Grief and Coaching: How to Support Clients Through Loss, Change and Life Transitions

“Your client isn’t failing. Their brain is overwhelmed. Grief is not just emotional, it’s neurological. When you understand the brain, you stop misinterpreting your clients.” Dr. Teresa Angle-Young

In this episode of CoachConnect, Dr. Diego Salinas and Dr. Teresa Young, master certified coach and board-certified health and wellness coach, dig into one of the most under-addressed topics in coach training: grief and its role in every kind of change, transition, and behavior shift a client goes through.

Teresa opens with a reframe that sets the tone for the entire episode. Grief is not only about death. It shows up in a new diagnosis, a missed promotion, a restructuring, an empty nest, a divorce, even a wedding or the birth of a child. Any transition that disrupts identity, assumptions, or predictability involves grief, and coaching happens in that transition, not in the event itself.

She unpacks the Bridges Model of Transition and explains why skipping straight to goal-setting or forward momentum is one of the most common mistakes even well-trained coaches make. Before a client can move forward, they need to be met where they are. Capacity, she explains, is everything, and grief reduces it biologically, not characterologically.

Together, Diego and Teresa explore the full neurobiology of grief, from the amygdala treating loss like a survival threat, to the hippocampus disrupting memory and time, to dopamine and serotonin drops creating fatigue, brain fog, and low motivation. They also discuss the continuing bonds theory, why closure is a myth, when to refer clients out, and how coaches can pace the nervous system rather than push for insight before a client is ready.

They close with a look at Teresa’s new certification course designed to help coaches recognize underlying grief, including the grief that lives beneath ADHD, neurodivergence, and chronic illness, and hold their clients gently but professionally through it.

Dr. Teresa Angle-Young, MCC, NBC-HWC – Master Certified Coach, Grief Specialist & Leadership Coach

Teresa Young is a Master Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. Her coaching specialties span leadership development, emotional intelligence, positive intelligence, communication and public speaking, conflict strategies, change management, career transitions, team dynamics, flow states, well-being habits, and work-life balance. She has worked with veterans experiencing PTSD, survivors of abuse, and leaders navigating complex organizational change.

Coaching Work & Corporate Experience

Teresa coaches for Fortune 10 companies, supporting leaders and HR teams through restructuring, layoffs, promotions, and the grief that underlies all of it. She has been brought in by national HR organizations in both Canada and the United States to speak on how organizations mismanage employees with ADHD, spectrum disorders, and other neurodiverse processing styles along with the grief those professionals carry as a result.

Grief and Coaching Certification

Teresa has developed a certification course on grief and coaching, designed to help coaches recognize underlying grief in clients across all coaching contexts, understand the neurobiology behind it, and hold space for it professionally without crossing into therapy. The course results in a certification and badge and is particularly relevant for health coaches, leadership coaches, and anyone working with clients navigating major life transitions.

Dr. Diego Salinas is the host of CoachConnect.

Dr. Diego Salinas is a neuroscientist, physician, and health coach. He is passionate about helping coaches grow their impact in the health and wellness space.

As the co-founder of Vibly, he equips coaches with the tools and support to build thriving practices and create lasting change.

Blending medical expertise with coaching experience, Dr. Salinas specializes in behavior change, mental well-being, and the role of coaching in healthcare. On CoachConnect, he explores the strategies and successes of top coaches, sharing actionable insights. A strong advocate for coaching in healthcare, he speaks at industry events and works to make quality coaching more accessible.

CoachConnect with Dr. Diego Salinas is a podcast for coaches looking to grow their impact, refine their strategies, and navigate the evolving world of health and wellness coaching.

Dr. Diego Salinas has a question for coaches and coaching industry leaders: “What makes coaching a powerful force for change?” In this podcast series, he sits down with top coaching professionals to uncover their insights, strategies, and personal journeys.

Each episode of CoachConnect delivers real-world strategies, success stories, and expert perspectives on coaching, mental well-being, and business growth, helping coaches at all levels unlock their full potential.