The gift of grief

the only way out is through

Online release coming soon in 2024

The gift of grief

the only way out is through

Expected online release in 2023

The only certain in this life is death

Our natural response to death is heartbreak and we express this through grief. Although we all enter this world grieving, our schools, work environments, communities, and families rarely teach us how to process our losses. We learn that mourning is wrong—which leads us to numb, avoid, and suppress our heartbreak.

One in five Americans is diagnosed with mental illness in any given year [1]. Suicide is the second most common cause of death in the US for youth aged 15-24 [2], and kills over 800,000 people a year globally [3] and 48,300 in the USA [4]. Drug overdose kills 81,000 in the USA annually [5]. The autoimmune epidemic affects 24 million people in the USA [6]. What is happening in our world?

Could this surge in mental health issues, suicide, and addiction be rooted in unprocessed grief? Are our addictions an attempt to shove down our sadness? Or is it possible that we mistake sorrow for depression? 

The Gift of Grief is a soul-stirring story about how young entrepreneur Joshua makes a decision that leads to his brother’s overdose. After facing deep grief for seven years, he embarks on a journey to understand the heartache he and his parents struggle with. His mission takes him from homelessness to uncovering his true purpose. 

The film follows his 10-year pursuit of interviewing grief and trauma experts to learn how to heal himself and others. On his journey, Joshua also leads men’s retreats and trains veterans & first responders to help remedy their loss and trauma. This empowering film will educate and inspire those who have suffered from grief—to unearth meaning and purpose from life’s most painful memories. 

“Grief is an expression of our love. To deny it is to deny our love.”

JOSHUA WENNER

the film maker

Joshua is an entrepreneur, veteran, filmmaker, and emotional resilience expert. He has spent the last 20 years growing companies and maximizing human potential—while affecting the lives of over 500,000 humans. He is the founder of Emotional Resilience Training (ERT) and co-founder of the K4 School of Menswork & Valor Warrior Resiliency Programs.

Joshua’s coaching, curriculum, and frameworks are being used to help high-achievers, successful entrepreneurs, men, first responders, veterans, and those who deal with extreme stress and trauma. He teaches emotional resilience tools to help people navigate challenging situations and achieve meaningful results.

In his 1:1 and group coaching, Joshua uses a wide range of technologies to bring results for his clients. These methods include NLP, timeline therapy, hypnosis, gestalt, compassionate inquiry, IFS, inner child work, breathwork, somatic therapy, attachment theory, needs/boundaries work, transformational chairwork, and others.

Joshua is currently in post-production of his film The Gift of Grief, a personal story of how he turned the pain of his brother’s loss into meaning and purpose—including interviews with the world’s top experts in the fields of grief & trauma. The film is expected to be released Jan 2023.

the vision

My intention behind producing this film is to inspire an active movement toward a grief and trauma-informed society. 

A society where:

We recognize the prevalence of grief among all of us

We learn to notice and feel the grief as a gift in ourselves

We acknowledge that whenever we have an emotional reaction, an old wound is being triggered

We understand the imprint of unprocessed grief or trauma on our behaviors and its impact on our relationships

We recognize and witness the pain, grief, or sadness in others versus trying to fix or take away their pain 

We learn to observe and allow our own sadness and sorrow without having to fix or take it away 

We support connection and compassion as the foundations of safety

 

meet the team

A FILM BY

joshua wener

PRODUCED BY

RARE MEDIA

CO-PRODUCER

akira chan

CO-PRODUCER

christopher hillman

EDITOR

tony wise

SOUND

Tyler Hafer, TRH Audio

characters

James, Robynne, Joshua & Jeffrey Wenner

Shakti & Shiva Wenner

interview guests

dr. gabor mate

Specialist in addiction & childhood development trauma

Dr. elizabeth kubler ross 

On Death & Dying

david kessler

David Kessler  Grief & Loss Author & Authority

Dr. Donna Schurmann

Previous Director of The Dougy Center

dr. ken druck

Grief and Loss Authority

Kathy Eldon 

Authority on Grief & Founder Creative Visions 

Dr. David Berceli

Trauma Authority & Founder TRE

Sunny Dawn Johnson

Psychic Medium, Author

Paul Denniston

Founder of Grief Yoga

Dianne Gray

 CEO of hospice & healthcare communication

Michelle & Ellen Shane

Emily Shane Foundation

Sue wong

Celebrity Fashion Designer

Collier Landry

Murder In Mansfield

DiDi Benami

American Idol

Carlena Britch

So You Think You Can Dance

Dianne Gray

 CEO of hospice & healthcare communication

Brennan Wood

Executive Director Dougy Center

Josh & Sylvia

Dougy Center Family

Grief to grace iscoming in 2023