For years, I believed that keeping my sadness alive was the only way to stay loyal to the person I lost. I thought happiness meant forgetting — and forgetting meant betrayal. But grief doesn’t want your punishment; it wants your peace.

In this vulnerable episode, I open up about how guilt quietly shaped my relationships, my self-worth, and the way I allowed myself to be loved. I share the moment I finally stopped punishing myself for surviving my best friend — and how that healing made room for a new kind of love, one rooted in safety, gentleness, and grace.