Grief as Grace: Audio Archive

Grief as Grace is an audio archive curated by Louise Hill Davis, holding conversations with people across the South West on how grief can transform into grace. At its heart, it honours marginalised voices and the stories of underserved communities, beginning with the wisdom, resilience, and lived experiences of Black women.

Contributors

Host

Louise Hill-Davis

Louise Hill-Davis – Producer & Facilitator of Grief as Grace
Producer of Grief as Grace, an audio archive, Louise holds space for tender, intergenerational conversations with Black women in the South West. The project was born from a longing to create room for the parts of grief we’re often asked to carry quietly — the everyday losses, the ancestral echoes, the moments we soften and survive.

As a neurodivergent practitioner and founder of LHD Facilitations, Louise approaches this work through an intersectional lens, guided by lived experience, deep listening, and the belief that grief is not something to be fixed, but felt, witnessed, and honoured.

Grief as Grace invites you to pause, to listen, and to hold space for what might rise. Some conversations are only shared in live exhibition settings to protect their intimacy and integrity — please keep an eye out for the next exhibit.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-hill-davis/

Co-host

Sheriden Akintayo

Sheriden Akintayo – Guest, Grief as Grace
Sheriden Akintayo hosts Louise in a personal and powerful conversation exploring grief, identity, and healing. Their discussion is available as Episode 5 of the archive. Sheriden’s wider contribution to Grief as Grace is only available to experience in person—please come and see the exhibition, as some work is not shared online.

Guests

Guest

Iyanuoluwa

Iyanuoluwa – Mental Health Practitioner
Iyanuoluwa is a Yoruba woman and mental health practitioner who shares the devastating loss of her uncle, aunty, and unborn niece in a car accident in Nigeria. In this deeply personal conversation, she speaks on love, the right to grieve, and the enduring light of those we’ve lost.

Guest

Jaidah

Jaidah – Poet, Grief as Grace
Natures Jaidah is a well-respected poet based in the South West. Her words, presence, and way of being have brought peace, love, and understanding to our community in Weston and beyond. Jaidah’s powerful contribution to Grief as Grace is only available to experience in the live exhibition. Please come and witness it in person—some work is not shared online.

Guest

Khothatso

Khothatso – Nurse
Khothatso is a registered nurse and entrepreneur who shares the profound heartbreak of losing both her parents within a short space of time, and the journey of returning to Africa to say goodbye. Her story honours the emotional weight of long-distance grief and the strength it takes to hold onto love, memory, and cultural roots across borders.

Guest

Odette

Odette – Guest, Grief as Grace
Odette is a civil servant who reflects on the loss of her twin sister in a conversation that speaks volumes about mental health, silence, and survival within Black communities. This powerful, layered exchange is only available in the live exhibition—so much is said, and yet so much is left unsaid.

Guest

Vanessa Otoo

Vanessa Otoo – Guest, Grief as Grace
Vanessa Otoo is a Women’s Health Specialist passionate about empowering Black women to thrive. In this conversation, she reflects on the passing of her father, sharing how grief has shaped her journey, her strength, and her sense of self.