Episode 262: Lost on the Slopes - Lessons Beyond the Mountain: Interview Nick Shaw

Love Your Story: Stories and discussions about personal growth, mindset and living with intention

Episode 262: Lost on the Slopes - Lessons Beyond the Mountain: Interview Nick Shaw

Welcome to the Love Your Story podcast. Today’s show takes us into the story of the death of a 9-year-old boy after a ski accident at Big Sky in Montana. The tragedy, as you would expect, brought his parent’s to their knees, on a path none of us want to walk. But Nick Shaw - today’s guest - sought meaning as the life-line to hold to as he moved forward, and part of his healing process involved putting it down in writing, sharing the lessons he learned from his son. Stay tuned as he shares his story and as we discuss his book: My Teacher, My Son: Lessons on Life, Loss and Love.

Nick Shaw, William’s father, an accomplished executive coach, and the author of My Teacher, My Son, joins us today to share his story and the things he’s learned along the way.

Nick, welcome to the show.

I wanted to read a quick review of your book:

Kelly McGonigal, PhD, Research Psychologist at Stanford University writes:

“It seems impossible that a book about unimaginable grief could offer so much hope, yet that is the gift of My Teach, My Son. With breath taking honesty, Nick Shaw shows how love, joy and continued connection co-exist with loss, change and challenge. The courage of Nick’s self-reflection empowers each of us to find a way forward. A truly heart empowering read.”

Very high praise.

Tune into the audio program to hear answers to the following discussion questions:

• I know your story - I finished your book last week - but of course none of the listeners know who you are yet, so can we please start with your story? Tell us about your family and about that day.
• In dealing with this devastating loss, you chose to look for lessons. What have been the greatest lessons you have learned?
• In your book you say:

“I took a six-month leave of absence from work to be

with Susie and Kai and to try to make sense of everything. This pause gave

me the time and space to reflect and ask, “Is this the way I want to go on

living my life?” While the answer is important, I found that taking the time

to ask the question is more important.” TELL ME ABOUT THIS. I LOVE THE QUESTION.

• As your healing progresses and a year later you and Susan have your third son, you say, In another section of the book,

“ I had to be able to hold both my despair and my happiness at the same time. I had to accept that I could be happy and sad at the same time. I could revel in the delight of holding mynewborn son and at the same time be devastated by the loss of my oldest son. I could delight in sharing new and exciting experiences with Kai and at the same time be shattered by the fact that I will never be able to share those same experiences with William. I had to stop letting one feeling diminish the other; I made room for both feelings to coexist.

I feel like this is a healthy mindset that allows room for the complexity of the emotional journey. Talk to us about this idea...

• When we are going through something traumatic, how do we not let the emotion and trauma just take over? How do we maintain our ability to choose mindset?

To connect with Nick or get a copy of his book:

www.meetnickshaw.com

LinkedIn: Nick Shaw

https://www.amazon.com/My-Teacher-Son-Lessons-Life/dp/B0CH7F5MGW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1DV39OWBU5NVO&keywords=My+teacher+my+son&qid=1701198329&sprefix=my+teacher+my+s%2Caps%2C332&sr=8-1

Thank you so much for sharing your story and your experience with us.

One of the most human things we do is share our stories that we can learn from one another’s experiences. Today, Nick has shared the story of his journey of navigating tragedy and grief, that when we face our own dark nights of the soul we will know how others have walked theirs.

Please share this episode with anyone that you know who would benefit from hearing this story around the technological campfire.

We’ll see you in two weeks, for the Love Your Story Quick Chat - one inspirational idea in 15 minutes or under.