Fans saw Michelle Young and Rick’s love story unfold on this season of “The Bachelorette.” And while things didn’t work out for the two of them, Rick is still grateful for the journey and the ability to open up.

On this week’s episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast, Rick revealed why he decided to share his family’s story with Michelle.

The Bachelor Nation star said, “No matter how nervous you are before talking to Michelle, you feel completely at ease once you sit down. She just makes it easy to talk with her because she listens so well. She doesn’t listen just to respond, she listens to understand.”

And it was important to him to share his family’s story with her because their families are different and he wanted to be transparent about where he came from.

Rick explained, “I’m the kind of person that learns from my good experiences and my bad experiences. I wanted her to know that even though it didn’t work out between my parents, I am willing to do whatever I can to make it work with the person I’m supposed to be with, through the good times and the bad.”

Rick is grateful that he was able to share his story with Michelle because it was healing for him to talk it out.

“I’m glad I was able to talk about it out loud because I’m not sure I’ve even said some of those things out loud before. It helped me to hear it,” Rick said.

And he said the best part of sharing is all the messages he’s received from people who have gone through something similar.

Rick said he hopes sharing his story will inspire others to talk about what they’re going through. “It’s freeing,” he said. “It frees yourself from those thoughts that have been stuck in your head for so long and it’s freeing in regards to the relationship. Once you get those things out there, it gives you the opportunity to take the next step forward with each other. It allows you to know each other on a deeper level.”

Co-host Becca Kufrin asked Rick if he had any advice for others experiencing grief or the guilt associated with losing a loved one.

Rick opened up and said, “When my dad passed away a few years ago, I had a hard time doing anything besides work and just being in my room with my dog. I would say that’s probably not the right approach. Make sure that you have a support group of people around you and that you’re having conversations. It doesn’t have to be about the person that you lost. Just continue communication with people because that’s going to help you take the next steps towards moving forward.”

He also noted that no one should feel guilty about moving forward; you can always keep that person you lost in your thoughts while still being present in your life.

Rick added that writing also helped him through the difficult period of time after his dad passed.

“I’m someone who likes to type out my thoughts. I have a Word doc where I’ll write out what I’m thinking. It’s good to get that off your head instead of just leaving it in your head. It allows you to reflect on your thoughts. Reflection is a very powerful tool,” Rick explained.

To hear more of his conversation on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast, check out the full episode.