Karen Bulinski Mathison, MS, MHW

"12 Years in Death Care & Grief Education + 7 Years of Lived Experience = Your Guide Through the Unthinkable"

 

Karen Bulinski Mathison isn’t your typical grief coach—and she’s not trying to be.

With a Master’s in Mental Health & Wellness from Grand Canyon University, a post‑graduate Life Coaching certificate, and more than 12 years in death care and grief education, Karen brings real training to the table. But what makes The Naked Grief different isn’t a fancy title. It’s the fact that she’s lived the kind of grief that doesn’t come in one clean chapter.

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Karen has walked through the losses that change everything—losing her husband, losing her father, and losing a later love. She’s also lived the domino effect grief can create: the secondary losses, the isolation, the identity shifts, the “how am I still standing?” seasons. And she learned something the hard way:

Healing isn’t “moving on.”

Healing is learning how to carry grief without it crushing you.

That’s why she created The Naked Grief approach: Raw Grief, Real Healing.
No clinical BS. No toxic positivity. No pretending you’re fine. Just honest, practical support for the messy reality of loss—death loss and the grief nobody validates (abandonment, estrangement, breakups, friendship loss, identity loss, the life that didn’t happen, and everything in between).

Karen’s Journey

Karen’s path into grief work began in 2013 when she started writing bereavement books—never knowing she’d soon be living every word. Over the years, her work expanded through death care and grief education, including life insurance (2014), cemetery services (2015–2018), and supporting families through end-of-life realities and the aftermath no one prepares you for. She also volunteered with Camp Erin at Roberta’s House in Baltimore and connected with healing organizations like The Courage Lion Program.

Then grief stopped being something she supported from the outside and became something she survived from the inside.

Those losses didn’t just change her life—they sharpened her understanding of what people actually need when the world keeps moving and they can barely breathe: language for what’s happening, tools that work in real life, and a place where grief isn’t treated like an inconvenience.

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Why Karen’s Approach Works

Karen blends professional education, real-world experience, and lived reality—so you get support that’s grounded, human, and usable.

• Educational Foundation: Master’s in Mental Health & Wellness + Post‑Graduate Life Coaching Certificate (Grand Canyon University)

• 12+ Years Professional Experience: death care, life insurance, cemetery services, grief education

• Lived Experience: multiple major losses and the secondary grief that follows

• Certifications & Training: Certified Death Doula, Art Therapy Coaching, Emotional Trauma First Aid, Mental Health First Aid (plus ongoing advanced training)

• Proven Content Creation: multiple published grief books and resources

• The Naked Grief Voice: direct, honest, practical—support that meets you where you are

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What You Can Expect Here

The Naked Grief is coaching-based grief support and community. It’s built for people who want more than inspiration quotes and more than “just be strong.”

You’ll find:

• real talk that doesn’t sugarcoat grief

• practical tools you can use when you’re triggered, numb, angry, or exhausted

• support that includes death loss and disenfranchised grief

• a community that doesn’t rush you, fix you, or judge you

Private, affordable coaching-based support—no insurance required.

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Featured In: Brainz Magazine
https://www.brainzmagazine.com/executive-contributor/karen-bulinski-mathison

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