Hi, I’m Jessi…

I am the hat maker here at Grey Collective and a certified Grief Practitioner.

           The name “Grey Collective” was thoughtfully created for a few reasons:

1.     My married name is Lloyd, translating to “The Grey”

2.     My husband had an incurable form of brain cancer and passed away on 1/20/20 from an aggressive brain tumor. Grey is the color for brain cancer awareness.

3. Collective, because I never wanted this business to just be about creating pretty hats. I want it to be multifaceted, in creativity and healing.

 After six years, three craniotomies, seven weeks of Proton Radiation Therapy, one year of Chemotherapy, and two CSF shunts, my husband developed a grade 4 brain tumor that took his life in a matter of weeks. Four weeks before his 32nd birthday, brain cancer robbed my husband, my children, and me of the future we had envisioned together. My personal journey with grief made me painfully aware of the lack of grief support that is not a one-size-fits-all approach or primarily talk therapy.

 I am not a doctor, and realistically, I will never go to medical school to become an oncologist or a neuroscience specialist who can find a cure for brain cancer. That particular skill set is not my gift.

I am a creative maker. I have the passion and ability to build things with my hands and have found immense comfort in this creative outlet. I am determined to use these skills to help others process their grief creatively.

That is why I became a certified Grief Practitioner, to support others on their own grief journey. I believe grief is not a problem to solve or a phase to complete. It is a natural response to love, loss, and change. It deserves space.

I believe healing is not something to be fixed, rushed, or perfected. It is something to be experienced.

I believe making something, however small, messy, or unfinished, can open doors that thinking alone cannot.

I believe creativity is not a talent. It is a language that can be learned. A way of speaking when words are not enough.

You absolutely do NOT need to be processing grief to have a hat created or to book a workshop with me, but if you do find yourself looking for a different form of support in your grief, I am glad you found me.

Lets get connected: @greycollectivehats