Corporate Training

How much is grief costing your business?

US businesses lose an estimated $75 BILLION annually due to grief

Shawn Brogan Diddy CHC, PhD Candidate shares over a decade of research, lived experience, insight, and solutions

Shawn Brogan Diddy, PhD (ABD), Certified Grief Educator

Helping organizations turn loss into resilience, protect productivity, and strengthen culture

through grief literacy and dignity-centered leadership.

Shawn Brogan Diddy is a Management PhD candidate, certified grief educator, and former national TV host with over 10,000 hours of live broadcast experience. Shawn helps organizations and leaders navigate grief in the workplace with compassion, dignity, and strategy — turning moments of loss into opportunities for resilience and trust. She shares why grief literacy isn’t just kind, it’s a competitive advantage — and how businesses can support employees without sacrificing performance.

Keynote:

Grief Literacy at Work: The Dignity Dividend/ Compassion that Protects Performance (45 minutes)

Grief touches every workplace—through loss, caregiving, health crises, and major life changes. In this fast-paced keynote, Shawn Brogan Diddy blends research, real-world leadership experience, and practical tools to show how grief impacts cognition, behavior, and team dynamics—and how leaders can respond with skill, not guesswork. Attendees learn a clear, dignity-centered approach to acknowledging loss, resetting workloads, and sustaining trust so people can heal without sacrificing results. The session reframes “support” from a soft skill into a strategic advantage that improves retention, engagement, and brand reputation.

Attendees will leave with:

A simple playbook for grief-informed conversations and manager check-ins.
Practical adjustments that protect productivity (workload, timelines, decision-making).
Do-now scripts and resources to build a compassionate, emotionally agile, and resilient culture.

For executives, HR, and people leaders seeking measurable, human-centered performance.

Keynote

Keynote (45 Minutes)

Topic: Grief Literacy at Work: Compassion that Protects Performance
Best For: All-Hands Meetings, Leadership Summits, Conference Sessions
Focus: Awareness + Inspiration

Understand how grief impacts performance and team dynamics.
Learn the business case for grief literacy (retention, engagement, employer brand).
Leave with a 3-step action framework for immediate application.

When you want to spark conversation and curiosity helping leaders to think differently.

Contact for Booking Info

Workshop

60-90 Minutes, or 1/2 Day and Full Day Options

60–90 Minute Workshop: "Grief Literacy in Action"

This interactive session expands the keynote into practical skill-building. Participants learn to recognize grief responses, practice language for compassionate check-ins, and identify realistic accommodations that keep teams moving forward.
Key Features:

Guided role-play and scenario practice for manager conversations.
Small-group exercises to create “grief response maps” tailored to their teams.
A quick-reference toolkit for ongoing use (conversation starters, policy checklist).

Half-Day Workshop (3–4 Hours): "Building a Grief-Responsive Culture"

This deeper dive equips leaders and HR teams to make structural changes that support grieving employees while balancing business needs.
Key Features:

Deep exploration of grief types (anticipated, disenfranchised, complicated).
Breakout strategy sessions to align workload adjustments with policy and compliance.
Exercises to spot hidden costs of unresolved grief (burnout, turnover).
Development of a team action plan for immediate implementation.

Full-Day Workshop (6–7 Hours): "The Grief-Ready Workplace Blueprint"

This immersive experience transforms the organization’s approach to grief support.
Key Features:

Full training on grief literacy, emotional agility, and dignity-centered leadership.
Scenario labs for complex cases (e.g., sudden loss, layoffs, health crises).
Design session to create or refine a workplace grief response protocol.
Implementation roadmap with KPIs to measure impact on retention and engagement.

Contact for Booking Info

Book a Custom Workshop Series created for your company based on your goals and your people:

Shawn will collaborate with your team to create a research-backed program for YOUR organization. Save yourself time and money and get great information, tools, and results for your people.

Workshop 1: Intro (60–90 Minutes)

Title: Grief Literacy in Action
Best For: Leadership Teams, Managers, Small Group Training
Focus: Awareness + Practice

Role-play real-world scenarios for manager/employee conversations.
Learn compassionate communication that keeps teams moving forward.
Build team “grief maps” to anticipate needs and avoid burnout.
Leave with a one-page toolkit (conversation scripts, checklists).

For leadership offsites, lunch-and-learns, or as a follow-up to the keynote.

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Workshop 2: Half-Day (3–4 Hours)

Title: Building a Grief-Responsive Culture
Best For: HR, People Leaders, Culture Champions
Focus: Practice + Strategy

Explore different types of grief (disenfranchised, complicated, anticipatory).
Map hidden costs of unresolved grief: turnover, presenteeism, disengagement.
Co-create team or department-level strategies for workload alignment.
Leave with a draft policy template + practical action plan.

When your goal is to make systemic, team-level improvements and policy alignment.

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Workshop 3: Full-Day (6–7 Hours)

Title: The Grief-Ready Workplace Blueprint
Best For: Executive Leadership, HR, Culture & DEI Teams
Focus: Strategy + Implementation

Full immersion in grief literacy, dignity-centered leadership, and meaning-making models.
Scenario labs for complex cases (layoffs, sudden deaths, collective grief events).
Design or refine a grief response protocol and communication plan.
Build a rollout roadmap with KPIs to measure impact (retention, engagement, trust).

For organizations ready to embed grief literacy into culture, policy, and leadership development.

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Optional Add-Ons

Custom Playbooks: Branded conversation guides for your managers.
Manager Microlearning: 5–10 minute digital learning modules for follow-up.
Consulting Support: Policy review, crisis communication planning, and implementation coaching.
Grief Education and Coaching Support: Shawn is a Certified Grief Educator (Kessler) and Certified Coach (ACE). She can provide one-on-one sessions and group sessions. Shawn is not a licensed mental health professional, and this should not replace medical and mental health care.
Many EAPs and service providers have waiting periods. Shawn can be of more immediate support. Shawn can also help your team members develop a plan and find grief-informed support professionals.

Book a consultation

Panel/ Interview

15-45 (as needed for your event)

Panelist

Shawn Brogan Diddy, PhD (c), is a management researcher, certified grief educator, and media professional with 10,000+ hours of live TV hosting experience. She helps organizations navigate grief in the workplace with dignity-centered leadership, turning moments of loss into opportunities for trust, retention, and resilience.

Media and Interviews:

Podcast Guest:

Shawn Brogan Diddy is a workplace grief researcher and former national TV host who blends science, storytelling, and practical tools to help leaders support employees through loss. Her interviews explore dignity, resilience, and why compassionate leadership is a competitive advantage.

Panels and Events:

Shawn Brogan Diddy, PhD (c), is a certified grief educator and workplace researcher who equips leaders with grief literacy skills to protect performance and foster trust. She speaks nationally on dignity, resilience, and compassionate workplace culture.