Kelley Lynn

Kelley Lynn Niemi is a certified grief counselor, actor, comedian, viral TED talk speaker, and author of the book: "My Husband Is Not a Rainbow: The Brutally Awful, Hilarious Truth About Life, Love, Grief, and Loss." After earning her BFA in Performing Arts at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY, Kelley lived in the NYC area for over 25 years, teaching as an Adjunct Professor for almost two decades, with courses in stand-up comedy, dramatics, improvisation, and creative writing. She has directed and written several shows for non-profits, and has shared the stage with such performers as Judy Gold, Elayne Boosler, Amy Shumer, Opie and Anthony, and Jim Gaffigan.

On an ordinary Wednesday on July 13, 2011, Kelley woke up to a new life as a widow at age 39, after learning that her 46 year old husband Don had gone into sudden cardiac arrest and died about one hour after arriving at work. Since that day, it has been Kelley's mission to help others survive and thrive through their losses, and to change the conversations we have as a society surrounding grief and loss. Kelley's TEDx talk: "There is no such thing as Moving On" has reached viral status at almost 3 million views and counting. Kelley speaks globally about death and life with a twist of comedy thrown in, and is a featured speaker at the Soaring Spirits "Camp Widow" events, where she finds the funny inside of the pain with her comedic presentation. Kelley runs a weekly virtual peer support group for widowed people on the Circles app, co-leads several widowed support groups locally, and is the Sunday writer on the SSI blog "Widows Voice.".

She is thrilled to be joining Wellness Hub as a Grief Counselor, and is hopeful to be a factor in the tricky process of healing. A native of Groton, Kelley currently resides in Westminster, MA, with her husband Nick, and their moody old lady cat Autumn.