Jack V. Kirnan - Kirnan Coaching Associates, LLC

My Brother’s Keeper: Grieving a Loss When a Loved One Dies Alone

“𝙂𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛’𝙨 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩. 𝘽𝙮 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚’𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙨, 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩.”
𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙚𝙢, “𝙂𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛 𝙄𝙨 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝘼 𝙍𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧” 𝙗𝙮 𝘾𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙖 𝙂. 𝙆𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮

This article takes a closer look at an issue that often surfaces in grief ministry when a person we love dies alone in those final moments of life without the presence of family and close friends, an experience that became more pronounced for many families grieving a loss during the height of the global pandemic. I also share my own story of losing my brother Dennis who died suddenly at the age of 19 and the healing, closure, and meaning I recently experienced by having the courage to finally visit that sacred ground where God called him home. #griefsupport #bereavementsupport #spiritualcoaching #lifecoaching

Grief Coaching Bereavement Career Coaching Executive Coaching

Grieving Job Loss: Denial and the Challenge to Our Self Identity

“Denial helps us to pace our feelings of grief. There is a grace in denial. It is nature’s way of letting in only as much as we can handle.” Elizabeth Kubler-Ross The U.S. labor market continues to defy expectations as job growth has remained quite strong with a national unemployment rate of 3.7% that continues …

Spiritual Coaching Career Coaching Executive Coaching Leadership Coaching Personal Coaching

Reframing Old Scripts, Self Limiting Beliefs, and Behaviors

Did you ever face a moment at work or in your personal life where an issue comes up that triggers an automatic behavior by default usually taking the form of a deeply held self-limiting belief? For me, the old scripts usually take the form of “you’re not smart enough”, “not good enough” or when facing a project deadline, I hear myself saying “It’s not perfect yet and it needs to be perfect”. In this post, I share some of the tools and exercises we often utilize to help clients create the awareness for how their unique old scripts, stories, self-limiting beliefs, and behaviors may no longer serve their needs, creating a potential pathway for a new script to be written and one where the older stories and beliefs become less prominent. #executivecoaching #careercoaching #lifecoaching #spiritualcoaching #limitingbeliefs

Spiritual Coaching Reflections

The Blessings of Spiritual Listening

“𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅, 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈.” 𝑺𝒂𝒎𝒖𝒆𝒍 3: 10 It’s been cold and rainy of late where I live in New Jersey and winters in January can be challenging but last week it was a tad warmer and as I drove along Ocean Avenue on my way to morning Mass, I literally had to stop …

Career Coaching Executive Coaching Grief Coaching Personal Coaching Recovery Coaching

I Used to be Employed and Now I’m Not: Grieving Job Loss

“And I’m looking for space and to find out who I am, and I’m looking to know and understand. It’s a sweet, sweet dream. Sometimes I’m almost there. Sometimes I fly like an eagle and sometimes I’m deep in despair.” Lyrics from the song, Looking for Space, John Denver (1976) That Uncomfortable Space Between No …

Career Coaching Executive Coaching Personal Coaching Spiritual Coaching

The Blessings of a Personal Board of Directors

“𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙖. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚”. 𝙄𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙗 That old Irish Proverb really resonates for me whenever I see two of my very best friends as I did this past Thursday night over dinner at …

Grief Coaching Bereavement Personal Coaching Recovery Coaching Spiritual Coaching

The Many Faces of Grief and Loss: Missing Dad on Father’s Day

“I thought he’d live forever. He seemed so big and strong. But the minutes fly and the years roll by for a father and his son. I never will forget him, for he made me what I am. Though he may be gone, memory lingers on. And I miss him, my Old Man.” From the …

Spiritual Coaching Bereavement Grief Coaching Recovery Coaching

The Many Faces of Grief and Loss: 51 Years Later, Losing Dennis Still Hurts

“Blessed are those that mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 Last Thursday, I did what I have always done on every April 20th, attending Mass at the church of my youth, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood, NJ in commemoration of my late brother Dennis who died unexpectedly 51 years ago. At …

Career Coaching Executive Coaching Personal Coaching Spiritual Coaching

Put Me in Coach, I’m Ready To Play Today: The Spirituality of Baseball

“Oh, put me in Coach, I’m ready to play today; Put me in Coach, I’m ready to play today; Look at me, I can be Centerfield.” Lyrics for the song Centerfield, John Fogerty (1985) This past Thursday was Opening Day in Major League baseball for all 30 teams, conjuring up some powerful memories we all …

Career Coaching Executive Coaching Leadership Coaching Personal Coaching Spiritual Coaching

Springtime: The Season for Personal Soil Enrichment

“𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙨: … 𝙖 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩” 𝙀𝙘𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙨 3: 1-2 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Spring has finally arrived helping lift our spirits with tulips, daffodils and crocus perennials popping up all around us. And …