don't talk about it because it's just stigmatized in the workplace."

Kagan is aiming to change that with her company called Keriah Grief Coaching.

"We are making it safer for individuals to grieve at work," she said.

She's coaching businesses about the importance of acknowledging grief and embracing feelings. 

"Be willing to have the conversation … and stop asking what's wrong with you and instead remember what happened to you," Kagan said.

She said dealing with grief will help make employees feel more supported, improve morale and increase productivity.

In addition to doing workshops, she has various tools to help people understand helpful ways to deal with grief. 

The new business inspired by the loss of her mom would no doubt make her very proud.