grief

So…What Is This Blog, Anyway?

Not sure what this blog is about? That’s fair. Here’s a look at the core themes—grief, grace, growth, and sometimes cats.

Michele Whitney

19 Jul 2025 — 1 min read

Photo by Timo Volz / Unsplash

After starting something like this, it’s normal to wonder:

“So…what is this blog actually about?”

Fair question.

Heart & Science is built around a few core themes—some personal, some research-based, all connected to the ways we live, grieve, and grow.

Here’s a quick look at what you’ll find here:

Grief (But Not Just the Usual Kind)

This isn’t just about death or mourning in the traditional sense.
It’s about:

Pet loss (yes, including cats who rule the household)
The human-animal bond, and why losing a companion animal can feel like losing family
Non-death grief: transitions, identity shifts, losses no one sees
What grief looks like in Black communities, and why the silence matters

Grace (Especially When It’s Messy)

Not the Instagram version of grace, but the real-life, complicated kind.

What healing actually looks like (hint: it’s not linear)
Coping with loss when the world expects you to “move on”
Small moments of comfort—like the quiet companionship of animals, or the simple act of being held in community

Growth (Even When You’re Tired)

Growth isn’t about “leveling up”—it’s about becoming more yourself.

Reflections on caregiving, equity, and being first-gen in spaces not built for you
Lessons from research and life, side by side
Exploring how we build resilience and connection through the bonds we share—with each other, and with the animals who walk alongside us

Sometimes posts will lean academic. Sometimes they’ll sound like a text to a friend.

And sometimes they’ll involve cats—I don’t really get a choice there.

If any of this speaks to you, I hope you’ll stay connected.
This is just the beginning.

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day

To everyone missing someone with four paws (or two wings, or however many legs)—you're not alone in this. As my vet told me on the day I said goodbye to Samson, "they were lucky to be loved by you," and you were blessed to love them.

When Empathy Fails: Understanding Disenfranchised Grief

Disenfranchised grief occurs when empathy fails—when family, friends, and the larger community fail to recognize and support a grieving person. But what I found in my research was even more striking: the fear of empathic failure, where people grieve in silence simply anticipating rejection.

The Why Behind the Work: Reflecting on a Summer of Sharing My Research

I've just wrapped up an unexpected summer tour of my dissertation research. As I reflect on this whirlwind of posters, presentations, and first-time academic conference navigation, I keep getting asked the same question: "Why this research?"

What We Carry: African American Grief as a Measure of Love

A few days ago, someone reached out to tell me my dissertation gave them 'permission to simply grieve and be.' They were wrestling with feeling grief for their dog 'because...I'm Black.' Their message reminded me why we need to expand how we understand grief across cultures and communities.