In this deeply personal episode, I open my heart to share the journey of saying goodbye to Summit, my soul dog and companion for the last 15 years. Through the rawness of grief, I explore what it means to lead, coach, and facilitate with genuine vulnerability and empathy. If you’ve ever experienced loss or wrestled with the heart-wrenching decision to let go of a beloved pet, you’ll find comfort, connection, and understanding here. I reflect on the lessons Summit taught me about unconditional love, trusting myself, and living intentionally—and how those lessons shape us as leaders and humans. You’ll hear honest insights into anticipatory grief, honoring our humanity, and building deeper relationships with those we serve by showing up, tender and true.

Join me for an episode full of gentle reminders, inspiration, and practical wisdom on navigating life’s hardest moments while still showing up for ourselves and others. Whether you’re a coach, speaker, facilitator, or simply someone seeking more meaning and compassion, I invite you to discover how embracing vulnerability and remembering our loved ones—human or animal—can deepen our impact and legacy. Let’s honor our wild and precious lives, together, just like Summit would want us to.

Marli Williams is an international keynote speaker, master facilitator, and joy instigator who has worked with organizations such as Nike, United Way, Doordash, along with many colleges and schools across the United States. She first fell in love with transformational leadership as a camp counselor when she was 19 years old. After getting two degrees and 15 years of leadership training, Marli decided to give herself permission to be the “Professional Camp Counselor” she knew she was born to be. Now she helps incredible people and organizations stop waiting for permission and start taking bold action to be the leaders and changemakers they’ve always wanted to be through the power of play and cultivating joy everyday. She loves helping people go from stuck to STOKED and actually created her own deck of inspirational messages called StokeQuotes™ which was then followed by The Connect Deck™ to inspire more meaningful conversations. Her ultimate mission in the world is to help others say YES to themselves and their big crazy dreams (while having fun doing it!) To learn more about Marli’s work go to www.marliwilliams.com and follow her on Instagram @marliwilliams

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Navigating Grief and Growth: Lessons from Saying Goodbye to my Soul Dog Summit -68