117: Sisters in Loss with Erica McAfee

Infertility, pregnancy loss, infant and maternal mortality----none of these are topics that we enjoy talking about, but the number of women and families affected by these obstacles is astounding. For African-American women, there is a stigma attached to these issues, and the compounding problem of their voices not being heard.Today’s show addresses these topics and more in honor of October being Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.   Erica McAfee is the founder of Sisters in Loss, LLC, a faith-based grief and pregnancy loss coaching company that helps black women turn their pain into purpose after loss.   Sisters in Loss provides consulting and coaching services to help women step beyond anxiety and fear into trust and peace after loss. The Sisters In Loss goal through courses, retreats, and conferences is to help women minimize regrets, maximize memories, and manage their path forward after loss. Their self-titled podcast spotlights faith-filled black women who share miscarriage, infant loss, and infertility stories and testimonies to heal, gain clarity and peace, find hope, and become victorious after loss. Launched in August 2017, the podcast has a community of 5000+ Sisters in Loss.   Erica is a Grief and Pregnancy Loss coach, pastor’s wife, and Mom to two angels in heaven and one rainbow baby, Maxwell, also known as Super Mighty Max. She is an alumnus of Virginia Commonwealth University where she earned a BS degree in Chemical Engineering.   Show Highlights:   How Erica found podcasts a few years ago when she had a long commute to work each day, but she couldn’t find one that told the stories that aligned with what she and her friends had experienced with traumatic loss The year-old podcast shares weekly stories of real women of color and how faith helps them gain clarity, peace, and learning Erica’s coaching work with those still early in their loss experience or those in pregnancy after loss How loss affects everyone around you How the podcast helps African-American women know what questions to ask their medical professionals, no matter where they are in their journey to parenthood The example set by celebrities recently who have shared their pregnancy and birth stories The power of storytelling in healing the pain of loss How the podcast helps support women through the grieving process by building a community Seeing success stories of others helps people in their personal experiences How Erica and her guests share their faith on the podcast and the role faith plays in the journey to healing How the podcast gives scripture, tools, and resources for support How some people going through loss cling to faith and others push it away Sometimes the grieving process isn’t “over and done” and we tend to shove those feelings down because we feel guilty holding onto them What we should know about supporting women of color through loss: Maternal and infant mortality is an issue that African-American women face 3-4 times more than other races Why black women are not taken seriously by their medical providers and their voices aren’t being heard Erica’s message to friends and family of those who have lost: Continue to check on loved ones who have gone through loss, because they may have deep, dark moments. Be a listening ear for your loved ones. How healing requires you to do the work   Resources:   Find Erica and Sisters in Loss: www.ericammcafee.com www.ericammcafee.com/podcast www.sistersinloss.com www.instagram.com/ericammcafee www.facebook.com/ericammcafee’   https://www.ericammcafee.com/summit Find out about Erica’s free healing and prayer summit, Oct. 15-19   Therapy for Black Girls, a podcast by Dr. Joy Harden Bradford