The Grief Sessions #5: Honoring Our Losses and the Life Force Within with Dr. Ken Druck
“Sometimes in the beginning of grief we feel like ‘How dare I continue? How dare I go on with life when someone I love is not able to? How dare I ever experience joy again?’ And yet writing new chapters of life is what they would wish for us. It’s a way of taking them with us.”
In this last episode of the Grief Sessions, Susan talks with Dr Ken Druck, an author and pioneer of helping people become more resilient and courageous, particularly after the loss of a loved one. Ken talks with us about his own journey of embracing life after the loss of his beloved daughter, his own work and what he calls the “six honorings,” and how to become more compassionate and resilient while facing the challenges of today’s world.
Meet This Episode's Guest
Ken Druck
Dr. Ken Druck is an authority on courageous living and author of the new book “Raising an Aging Parent: Guidelines for Families in the Second Half of Life.” A best-selling author and mental health expert, he has spent four decades helping people grow more courageous, compassionate, and resilient through even the most severe adversity, tragedy, and loss. His pioneering work in psychology over the past 40 years has included Executive Coaching/Consulting, Visionary Leadership, The Psychology of Men, Parent Effectiveness, Healing After Loss, Resilience and, most recently, Courageous Aging, the title of his previous bestselling book.
Featured regularly in national and international news, including CNN, Huffington Post, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Druck has shaped our worldview of what it means to live honorably, courageously, purposefully, and fully. He is widely recognized as a lifeline to the countless thousands of individuals, families, communities, and organizations he's helped. His body of work, including the founding of The Jenna Druck Center to honor the life and spirit of his daughter, set a new standard of bereavement care and healing following tragedies like 9/11, Columbine, Katrina, and Sandy Hook. He was awarded the "Distinguished Contribution to Psychology" and "Visionary Leadership" awards for his community service and lifetime achievements.
Dr. Druck holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Institute and a bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University. He is a rock drummer who has jammed with bands including Blue Oyster Cult, as well as a lifelong athlete who played soccer on the US Team in the Senior Olympics and was named "All New England" in basketball and soccer in high school. Voted "Best of YPO" as a speaker, Dr. Druck was known as "Dr. Ken" on Oprah before there was a Dr. Phil. He started the nation's first Community Editorial Board for the San Diego Union Tribune, and trains his service/therapy dogs. A member of the prestigious Transformational Leadership Council, he is active in civil politics and in environmental causes through the Sierra Club and Torrey Pines Association. Dr. Druck is well recognized as a community leader in San Diego.
Dr. Druck lives and maintains a small coaching and consulting practice on the ocean in Del Mar, California, writing and speaking prolifically on the subjects he loves, working on community service and civility projects, and enjoying the quiet beauty of his life with his fiancé, Lisette, their four-legged boxer, Jack, and their family. Learn more at www.kendruck.com.
Photo Credit: Lisette Omoss