Episode 5: HSP Author & Artist Haddi Trebisovsky Navigating Loss, Grief, and Parenting -- and her new book, The Ansel Diary!
In this episode, talented author & artist Haddi Trebisovsky shares advice about parenting, facing emotional challenges as an HSP (highly sensitive person), and how writing has helped her face her fears & process her life's greatest challenges. When Haddi learned that she would have to deliver her fourth precious baby, Ansel, stillborn at 33 weeks, she made a choice to become as present as possible and process her emotions in real-time. She considered her writing to be like a life preserver to protect her from her grief.
With her new book, The Ansel Diary, Haddi hopes to share her own pain to help other grieving parents understand that they aren't alone--and to hopefully find hope in the grief process too. One of my favorite things Haddi talked to me about was the value of writing as a vulnerable and healthy way to process your emotions, even the ones that feel "bad." We can feel so afraid of our feelings & tell ourselves that our negative emotions mean there's something wrong with us. (We've both been there; if they had passed out t-shirts, we would be wearing them right now!)
The thing is, emotions are part of the human experience. And you may be highly sensitive, or maybe not - but, either way, your pain needs space & oxygen to heal. Sometimes, when you aren't ready to speak it, writing can be a much-needed reprieve from the weight of those emotions - or the rock in your chest Haddi mentioned in this episode.
Writer Bio
Haddi Trebisovsky is an author and artist, born and raised in Minnesota. Her writing style has been described as honest, reflective, and raw. Her goal in writing is to raise empathy for others and grace for oneself.
Following the death of her fourth child came the birth of her first self-published book, The Ansel Diary: Life After Stillbirth. Writing was the best coping tool she had, and it became her mission to find healing in her tragedy and offer light to others experiencing the loss of a dearly wanted baby.
While grief may have been the launching point for her career as an author, Haddi has long been waiting to put her work into the world. For nearly seven years, she has been working on a Young Adult dystopian trilogy but having babies, providing foster care, poor health, the shock of grief, and coping with a pandemic have all slowed the process. However, each of these life experiences has provided an invaluable real-world experience to color the story even more vibrantly. She can't wait to get back to working with her beloved fictional characters.
As an Elementary Education major, Haddi has also held a long-time dream of being a children’s book author and illustrator and has several stories stored in sketchbooks and hard drives, just waiting to be finished.
Between caring for her three living children and spending time with her husband, James, Haddi continues writing and creating art and is looking forward to sharing that work with the world.
Connect with Haddi!
Instagram // @hadditrebisovsky
Facebook // Haddi's Corner or Haddi Trebisovsky Books
Purchase Haddi's Book on Amazon!
The Ansel Diary: Life After Stillbirth
Through a collection of social media posts and personal diary entries, author Haddi Trebisovsky presents readers with an unfiltered look at a mother’s experience through stillbirth and the grief that follows. This is a story of loss, anger, depression, faith, and acceptance, though not always in that order. It's a journey through a deep valley of the human experience. The Ansel Diary will give readers a rare and intimate encounter that will surely spark reflection, empathy, a deeper understanding of loss, and ultimately - hope.
Credits
Introduction Music - Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
Episode Intro & Outro Music - Music by Daddy_s_Music from Pixabay
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