Mom Transforms Personal Loss Into Lifeline for Grieving Parents Through New Grief Coaching Platform

A deeply personal journey of loss has become the foundation for a new grief support initiative designed to help parents facing one of life’s most devastating experiences.

Tammy Collinsworth, certified grief coach and founder of TLC Grief Coach, is launching a new coaching platform dedicated to supporting parents who have lost a child. Drawing from her own lived experience after the loss of her only son, Brent, Collinsworth is building a space focused on emotional support, understanding, and community for grieving parents who often feel isolated in their pain.

“My name is Tammy, and I am Brent’s mom,” Collinsworth shared. “I lost my only child at age 23 during his graduation weekend at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley in 2010. That moment changed every part of my life.”

Her son, a 2005 graduate of Vandalia Butler High School and former varsity baseball pitcher, had pursued his passion for culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America, graduating in 2010. His passing marked the beginning of a long and difficult journey through grief that reshaped Collinsworth’s identity, relationships, and sense of purpose.

“For the past 15 years, I have navigated the long, isolating journey of parental grief,” she said. “It is a journey that is rarely talked about openly, yet it reshapes everything.”

Over the years, Collinsworth found that connection with other grieving parents became essential to survival. Small support groups provided understanding that could not be found elsewhere, becoming what she describes as a lifeline during the most difficult periods of her life.

Now a certified grief coach and former civilian leader with the U.S. Air Force, Collinsworth is turning her experience into a structured support system for others. TLC Grief Coach is designed to offer both one-on-one and group Zoom-based sessions, providing accessible support to parents regardless of location or circumstance.

“My mission is to create the ‘village’ grieving parents often wish existed,” Collinsworth explained. “A safe, compassionate space where they can speak freely, feel understood, and begin to rebuild their lives.”

The platform will focus on parent-centered grief support, helping individuals process complex emotions, navigate daily life after loss, and find pathways toward emotional stability. Collinsworth emphasizes that every grief journey is unique, and her coaching approach is grounded in both professional training and lived experience.

“I am a certified grief coach, and my work is deeply rooted in my personal journey through loss,” she said. “What helped me survive the early days is what I now want to pass on to others.”

TLC Grief Coach is also aimed at reaching underserved and resource-limited communities, where access to grief support services may be limited or unavailable. Collinsworth hopes to expand awareness and accessibility so that more parents can find guidance during one of the most painful chapters of their lives.

The official website, TLCgriefcoach.com, is now live and open for bookings. Sessions are offered in both individual coaching and group support formats delivered virtually, making the service accessible to parents across multiple regions. 

Beyond coaching, Collinsworth’s broader mission is to normalize conversations around parental grief and reduce the isolation that often accompanies such loss.

“No grieving parent should have to walk this path alone,” she said. “If my story can help even one parent feel less isolated, then this work has meaning.”

Collinsworth previously worked as a civilian leader supporting the U.S. Air Force, a background she says strengthened her leadership skills and commitment to service—qualities she now brings into her grief coaching practice.

As TLC Grief Coach prepares to launch, Collinsworth hopes her message resonates with families quietly carrying grief while trying to navigate daily life.

“This is about connection and understanding,” she said. “It’s about reminding parents that even in the darkest moments, they are not alone.”

About TLC Grief Coach

TLC Grief Coach is a grief support and coaching platform founded by Tammy Collinsworth. The service provides parent-centered grief coaching through virtual one-on-one and group sessions designed to help individuals process loss, rebuild emotional stability, and find community after the death of a child.

Learn more at TLCgriefcoach.com or connect with founder Tammy Collinsworth on LinkedIn. For inquiries, you may also reach the team at tlcpcllc@gmail.com.