On what would’ve been Maddie’s 25th birthday, her father reflects on grief, presence, and the lasting legacy she left behind. This deeply personal tribute shares the birth of MentorWell, a program inspired by her life, and calls attention to the invisible burden of presenteeism many grieving parents carry in today’s workplaces.

grieving father

• workplace presenteeism

• teen mentorship program

• legacy after loss

• MentorWell tribute

Ten years after losing his daughter, a father finds unexpected comfort in dreams where they still talk, tease, and sit together in silence. What once broke him now gives him strength—and a reason to build something meaningful in her name. A moving story of grief, memory, and the quiet miracles that come when we least expect them.

• grieving a child

• dreams of lost loved ones

• conversations with the dead

• parent child grief story

• healing after loss

• building purpose from grief

• teen mentorship story

• father daughter bond

• emotional healing through dreams

• MentorWell story

This heartfelt story shares a parent’s quiet battle with grief, burnout, and emotional exhaustion following the loss of her daughter. It reveals how the founding of MentorWell—a safe, non-clinical mentorship space for teens and families—emerged from heartbreak to offer healing, support, and belonging for those silently struggling.

Grief isn't a puzzle to solve or a battle to win — it's a journey through pain, survival, and slow, honest healing. This raw, compassionate guide offers 10 lived-through truths to help you carry the weight of heartbreak and rebuild a version of yourself that's wiser, real, and still standing.