“My grief was great, but it could not define me any longer.”
Every year, BYU’s Life After Loss conference helps God’s children move forward by bringing them together. It’s a divine, albeit bittersweet, experience that sheds rays of heavenly light on the darkest of circumstances.
Loss is far from easy; it tears, disables, and torments, never fully fading. This deep species of pain haunts millions of Americans who lose loved ones. It's this pervasive, debilitating emptiness that BYU's Life After Loss conference seeks to address.
“The pain here is palpable,” said Carrie Moore about the 2023 conference. The shared sorrow among attendees is profound, with presenters highlighting the severe impact of grief on mental function, which can be reduced by up to 70% after a significant loss. This cognitive impairment is not fleeting; it lingers for years, incessantly corroding and crippling grievers while the world tells them to “move on.”
One attendee described experiencing a “five-year fog” following the loss of a spouse. The BYU Life After Loss conference helped begin to dissipate the darkness: “[The conference] was the perfect antidote to help me to move forward. … My heart and my spirit are rejoicing.” Attendees felt "hope, compassion, understanding, and encouragement” fill some of the void that loss creates.
Community is a keystone of the Life After Loss experience. “Being in a room of so many people [who] managed to get out of bed, shower and fix their hair, eat breakfast, and drive to a conference … while dragging their broken hearts behind them [was] impressive. … Being with them was inspiring and encouraging."
Keynote speaker Melissa Dalton-Bradford described her grief as a “wilderness” experience. Melissa spoke of losing her son and, later, her father. As she trudged through the dreary, tragedy-formed landscape, she found power in solitude, service, and spirit. The wilderness of loss is far from easy, but as we struggle through it, a transformation occurs.
The conference provides tools and resources to help participants continue onward toward the promised land. Keynote speakers, classes, shared experiences, meditation, and comfort foods all help attendees productively process their pain.
The 2025 conference will be no different. Keynote speakers include:
Gail Miller, businesswoman and philanthropist, who found purpose after the death of her husband in 2009.
Sean Covey, president of Franklin Covey Education, who established Bridle Up Hope: the Rachel Covey Foundation in memory of his daughter.
Sunny Mahe, former BYU Volleyball All-American, who, along with her family, found joy in giving after the loss of a child.
The conference will take place on March 28 and 29, 2025 at the BYU Conference Center and Continuing Education Harman Building. Registration is now open. For those unable to attend in person, select recorded sessions will be available through BYU Continuing Education’s paid media library, InspirED.
While the pain of loss may never fully disappear, the resources provided by the Life After Loss conference offer a path to live onward with faith and resilience. Register at lifeafterloss.ce.byu.edu/registration.
