Getting Social With Our Grief: A Conversation with Jesse Moss

Last week, Grieve Leave founder, Rebecca Feinglos, sat down with Jesse Moss, the Director of Marketing at Experience Camps, for a conversation on the Grieve Leave Instagram. Experience Camps is an award-winning non-profit that transforms the lives of grieving children, and Jesse oversees the development of strategies and content to create a more grief-sensitive culture while advocating for grieving children across the country.

You can watch the full interview HERE and read three of our favorite takeaways below:

"When we first created our TikTok, our thought was, can we be a light in the dark?... I think the beauty of social media is that because we're hidden behind screens, we're able to be a little bit more vulnerable…” Social media has its pros and cons, but when it comes to grief? It can be a gift! Online spaces, whether they’re comment sections, message boards, or something else, can be a safe haven for people looking for others who just get it.  

“I remember saying something along the lines of, ‘I'm really sorry, I'm not good at this.’

 And the clinician who was facilitating the circle was like, ‘That's not a thing. You can't be good or bad at this. Just speak your truth.’"

–Jesse Moss on the first time she opened up about her grief at Experience Camps

Society can put pressure on us to grieve in a certain way or on a specific timeline, but the reality is that grief is a deeply personal and individual experience. What matters most is honoring your own emotions in a way that feels authentic to you, even when it's messy or difficult. There is no right way to grieve. 

"These Experience Camps spaces are joyful. There's not a lot of grief spaces that are joyful...that's really the difference." 

Grief and joy CAN coexist. When we create spaces like Experience Camps, where grieving kids can laugh, connect, and have fun while still processing their loss, we totally flip the script on what grieving looks like. These spaces challenge the idea that we have to be completely consumed by grief after losing someone.


By building intentional programming that brings kids and adults together, as well as harnessing the power of social media, having real, raw, and even joyful conversations, Experience Camps is breaking down the stigma around loss.

To connect with Jesse and learn more about Experience Camps' mission of supporting grieving children and creating a more grief-sensitive culture, head over to @experiencecamps on Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms. Be sure to also check out their website at experiencecamps.org and their new initiative, GriefSucks.com, a resource specifically designed for grieving teens.