43. Sacred Portals of Surrogacy, Birth, Death and Grief with Brook van der Linde
Brook van der Linde (she/her) is a mom, writer, and widow. She went from working with criminal defense attorneys to documenting the lives of those living on the farthest margins of society. She is currently working as a full-time copywriter, piecing together a memoir, creating a writing program for people experiencing incarceration, and carrying a baby for some friends.
*disclaimer — this episode discusses addiction and death*
In this episode, Brook and I discuss:
Brook’s background and what led her to writing and storytelling
Brook shares about the curriculum she’s developing for incarcerated people, including what inspired this work and its mission
The heartbreaking loss of Brook’s partner Kyle to addiction and what this experience taught her
What held Brook in the grief of losing Kyle
Brook’s recent journey with surrogacy, what inspired her to become a surrogate and what has this experience been like for her
Birth and death as sacred portals and liminal spaces and the similarities between these universal experiences
You can find Brook’s work on her website brookvanderlinde.com and on IG at @brookvanderlinde
I hope you love listening to this beautiful and wise conversation as much as Brook and I loved having it! If you love this episode, if it nourishes you somehow, please subscribe to the pod, leave a review and rating, and share it with a friend, thank you!
