139: Started Ella's Umbrella to honor and support others with Betty Mertens

Betty Mertens is a speaker, author, and co-founder of the non-profit Ella's Umbrella. She is mother to three children. Her oldest daughter, Ella passed away at the age of one in 2017 due to an undiagnosed heart defect. After her tragedy, she and her husband Kyle realized that they had a unique ability to support others through grief. Since then, they have taken what they learned from their experience and using it to help others. Betty has a B.A. in Communications and a Master of Organization Leadership from the University of Northwestern, MN, and an M.B.A. from the University of MO – St. Louis. She currently works in Marketing.

Her and her husband's vision with Ella's Umbrella is to provide knowledge, resources and tools that will help save other children's lives, and bring hope and healing to their families.

Inside this episode you will learn:

• About each of the books Betty has written.
• Great insight on supporting those grieving
• Multiple metaphors to explain going through grief.
• The connection between deep sadness and laughter

Ella's Umbrella Nonprofit Support Pillars:

• Pediatric Heart Research
• Heart Technology Advancements
• Help for Grieving Hearts

" When you look at all the miles you've traveled, may you never forget the brokenness that has given you strength. And perhaps above all, we hope you may truly be able to appreciate the beauty in the threads of gold that hold all the pieces together." ~~ Betty Mertens

Ordering Links:

Adult book on grief called Unraveled: When Loss Changes Everything: https://www.amazon.com/Unraveled-When-Loss-Changes-Everything/dp/B09VWRWW75/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1U4N27VK8JD4G&keywords=unraveled+when+loss+changes+everything&qid=1681760129&sprefix=unraveled+los%2Caps%2C114&sr=8-1 Kid's book called Never Far Apart:

https://www.amazon.com/Never-Far-Apart-Betty-Mertens/dp/B0BXN99X3M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NMEJUG2135TI&keywords=Never+far+apart&qid=1679939937&sprefix=never+far%2Caps%2C454&sr=8-1Connect with Betty:

Connect with Betty:

Facebook: @kyleandbettymertens Instagram: @kyleandbetty Linkedin: @kyle-and-betty-mertens

Connect with Teresa:

EMAIL: teresa.livingaftergrief.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/.livingaftergrief/.

Instagram: @livingaftergrief

Website: www.livingaftergrief.com

click and schedule a free complementary time to talk: https://calendly.com/teresa-reiniger/podcast-discovery-call