We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennica Klemann a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jennica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I’ve been a Massage Therapist for over 25 years and a Grief Coach for 5 years, but I first started my grief work “journey” when I began offering a Grief Massage on my menu back in 2004.

Most of my clients were retirees and I noticed that they were experiencing the loss of their parents, spouses, siblings, and friends. I felt they needed a space to focus on their mental health outside of their routine treatments, and that deep tissue massage was not what they needed during those significant life events.
A massage that was framed around grief enabled them to just relax and feel safe if they got emotional because they were prepared for that ahead of time.

I never thought grief would be something I would eventually specialize in because it’s intense and it can be scary, I didn’t know how to process my own losses, in fact, I was afraid of grief!
And THAT’S the reason I embraced it. Because of my fear.

Jennica, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

It would be 10 years before I was first introduced to grief recovery work.

I started my own massage practice in 2011, but it wasn’t until 2014 that I was introduced to a local grief facilitator. I shared with her that I was offering Grief Massage to my clients which she thought was wonderful and necessary. I was hoping to network with her and cross-refer our clients. She agreed that we would be a great connection for each other…but before she would refer her clients to me, she asked me to attend her 8-week grief workshop to learn more about her process. She was concerned that if I didn’t know how she worked with her clients, I could be potentially counterproductive in their healing.
I accepted, with the misconception that I would be observing from the “sidelines”. No, I would be doing my OWN grief work right along with everyone else! This realization terrified me.
Little did I know that after just 8 weeks, my life would be changed forever and I was set on the path I’m on now.

I became a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist through the Grief Recovery Institute in 2019, and Advanced Certified in 2020. This training allows me to work with grievers one-on-one or in groups either in person or online anywhere in the Country. The Grief Recovery Method has been around for over 40 years, it’s the ONLY documented grief support system that is evidence-based, and it’s practiced all over the world.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Knowing what I know now, I understand why I needed to experience the work before I could receive referrals. For example, there are common myths that people associate with loss. They are like cliches that people usually fall back on when they don’t know what else to say…”give it time”, “be strong”, “replace the loss”, “grieve alone”, “don’t feel bad”, and “keep busy”.

My myth was “time heals”. I was able to learn that time is subjective and different for everyone, and it can even depend on your relationship with your loss. I thought if you held on to pain, then you were keeping your loved one’s memory close. I learned that you don’t have to be in pain to hold on to love or the memories you have & that was a huge revelation for me.

I definitely would not have known to avoid those misconceptions with clients. I could have caused someone to put their guard up or even cause them to be offended. So I’m glad I went through the process as her grief client to better serve my massage clients. Sometimes you have to experience things for yourself in order to provide the best possible service to others.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

One of the things I think is SO important, regardless of the industry that you’re in, is being an effective listener. I was already used to listening to my massage clients, because what else was I going to do for an hour or more? I loved that part of my job, I never got tired of listening to people’s stories. But as a business owner, and now venturing into a new career, I’ve realized that listening to people and asking questions in a way that allows them to explore their own thoughts and feelings is a craft on its own.

There are a few books that really helped me refine my listening and conversation skills, one is “Listen Like You Mean It: Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection” by Ximena Vengoechea, “You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters” by Kate Murphy, and “How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide” by Peter Boghossian & James Lindsay.

Being present & engaged while someone is talking is a skill that so many people aren’t able to do naturally. I highly recommend starting with those three books if you struggle with listening, holding a conversation, are socially awkward, or struggle with being an introvert.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.griefreliefwithjennica.solutions
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/griefreliefwithjennica
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griefreliefwjennica
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@griefreliefwithjennica
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/grief-relief-with-jennica-tucson

Image Credits
Evidence-Based Program seal, Grief Recovery Method logo, and the Grief Recovery Handbook are property of the Grief Recovery Institute