A Grief
Conversation
Making space for honest conversations about grief and what comes next.
Spaces to Connect, Remember and Restore
We offer workshops, gatherings and retreats that bring people together through grief, combining emotional support with practical help. Together, we create space to remember, connect and gently explore what comes next.
Beautiful Venues & Destinations
Whether you’re joining us for a day or staying with us for a week, we want you to feel welcome, comfortable and cared for. We choose our venues and retreat accommodation thoughtfully, seeking places with character, warmth and peaceful surroundings where you can step away from everyday demands and give yourself some breathing space and enjoy nourishing your body and soul.
From tranquil lakesides and beautiful gardens to inviting spaces for conversation, each setting offers opportunities to connect with nature, with others and with yourself. We look for room to gather, share stories and enjoy laughter, alongside quieter corners where you can rest or reflect. Throughout your time with us, there is space to find the balance of company and solitude that feels right for you.
Our vision is to offer the same thoughtful blend of grief support, learning and companionship across different venues and lengths of stay. Whether you choose a day gathering close to home or a longer retreat overseas, you’ll find the same spirit of care and understanding, with activities adapted to the setting and time available. Participation is always your choice, giving you the freedom to explore what helps you, at your own pace.
Expert Instructors & Facilitators
We bring together professional expertise and lived understanding of grief, with guest facilitators personally known to us and chosen for their skill, warmth and compassion. Each gathering is different, offering opportunities that may include yoga, breathwork, meditation, guided nature walks, art, craft and singing, alongside contributions from coaches and counsellors. Practical specialists also share useful skills in areas such as DIY, financial confidence, personal security and safety—helping you feel more confident in everyday life after loss. Whether you find comfort in creativity, movement, conversation or learning something new, every activity is thoughtfully chosen to support you as you find your own way forward. Participation is always your choice: join in, simply listen or take a quiet moment for yourself.
Who we are….
And why we get it..
Sarah Blake
Sarah is a trained funeral celebrant, an experienced trauma-informed coach, a hospital lay chaplain and a workplace mediator.
As a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, she brings 35 years of experience in coaching and human resources, having worked with major public and private sector organisations to support people through change, uncertainty and challenging personal and professional circumstances.
Through her work as a funeral celebrant, Sarah supports bereaved families in creating meaningful ceremonies that honour the individuality of the person who has died and the relationships and memories they leave behind.
Sarah’s professional understanding is deeply informed by her own experiences, including the death of her husband and other complex and traumatic personal challenges.
She understands how grief can unsettle our sense of identity, confidence and the familiar rhythms of everyday life.
Through A Grief Conversation, Sarah brings warmth, thoughtful listening and practical support. She is passionate about creating a space where people feel able to speak openly, remember those they love and begin to explore what life might hold alongside their grief.
Sonya Kearns
Sonya brings 18 years of policing experience, including six years as a detective within Scotland Yard’s Homicide Command.
A qualified Family Liaison Officer, she supports families affected by murder, guiding them through complex criminal investigations and judicial proceedings, including trials at the Old Bailey.
This work gives Sonya a profound understanding of the devastating impact of sudden and traumatic loss, and the importance of compassionate, consistent support when life has changed beyond recognition.
Alongside her professional experience, Sonya has lived through multiple significant personal bereavements.
She understands that grief extends far beyond the loss itself, often affecting our relationships, confidence, identity and ability to navigate everyday life in ways that others may not see or fully understand.
Sonya is currently undertaking Grief Educator training with internationally recognised grief expert David Kessler, further developing her understanding of grief and the ways in which people can be supported through loss.
Through A Grief Conversation, she brings together her professional experience, personal understanding and continuing education, with a commitment to helping people feel heard, supported and less alone in their grief.
A friendship rooted in understanding
Our friendship, born out of natural connection, has become a source of comfort, encouragement and laughter as we each navigate life after loss. We listen to one another, make space for the difficult days, and encourage each other to take new steps when we're ready.
Through our own experiences, we have come to understand the importance of having someone alongside you who doesn’t expect you to have all the answers, or to be anything other than yourself.
A Grief Conversation grew from that shared understanding.
We wanted to offer others something of the connection we have found together: a place to speak honestly, feel understood and find support with the everyday challenges of life after bereavement.
At the heart of everything we do is our friendship, our belief in the importance of human connection and a simple conviction:
No one should have to find their way through grief alone.
BOOKING NOW
BOOKING NOW
Grief Matters at Lake View Bereavement Centre
A day of connection, remembrance and practical support
Our first gathering · 7 November 2026 · Free to attend
Join Sonya and Sarah for a welcoming gathering at Lake View Bereavement Centre, marking the beginning of our Grief Matters programme.
Grief touches every part of life. This day brings together gentle conversation, time in nature, opportunities for remembrance and practical guidance to help with the everyday challenges of bereavement. Whether your loss is recent or happened some time ago, you are welcome.
What to expect
Following a welcome and introduction, highlights of the day will include:
A Grief Circle — space to share, listen and connect with others who understand something of life after loss.
A Grief Education - help to understand what is happening as you pass through your grief journey.
Guided wellbeing meditation — a gentle opportunity to pause and find a moment of stillness, led by a guest facilitator.
Memory Lane nature walk — a fully accessible walk with time for reflection and remembrance in the healing power of nature, including a simple lakeside water ceremony.
A memory tree session — a thoughtful way to honour someone you love and give expression to your memories.
Rest and restoration — a guest-led session exploring ways to soothe yourself, support your nervous system and find moments of calm.
Financial confidence after loss — practical guidance with Stephen Hughes, founder of Estate Copilot, exploring the financial questions and responsibilities that can follow bereavement.
You can take part at your own pace. There is no expectation to speak or share your story, and you are welcome to step away for a quiet moment whenever you need to. There is room for tears, laughter, memories and simply being together.
Help us shape what comes next
This free gathering is the beginning of a programme we want to develop with you. We’ll welcome your thoughts on the conversations, activities and practical support you would find helpful at future Grief Matters sessions.
Come as you are. You don’t need to have the words.
BOOKING OPENING SOON
BOOKING OPENING SOON
A Grief Conversation on the Algarve
5 days of connection, remembrance and practical support
A retreat for women | 20–24 September 2027
Bookings opening soon
Five days of connection, compassionate support and space to breathe, held in the warmth and gentle magic of Portugal.
Staying together in an authentic Portuguese country villa with a pool, tucked away from the Algarve’s main tourist areas, we’ll create a welcoming home for a small community of women who understand loss. There will be space for shared nourishing meals, quiet mornings in the sun and conversations that unfold naturally, alongside time and privacy for yourself.
We’ll draw on the spiritual richness of this beautiful country: its unhurried rhythms, sunlit hills and seas still warm from summer. A setting that invites you to pause, soften and make room for yourself.
Alongside grief education, supportive conversation and practical guidance for life after loss, we’re shaping a programme with local yoga teachers, skilled craft practitioners and facilitators of somatic breathwork and sound baths to name but a few. Explore creativity through making, experience the quiet companionship of horses on a ride through the Algarve hills, or take a moment for reflection through a gently held cacao ceremony.
One special evening, we’ll take to the water aboard a boat exclusively for our group. As the sun sets, we’ll share a remembrance ritual—a moment to honour those we carry with us, surrounded by sea, sky and shared understanding.
There will be time, too, for rest, laughter and simply being. Every activity is optional, with space to choose what feels right for you.
Join Sarah and Sonya for a women-only retreat where grief is welcome, connection comes gently and Portugal offers its own quiet invitation to breathe.
Full programme, accommodation details, prices and booking information coming soon.