Meet Julie

My Path to Rediscovering Purpose and Joy

In 2007 my two youngest children died in a car accident – my daughter Carrie was 10 and my son David was 8. The first three years were absolute hell. I felt so fragile and I knew that nothing in my life would ever be the same.

Carrie and David with their dad and brothers at Yellowstone National Park, 2005.

I worked with a therapist to overcome my PTSD – caused by driving the car that rolled over and changed our lives forever. I fought every day to get up in the morning and try to make sense of my new reality. One of the first things I learned was not to judge or let anything anyone said affect me which helped me move forward in relationships...

(You can also listen to my story on the podcast here.)

Carrie David Idaho Falls 2005

On the 3rd anniversary almost to the day, things changed. I started to feel more like I could cope. My therapist proclaimed me DONE. I did not feel done. Yes, I was better but I didn’t know where to start to truly rebuild my life.

I realized that I had already experienced the worst thing that could happen, which created a weird mix of fear and courage inside me. I began building new experiences and creating a new identity. It was a relief when my friends and family could finally perceive me beyond the tragedy.

In 2012 I had a profound experience that sent me on a search for even more answers. I knew I was being directed to help others who had experienced an overwhelming loss like I had, but how do I do that?

Then one day while listening to Brooke Castillo’s podcast from The Life Coach School, I had an aha moment. I knew exactly what she meant when she described her lost feelings after therapy. And she explained that therapy looks back to work on diagnosed mental issues whereas coaching looks forward to inspire and create a life of goals and dreams.

A Recent Family Photo

That’s why I founded my company Build a Life After Loss to coach those who have experienced the tremendous pain of loss to build a life of joy and purpose.

I spent months learning about grief and transformation. I became a Certified CTA Life Coach and a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist. I love the magic of coaching! It’s a privilege to work with client who become friends and experience their growth with them.

If you’ve been devastated by the pain and grief of loss, you deserve to spend some time with a caring, trained partner to truly rediscover your personal purpose and joy again. I am ready to become that partner for you.

When I’m not coaching, I love traveling with my husband. I’m still a Florida girl at heart so I absolutely love the beach. Now that we live in the mountains we’ve enjoyed off-roading and hiking the mountains. We also love time with our grandkids…and our kids too, of course. I’m an avid reader, a tennis player, a pianist and a mixed-media artist.

You can find some of me on instagram @buildalifeafterloss.

Or on Facebook here.

Julie Cluff

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