“Grief Isn't Like the Movies”: The Stigma of Grief with Lissie Harper MBE

Lissie Harper began a campaign after her husband, who she had married just four weeks earlier, was killed on duty in Berkshire in August 2019. Three people were convicted of manslaughter but cleared of murder. Lissie used her profound grief and determination for justice and campaigned for legal changes – named Harper’s Law. With the support of the UK Government and Police Federation, Harpers Law was passed, which legislates the extension of mandatory life sentences to anyone who commits the manslaughter of an emergency worker, and unlawful killing of those on duty. In recognition of her efforts in introducing Harper’s Law, Lissie has been awarded an MBE, in the King’s New Year’s Honours List. Now, Lissie is moving forward with her life away from her public profile as a formidable campaigner. And notably, Lissie is an inspirational role model, on how our darkest days can become the incentive to live life to the fullest. With her love of nature, Lissie is an avid artist producing beautiful pieces as the creator of her business, The Print Bee. And notably, Lissie is an inspirational role model for anyone on how pain can be repurposed, and as my dear friend, I am in awe of her daily.

Episode Description

Grief is something we all fear. We cannot prepare for grief; the unravelling of loss, trauma, or how to co-exist with grief to ultimately “move on”. Understandably, death will impact us all and whilst we can comprehend the practicalities involved with the grieving process, as a society, we remain so reluctant to openly talk about it. In this episode, we delve into the day where Lissie heard the words she never wanted to hear, how grief remains so “hush hush, what the power of grief can do to fuel positive change, and why re-finding love as a widow or widower can be the fairest gift of them all.

Topics:

In this episode, Ally and Lissie discuss:

• The moment Lissie discovered that the love of her life had been killed
• How a wrongful verdict triggered her to change the UK law
• Manoeuvring her grief to fit societal ideals
• Why searching for love is not a betrayal
• The ways we can hold grief kindly, without judgement or weirdness
• The art of reinvention through loss, grief, and hope
• Why the power of truth can prevent pain, no matter what
• Why ‘grief tourists’ need to check in with themselves!

Follow:

You can find Lissie on Instagram @lissieharpermbe via her website The Print Bee.

If you love this episode, please share and leave a review — let’s smoke out stigma and make truth-telling the next biggest trend.

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