Meagan Davies is a licensed professional counselor and former nonprofit leader whose work centers on helping people navigate transition, grief, and meaning. Meagan brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work, grounded in the belief that healing and leadership are inseparable. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Tim, and their dog, Cooper.
Staci Fox (she/her) is a lifelong advocate, nonprofit executive, and unapologetic optimist. Although she was born in Georgia and educated at the University of Georgia, Staci spent years moving from state to state. She currently serves as CEO of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. Before that, she spent more than two decades working in reproductive healthcare. She is a devoted partner to Greg Cole, a lover of live music, a passionate home cook, a proud Georgia Bulldog, and someone who believes deeply in celebrating life.
Together, Meagan and Staci write with truth, laughter, and profound tenderness, naming what so many people carry quietly.
Q: What motivated you to write this book, and why now?
A: Meagan Davies (MD): This book grew out of real life. My co-author, Staci Fox, and I wandered through anticipatory grief together—Staci while living with stage 4 lung cancer, and me while supporting her as her best friend. We’ve spent years supporting clients and friends navigating serious illnesses, caregiving, and loss. We both realized that so many people were living in this in-between space of grief before loss, but there was extraordinarily little language or support for it.
As a counselor, I’ve watched so many people carry this privately: adult children caring for parents, partners navigating illness together, friends walking beside someone they love. And in my own life, through my friendship with Staci and the stories of others we interviewed, I began to see how universal this experience really is.
Writing this book felt like an act of naming something that so many people already feel but struggle to explain. We wrote it now because these conversations matter in real time—while people are still loving, caring, and showing up for each other. Our hope is that readers see themselves in these stories and realize they are not alone in this complicated, deeply human season of loving someone while also preparing to lose them. It is also a love letter to my best friend, Staci, whose light brightens the world. I cannot begin to imagine life without her.
Staci Fox (SF): After being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, we realized that no one was talking about the grief that comes before death. It felt like something we could give to the world to use. We wanted to be productive with the gift and burden of what we were experiencing.
Q: What was the most challenging part of writing your book?
A: MD: The hardest part of writing this book is that it is unfolding in real time. Staci is living with stage 4 lung cancer, and the truth is, we don’t know how much time we have. That reality creates a constant sense of urgency—an awareness that the stories and reflections we’re capturing matter now. At the same time, we feel a deep responsibility to slow down enough to craft something honest and meaningful, a book that honors this experience and offers comfort to others living in the space between love and loss.
SF: Honestly, it was so easy. I just told my story.
Q: How does your personal or professional background influence your writing?
A: MD: Both my personal and professional life greatly shape the way I write about anticipatory grief. I’ve been a licensed professional counselor for eight years. During that time, I’ve seen how often this kind of grief shows up in the therapy room, especially for people in the so-called “sandwich generation” who are caring for aging parents while also managing careers, children, and relationships.
At the same time, this isn’t just something I witness professionally; it’s something I’m living. My husband and I are navigating the realities of four aging parents with complex medical needs, and my co-author and best friend, Staci Fox, is living with stage 4 lung cancer. Writing this book sits at the intersection of those two worlds: the clinical perspective of what I see in my clients and the deeply personal experience of loving people whose time may be limited. Both inform the stories I tell and the tools I offer readers.
SF: I want the world to be better. I want us to be kinder to each other. I want women to take care of women.
Q: Who do you hope this book will resonate with the most?
A: MD: I hope this book resonates most with people who love someone through illness, aging, or uncertainty, especially those quietly carrying the emotional weight of caregiving. Many readers will recognize themselves in these stories, balancing the demands of caring for aging parents with their careers, partners, children, and other commitments.
I also hope it speaks to friends, partners, and family members walking alongside someone facing a serious diagnosis. Anticipatory grief can feel incredibly isolating because it is often invisible to others, or it’s met with well-meaning comments like, “But you still have time.” I hope that readers see their own experiences reflected in these pages and realize that what they are feeling is both real and deeply human. The book also has tools that will equip readers to navigate and make meaning of this in-between time.
Ultimately, this book is for anyone learning to live and love fully while also facing the reality that time with the people we care about is not endless.
SF: I hope everyone finds something, now or in the future, that is helpful. Maybe some of this is evergreen. I hope people can come back to it and continue to find what works.
Q: What advice would you give to someone thinking about writing a book?
A: MD: If you’re thinking about writing a book, my first piece of advice is to start before you feel ready. Many people wait until they have the perfect idea, the perfect outline, or the perfect amount of time. In reality, writing a book is a process of discovery. It is not about perfection. Clarity often comes through the act of writing itself, not before it.
Second, anchor your writing in something that genuinely matters to you. The process can be long and at times emotionally demanding, so it helps if the topic is connected to something meaningful in your life or work. When the subject is personal or purposeful, it becomes easier to stay committed through the inevitable moments of doubt or fatigue.
Finally, give yourself permission for the first draft to be imperfect. The goal of a first draft is not to be polished—it is simply to exist. Editing, refining, and shaping the work come later. Progress usually comes from allowing yourself to write freely and then returning later to the manuscript with a more critical eye.
SF: DO IT!! It feels scary, but there is so much help out there. I think we need to hear more from those who are afraid to write and less from those who write all the time!
Q: What’s one thing readers might be surprised to learn about your journey, whether in life or in writing?
A: MD: One thing that might surprise readers is how much of this book was written while life was actively unfolding around us. Many books about grief are written with the benefit of hindsight, but this one was written in the middle of the lived experience. My co-author, Staci, is living with stage 4 lung cancer. We were having these conversations and writing these chapters while navigating the realities of illness, caregiving, and uncertainty in real time.
Because of that, the writing process was not always neat or linear. Some days, we were writing about resilience and meaning-making, and other days, we were simply trying to make sense of what was happening in our own lives. In many ways, the book became both a lived reflection of anticipatory grief and a way for us to walk through it together.
SF: I have not lived an easy life, but life has been easy.
Q: Do you have a writing routine or ritual that helps keep you focused?
A: MD: I do have a process that works well for me, though it has evolved. I begin by creating a detailed outline of the book to gain a clear sense of its themes, progression, and emotional arc. The outline serves as a road map and helps me stay grounded in the work's larger purpose, especially when the subject matter is emotionally complex, as it is with anticipatory grief.
Once the structure is in place, I develop a set of reflective questions for my co-author to consider for each chapter. These questions invite her to share personal insights, memories, and lived experiences related to the themes we are exploring. Because she is navigating serious illnesses, her reflections bring authenticity and immediacy that cannot be replicated through theory alone. My role is then to weave those experiences together with the clinical understanding I bring as a licensed professional counselor.
This process allows writing to become a conversation between lived experience and professional insight. It keeps the work grounded in real stories while also offering readers tools, language, and frameworks that help them understand what they may be feeling. In many ways, the ritual of outlining, asking questions, and then shaping the responses into a narrative helps maintain both focus and meaning in the writing process.
Q: Is there a particular quote, motto, or piece of wisdom that guided you through the writing process?
A: SF: “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” —Shirley Chisholm
Q: Are you working on another book or project you’d like to share?
A: SF: YES! I’m working on a book about my life and bodily autonomy.
Q: What are five books that have had a lasting impact on you?
A:
Meagan’s picks:
Staci’s picks:
Meagan Davies and Staci Fox's debut book, Miss You Already is coming soon.