About

After Lily died in 2017, I started writing about grief on an Instagram account called @the_lilyflower which quickly grew. I shared my experience of parenting a child who was dying and finding hope after loss.

But for years, I walked through the valleys of grief, feeling its weight and trauma in every part of my being. Through this journey, I discovered something profound: true healing isn’t just in the mind - it’s in the body. I unlocked the power of somatic healing, breathwork, and nervous system regulation, releasing the trapped emotions that had kept me stuck in survival mode - guilt, blame and shame.

Now, I’m on a mission to serve up bite-sized, practical tools from this powerful trifecta so that you, too, can experience deep, embodied healing. Whether you are carrying grief, loss, trauma, or pain that feels too heavy to bear, this work is for you.

Qualifications

My lived experience is only part of my story. I also hold:

✔ Three degrees, including a law degree and a Master's in Conflict Resolution and Finding Peace
✔ Certifications as a Breathwork Practitioner, Somatic Mind-Body Healing Practitioner and NLP Master practitioner
✔ A GAICD qualification, equipping me with the leadership skills to drive real change in this space. I believe healing is possible for all of us - and I’m here to guide you toward yours.

Lily

It was a normal day in July 2016 when expectant parents Priyanka Saha and William Calvert set off for their 36 week ultrasound. After an extremely healthy pregnancy, they were both excited to see their baby on ultrasound for the last time before giving birth. And totally unprepared for what was to come.

In a moment that changed their life, they were told their sweet baby had an incurable brain condition known as Miller Dieker Syndrome. That their baby would die and while she lived, would have development disorders and intractable epilepsy.

Having previously survived a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, Priyanka and husband William, waited for labour to come naturally. In what they describe as their darkest hours, they endured 6 agonising more weeks before Priyanka gave birth to baby Lily. Together, on September 7 2016 they embarked on a 10 month and 15 day journey of loving Lily forever.

In her short, but so meaningful life, Lily travelled all over Australia and New Zealand, she touched the lives of all who met her, was deeply loved by her many aunts, uncles and cousins, and displayed a remarkable love of music.

The couple worked hard to keep Lily as healthy and comfortable as possible. Astonishingly Lily only had one visit to the ER and zero hospital admissions. Lily died at home surrounded by love, and warmth. To read more about Lily’s life please visit the blog.

After Lily died, and living with the pain of their loss, and seeing how little support was available to people, Priyanka and Will wanted to use their experience, to help others. Together the couple also set up the Lily Calvert Foundation to support children living with terminal illnesses and break down stigma around grief and child loss. For a media kit or to work with Priyanka contact priyanka@lilycalvert.com.