Totally Fine (And Other Lies I've Told Myself): What my Decade in grief taught me about life

Description

'If Dolly Alderton, Glennon Doyle and Elizabeth Day had a love child, this is the writer they'd produce.' Laura Jane Williams, author and journalist. Stylist's Must Read Book for 2022 Evening Standard's Faces to Watch in 2022 Shame is a monster that grows inside us. We all have the monster, it's what we decide to do with it that determines how we live our lives. This is my story... One day in the summer of 2008, I was sat on a train travelling back to London from a weekend of partying with friends when I received a phone call that suddenly changed everything. I was told my boyfriend Richard was in hospital. He died seven days later. I spent most of my twenties pretending this never happened. It has taken me a decade to be able to tell this story, just as it has taken me years to understand that there is no right way to grieve and no right way to live. In our twenties, we are thrown into the adult world without a guidebook. It's a decade that should be about adventure and discovery, so why does it feel catastrophic when we fail? How are we expected to have mastered our lives in such a short amount of time? Saying my shame out loud has made me feel more connected to people in my life. I hope that my story will make you feel less alone, too. It is only by sharing our stories that we can give a voice to the unspoken. Whatever pain you're holding on to, I'm writing this for you. 'I wish I'd had this book to guide me into adulthood.' Sathnam Sanghera, bestselling author of Empireland and The Boy with the Topknot 'Will go a long way to helping those struggling with the stigma and shame that, sadly, persistently surrounds mental health.' Vicky Spratt, Refinery29

Tiffany Philippou is a writer and podcaster. Her writing seeks to challenge perceptions that hold us back from a life worth living, and has been published in Stylist, Refinery29, Sifted, The i Paper and The Startup. Is This Working?, a weekly podcast that Tiffany co-hosts, has been described by Red magazine as 'filled with intelligent conversation and practical advice on how to make your career, whatever that is, work for you'. The show regularly features in the top three of the careers charts in Apple Podcasts UK. Tiffany also writes a weekly newsletter, The Tiff Weekly. Tiffany previously spent over ten years working in leadership roles in startups, and in addition to her work as a writer and podcaster, she works as a coach and advises startups on their brand and communications strategies. Tiffany lives in London, and her website has further information about her writing, podcasting, coaching and social media.