Lead with Storytelling | Remember Me Author Interview w/ Sharon Garlough Brown

🎙️ Writing Grief, Grace & God's Presence

Guest: Sharon Garlough Brown

📚 Author of the Sensible Shoes & Shades of Light series

What does it look like to meet God in the valley of suffering? In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, we sit with spiritual director and bestselling author Sharon Garlough Brown for an honest and deeply moving conversation about grief, compassion, mental health, and the Church.

Her latest novel, Remember Me, continues the Shades of Light series and tells the backstory of beloved spiritual director Katherine. In this discussion, Sharon opens up about why she writes fiction that laments with honesty, listens with care, and creates sacred space for readers navigating sorrow.

🌿 In This Episode, We Explore:

✅ Why Remember Me was written as a spiritual companion for the grieving

✅ Writing Christian fiction that resists clichés and honors lament

✅ The role of Stations of the Cross and Holy Week in spiritual formation

✅ Mental health, trauma, and the Church's role in offering true compassion

✅ How Sharon sees fiction as ministry—and story as a mirror and light

✅ Katherine’s letter and the power of sharing wounds that remain

✅ A powerful word Sharon heard from God about forgiveness:

“She already has an accuser—don’t join him in his work.”

✅ Sharon also shares about her deep friendship with fellow writer Cynthia Beach, their upcoming project in Scotland, and why spiritual companionship is one of the greatest gifts of the Christian life.

✨ Whether you’re a writer, a reader, or someone simply longing for a deeper understanding of God’s presence in suffering, this conversation is a balm.

Timestamp:

0:00 – Introduction: Meeting God in the midst of grief

1:42 – Remember Me: A story that felt like prayer

3:05 – Sharon on setting the book in the Sensible Shoes / Shades of Light universe

5:28 – Mental health, chronic suffering, and theology of presence

8:15 – The role of compassion and shared suffering in spiritual formation

10:10 – The power of ritual: Stations of the Cross and finding life in Lent

12:40 – Writing about suffering without easy answers

15:00 – The prayer of lament and Jesus’ slow walk to hope

18:50 – Why Sharon structured Remember Me with a closing letter

21:30 – On prayer journaling as a spiritual and creative practice

23:40 – How spiritual direction has shaped Sharon’s writing

26:50 – Encouragement for writers exploring grief, mental health, and trauma

30:12 – Breaking shame and stigma around mental illness in the Church

33:08 – What fiction can offer the Church: creating space for co-sufferers

36:20 – Readers and therapists using Sharon’s work as a healing resource

38:00 – The call for a more compassionate Church

📖 Read “Remember Me” and Sharon’s full body of work: https://www.sharongarloughbrown.com

🎧 Follow the podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1L4RUXpEvZiCZYzLT8WZ3x

💬 What’s your experience with stories that speak honestly about grief and hope? Share in the comments below.