How we Began, why we continue
We want to change the way Americans deal with grief.
Our mission is to recognize, respect, and reconnect the grieving.
For the last two decades, Leslie Barber has either run her own business or supported entrepreneurs running theirs at Intuit QuickBooks. On June 21, 2015 all of that changed.
That summer solstice morning, Leslie's husband Steve died. The longest day of the year became the worst day of her life.
Living through this grief, Leslie came to realize that grievers are not treated the same as they were before the death of their loved one. Very few people knew what to say or do for her. Their instincts were kind - they wanted to help, but their approach was misguided. Sympathizers would try to fix her, cheer her up, or sometimes they would disappear from her life completely.
What felt normal to say to those grieving before experiencing her own loss, now made her skin crawl. It felt insensitive, invalidating, and sometimes awkward. She learned first-hand the intensity of grief and the lack of understanding from our culture and corporations.
Leslie launched Grief Warrior to bring recognition, respect, and reconnection to the grieving.
Thank you for joining us on this journey to change how we view and deal with grief.
condolances
A heart is not perfect but its sentiments are heartfelt.
Condolence and sympathy gifts are hard to get right. In 2015, the husband of our founder died. Many types of condolences came to Leslie's door. Cards, flowers, edible bouquets all came with good intentions but caused work to dispose of. At that dark moment, it was not what Leslie needed.
As Leslie moved through her grief, she took note of items that helped her, items that brought solace and comfort. As part of her need to support others in grief she created the Heartfelt Sympathy Box.
This gift from empathizers to grievers contains items handpicked by Leslie, an expert in grief, in hopes that they bring consolation and relief to the people you love, in this, their time of despair.
