Akilah Richards is author of Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work and founder of the Raising Free People Network. Her work supports the messy, human process of release and remembrance to create spaces where people can process loss in its many forms—whether it’s the death of a loved one, a role, a dream, or a version of themselves. As an integrative thanatologist, Akilah recognizes grief as a teacher and helps others listen to it, rather than fix it, and to find trust in the lessons and release valves it offers. For Akilah, the work is about learning to live with the hard truths, the unclear paths, and the tender beauty of what it means to let go.