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.