Why Choosing Text Was The Best Decision I Could Have Made For Grievers

When I first chose text messaging as the vehicle I'd use to build a global grief support platform, I thought it would be my MVP - something I could fund off the side of my desk while keeping my tech job. Text, I thought, was affordable, scalable, and nearly ubiquitous. Flash forward 10 years and I believe my decision to build a text messaging platform was the best decision I could possibly have made. I've learned a lot about the technology, psychology, neuroscience, and impact of text as a mental health intervention. Other technologies come and go, but everyone still loves text messages. Here's why.

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What is Thanatology

Among the million things I (embarrassingly) didn't know in 2016 when I started working on Help Texts (we were called Grief Coach back then), is that there's an incredible field of study called Thanatology, and that the world is full of (IMO undervalued) Thanatologists who make the end of life experience better. Much better.

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5 Strategic Reasons Your Donation Organization Should Implement Help Texts for Donor Family Aftercare

After the complex logistics of organ, tissue, or eye donation, donor families begin their grief journey, often with limited ongoing support. As donation leaders face increasing pressure to provide comprehensive aftercare while managing tight budgets and staff resources, Help Texts offers a proven solution that transforms your aftercare program's reach, effectiveness, and cost efficiency.

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Grief is a Public Health Emergency

Grieving people are everywhere. Support isn’t. It’s time for that to change. We’re asking healthcare systems, policymakers, and funders to stop treating grief like a footnote. Unlike with other public health issues, such as obesity, we know the exact moment when someone becomes bereaved. We know when a death is registered, when a funeral home files paperwork, when Social Security or the IRS reaches out. Vital Records Offices, coroners, and medical examiners all play a role after someone dies. But where’s the grief support?

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Locks of Legacy 2025

Two weeks ago I had the honor of traveling to Sacramento, to speak with 400 family members whose loved ones died last year. In their deep grief they decided that their loved ones would become tissue and organ donors.

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I Didn’t Believe This Was Possible. My Professional Journey from Seasoned Skeptic to Passionate Believer in Grief-Informed Texting.

As someone who had been providing direct care for many years at that point, I was really skeptical. You might say that my protective "mama bear" came out, and I immediately scoffed at the idea that people could feel supported by simple text messages, especially considering my years of sitting with people in their darkest moments.

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Supporting families through loss: The need for bereavement care in fertility treatment

For the millions of intended parents pursuing fertility treatment, the journey toward parenthood often involves hope and anticipation but also profound loss and grief. While fertility clinics excel at providing medical interventions to help families conceive, many fall short in addressing the emotional aftermath when treatments don't succeed or pregnancies end in loss. Fertility clinics that recognize the inherent risk of disappointment and bereavement, and make it a priority to support their patients’ complete well-being with ongoing support, build trust with families, and optimize treatment outcomes, too. 

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