Canadian Entrepreneur Creates Gifts To Help Those Coping With Grief (Win!)

Celeena Sayani, the founder of Glimmer Collective, experienced the loss of her brother in 2012. After the 10th anniversary of her brother’s passing, she began working on Glimmer with her family. Their goal is to create a community that fosters emotional connections and pays tribute to those who have passed away through a variety of products, including candles, affirmation card sets and a guided grief journal. We spoke with Celeena to learn more. —Vita Daily

Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

I’m a creator, brand-builder, and a mom of two beautifully inspiring kids. I grew up in Toronto and after graduating from Ivey Business School and spending a few years working in corporate, I decided to make a change and move to the West Coast. My brother had passed away and I was looking for a new path with more fresh air and calmness. Since being in BC, I’ve had the opportunity to work for some incredible brands like Lush Cosmetics, See Ya Later Ranch wines and Nature’s Path Foods. I’ve also worked on some personal passion projects including Twenty Twenty Baby – a children’s book dedicated to my pandemic babe, focused on world-events and life in the rollercoaster that was 2020. Outside of work, I spend as much time outdoors with my kids—they are what light me up and I so look forward to every moment with them. Recently, I launched my new adventure, The Glimmer Collective. Glimmer aims to provide healing rituals for people who are experiencing grief. I so badly wish it existed when I first lost my brother. I’m thankful that I have it now and that I can share it with whoever needs it.

When and why did you launch Glimmer Collective? What niche were/are you aiming to fill?

This question so perfectly addresses why I launched Glimmer. I started working on the 10th anniversary of my brother’s passing, but I’ve been wanting to do this for many years. Glimmer was ultimately created because it’s something I so badly needed. When I lost my brother, I had so many people send meals, flowers, thoughtful cards, and I was so appreciative, but all I wanted was to find ways to connect to the memory of my brother. Since then, even having gone through my own grief experience, I’ve been at a loss on how support people close to me who have also faced grief. Even though we want to help, we don’t always know how. Glimmer is a way that you can let the light of a loved one glow on during the darkest days. It’s a way to offer, sympathy, support, and remembrance—for yourself or for the person you are gifting it too.

What products do you currently offer, and what makes them unique? How do your offerings work collectively (together)?

Grief is unique to every individual, so each item is for you to use on your own terms. Our full offering is our Glimmer Box Set is which includes: a sustainable soy wax candle, a guided grief journal, and a set of grief affirmation cards. What makes these unique is that each item was created with input from so many people who have lost loved ones and asking them what they truly needed. Our candles are lit as a healing ritual for remembrance—for grief, courage, memories, and love. Our guided grief journal offers a safe space to process your emotions through grief, and to remember every single detail of your lost loved one. And our grief affirmation cards provide daily reminders of support, solace, and validation.

What’s your best advice for someone freshly dealing with grief over the loss of a loved one?

Firstly, I am so deeply sorry that you’ve lost someone you love. It doesn’t get easier, but you do get stronger. Brighter days are coming—they will be different than you imagined, but you will escape this darkness. You will carry their light wherever you go.  

Any tips for supporting a friend who is dealing with grief?

While not an expert, the best advice I could give is to first, reach out and ask how you can best support them. They might not know in that moment, but the gesture and willingness to help is what they will remember. Continue to check in, even if they don’t respond. When referencing their lost loved one, name their name. This creates an opportunity for your friend to talk about them and share stories and memories (if you are comfortable). Remember days where they may be struggling more than others, and acknowledge those days—anniversaries, birthdays, date of passing. This will go a long way.

In your own grieving journey, what’s helped you most?

I ran away from my grief in for so long. It was when I started truly feeling and processing my emotions when I started to heal. I didn’t rush and I started small rituals to heal—writing down my memories, taking a moment every night before bed to remember him, accepting the signs that he was watching over him. This brought me closer to peace and acceptance. It’s also been helpful to talk about him and to surround myself with my people. My family has been a huge support system and while we’ve all grieved in different ways, we come together and know we are carrying on while keeping his spirit shining bright—the way he would have wanted us, too.

glimmercollective.com

Win! 1 of 2 $86 Glimmer Box Sets!

Congrats Brenda C. of Calgary, AB, and Susan J. of Bedford, NS, who will each receive a $86 Glimmer Box Set. Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadailymedia. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.