Grieving Hearts
5 Talks & Workshops
Crafted for: Women’s Groups, Grief Support Organisations, Bereavement Groups, Pastoral Care Groups, Hospice and Pallative Care workers
Find honest companionship through the valley of loss with talks that offer permission to grieve at your own pace, practical tools for unwrapping grief layer by layer, and hope that doesn't deny the pain but shows you how to keep dancing anyway.
When Letting Go Feels Impossible: Learning to surrender with grace when you can’t control the outcome
The Gift No One Wants: Unwrapping grief layer by layer to discover unexpected treasures
When You Can’t Fix It: Finding peace in presence over solutions
The Courage to Do Life Afraid: Dancing with fear instead of fighting it
Building Bridges from Your Brokenness:
How your pain can become your purpose
When grief meets grace: speaking topics that transform loss into hope
Perfect For:
Grief support groups & bereavement ministries
Healthcare conferences & chaplaincy training
Women’s retreats & faith communities
Cancer support organizations
Mental health & wellness events
Caregiver conferences
Explore speaking topics
Each of these 5 talks are designed to be short 20 minute talks or 60min workshops - great for anyone that craves honest, authentic guidance that doesn’t minimise pain or rush healing.
Talk/Workshop 1
"When Letting Go Feels Impossible: Learning to Surrender with Grace"
Every parent, caregiver, and loving heart eventually faces the unbearable question: What happens when you must surrender control of someone you love? Join chaplain and author Raewyn Elsegood as she shares the profound lessons her daughter Amy taught her about the difference between giving up and giving over. Through vulnerable storytelling from Amy's seven-month battle with Severe Aplastic Anemia, Raewyn reveals her "doorway ritual" that transformed anxiety into presence, and the life-changing vision that showed her God wasn't absent from her darkest moment—He was underneath her, holding her up. Whether you're caring for someone with terminal illness, watching a loved one make choices you can't control, or grieving a loss you never wanted to accept, this talk teaches that letting go doesn't mean losing love—it means trusting you're both being held.
Talk/Workshop 2
"The Gift No One Wants: Learning to Unwrap Grief with Courage"
Grief arrives at our door like a package we never ordered—and everything in us wants to shove it in a closet unopened. In this honest and hope-filled talk, Raewyn Elsegood shares how her 19-year-old daughter Amy taught her to unwrap grief layer by careful layer, discovering unexpected gifts hidden beneath the pain. Drawing from her dual perspective as both grieving mother and trained chaplain, Raewyn guides audiences through grief's actual layers—from the protective wrapping of shock, through the messy middle of anger and confusion, to the precious contents of love, meaning, and purpose waiting at the center. This talk offers permission to go slowly, practical rituals for the unwrapping process, and the revolutionary understanding that grief isn't a burden to endure but a sacred gift that, when opened with courage, reveals life itself.
Talk/Workshop 3
"When You Can’t Fix It: Finding Peace in Presence Over Solutions"
In a culture obsessed with solutions, what do we do when we love someone whose situation simply can't be fixed? Raewyn Elsegood thought she had all the answers as a seasoned chaplain—until her daughter Amy's devastating diagnosis stripped away every professional tool and left her in the most painful paradox of love: caring deeply for someone she couldn't help. In this transformative talk, Raewyn shares how her 18-year-old daughter set a boundary that changed everything: "Mama, don't visit me wearing that worried face. I need you to just be here." Through stories of presence over problem-solving, Raewyn reveals her "doorway ritual" for releasing the need to fix, and why the ministry of presence is actually harder—and more powerful—than offering solutions. What if showing up without an agenda is the most loving thing you'll ever do?
Talk/Workshop 4
"The Courage to Do Life Afraid: Dancing with Fear Instead of Fighting It"
What if courage isn't about conquering fear, but about learning to dance with it as your partner? In this empowering talk, Raewyn Elsegood shares how her daughter Amy—an anxious child who became an elite dancer—faced her greatest fear with trembling courage, teaching everyone that bravery isn't the absence of fear but the choice to move forward with fear by your side. Drawing from Amy's seven-month battle with Severe Aplastic Anemia and Raewyn's own journey from paralyzed terror to purposeful action, this talk reveals practical strategies for "doing life afraid": naming fears to rob them of power, creating boundaries, finding sacred anchors, and discovering that faith doesn't erase fear—it just changes who's leading the dance. You'll leave with permission to feel afraid and move forward anyway, and the liberating truth that you don't have to wait until you're not scared to start living again.
Talk/Workshop 5
"Building Bridges from Your Brokenness: How Your Pain Can Become Your Purpose"
Standing on the edge of grief's canyon, unable to see a way forward, Raewyn Elsegood heard her daughter Amy's voice echo from heaven: "Mama, you can write about me." What began as bleeding words onto journal pages became a bridge that now helps thousands cross their own impossible distances—proof that our deepest pain can become our most powerful purpose. In this inspiring talk, Raewyn shares how Amy passed her a baton the day she "danced into heaven," and how picking it up gave her purpose when she thought purpose was gone forever. She walks you through the five stages of building bridges from brokenness, demonstrating that legacy isn't just remembering someone—it's letting their impact continue expanding, touching lives, and building bridges for others still stuck on the edge of their canyons.
Explore more speaking pathways
Fors Caregivers, Chaplains & Counsellors
Navigate the sacred intersection of personal grief and professional calling with practical frameworks for supporting others while honoring your own wounds, including the DANCE model and strategies for sustainable, authentic ministry..
For General Audience
Discover how to live with courage, purpose, and grace through life's unexpected challenges—drawing wisdom from stories of loss transformed into universal lessons about presence, connection, and choosing meaning over circumstances.
Book Raewyn
I provide grief support, memorial talks, and workshops for individuals and communities navigating loss, inspirational talks for women's groups, and professional development for chaplains and caregivers through training, podcasts, and panels. Please select the pathway that best fits your need.
Raewyn Elsegood | Sydney, Australia