Aubrey Sampson on How to Sit With Big Feelings Days

In this episode of the Can You Just Sit With Me? podcast, I sit with author and speaker Aubrey Sampson to discuss grief, lament, and finding hope. Aubrey shares her personal stories of loss, including the death of her best friend, as a backdrop to her work on addressing grief in both adults and children. Aubrey’s books and resources, including her latest children’s book Big Feelings Days, offer hope for dealing with heavy emotions and leaning into Jesus’s love during tough times.

LISTEN HERE

It’s very mature to say, I need to pause from my grief…and tend to the things in front of me then I’m going to go back to my grief. And I feel like I need my kids to see me do both.
aubrey sampson

Big Feelings Days is a tender and engaging picture book that helps children ages 3–7 learn how to release their feelings of grief, anger, and heartbreak in creative ways to a God who cares. This picture book includes

full-color illustrations,
relatable imagery to help children express and identify emotions, and
creative ways for children to process their feelings with Jesus.

Even now you can be helping your kids develop emotional health and emotional intelligence as they learn to come to Jesus with whatever they may be feeling.

My conversation with Aubrey also touches on practical ways to help children navigate loss and big feelings taken from themes of her book Big Feelings Days. Additionally, she highlights her monthly online gathering, the Louder Song community, aimed at providing a space for those grieving. The episode is a mix of personal anecdotes, practical advice, and spiritual encouragement for dealing with grief and finding hope.

Main Points:

Children and Grief: A World Overlooked
Learning the Language of Lament
Practical Tools for Navigating Big Feelings
Hope on the Horizon

Episode Talking Points:

00:00 Welcome to ‘Can You Just Sit With Me’ Podcast
00:16 Aubrey Sampson: Grief, Lament, and Hope
01:15 Personal Stories of Grief and Seeking Comfort
03:59 A Journey Through Pain and Healing
12:42 Introducing ‘Big Feelings Days’: A Book for Kids on Grief
23:09 Practical Ways for Children to Navigate Loss
27:55 Upcoming Community Events and Final Thoughts
33:47 Closing Remarks and Invitation to Connect

About the Guest:

Aubrey Sampson (M.A. evangelism and leadership), is the author of several books on grief, lament, and hope including The Louder Song: Listening for Hope in the Midst of Lament, Known: How Believing Who God Says You Are Changes Everything, and a brand new best-selling kids book on hard things, heavy emotions, and Jesus’s Love, Big Feelings Days. Aubrey is a church planter and teaching pastor at Renewal Church, a multiethnic congregation in the Chicagoland area, the co-host of the Nothing is Wasted Podcast, and leads The Louder Song Community, an online gathering for grievers and those walking with the hurting. Find out more at aubreysampson.com or on instagram @aubsamp.