About Living Forward
Where grief meets wellbeing.
My work is grounded in the belief that grief and wellbeing can exist alongside one another. We do not have to choose between honoring our loss and cultivating a life that continues to hold meaning, purpose, connection, and moments of joy.
This perspective was shaped through my graduate studies in Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where I explored the science of resilience, wellbeing, meaning-making, and human flourishing. Alongside helping us better understand grief, this field asks an additional question: What helps people adapt and live well, even in the face of profound adversity?
For me, this is not about minimizing grief or encouraging people to “stay positive.” It is about understanding the evidence-based practices that help us navigate life’s greatest challenges with greater resilience, self-compassion, psychological flexibility, and hope. Together, we explore practices that support wellbeing while honoring the reality of loss—and learn to notice the moments that quietly sustain us: beauty, connection, awe, gratitude, and the everyday experiences that remind us life can still hold meaning.
Holly Holbrook, MSW, MAPP
Hi, I’m Holly
My path to this work was shaped by profound loss.
My own journey includes the loss of my first husband and my oldest son. Those experiences reshaped my world in ways I never could have imagined. Our culture often views grief as a process we move through and eventually leave behind. But that has not been my experience. Grief stays.
Over time, I began to understand it differently—not as something to fix, but as a reflection of how deeply we continue to love in the presence of absence. As I learned to navigate a life that felt completely different from the one I had known, I found myself searching for ways to carry grief while still remaining connected to life itself.
That search eventually became both a personal journey and the foundation of the work I do today. In addition to my Master’s program, I became a certified grief educator, yoga teacher, and trained in mindfulness-based strengths practices. While formal study has deepened my understanding, much of what I know has come from lived experience, community, and years spent exploring what it means to live well while carrying loss.
Training and credentials
