Episode 20: Choosing Courage Through Grief and Loss

In this episode of Courage is Built Here, Justine opens Pathway Five, Do the Work, with an honest conversation about grief, loss, courage, and the ongoing work of choosing how to live after heartbreak. She invites Leslie Weirich to share how deep personal loss shaped her story and led her into work that helps others hold on in some of their darkest moments.

Leslie talks about losing her son Austin to suicide and how that experience became part of a much larger calling to speak, serve, and advocate for mental health and suicide prevention. She shares how she began working with the military, speaking with soldiers about impulsivity, pain, relationships, and the need for tangible tools and real connection. She also reflects on other losses she has lived through, the challenge of telling the full story, and the sacred conversations that happen after she speaks, when others find the courage to step forward and tell the truth about their own pain.

Together, Justine and Leslie explore how courage often moves ahead of us, how harmful narratives can keep people stuck, and why doing the next thing next can be a lifeline in grief. They also talk about the power of capturing destructive thoughts, allowing courage to interrupt fear, and creating more connection through volunteerism and mentorship. Throughout the episode, they return to the truth that courage is not about perfection or certainty, but about continuing to choose the next faithful step, even when the road is hard.

Key Takeaways

• Pathway Five, Do the Work, is about living into courage as a process, not a destination or perfection.
• Courage often steps out in front of you before you have a chance to catch up with it.
• After losing her son Austin to suicide, Leslie began using her story to support mental health and suicide prevention, especially with young men in the military.
• Saying yes before overthinking it led her into meaningful work on military bases including Fort Bliss, Fort Cavazos, West Point, and Alaska.
• Leslie’s message to soldiers is that even in deep darkness, they are there for a reason and can learn how to hold on.
• Capturing harmful thoughts and refusing to give old lies and narratives more space.
• Courage and grief have taught her to do the next thing next.
• Some of the most powerful moments in her work happen after she finishes speaking, when others feel safe enough to share their own stories.
• Volunteerism and mentorship are named as practical ways to build connection and support mental health.
• Focusing on helping people reconnect through a project centered on doing something and serving others through volunteerism.

About the guest

Leslie Weirich is a grief speaker, advocate, and author. In this episode, she shares that after losing her son Austin to suicide, she began speaking and working in suicide prevention, especially with young men in the military. She talks about using her story to help others find hope, tell the truth about their pain, and hold on through hard seasons by choosing courage, connection, and the next right step.

Connect with Leslie

• Website: https://leslieshope.org/