In this episode, host Tina sits down with Tami Franklin, author of Un-Masked, Un-Broken, Healed & Set Free. Tami shares her raw and honest “lived experience” of surviving the loss of her daughter, Brittany, and her stepson, Christian. After 14 years of trauma therapy and writing, Tami explains why she believes grief is “holy ground” and how resilient faith allowed her to move from a three-year pit of despair to a life of liberation. This conversation is a roadmap for anyone wearing a mask of “fine” while feeling broken, offering a powerful reminder that while we don’t always get what we “ordered” from life, healing is an intentional daily choice. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others.   Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here   Listen to the podcast here   From The Pit To Purpose: Unmasking Resilience And Redemption With Tami Franklin Grief oftentimes can leave you feeling broken, wearing a mask, hiding your true feelings, and questioning, “Why is this happening to me?” Our guest Tami Franklin shares her personal lived experience of trauma, grief and heartache. Not wanting to be here anymore, but pulling up from all of that in her faith and her strength-encouraging God to know her life has purpose. That healing is possible, and resilience is not just a word. It’s an intentional choice that she chose daily. Three years in a pit, a pastor praying, being by her side and being in resilience have kept her through. Let’s get into this conversation with Tami because resilience and hope are what you need.     Tami, welcome to the Widowhood. Thanks for having me. I’m honored to be here. When you hear widowhood and welcome, what’s the ticker tape message? If someone could open up your mind, what would come across? The Meaning of the “Hood” The first word that comes to mind is sisterhood, community, and grief community. Welcome is that arms are open. It may not be the same, but you have a story too, and you’re welcome. You nailed that because that is exactly what I want to convey in something that is very difficult. I’m from Chicago. The word hood is family. It’s that collective. It’s that group of people. It may be the widow, but there are surrounding losses. As you mentioned, those losses may be different, but they have similar components. I believe experiencing a profound loss makes life different if you’re willing to lean into the process. It’s not just what happened to me. It’s what I have done in this process. When I reached out to you to have this conversation, I knew you were a bit hesitant. It’s like, “Not my story,” but we had a conversation and realized the similarity of it.     I’m glad we had that conversation to talk through what your goals were. It did help me understand that the stories are aligned in different ways. Tami, you flipped through multiple losses and still found the courage to write about it. What made the right time to tell your story and write your book? The 13-Year Journey to the Page I’ve been writing the book for nearly thirteen and a half years. That within itself has been a journey. When I got to a point in late 2025 where I had written out all the chapters, read them over and over a million times. I had nothing else left to write. I knew that I was empty, and it was time to get the book published. Given the way the world is now. Every day, we’re more and more in need. People are in need of hearing stories of survival. Life is hard. We all grieve something. Whether it’s a person that we’ve lost, a job, or something that was significant. It’s important to hear stories of survival and faith more and more. I believe now is the time. The appointed time is now. Your book title is? Un-Masked, Un-Broken, Healed & Set Free: A Journey of Healing, Liberation, and Redemption. When you selected this title, what did it represent for your personal experience? What did you want to convey to the reader? Unmasking the Core Self It’s because of the losses I’ve been through and trauma. I have placed a different mask on and showed up in different ways where I thought I would be accepted. There were different masks that I wore. At this point in my life, after so many losses and compounded grief, it became painful to wear all those masks because it wasn’t the person that I truly was at the core. To become unmasked, to unveil the real me or who I am, and to be unbroken.     Throughout that journey of writing, I also completed fourteen years of trauma therapy, deliverance, and getting set free. It’s unmasked, unbroken, and healed. I am walking through healing, thinking from a healed place, having my mind be renewed, and learning coping strategies and mechanisms. Being set free was the deliverance from the things that plagued me for so many years I carried that didn’t belong to me. That is for you. When someone is skimming through Barnes and Noble or Amazon and they see this book. What are you hoping that they see? I hope that they see a story from a woman who was resilient and has gone through so many things. If you can see the cover, I’m on the cover. I don’t look like what I’ve been through. I hope that they see hope. I hope that they see courage. Most importantly, I hope they see a resilient type of faith. The type of faith that can move mountains. That