Morgan Michele Brown shares how the grief and anger following the sudden death of her mother in 2012, motivated a new  curiosity about life and death, a desire to seek solutions and answers, and new ventures that now provide others with creative outlets for processing their own experiences with death and loss.

Interview with Morgan Michele Brown Part 2 of 2

Morgan Michele Brown is a writer, storyteller, photographer, and artist asking people to step into vulnerable spaces around connection, death, and the human experience. She’s been featured on KQED radio, the Women on the Road Podcast, and in Stories of Life-Changing Adventures on the Road and in the Wild, a book by She Explores. Her work has appeared in galleries and museums up and down the west coast of California including The California Academy of Sciences, The Museum of Art and History, and The Laundry.  When she’s not making stuff she cares about, she’s probably covered in grease from working on her 1970 VW van, or is making photos with her medium format film camera. Either way, she thinks you should probably read her favorite book, William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying.

You can find more on Morgan Brown at https://www.morganmichelebrown.com/ or follow her on IG  https://www.instagram.com/morganmichelebrown/

In this Therapists Uncut episode we talk about:            

Morgan describes the feeling of going from being “deep in the grieving” to being on a plane from Paris to China and experiencing a “light switch” that helped her understand “death is just a human experience” that we all experience at some point.

“Up until that time, it was all about me. All about my grief. My sadness. the death of my mom. Instead of looking outward and seeing, ‘oh, every single person experiences and will experience this.’ “ – Morgan Brown on death

How Morgan’s Creative Outlets Aided in the Grief and Healing Process

With the support of a friend, Morgan encountered a desire to provide opportunity for people to conversations about death, thus was born one of many project “Death Dialogue.” The purpose of Death Dialogue was to provide a dedicated space to start talking about death and dying.

Morgan also created “Conversations I Wish I had”, a pop-up phone booth where people have the opportunity to step inside a phone booth and have a conversation with someone they never got to have with someone who is no longer in their lives.

Morgan Michele Brown shares her experience of

• How “Conversations I Wish I Had” evolved and the many places the infamous phone booth has since traveled to
• What inspired Morgan’s desire to create something that allowed people to have closure around the loss of someone or something in important
• Creating “A Different Kind of Mother’s Day”, what inspired this project and who it is intended help

“Mother’s Day sucks. There are so many people are left out of this cookie cutter Hallmark narrative of mother’s day, so what do we do for them?” – Morgan on A Different Kind of Mother’s Day

Morgan talks about how her own experience with death and anger sparked a genuine curiosity about connections, death, and dying. A curiosity that resulted in an ever evolving and humbling journey of creating outlets for others to feel heard, understood, and potentially experience closure around their personal experiences with death and grief.   

“I love therapy. I’ve been in it since my mom dies. I can’t imagine my life without it. . . But I can’t say therapy is for everyone. And so all of my projects are saying, ‘I love therapy and therapy i’s not the only way and what other ways can we process our grief and find closure and healing in this process.” – Morgan on processing grief    

Losing someone or something important to death or for any other reason is difficult and typically not something people choose to talk about. Morgan reminds us that despite the discomfort, death is a part of our human experience and it’s okay to talk about it and deal with it in whatever way makes most since for you. She reminds us that grief is very much an individual process and what “works for me may not work for you.” Morgan’s experience with death combined with her creativity and desire to help others in their personal grief and healing journeys, has resulted in several positive resources for someone who may struggling with their own grief.

Resources mentioned:

We’ve pulled together any resources mentioned in this episode and put together some links:

https://www.morganmichelebrown.com/

https://www.deathdialogue.com/

Who we are:

Nikki Young is co-host of Therapists Uncut and a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. Nikki keeps it personable. Nikki keeps it personable and professional. Yet, she always manages to keep the Therapists Uncut family and followers laughing. You may find her squirreling through topics, stories, or jokes, and all in good fun. Don’t worry because someone (usually Jolene) will bring her back around to the conversation. Nikki is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in her private practice located in Modesto, CA, and she is also a Crisis Junkie at heart. In addition to being co-owner of a group private practice, she is also a crisis clinician responding to local mental health crisis and emergencies. Learn more about Nikki at catalystcounselinginc.com

Alyssa Najera is co-host of Therapists Uncut and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Alyssa is typically calm and composed on most days, but often has difficulty containing her excitement about the little things in life. She can sometimes drift into daydreaming about the endless possibilities in life and usually the last one of the group to understand Nikki and Jolene’s punchlines.  She loves to laugh, spread positivity, and is often caught with a smile on her face. Alyssa is also a Child Welfare Services (CWS) social worker and supervisor alumni, previous child sexual abuse forensic interviewer, and owner and CEO of a group private practice in the small town of Oakdale, CA. Learn more about Alyssa at smalltowncounselingca.com or alyssanajera.com.

Jolene Daly is co-host of Therapists Uncut and a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. Jolene is a seasoned therapist and private practice owner. She grew up in the Turlock, CA and Modesto, CA area most of her adult life and has been married to her comedian of a husband Jason for 20 years.  She is a genuine, authentic person with a bold personality. You’ll often catch Jolene challenging our listeners and her fellow co-hosts, as she is passionate about her personal and professional values and is vocal when it comes to speaking out for what’s right. Learn more about Jolene at dalymft.com.

Disclaimer:

Thank you for joining Therapists Uncut, a production of AMP Smart Business. To learn more about Therapists Uncut and stay up on upcoming episodes, please subscribe and follow us on social media. As a reminder, although the Therapists Uncut co-hosts are licensed therapists, they are not your therapist. This podcast is not intended to substitute professional mental health counseling. If you need professional therapy, please contact your local provider or primary care provider.  Thanks for listening and we’ll see you on the next episode of Therapists Uncut!

Social Media Links

Instagram @therapistsuncut

Facebook @therapistsuncut

Credits:

Therapists Uncut is a production of AMP Smart Business.

Voice Over by Alexia Gloria