“You’ve Got to Feel It to Heal It” The Grandpa Coach- Grief, Loneliness and Learning to Live Again.

What happens when the person you have shared almost your entire adult life with is suddenly gone—and you are left trying to work out who you are without them?

In this deeply honest episode of Real Unfiltered Dad Journeys, Steve sits down with Michael, a father, grandfather and widower who lost his wife, Neryl, after 44 years of marriage. Michael reflects on becoming a dad at 25, missing the birth of his first daughter because he was playing hockey, being known as the “bad cop” of the family and eventually becoming the grandfather affectionately known as Grumpy.

But the heart of this conversation is what happened after Neryl died.

Michael speaks openly about the first months of grief, the crushing silence of an empty home and why evenings remain the hardest part of his day. He shares how simple phone calls, late-night walks and ordinary conversations helped him survive—and why supporting someone through grief does not require perfect words or solutions. Sometimes, it simply means picking up the phone, listening and creating a safe place for them to talk.

Steve and Michael also explore why men often suppress their emotions, the fear of crying in front of others and the pressure to appear as though everything is under control. Together, they challenge the belief that strength means holding everything inside.

Michael also shares how losing Neryl took away his sense of purpose—and how he slowly began transforming that loss into a mission: helping other widowed men move beyond simply filling their days and begin building meaningful lives again with creation of The Grandpa Coach.

This is a raw conversation about fatherhood, marriage, grief, loneliness, identity and the small moments of joy that give us a reason to keep going.

Because sometimes healing does not begin with advice. It begins when someone stays, listens and allows you to finally lose it, if we allow oneself to.

Powerful quotes from this episode with Michael..

It’s okay to cry.”

“How do I control this so I don’t look or sound like I’m losing it, when, in fact, I am?”

“If we do let ourselves go and lose it, then we’d be better off.”

“I didn’t like you very much… I changed my mind. I got to know you.”

“I think I’m finding myself.”

“Since Narelle died, I’ve gradually moved into a world of helping widowed men live a better life.”

“Get on the phone and have a chat to them—not necessarily expressing your condolences, but just chatting.”

“I don’t want to say they’re in a better place now, because that doesn’t help.”

“Wasn’t it great that I had the opportunity to spend my life with Narelle? She gave me the gift of her.”

“Every man who has become widowed deserves to live the rest of his life as the best it can be.”

RISE Framework | The Grandpa Coach

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