The Rising Above Journey™
I’m Anna L. Woods.
A Five-Week Guided Healing Experience for Grief, Loss, and Life Transitions. This facilitated small-group journey walks you through grief one chapter at a time, with an optional pathway to certification. I’m an author, speaker, Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, and trauma-informed life coach who offers compassionate, faith-based guidance grounded in resilience, healing, and hope.
Meet Anna L. Woods, MMIN
Anna L. Woods, MMIN, is an author, speaker, Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, and trauma-informed life coach. She helps individuals and communities navigate grief, loss, life transitions, and personal transformation with compassion, faith base coaching, and practical support. She is the author of Faith and Feelings: Embracing Our Humanity and Rising Above Journey Within.
Credentials & experience
Anna holds a Master’s degree in Ministry and Strategic Leadership and is certified as a Life Coach, Grief Recovery Specialist, and Trauma-Informed Resilience Care Provider. She brings more than 35 years of corporate leadership experience to coaching, educational programs, speaking engagements, and community support. Her services are designed to complement—not replace—licensed mental health care when clinical treatment is needed.
A Mission for Grief, Healing & Resilience
Healing begins by turning toward what hurts—not around it or past it, but through it, with honesty, compassion, and grace. This mission supports people navigating grief, loss, trauma, life transitions, and the work of rebuilding emotional and spiritual well-being.
Through trauma-informed life and grief coaching, faith-based reflection, and educational resources, I create space to honor what you carry while building resilience at a pace that feels real and sustainable. No one should have to walk through grief or change alone.
How I deliver this support
Books — Reflective resources about grief, emotional wellness, resilience, faith, and spiritual growth.
Blogs - Inspiring inward reflection, encouraging self compassion and emotional awareness.
Podcast — Honest conversations about grief, healing, faith, and personal transformation for everyday life.
FAFC (Faith And Feelings Community)— A welcoming, no-cost space for honest conversation, guided journaling, and connection while navigating life transitions.
Coming soon launch date and early enrollment - The Rising Above Journey™ - A Five-Week Guided Healing Experience — and the First Step Toward Certification. A facilitated small-group program that walks you through your own grief, one chapter at a time. Complete the Journey as a participant — or continue and become certified to lead it for others.
Together, these offerings provide accessible ways to feel seen, process change, and move forward with greater resilience and hope.
Connection • Faith • Healing • Resilience.
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Connection • Faith • Healing • Resilience. *
You Belong Here — Welcome to Faith and Feelings
Every season of life — joy, grief, and all that lies between — is better when you don't walk it alone. The Faith and Feelings Community is a safe, nurturing space rooted in Ecclesiastes 3:1–8, where every chapter of your story is honored.
Come as you are. Be seen. Be heard. Grow together.
This is your space to breathe, feel, and heal. Our conversation and journaling practice is rooted in one simple truth: grief deserves a witness. Here, you are invited to write through loss — whether it's the loss of a person, a relationship, a dream, or a season of life. Name what you're carrying. Share what you're feeling. You don't have to have it all together to belong here. Every entry, every word, every tear is a step toward healing. You were not made to grieve alone.
Healing doesn't have to mean having it all figured out. It can be choosing to be 1% better than you were the day before as you grow and integrate grief and life transitions into your daily life.
Mark your calendars for your FAFC meet ups at Flakes & Fables from 6 PM to 7:45 PM
August 25, 2026 — Faith And Feelings Journaling and conversation
November 17, 2026 — Grief and the Holiday Season
Both events will include elements of "Let's Talk About It: Ask Me Anything!"
FAITH AND FEELINGS: Journaling, Open Dialogue and Community Connections
We are Better Together
★★★★★ Verified Purchase Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2026
There is Hope
What I appreciated most is that it doesn't offer the kind of cliché responses that are often given to the pain we carry just beneath the surface of our lives.
Anna unpacks Jesus' invitation in Matthew 11:28, to help understand what it means to bring our burdens to Him and find true rest. And rather than encouraging us to ignore or minimize our wounds, she points us toward genuine healing by bringing our pain—with all its messiness and brokenness—to the foot of the Cross.
Written in a clear and easy-to-understand style, the book offers practical insights that helped me recognize areas where I had become stuck and provided a pathway toward greater freedom and healing.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is weary, carrying unresolved pain, or longing to experience more fully the hope and healing that Christ alone offers.
— Sally
★★★★★ Verified Purchase Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2026
Learning to Name Your Feelings
This book came into my life at the right time. I'm in a season of transition, and one of the greatest insights I gained was realizing that grief isn't limited to death or divorce. It can also come in seasons of change. That perspective helped me put words to what I've been feeling.
I also appreciated how the author connects emotional healing with Scripture, encouraging readers to name their emotions, bring them before God, and allow Him to transform them. This book has given me more practical tools and deeper understanding as I continue my own healing journey. I highly recommend it to anyone walking through transition or seeking emotional and spiritual growth.
— Auanita
Book Reviews
Here's what readers are saying about Rising Above &
Faith And Feelings — 5-star rated on Amazon
★★★★★ Verified Purchase · Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2025
I HIGHLY Recommend!!!
"Grief is not solely the sorrow experienced after the loss of a loved one; it can also stem from significant life changes."
Faith and Feelings is a guided journal that offers meaningful support through any form of grief you may be facing. I appreciate how it feels like having a personal therapist—providing a safe space to express and process emotions. I highly recommend this journal; it has been tremendously helpful to me.
Thank you so much Mrs. Woods for this wonderful masterpiece 💛
— Vianka
LICENSED CLIENT PROGRAM · CERTIFICATION PATHWAY
The Rising Above Journey™
A Five-Week Guided Healing Experience — and the First Step Toward Certification
New Faith-Based Grief Coaching Coming 2027
A compassionate path through change
A facilitated small-group program that walks you through your own grief, one chapter at a time. Complete the Journey as a participant—or continue and become certified to lead it for others. This trauma-informed, faith-integrated experience supports people navigating grief, loss, and major life transitions. Services are coaching and education—not licensed mental health therapy.
Move through five guided chapters of grief with facilitated reflection, faith-based support, and practical next steps that honor your story and your healing process.
Build resilience with support
Use guided reflection, grief education, journaling, and community connection to process loss and move forward with greater clarity, resilience, and hope.