From Grief to Victory: A Practical Framework for Healing, Hope & Moving Forward with Jeremy Greening

Summary

The Amazing Authorities Podcast — Episode Summary
Episode Title: From Grief to Victory: A Practical Framework for Healing, Hope & Moving Forward with Jeremy Greening
Host: Mitch Carson
Guest: Jeremy Greening
Date: July 17, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Amazing Authorities dives deeply into the realities of grief, healing, and personal transformation. Host Mitch Carson interviews Jeremy Greening—Australian pastor, grief coach, author, and creator of the “Valleys to Victory” framework. The conversation explores practical steps for navigating loss, the danger of staying stuck in grief, and how anyone (regardless of faith or background) can begin to move forward with actionable strategies. Both host and guest openly share personal stories of loss, making for a heartfelt and empowering listen.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reality of Grief and the Need for a Framework

[01:46–04:23]

• Mitch shares his own story of losing both parents at 22, highlighting “pure shock, disbelief,” and the difficulty in processing grief.

• Jeremy’s experience as a pastor, coach, and mentor has shown that while there is plenty of information on grief, what people lack is practical action:

  “Education without action leads to nowhere.” — Jeremy Greening [04:23]

• Many people collect knowledge or attend seminars but stall on taking concrete steps forward.

2. Action is the Antidote to Being Stuck

[05:31–06:43]

• Those who successfully navigate grief tend to “follow a step-by-step system,” focusing on small, simple, achievable actions rather than overwhelming themselves.
• Actionable steps should take just “five or ten minutes a day”—the key is consistency and momentum.

3. Jeremy’s Personal Grief Story: The Importance of Processing Emotion

[06:43–10:16]

• Jeremy lost his father suddenly while living in a new city with a newborn and a four-year-old, while also leading a new church.

• He describes the pressure to “be the bigger person and suppress how we’re feeling”:

  “Suppressed grief… doesn’t go away. It just sits there and lurks beneath the surface until it comes out at some point, sometimes at a very inopportune point.” — Jeremy Greening [08:50]

• Jeremy’s “catharsis moment” came unexpectedly in his car, triggered by a song:

  “I cried like a baby for about 20 minutes in my car… it was finally me releasing what was going on inside of me, giving myself permission to allow that emotion to come out.” — Jeremy Greening [09:30]

• Both Jeremy and Mitch emphasize the necessity of “release” and “catharsis” as a step forward.

4. Does Time Heal All Wounds?

[10:50–12:12]

• The common platitude “time heals all wounds” is discussed. Jeremy’s take:

  “Time and not taking action in that time, it’s not doing a lot of healing. It just means you’re carrying it a little differently... I believe time can heal all wounds when we’re taking the right action within that time.” — Jeremy Greening [11:25]

5. Introducing the VICTORY Framework

[12:57–16:34]

• Jeremy introduces the VICTORY framework—a practical, step-by-step process for working through grief or adversity. Each letter stands for a necessary stage:

  1. V — Validate the Valley: Be honest about where you are emotionally.

     “She’s got to look at that and, and acknowledge it because that’s part of the problem.” — Jeremy Greening [13:54]

  2. I — Identify the Obstacles: Uncover the real barriers to progress.

  3. C — Clarify the Vision: Decide where you want to go next.

  4. T — Take Action: Pursue small, daily actions; transformation is in the daily movement, not just big events.

     “There is more transformation when we take action daily than looking forward to just one big event...” — Jeremy Greening [14:55]

  5. O — Overcome Setbacks: Expect and prepare for setbacks as a natural part of the process.

  6. R — Rebuild Confidence: Celebrate small wins to restore belief in yourself.

     “How do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time.” — Jeremy Greening [15:56]

  7. Y — Yield to Purpose: Rediscover a sense of meaning so life is more than just survival.

• This framework is described as universal, adaptable to grief, anxiety, mindset, and other life challenges.

6. From the Valley to the Summit: The Journey of Hope

[16:34–18:19]

• Mitch likens the journey out of grief to reaching “the summit,” feeling victorious and embracing life.
• Jeremy shares how his program and writing (e.g., his book chapter “Keep Moving Forward and Thrive” in Stories of Strength) focus on moving through the valley—“We’re not meant to camp there. Where you are right now… that’s not the end of your story. In fact, it’s the beginning.” [17:38]

7. Accessible Help—Regardless of Background

[18:19–19:29]

• Jeremy’s approach is for people of all backgrounds—faith-based or secular:

  “Whether you’re of faith or not. It doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is that you’re camping in your valley.” — Jeremy Greening [18:32]

• His goal is to support people to take steps forward regardless of beliefs.

8. Ongoing Resources and Support

[19:29–22:26]

• Jeremy offers a free downloadable chapter of his book to all listeners via his website (valleystovictory.com) along with weekly encouragement emails.

• Final note from Jeremy:

  “There’s no time frame on your healing, but the important thing is to take action, to take steps.” — Jeremy Greening [21:51]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jeremy Greening [04:23]: “Education without action leads to nowhere.”
• Jeremy Greening [08:50]: “Suppressed grief… doesn’t go away. It just sits there and lurks beneath the surface until it comes out at some point, sometimes at a very inopportune point.”
• Jeremy Greening [11:25]: “Time can heal all wounds when we’re taking the right action within that time.”
• Jeremy Greening [14:55]: “There is more transformation when we take action daily than looking forward to just one big event...”
• Jeremy Greening [15:56]: “How do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time.”
• Jeremy Greening [18:32]: “Whether you’re of faith or not. It doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is that you’re camping in your valley.”
• Jeremy Greening [21:51]: “There’s no time frame on your healing, but the important thing is to take action, to take steps.”

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Important Timestamps

• [01:46] — Mitch shares his double-loss grief story.
• [04:23] — Education without action; Jeremy on what actually helps people move forward.
• [06:43] — Jeremy’s own grief experience and learning to process emotion.
• [10:50] — “Time heals all wounds”: does it?
• [12:57] — Introduction to the VICTORY framework with a practical breakdown.
• [16:34] — Framing the grief journey as reaching the summit.
• [18:19] — Jeremy’s inclusive, practical approach for all listeners.
• [19:29] — Free resource: Jeremy’s book chapter and weekly encouragement.
• [21:51] — Final encouragement: take action toward healing.

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Conclusion

From Grief to Victory is a deeply human, practical episode that underscores the importance of both acknowledging pain and taking small, doable steps out of it. Jeremy Greening’s actionable framework, authentic sharing, and inclusive approach provide listeners with hope and a roadmap to move from pain toward purpose, regardless of their background.

Access Jeremy’s resources and free chapter at valleystovictory.com.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Amazing Authorities podcast where game changers, visionaries and category leaders share how they built their brands, platforms and global influence. Your host is Mitch Carson, international speaker, media strategist and creator of the Instant Authority system. If you're ready to learn from those who've done it and want to become the go to expert in your space, you're in the right place.

[B]

Jeremy Greening is our guest today is our expert because not only has he endured the consequences of life, much like many of you are listening, he helps others because there's no school on how do you recover from grief and trauma. Now he's got some great stories. He's hailing from Australia. He speaks fluent English, so you'll understand it, even with a little bit of an accent. I know him personally. You're going to enjoy our discussion today. And what I like about him is he's a pastor by profession, but he speaks to all people speaking secular, non believers, believers, they can all embrace what he's going to share today and the gems and the road that you can travel in order to recover from great grief. Jeremy, welcome to the show.

[C]

Thanks, Mitch. Always a pleasure to speak to the community of different people and it's an honor to be in your community today and to encourage your listeners.

[B]

I want to share a story about grief and recovery and it's personal to me. As I mentioned before we started the show today, I had trauma. You had, you talked about your trauma when I was 22 and this shocks people and don't mean to start with emotional, but it's this year in an emotional category. My father suddenly died of a heart attack at age 49. Five weeks later, my mother died of terminal cancer. We expected her to pass, but he was the shocker. Then she passed at age 45. I was 22, only child left alone. Grief was an understatement, pure shock, disbelief. I believe I was in shock because I didn't emote for a year. I didn't allow myself to cry for a year after that. I, I was so shut down, couldn't believe it. There wasn't, you know, going to a counselor I guess was an option. But the area of grief and recovery, you know, I, I, I wish I would have found you then. That would have, wouldn't have been possible. You would have been too young. But you get the point because I am a little bit older. You're still relatively, you look younger. Are I know that you're a father of two, two teenagers, aren't they?

[C]

That's correct. Yep.

[B]

Yeah. So what Launched you into this grief area and helping people overcome their grief and get on with their lives.

[C]

Yeah, I guess for over a couple of decades, Mitch, I've spent my life helping people navigate life's most difficult seasons. You know, whether that was done through my ministry as a pastor, coaching, mentoring, leading, or even in the business world, what discovered is that people often don't need someone to fix them. They don't need that. They just need someone to take them the next step forward. And I think a lot of the help out there is geared around educating people what they're experiencing, what they're going through. And that's great. But education without action, people are still going to be stuck. And so I guess that developed my heart to want to help people know what next step to, to take. And I do that in a very practical way because of my own life experience and the things that I've gone through. And that's led me, I guess, to create and have the foundation of this valleys to victory coaching and mentoring that I'm doing.

[B]

I, I wrote this down. This is nugget one. Education without action leads to nowhere.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Is that essentially what you said?

[C]

That's exactly what I'm saying. Because there's lots of information sources out there and people reach out to them when they're in life's most difficult, challenging seasons. And unfortunately they're still stuck because it doesn't give them action, it just gives them knowledge.

[B]

Going to seminars, people go and attend these. We met at a seminar, I was speaking at a seminar. People buy systems or solutions that they believe will help them or answer a pain that they're going through. They buy it and they sit on it. They put it on the shelf. They scratch that early itch. Okay, I listened to Jeremy and I've done nothing. I haven't done my homework essentially. So my marks aren't good. If you don't do your homework, how do you expect to have good marks? Isn't that a semblance of our life?

[C]

Absolutely, yeah.

[B]

And what have you found in your coaching slash ministry with people who do achieve and overcome these, these grievances?

[C]

The common thread is that they're following a step by step system. Not just getting a bit of information every day, but having an actionable step that's not too long either. When you're going through a difficult season, I think a lot of people will be able to relate. You go through overwhelm and so if too much is thrown at you too quickly, you freeze and you don't do anything. And so the way we design our programs and platforms and the way we help people at Valleys to Victory is really dumbing it down and making it simple that anyone can walk through a pathway to begin moving forward again. And we intentionally do that and design the way we present to have people taking actionable steps that are very achievable. They're only five or 10 minutes of your time in a day. So it's not like hours of needing to meditate or whatever. It's just a five or ten minute action every single day. And when you do that, it's amazing as you start doing the momentum that comes from that.

[B]

You had a personal situation in your life. Your father had remarried and had been over in the United States and in a area of the country where, you know, they speak a little funny. Alabama. Oh, no. No offense any Alabama people, just teasing in a fun way, of course. And he passed away. And you at that time had a small daughter, four years old and a newborn baby and you had just taken over a new church in a new city. Talk about Chuck, what did you do in order to deal with a. The loss of your father, with whom you were very close to, and dealing with the transportation, all these issues and you know, you've got small kids at home, new congregation. What specifically did you do to overcome that?

[C]

Yeah, that's a big part of my story, Mitch. And has led me to do what I'm doing today. So in that season, it was just shock for us. I mean, grief doesn't just impact you, it shakes your world. So the world keeps spinning for everybody else, but it feels like yours has stopped. And so what I did was I had to be very practical again. I had to get to America, which was challenging. As you said, we've just taken on a new church. Had to leave my wife and three, you know, two, three month old son at home. And they're in a new community where we didn't know anybody, we were just getting established, but I had to do that. So it was disruptive. So grief can be very disruptive. And so I headed over to America. Fortunately, my dad was. His wish was to be cremated. So that made things a little simpler from a practical point of view in getting him home. So I had to oversee organizing the cremation, supporting his, his wife there and the family and friends and just doing what I can. I had to be the bigger person and, and sometimes, and maybe listeners can relate to this. When a big life thing happens, like grief or whatever it is, sometimes the pressure is on us to become the Big person and suppress how we're feeling. Because, you know, I'm the. I'm the dad of my father, father and husband of my family. So I've got to be strong for my family. I've got to be strong for my siblings, because I'm the oldest sibling out of the kids in my family as well. So I had to be strong for them and hold it together. And we suppress how we feel. And what I learned was this suppressed grief is it doesn't go away. It just sits there and lurks beneath the surface until it comes out at some point, sometimes at a very inopportune point. I remember a time when I was in my car and I heard a song on the radio that came on that. That reminded me of my dad. It was his favorite song. And all of a sudden, the grief hit me. I cried like a baby for about 20 minutes in my car. It wasn't just a little sniffle. I lost it. And it was finally me releasing what was going on inside of me, giving myself permission to allow that emotion to come out. And just the very act of going through that made such a difference for me. And that's what began to show me that we need to take action when it comes to how we're feeling. Not just suppress it. Get bus. You know, fill our life with busyness and activity and not actually address and talk about what we're going through. So that's why the way I've designed what I do and how I help people is very practical because I love helping people take next steps.

[B]

So you needed that. Catharsis is like there's a need for a total release slash catharsis, as I said myself. And I can relate to that. After about a year of feeling the way I felt, you know, and that loss, I was working, and one day it just bubbled up and no control, blubbering. I was alone, but I needed to get it out.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And then it was over. I mean, did the grief go away? No, the thoughts, but over. I learned something years ago. Time heals all wounds. It was shared with me when I was 17 years old by somebody. And it was the loss of a girlfriend. You know, back then, as I. Oh, the heart was so fragile. She dumped me for another guy when I was in high school, and I was so hurt. And he said, time heals all wounds. Do you believe that's true, or do you have to deal with that?

[C]

Yeah, see, I think partly, perhaps, but time and not taking action in that time, it's not doing a lot of healing, it just means you're carrying it a little differently. But I believe time can heal all wounds when we're taking the right action within that time. So if you're taking steps to address what you're going through, learning about it, doing small steps each and every day, then over time we can see progress. But if you just allow time alone, I don't think time alone can completely bring healing to a significant life event. Yes, it might seem less impacting over time because we're removed from the event a little more. But I'd really encourage people to consider how they use that time as they move forward.

[B]

Is there a payoff? Let's just pick a random person. Her name is Judy. Her husband died and she found out that he, he had spent the money and he had a mortgage on the house and left her financially in a wreck. How would you counsel that lady? The kids she had and that she has a stay at home son who never leaves and smokes pot all day? I don't know if it's legal or not in Australia now, but in the States it is. And it's a scenario like this of just sits there and they, they create and fester in their own misery. How do you get somebody out of that?

[C]

Yeah, that's a, that's a deep challenge because there's, that's layers we've got to peel back because there's the layer of the grief. Obviously lost a loved one. But then what that fella did to me and left me with. Got to deal with that, got to deal with the present scenario, with everything that I do with helping people because I don't just help people with grief and loss. I've got other areas that I'm helping people in as well. Anxiety, mindset, all of this stuff. I use what I call the victory framework and I've designed this myself and I think this is an important process that I think anyone can follow and it's going to help them with whatever situation they find themselves in. So for this lady, I would recommend the first step. Victory. Each letter represents a stage in the process. So V is validate the valley. She's got to be honest about where she is. Look at what's going on.

[B]

Deep valley.

[C]

That's right. That's right. She's got to look at that and, and acknowledge it because that's part of the problem. Remember in my story I initially suppressed my feelings, so I wasn't validating my valley, I was suppressing it. I wasn't acknowledging it. I was just pressing through and so we've got to acknowledge where we're at. And then the for victory. The next letter is I. And we need to identify the obstacles. So what's really holding us back from taking meaningful steps forward? What are the obstacles that we need to address and look at? Then we move to see, we clarify the vision. So where do we actually want to go? So, yes, this lady has all these layers of problems, but where does she want to progress to? Does she want to be healed? Does she want to address things? Does. Because you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make a drink. You've probably heard that one. You can't help someone that doesn't have a vision to where they want to go. They need to embrace the assistance that's around them. And then we go to t take action. And this is when I talk about the small steps each and every day. So I'm not talking about a big event. Sometimes we look for that, don't we? We look for the sensational. We want a big event that's going to transform our life. But the truth is there is more transformation when we take action daily than looking forward to just one big event that perhaps might motivate us in the short term, but peters off in its effect over time. So daily actions are going to be of more benefit to help you to move forward. And then we get to O in victory. O is overcoming setbacks. We're all going to have them. The minute you start taking steps forward, things are going to come in your path. Obstacles, setbacks will come, they're inevitable. And then we go to R rebuilding our confidence. I would help this lady rebuild the confidence in who she is. I'd help her by winning small battles first, overcoming little things first. Because again, we don't want to take big chunks at a time. How do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time. Not that I'm interested in eating an elephant, but you get the analogy.

[B]

Neither I don't think it's good, but

[C]

you rebuild their confidence, have small wins, begin some momentum back into their life. And then we finish with why, which is yield to purpose. And so we help people to live with meaning again, because often when you go through something like grief, you're dealing with drug smoking kids, you've got overwhelming debt, well, why am I even here? And so we want to finish with purpose and live with meaning and not just survival. And so I find that framework can fit any problem, any challenge, any situation that people are going through. And I just love helping people through that journey.

[B]

So it's. That's the perfect roadmap from the deep valley to the victory. So you get from here to there. And the summit is the perfect example of where people want to be at the top, feeling great, embracing the goodness of the universe. You know, if you do believe in it, I know that you're a pastor by nature. Some embrace the teachings of. Of God and the Bible and that can mean anything for anybody on a more secular basis for people who have maybe different viewpoints. I love that. Now you've also been involved. Let's see your. The first. Let's see your book.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay, let's take a look there.

[C]

Definitely. So I was invited to be part of a collaborative effort with a number of authors, and I've written a chapter in this book, Stories of Strength. And my chapter is called Keep Moving Forward and Thrive. And my heart is just to help people on their journey. Like you just explained it so well, Mitch, already, I don't really need to repeat it. But the whole premise of what I do valleys to victory. It is I am a pastor by. By nature. So it's taken from scripture. Many of you would know the Lord is my shepherd passage. And there's a part in there that says, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. So my whole premise is walking through the valley. We're not meant to camp there. We're not meant to live there. Where you are right now, whatever it is you're facing, that's not the end of your story. In fact, it's the beginning. And we need to keep moving through that valley. And that's what I love to help people do. So I've got a chapter in this book that's going to help you.

[B]

And you've got a gift for people. See that other.

[C]

I do little. So this is my chapter and it's keep moving forward and thrive.

[B]

I love the punching up. That's almost.

[C]

Yeah, that's it. We want people to be victorious in life. That's what it's all about. Whether you're of faith or not. It doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that you're camping in your valley. So we want to see you punching through like this guy on here here and, and. And see you winning in life. And it's my honor and privilege to help hundreds of people. And I've done that in person over a couple of decades just seeing people win in life. And now I've brought this to online. So as Mitch said, I've got this as a gift for you when you go to my website valleystovictory.com and that's the two is the to not the number valleys to victory.com and I'm sure it'll be in the notes et cetera for you to see. And you can click on that link and go and leave your email address and join my database and I send out weekly encouragement to support you in life and so you'll get that. But you'll also get a link to download this chapter and it's my gift to you and your listeners. Mitch.

[B]

I love it. I love it. And one of the big takeaways that I thoroughly enjoy and I wrote this down, I learned so much. I got the best job in the world because I'm constantly learning is education without action leads to nowhere. So you essentially stay in the valley.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And people get a payoff by staying in the valley. They get to marinate themselves in pity and stay there. And then people will flip coins to them because they feel sorry for them. Well, victorious people don't need coins. You know, then it turns around because you've gone through your own grief. I've gone through my own grief. There's no greater gift, there's no greater gift than when you can help other people from the heart. And that's what you do. And I know you've got to eat too. There's no shame in making money. You do it, but you're not exorbitant. You do this because you're motivated to help people. You love helping people and there's. And you're good at it and you're good at connecting. And I think our listeners have appreciated your time with us today. I've appreciated your time and you going back. For people who don't know, I met Jeremy at an event where I was speaking. He gave up. He stood up and shared about his passion, everybody. And it brought emotion to me because of his delivery. The guy comes from his heart and it's real. And I've listened to the biggest speakers in the world, around the world and this man is special. So go to valleystovictory.com get his free book, his chapter, this chapter in the book and then you're going to be on his list to receive weekly emails lifting your spirit, lifting your potential, getting you pushed through this valley, this self made valley in many cases sometimes life serves us unfairly. But to get out of that valley and get to the apex, get to the summit, get to your victorious place in life. And Jeremy Greening, you've been a great guest today. As expected, you exceeded my expectations. Thank you so much for gracing us with your time and and helping our group of listeners and viewers and we're on YouTube as well.

[C]

Yeah, no, it's absolutely been a pleasure, Mitch. And you know, best wishes to all your listeners. And if what I've shared today has encouraged you, then that encourages me. So thanks so much for listening and I look forward to helping as many people as possible push through their valleys and step by step. Whether it's baby steps or giant leaps, it doesn't bother me. There's no time frame on your healing, but the important thing is to take action, to take steps. And I'm someone that can help you and guide you with those steps of what to do. So thanks again for having me. And all the best.

[A]

Thanks for tuning into the Amazing Authorities podcast. If today's episode inspired you, take a moment to subscribe, rate and leave a review. It helps more experts like you rise to the top. For behind the scenes access and free resources to boost your authority. Head to MitchCarson.com until next time, stay amazing.