Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristy Boike
Hi Kristy , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I lost my mother to cancer and struggled watching my father process his grief. She had just turned 60 and they were just starting to talk retirement. Nobody is ever ready for heartbreak like that. Out of a panicked feeling without her, he started building bluebird houses in her memory needing one last connection to her. I made a listing for them on Facebook marketplace and it quickly went viral. We uncovered a need for community in grief through our story.
With the thousands of message I recieved from people Interested in purchasing bluebird houses but also just wanting to share their stories and their grief, it light a passion for me to put a little comfort and hope in this space not only for my own family but for the thousands of others reaching out for connection and wanting to share their stories. I started writing “Rise Up, Little Bluebirds” for my children seeing the way they were struggling with their emotions through grief. I shared a few stanzas of the book with the community we created and a go fund me was made to published the book putting it out into the world instead of just spiral bounding it for my own family. It speaks of the many ways people experience grief and how love is ultimately what we get to hold onto in the end. Especially in today’s day and age, we need more of what brings us together. We will all experience grief in our lives and how beautiful is it to be able to have a book like this to help families, teachers, caregivers and community organizations to explain loss and how it affects a family.
I now do grief speaks and book signings normalizing conversations about grief and loss and the big emotions surrounding it. It continues to be such a blessing to be able to put a little comfort for others into a space that is just so difficult to maneuver. Being able to take such a devastating experience for my family and turning it into something that can be used to help others through grief helps me feel the love my mother embodied in her life. Even after death, her love is continuing to make a difference and I’m so thankful to be able to continue to feel that through this work.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a self published author, it continues to be a struggle to get the book into more places where it can reach more people and help make an impact.
Traditionally published authors seem to have more of a leg up being accepted into stores and shops easily.
Being self published has been very difficult with visibility.
The thing I heard the most from the people we were connecting with was that there just wasn’t enough out there in regards to support surrounding grief. There is such a need for community in grief and we’re all just a little less alone when we help eachother through. Losing my mother uncovered such a passion for me to normalize conversations surrounding grief and adversity in life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have a background in early childhood education and knew from a young age that I wanted to make a difference and focus my heart and my life’s work into supporting youth and their families.
It wasn’t until my mother died that I discovered this passion for grief work.
Seeing the way my own children struggled through their grief and the way it affected my family light a fire in me to make a difference in this space.
Our healing process was catapulted forward by the community we built through the birdhouses. Sharing stories and talking about grief experiences and offering support to others who stand where we stood is such a powerful experience. Especially given all we are going through as a society in today’s day and age, we need more unification, more of what brings us together. Love is what we get to hold onto. We’re all just a little less alone when we help eachother through.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Being open and honest about struggles and authentic about your hearts passions helps you find like minded people who can share your passions. What worked well was just opening my heart to others and offering comfort with the comfort I received. When you lead with passion from your heart and speak with experience and understanding of your own journey, people helping people is what helps us all through.
I think the beauty of our journey was the authenticity of it all. Organically sharing how grief devastated our family made it easier for other people to share their experiences. There is no discrimination with regard to grief, we will all experience it at some point in our lives. We are all united in love and loss
Pricing:
- You can find copies of “Rise Up, Little Bluebirds” though my website riseuplittlebluebirds.com
- Social media platforms include Instagram and Facebook pages as well as “rise up bluebird grief support group”
- Speaking engagements, book signings and workshops surround grief are available and can be requested through my website
- Personalized copies are available as informational books, memorial gifts and grief support
- Copies are $19.99 plus shipping and tax
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Riseuplittlebluebirds.com
- Instagram: Riseuplittlebluebirds
- Facebook: Riseuplittlebluebirds
