News

Living After Grief owner Teresa Reiniger has been a client of the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville since early 2021. Her company spreads awareness on the sensitive topics of infertility, family losses during pregnancy, and infancy loss.

As a certified grief coach, she guides clients and gives effective support to help people navigate through the triggers of this type of loss. This business idea came from a need she discovered after six months of interviewing and hosting guests on her podcast.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Approximately one pregnancy in 100, at 20 weeks of pregnancy and later, is affected by stillbirth, and each year about 24,000 babies are stillborn, miscarriages included, in the United States,” Teresa shared. “I can help women navigate the many feelings they are experiencing and help them begin to see the light in the long, dark, silent tunnel of grief.”  

Reiniger focuses on helping her clients recognize their grief through the loss they have experienced, and she offers individual, family and group coaching. She supports clients during mourning and assists in guiding them into living the life they want for themselves, their family, and friends.

“Death is not something we like to talk about as a society, so women with baby loss are very isolated,” Reiniger said. “However, ignoring the loss hinders the grief process. Death and loss are difficult, but the grieving process is natural.”

Like her clientele, Reiniger has faced multiple hardships in life, including two miscarriages herself and the loss of six grandchildren through miscarriage. She understands the struggle of not having the right resources to overcome these challenging times.

Living After Grief serves as a safe place to discuss and explore the pain of miscarriage, loss of a child, fertility planning and more. In addition, she supports and guides individuals to information and resources for genetic testing, egg donors, sperm donors, embryo donations, surrogates, fostering or adoption.   

As one of 13 siblings, Reiniger understands that people need to be more educated and aware of stillbirths and the challenges of facing grief. She shared, “There is always the question of ‘Why?’”

Reiniger knows it is critical to find support to successfully cope with grief and achieve future wellness. She encourages everyone to speak out to better help people navigate and have support when a loss occurs. This type of grief tends to be buried and many times it will be triggered only to resurface again.

“The SBDC was instrumental in providing me personal support,” she noted. “This experience has been amazingly helpful. Everyone has been so genuine, wanting to help me navigate all aspects of my business. I could not be more thankful.”   

IL SBDC at SIUE Director Jo Ann DiMaggio May assisted Living with Grief with business planning, logo development, website building, attorney connections, getting an accountant, applying for grants, and more.

“Reiniger is very diligent and a joy to work with,” Di Maggio May said. “I look forward to assisting Living After Grief as the company grows.”

Visit LivingAfterGrief.com or find them on Facebook @womenconnectsupport for daily updates, to schedule an appointment, and to listen to recent podcasts. Contact Reiniger at 618-560-8484.  

The Illinois SBDC for the Metro East assists start-up ventures like Living After Grief, as well as existing businesses headquartered in the nine-county region of Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Clinton, St. Clair, Washington, Monroe and Randolph counties. It is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and SIUE as a service to Illinois small businesses.  

By aiding entrepreneurs and companies in defining their path to success, the SBDC network positively impacts the Metro East by strengthening the business community, creating and retaining new jobs and encouraging new investment. It enhances the region’s economic interests by providing one-stop assistance to individuals by means of counseling, training, research and advocacy for new ventures and existing small businesses. When appropriate, the SBDC strives to affiliate its ties to the region to support the goals and objectives of both the SIUE School of Business and the University at large.  

To learn about the SBDC, contact the IL SBDC for the Metro East at SIUE at 618-650-2929.