Meet Eryn Elder of Roots and Wings Grief and Loss Coaching LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eryn Elder.

Hi Eryn, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always been in the helping professions. In 2014, my first-born child did not wake up from her nap at daycare, and she died with no known cause (SUIDS). This, understandbly, shifted my path and life goals. I had been supporting school leaders across the state of Colorado with their implementation of behavioral health supports, and I decided to return to CU Boulder where I, along with a team, developed a coaching program. Recognizing the power of research- and evidence-based coaching approaches, I left CU and began working on my business to blend coaching with grief support for adults. Along with my coaching credentials and Master’s of Arts in Education Foundations, Policy, and Practice, I earned various grief support specializations. Always a learner and developer of frameworks, programs, and people, I combined my passions to start my own grief support business: Roots and Wings Grief and Loss Coaching LLC. My orgaization focuses on 1:1 grief support for adults grieving any type of loss; group support; trainings; workshops; and public speaking engagements. In April of this year, I released my book, Blooming Through Loss: Tending to Grief with the BloomPath™. Part personal narrative and best practices in grief support, the book takes the reader on a journey of understanding the BloomPath™ and its six internal and seven external Blooms that grief has a touchpoint with and within an individual. The book includes reflective exercises and a narrative voice, so that it is easy to read and process as a griever or someone who is supporting a griever. My passion for this work is inspired by my daughter, Evelyn’s, memory and with my hope that we continue to develop and share more grief education and create grief-aware cultures.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not been a smooth road. The bumps, roadblocks, and challenges are what have given me information and helped me better undertsand my values. Some of my struggles have been my own mental health challenges that I have faced after the death of my daughter, Evelyn, and over the past ten years. Additionally, starting a business from scratch with young children and other responsibilities has been tricky to navigate. The additional struggles I have faced include much of the building of the business: how to find clients; how to market my business; how to grow my skills; and how to launch my book into the world. Overall, growing pains and self belief have been my biggest challenges.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a grief support specialist, helping adults form 18 years to 100 years+ navigate their grief journey. I’ve worked with people grieving death losses (human and pet), divorce, jobs, and life transitions.

I don’t just teach grief concepts — I live them. My journey after the death of my first-born daughter grounds my work in authenticity and compassion. Combined with my professional training and certifications, this lived + learned approach gives my coaching a depth and care that is authentic and powerful for integrating grief to live a full life.

Unlike traditional grief models that emphasize stages or tasks, I’ve created a trademarked, research-informed, and accessible framework that honors the nonlinear, cyclical nature of grief. The BloomPath™ provides a compassionate and flexible guide for both grievers and professionals, both innovative and practical.

My background in higher education and curriculum and program design coupled with my coach training means I bring high-level facilitation skills and a talent for creating comfortable, structured spaces for both individuals and groups.

I integrate multiple dimensions of healing — for example, emotional, cognitive, social, and even spiritual — through tools like guided reflection, creative activities, and dialogue. This makes my work adaptable for clinical, educational, community, and/or spiritual settings.

Beyond one-on-one coaching, Roots and Wings is about cultivating community resilience. I provide workshops, trainings, and group experiences that empower others — professionals, caregivers, and peers — to companion grievers more effectively and to utilize coaching skills.

Aside from my business, I co-host a weekly podcast, Coaching as Benevolence with my dear friend L’Shawn Howard. We share coaching concepts for everyday life.

Most importantly, I want my clients to feel seen, supported, and empowered as they navigate their grief, discovering resilience, meaning, and hope along the way. My deepest hope is that clients leave our sessions not with their grief erased, but with tools, compassion, and confidence to live fully while carrying the depths of their loss.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Adaptability on multiple levels. One, my adaptability to perspective-shift and see things from a different point-of-view, from the lenses of each of my clients. Additionally, my adapatability to continue to grow and learn and adjust to what I believe to be the most effective modalities for grief support.

Pricing:

• $125/session with sliding scale option
• 15.99 for the book
• 16.99 for the journal

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rootsandwingsgriefcoaching.com
• Instagram: @griefandlossguide
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087010000659
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eryn-elder/

Image Credits
Branded Beet, Jenn