Barri Leiner Grant, RYT-200, is the founder and Chief Grief Officer™ of The Memory Circle, a community and creative space for those learning to live with loss. A highly respected grief specialist, writer, coach, and educator, she leads transformative gatherings, retreats, and workshops that explore grief-tending tools, rituals, and practices that foster connection, healing, and hope.
She has trained with leading grief experts Claire Bidwell Smith, Hope Edelman, and David Kessler, and holds a 200-hour yoga certification, grounding her work in both professional expertise and embodied practices.
A former journalist with roots at The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Magazine, Barri brings a distinctive aesthetic sensibility to grief work—bridging beauty, creativity, and healing in ways that feel modern, intentional, and deeply human.
She is the creator of Permission Granted, a widely read Substack newsletter that invites readers to navigate loss with honesty, tenderness, and earned wisdom. Barri is the developer of the Write to Heal protocol, a creative approach that uses storytelling, journaling, and ritual to help people mark loss with intention and carry memories forward with care.
Barri’s work has been featured in The Washington Post, Psychology Today, and Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper, as well as on award-winning podcasts. Recognized as a sought-after speaker and collaborator, she continues to guide individuals and communities in transforming grief into meaningful reflection, connection, and remembrance.