Feb 28

Feb 28 Liam Mulcahy, Good Grief

This week on the Heads 'N Tales podcast I interview Liam Mulcahy who is on the board at Good Grief, which is a New Jersey based organization that offers free bereavement services to families coping with the loss of a family member.

Good Grief provides FREE support to children, teens, and young adults after the death of a mom, dad, brother, or sister. Their programs help participants develop the coping skills they need now and for the future. Peer-support is highly effective because children and families learn they are not alone, learn from those going through something similar, and are given opportunities to express their feelings and share memories. At Good Grief and Heads 'N Tales, we know that a supportive community makes all the difference!

Liam organized a CrossFit Workout of the Day (WOD) at Guerrilla Fitness in Morristown, NJ that served as a fundraiser for Good Grief. The WOD was a partner workout, "I go, you go," for as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes : 7 Thrusters, 7 burpees and 7 box jumps. The significance of the rep scheme was inspired by the statistic that 1 and 7 kids will experience the loss of a Mom, Dad or sibling before the age of 20. Members of Guerrilla Fitness (Morristown) and athletes from nearby gyms raised close to $2000 for the event. Liam and I sat down for an interview after he completed this strenuous workout.

Liam was a colligate Track & Field athlete at Rutgers University so we talked about his transition to life after sports. For many athletes the end of a sports career can feel like the loss of a close family member or friend. Liam and I talk about ways to cope with this loss based on Good Grief's philosophy. During our conversation Liam said "now is the envy of all the dead". I felt that this was a great message for athletes transitioning to life after their sport or recovering from an injury because it could always be worse. We also talked about the importance of practicing gratitude as a tactic to improve happiness. In addition, Liam shares tales about a couple of concussions he suffered while playing sports in high school.

Want to learn more about Good Grief?