Breaking the silence on grief: Empowering leaders in CALD communities

"Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine. Most people die tomorrow evening.” - Jack ma, Alibaba Founder 

Grief is something everyone will encounter in their lives. 

Whether losing a loved one to a terminal illness or your home in a devastating fire, getting your car written off in a crash or missing out on a job opportunity you really wanted – they are all losses that we have an emotional response to. 

For Still Aware Head of Strategy and Operations Amira Shahin, grief is not nearly spoken about enough.

“Everyone will experience grief, everyone will encounter death. It is not sinister to say that, it is the reality,” she says. 

On Thursday 4 September, Amira was joined by community members for the Resilient Leadership Program at the Still Aware Grenfell Street office. 

The program focused on grief, growth and leadership, helping participants learn how to navigate personal and collective grief, support others with empathy and lead with clarity and strength.

“Understanding emotional responses to grief, signs to look for and how to support yourself can help you self-manage, build resilience and lead a grief-aware workplace,” Amira says. 

Still Aware advocates for people to talk about their grief experience and for everyone to have access to culturally respectful support. 

Our charity provides resources, practical help and guidance that avoids rushing people’s grief process. 

Amira is a certified mental health professional, educator and leader with experience working across resilience, particularly in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.

“In CALD communities, grief and death are seen as private and not something to talk about.

“The first step to empowering ourselves through grief is to understand that the way we grieve is shaped by our culture, faith, community and past experiences,” Amira says.

A mix of emotions 

“Grief is not linear and it comes in waves,” Amira says. 

Building coping strategies are necessary to normalise grief and build connection and cultural safety.

“I tell all counselling clients that they may fall into a hole, and it’s OK to fall into a hole. Most times we don’t know we are falling in one until we are already there.”

“The important thing is to have the resources to get back out of it.”

For some people this may look like attending a support group, meditating, accepting help from others or honouring a loved one through memory or tradition.

Building safe spaces for sharing stories, being kind to yourself and your emotions and developing healthy lifestyle habits in your everyday life are other helpful ways of coping. 

“Everyone should have a routine,” Amira says, “and it could be as simple as seeing the same friend once a week, going to the gym, reading every night or praying first thing in the morning.”

Leadership during times of hardship 

“Creating boundaries is so important as a leader,” Amira says. 

Knowing when to say “no” to colleagues and to detach from people’s projections are important ways to build resilience. 

“If you have a co-worker who raises their voice at you or is passing judgement, taking a step back and saying ‘this is not how I do things’ or knowing when to just walk away is a powerful tool,” she says. 

A resilient leader holds space for others while managing their own emotional responses, and leads with compassion and courage. 

For CALD communities, this can look like drawing on community, lived experiences and cultural values of patience and respect. 

Leadership can be as simple as being present for someone who needs support.

“Some friends are not actually looking for advice, they are venting just to vent,” Amira says. 

“Silence can be supportive, a good leader is present and offers practical help when necessary.”

The next generation of managing grief in CALD communities and the workplace

The program attendees walked away with valuable insights into their future workplaces, but also how to practice managing grief in their day-to-day lives. 

“Amira had some great insights into workplace dynamics and how to navigate different situations,” Soumaya says.

“One day I would like to be a leader and I learned some great things,” Jessica says. 

“I’m from Afghanistan and grief isn’t spoken about there, so this program helped me realise that there’s things you can do to tackle grief in a better way.”

“Thank you to Still Aware and Amira for helping me understand how to tackle grief better and especially in a workplace environment,” she says. 

The program is generously supported by the J.O. & J. R. Wicking Trust, Dying to Know Grant

Are you or someone you know struggling to navigate grief? Get in touch with us today. 

Join Amira at a future leadership talk: https://womenunlimited.co/location/adelaide/