Kristen Brennan’s story is one of transformation — from heartbreak to hope, and from personal pain to public service. As a Griefline volunteer, she has channelled her grief into action, offering comfort, connection, and creativity to others navigating life after loss.

Kristen Brennan knows grief intimately — not just as a personal experience, but as a force that reshapes lives and communities.

Rather than turning away from that pain, she chose to lean into it — becoming a steady, compassionate presence within her Queensland community.

As a dedicated volunteer with Griefline, Kristen has taken her own experiences of loss and transformed them into meaningful acts of service. Her work goes beyond answering calls or offering a listening ear — she has become a catalyst for connection. Through a series of wellbeing workshops and community events, she creates safe, creative spaces where people can explore their grief and begin to heal.

One of her standout initiatives has been vision board workshops — hands-on, reflective sessions that invite participants to express emotion, identify hopes, and process change through art and conversation. These gentle and creative gatherings encourage people to show up just as they are, and to leave feeling seen, supported, and just a little lighter.

To date, Kristen has raised over $1,000 for Griefline, helping to sustain services that offer support to others navigating loss. For Kristen, the numbers are just part of the story — what matters most is the opportunity to bring people together and remind them that they are not alone.

Kristen’s journey shows that grief doesn’t have to be a solitary path. When shared with compassion and purpose, it can become a bridge — one that connects us to each other, and to something deeply human within ourselves. Through her work with Griefline, Kristen is helping to build that bridge — one story, one workshop, one heartfelt conversation at a time.

Here is how Kristen describes her sister – her inspiration and role model,  in her own words:

My younger sister Brodie took her own life in 2020. Nobody should ever be defined by how they died. Along with being a sister she was also a Mum, daughter, Aunty, friend, colleague, frequent blood donor, student paramedic and volunteer firefighter. A person who would roll her sleeves up and help anyone no questions asked.

A quote I once saw (cannot remember who wrote it) really stayed with me ‘be the things you loved most about the people who are gone.’ My sister inspires me always to continue to try to be present for others through the heartfelt volunteer work I do at Griefline, with clients in my private practice, fundraisers for the community and in my private life. Compassion is the greatest gift we can give each other. I will always love my sister and I’m so grateful to be shaped by her love.