Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Vosti
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My father passed away from cancer in 2017. Our family home had just burned down in the Napa, CA fires taking all of his personal belongings with him. It felt apocalyptic. My dad was more than a parent to me, he was a best friend, a kindred spirit. It didn’t make sense how he as well as everything he left behind just vanished. My brain couldn’t make sense of the loss. During the next few months, I was sent flowers and I was sent books of poetry as well as self-care items. I don’t remember a single bouquet, but I remember every unique and thoughtful gift. I lost friends during this period because so many people have no idea how to act when someone experiences a tragedy. There were even friends I didn’t hear from for months until finally they told me, “I didn’t know what to say” or “I didn’t want to say the wrong thing.” It broke my heart to feel so alone and abandoned during the hardest time of my life. Shortly after, I had a friend who was having a baby, and not having a baby myself, I didn’t know what to get her. I found online a pre-curated gift box for expecting moms and thought to myself, wouldn’t this be nice for someone who has experienced a loss? I just click send and I know something useful and meaningful is being given to them on my behalf without me having to know exactly what to get them. Fast forward to 2024, I launch Grief Gifts: a high-quality and thoughtfully curated Gift Box or Gift Bag that includes items designed to be supportive and healing for those on their grief journey.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our company is still very new, but something we struggle with in this first year is marketing grief and death. These are not easy topics to acknowledge. We hope that as the company grows, so does people’s openness to feeling the tenderness of grief and compassion.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Grief Gifts offers both grievers and supporters resources for navigating the grief journey. As a supporter, it can be difficult to know the right thing to say or do. When you purchase either a Gift Box or Gift Bag, you can rest assured that the recipient is receiving a high-quality and thoughtfully curated gift that not only includes specific physical items to comfort the griever, but it arrives in a beautiful package with a meaningful note that we provide. In addition to the arrival of their gift, the recipient receives an email with a link to the Grief Relief E-Gift. Grief Gifts wanted to take gifting one step further: the founder, Kate, is an expert somatic healing facilitator, and co-founder, Jake, is an advanced mindfulness meditation teacher. Grief Relief is a digital library that includes a 2-week guided meditation series with daily journal prompts and four in-depth somatic healing practices specifically for grief. While flowers are a thoughtful gesture, they will wilt and die in a matter of days. Our intention is to make your gesture count – gift someone you care about lasting resources that will help them build their “new normal.” This is an appropriate gift for a friend, relative, or even employee/co-worker. We offer free priority shipping in discreet packaging to maintain privacy. Grief Gifts is non-denominational and gender-neutral, highlighting the importance of inclusivity during the shared human experience of grief.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Networking for me has always been about boldly allowing myself to be seen, even if what I am offering might seem different or vulnerable. If you allow yourself and what you believe in to be witnessed, you will attract more like-hearted people.
Pricing:
- Gift Box: $97
- Gift Bag: $47
- Grief Relief E-Gift (individual): $15
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.griefgifts.io
- Instagram: grief.gifts
- Facebook: grief.gifts
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/O3zcnRgs0Go
