How has Brian D Smith's personal journey influenced his approach to discussing grief and identity?

My whole approach is built on my own story, so they’re completely intertwined.

I grew up terrified of death after my grandfather passed. That fear drove me, as an engineer by training, to study the afterlife for decades. So when my daughter Shayna passed at 15, I already had a framework: we’re souls first, humans second. That radically shapes how I talk about identity—you’re not just your body, your role, or your trauma.

Losing Shayna cracked my heart open. Instead of treating grief like a problem to fix, I see it as a transformative process and a deep expression of love. I help people integrate grief into their identity, not erase it—finding purpose, meaning, and continuing bonds with their loved ones.

What part of grief or identity are you wrestling with most right now?