The Debrief: Grief, Grit, and Choosing to Keep Going
Life is fragile, life is full and love is what lasts
This week was heavy. My grandmother passed away.
She’d been sick for a while, but knowing doesn’t make it easier when it happens. I’m not someone who often shares grief — most people who know me would never even know this happened. My way of processing is inward: silence, prayer, reading, and holding onto memories quietly.
But this week reminded me: life is fragile. Time is short. And what we do with it — who we love, how we build, what we leave behind — matters more than we often let ourselves admit.
The Grit You Don’t Always See
On the podcast this week, I spoke with Mayssa Chehata, founder of Behave Candy.
Until I personally knew her, I never would’ve guessed the pain she carried: divorce, family addiction struggles, credit card debt, near burnout — and yet she fought through every battle, personal and professional, and kept building.
Behave exists today because she refused to stop. Because she trusted something deeper than fear and chose to keep going when most would have quit.
“Something told me not yet,” she said about the moments she almost walked away. “I trusted that voice.”
That’s grit. The quiet kind you don’t see on Instagram. The kind you don’t even recognize until someone lets you in on the battles they fought to still be standing.
What This Week Taught Me
We all carry something unseen. Everyone is fighting battles we don’t know about. Be kind, even when you don’t understand someone’s silence.
Grit doesn’t always look loud. Sometimes it’s choosing to show up one more day.
Don’t wait. Make the call. Take the trip. Read the book. Say “I love you.” Life isn’t endless.
This week I gave myself grace for the missed 6 a.m. workouts. I moved when I could, not when I planned. I read books that gave me quiet. I called the people who matter to me.
Mayssa’s story reminded me of this: you don’t have to look like you’re winning to actually be winning. Sometimes, survival is the win.
Current Reads
E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber
Believe It by Jamie Kern Lima
Your Takeaway
If you’re carrying something heavy right now, you’re not alone. Keep going — even if all you can manage today is one small step forward.