Grief Out Loud

Latest Episodes:

Grieving The Death Of A Child - Susie And Nick Shaw's Story Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

When Susie and Nick Shaw's nine-year-old son William died in a skiing accident, their world shifted permanently. In the six years since that day, they've found ways to carry their grief and stay connected to William, while continuing to honor the boy who inspired so much good in their lives and in their community.

In this deeply moving conversation, Susie and Nick reflect on William's life—his empathy, his humor, and the motto he created for himself in the year before he died: "Be Yourself." A simple but powerful phrase that inspired their nonprofit, William's Be Yourself Challenge.

Together, we discuss:

The day William died and what they've come to understand about control, safety, and loss

Navigating grief as individuals and as a couple
Supporting their son Kai in grieving for his brother
Raising Bodhi, their child who was born after William's death
Creating family rituals, including monthly taco nights and birthday celebrations
Returning to Big Sky, Montana to visit the spot where William died and reclaim their love of skiing
Their new project, The Greenhouse, a house for families who are grieving to take a break from daily life

Whether you're a parent or a caregiver who's grieving, a supporter of one, or someone walking alongside a family coping with heartbreaking grief, this conversation highlights the power of honesty, connection, and intentional grief work.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of child death, trauma, and detailed descriptions of the day William died.

More from Susie & Nick:

Susie's writing: Dear William Substack
Susie on IG: @bereavementmom

Nick's book: My Teacher, My Son

Learn more: WilliamsBeYourselfChallenge.org

Donate or get involved with The Greenhouse Project: WBYCgiving.org

"We Just Kept Going" - Two Sisters, Twenty Years After Their Mom Was Killed Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

Jessie was 21. Molly was 11. Two days after their joint birthdays, their mom, Jill, was murdered by Molly's father. In the hours, days, and years that followed, there was little room for grief. Jessie and Molly were expected to keep going — and they did. But that forward momentum came at a cost.

It's been nearly 20 years, and only recently have Jessie and Molly begun to revisit what happened and what it's meant to live with unspoken grief and unacknowledged trauma. As part of that process, they discovered a manila envelope packed away in storage - inside were eight children's book manuscripts written by their mom in the 1980s. Finding those stories sparked a new chapter of connection with their mom and motivated them to work towards getting them illustrated and published.

Note: This conversation includes descriptions of domestic violence, stalking, violent death, and suicide. If you or someone you know needs support, see the list of resources below.

In this conversation, Jessie and Molly talk about:

What their mom was like and what she meant to each of them
Their vastly different experiences of the day she was killed
What stood in the way of them naming what they lived through as abuse and trauma
How grief became something they held privately, even from each other
The impact of finally receiving permission to feel and grieve
Their efforts to get their mom's children's stories published

Follow along and support their project: Barty Books on Instagram GoFundMe: Everyone Has A Story To Tell.

Dougy Center: https://www.dougy.org

National Domestic Violence Hotline - 1-800-799-7233 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - 988

It Opened Me Up To Love - Danielle LaRock Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

How do you keep your heart open to love after it's been broken apart by grief? Danielle LaRock was just 19 when her father died of a heart attack. In 2022, her partner Ian died suddenly. Then, in 2024, her beloved dog Blue died, and with Blue went many shared memories of time spent with Ian. The experience of loving and being loved by Ian opened up places in Danielle's heart that had closed down after her father's death. That openness has stayed with her, even as she grieves for both Ian and Blue. That ongoing love and connection have shaped Danielle's grief and the ways she tries to support others who are also grieving.

We discuss:

How Danielle coped - and didn't - as a college student after her dad's death
The isolation of being surrounded by peers who hadn't experienced the death of a parent
Meeting Ian as children and reconnecting as adults
How Ian's own experience with the death of his dad helped him understand and support her grief
Being present for Ian's medical crisis and emergency brain surgery
The trauma of witnessing his death and being the person who had to tell his friends and family
How experiencing deep love with Ian changed her approach to all relationships
Learning to celebrate the milestones of others while grieving the loss of the ones she would have shared with Ian
The spiritual awakening Danielle experienced after Ian's death
Discovering traditional therapy didn't work for her
The value of online support groups, specifically for young widows & widowers
Exploring ways to support others in their grief

Guest Bio

Danielle LaRock is the co-host of the popular podcast National Park After Dark, which explores dark history and tragedy in outdoor spaces. A former veterinary technician from New England, Danielle has become a compassionate voice in the grief community, using her own experiences with loss to help others navigate their journeys. Connect with Danielle on IG.

How They Died Matters, A Daughter's Story - Kari Lyons-Price, MSW Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

Sometimes we can't really begin to understand grief - ours or anyone else's - if we don't have space to talk about the death. The context surrounding how someone died matters and can shape our grief in meaningful ways. This was true for Kari Lyons-Price, MSW, who was a caregiver for her parents, Hal and Sylvia, for many years. They died three years apart, her dad in 2019 and her mom in 2022, and the circumstances of their deaths greatly impacted Kari and her grief.

We discuss:

How her parents lived - and how they each died
Why their death stories matter when it comes to grief
The anger and resentment in the immediate aftermath of her father's death
What she's done to come to terms with the circumstances of each of their deaths
The role advocacy and education in the realm of care facilities played in that process
Making decisions about her mother's care in light of how her father died and the pandemic
The ongoing, slow nature of grief when someone has a long-term degenerative illness
What it's meant to no longer be a caregiver for her parents
Overcoming her family's narrative of autonomy and learning to accept support in grief
Where Kari finds her foundation now

Want to hear more from Kari? Check out her podcast, Live Well. Be Wise.

The Longevity Of Grief Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Camila returns to Grief Out Loud six years after her first appearance to share how grief continues to evolve. What began with the sudden loss of her mother at age 21 has now expanded to include the ongoing grief of caregiving for her father, who is living with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Camila discusses the unique challenges of long-distance caregiving, the differences between sudden loss and gradual decline, and how these two types of grief intersect in her life. She also discusses navigating major life milestones—including getting married during the pandemic—without her mother's presence.

We Discuss:

The difference between sudden loss and the "slow grief" of watching a parent decline
How grief has shifted in the 15+ years since her mother's unexpected death
Losing her father as the co-archivist of her mother's life and their family history
Managing long-distance caregiving
The failures of the elder care system in the U.S.
The role of chosen family and support
Wedding planning and the question of how to honor her mother's memory
The complexity of being a queer person in traditionally heteronormative grief support spaces
Feeling like she no longer has parents, even though her father is still alive
The therapeutic value of pets
Finding moments of connection and joy with her father despite his condition
Using poetry as a processing tool for grief

About the Guest:

Camila is a poet who has published three books of poetry:

The Progression of Grief (about losing her mother)

New Waters (about falling in love and healthy relationships)

The Longevity of Grief (about caring for her father and how different types of grief intersect)

This episode is the third in our 2025 three-part series highlighting the voices of communities who have historically been underrepresented in the grief world. The series is part of an ongoing collaboration between Dougy Center and The New York Life Foundation . We are deeply grateful for New York Life Foundation's tireless support and advocacy for children and teens who are grieving.

Grief Out Loud is a production of Dougy Center, the National Grief Center for Children and Families in Portland, Oregon.

When Death Is Scheduled – Mark Chesnut On Grieving His Sister Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

In this deeply personal episode, Mark Chesnut returns to Grief Out Loud to share his experience of losing his sister Glynn to ovarian cancer. Glynn chose medical aid in dying after nearly four years of treatment, giving Mark and his family the unusual experience of knowing when death would occur. This conversation explores the complexity of "scheduled death," the challenges of finding appropriate language to discuss medical aid in dying, and how knowing the date changed their family's grieving process.

Mark Chesnut is a journalist, editor, public speaker, and the author of: Prepare for Departure. Mark previously appeared on Grief Out Loud in October 2022, discussing caring for his mother at the end of her life. Mark lives in New York City with his husband Angel and recently wrote an article about his sister's experience with medical aid in dying.

This episode is the second in our 2025 three-part series highlighting the voices of communities who have historically been underrepresented in the grief world. The series is part of an ongoing collaboration between Dougy Center and The New York Life Foundation . We are deeply grateful for New York Life Foundation's tireless support and advocacy for children and teens who are grieving.

Grief Out Loud is a production of Dougy Center, the National Grief Center for Children and Families in Portland, Oregon.

Closer In Grief - Building A Relationship After Someone Dies May 15, 2025

Show notes

When someone dies, our relationship with them doesn't just disappear. Sometimes the relationship changes in ways we never expected, allowing us to feel closer to them than we did when they were alive. This can leave us learning to grieve not just for what we had, but for what never got the chance to have with them. In this episode we talk with Never Faull about grieving for their father, who died in 2018 from cirrhosis of the liver. Nev shares how their relationship with their father was distant during his life and how they've found ways to create a deeper connection with him after his death. We also discuss what it was like for Nev, who came out as trans six months after their dad dies, to navigate grieving while also celebrating a new unfolding in their identity.

Topics we discuss:

Navigating grief in complex parent-child relationships
The impact of undiagnosed autism on family connections
Creating meaning and relationship after death
The symbols and rituals that help Nev feel a connection with their dad's presence
Queer and trans grief resources

Never Faull is a queer and trans, disabled, autistic BIPOC writer, photographer, facilitator, and grief tender based in Portland. they explore the intersections of memory, identity, and mourning in their creative work. their current project, The Dead Dad Camera Club, started with the camera their dad left behind, and has become a way to navigate grief through photos and storytelling.

Resources Mentioned

The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller
Queer Grief Club run by Jamie Thrower
Dead Dad Camera Club newsletter
Grief Out Loud contact: griefoutloud@dougy.org
The Dougy Center website: dougy.org

This episode is the first in our 2025 three-part series highlighting the voices of communities who have historically been underrepresented in the grief world. The series is part of an ongoing collaboration between Dougy Center and The New York Life Foundation . We are deeply grateful for New York Life Foundation's tireless support and advocacy for children and teens who are grieving.

The Grief We Bury: Daria Burke on Childhood Loss, Collective Grief, & Estrangement May 02, 2025

Show notes

Daria Burke is an author, executive, and healer-at-heart. She's also a grandchild grieving for her grandmother and a daughter estranged from her parents. In this episode, Daria shares the profound impact of losing her maternal grandmother at age seven and how that early loss reverberated through her life. This loss and grief exist alongside the immense healing she's done around growing up in poverty, childhood trauma, and her parents' absences, addictions, and the eventual estrangement from them.

With the recent release of her memoir, Of My Own Making, Daria opens up about the moment, decades later, that reawakened the grief for her grandmother - finding a newspaper article about her fatal car accident. That discovery, and ensuing grief, started a new chapter in Daria's healing process. In our conversation, we talk about inherited trauma, the emotional weight of estrangement, the invisible grief of childhood neglect, Daria's healing practices, and how she stays connected to her grandmother through what she calls "love taps."

Key Topics:

What role Daria's grandmother played in her early childhood
The ongoing impacts of childhood grief and unprocessed trauma
How truth-telling is part of healing
The collective grief she grew up around in Detroit of the 1980's
Uncovering the grief she buried after her grandmother died
Grieving for family members who are still alive

Grief Practices Daria Shares:

Giving herself permission to cry freely
Meditative practices to connect with her grandmother
Volunteering on holidays and creating new rituals
Finding signs from her grandmother in the world around her

Daria Burke is an American writer, speaker and award-winning business leader. A marketer by trade and a seeker at heart, Daria is a storyteller and sense-maker, weaving together personal experience and the science of healing and transformation to explore new ways of understanding how we choose who we become. This passion led her to complete Dr. Tara Swart's Neuroscience for Business course at MIT and Positive Psychology and Well-Being at Stanford, taught by Dr. Daryn Reicherter, an international expert in trauma psychiatry.

Her debut memoir, OF MY OWN MAKING (April 2025) explores trauma, neuroplasticity, and Post-Traumatic Growth through the lens of her own healing journey. Kiese Laymon called it "as profound a book about the treacherous experience of befriending ourselves as I've read this decade." Part memoir, part methodology, OF MY OWN MAKING blends personal narrative with scientific insight, Daria inspires readers to reimagine the narratives that define their lives.

Connect with Daria:

Website: www.dariaburke.com
Instagram: @dariaburke

Resources & Links:

Dougy Center: www.dougy.org
Email the show: griefoutloud@dougy.org

Production Note: Grief Out Loud is produced by Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Children & Families, and is supported in part by The Chester Stephan Endowment Fund.

Going Beyond Words: Supporting Children With Autism Who Are Grieving - Jennifer Wiles, M.A., LMHC, BC-DMT, FT Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, we delve into the grief experiences of children and teens with autism. Our guest, Jennifer Wiles, M.A., LMHC, BC-DMT, FT - Director of the HEARTplay Program and a dance movement therapist with decades of experience - joins us to discuss how children with autism process grief and how parents and others in their lives can support them. Drawing on her background in both nonverbal forms of expression and grief support, Jennifer shares compassionate, practical insights rooted in her work with families. This conversation is both timely and essential, especially during Autism Acceptance Month, as it highlights the importance of expanding how we understand and support grief beyond more traditional approaches rooted in words.

We discuss:

The importance of using direct, concrete language when talking about death

Common misconceptions about how kids with autism express grief

Why behaviors often interpreted as indifference may be expressions of deep emotion

How sensory overload and disrupted routines can intensify grief reactions

The powerful role of nonverbal communication—movement, gesture, rhythm, and ritual—in grief expression

How social stories and structured activities can prepare kids for events like funerals

Grief rituals for significant days like anniversaries and birthdays

The impact of other losses, including changes in routine, missed milestones, and the death of service animals

Resources mentioned:

Toolkit from the National Alliance for Children's Grief (NACG): A resource for supporting children of all abilities who are grieving
Books:

- I Have a Question About... series by Meredith Polsky & Arlen Gaines

- Understanding Death and Illness and What They Teach About Life by Catherine Faherty

- A Kids Book About Grief by Brennan Wood

HEARTplay Program: Free downloadable social stories and grief support

Have feedback or a story to share? Email us at griefoutloud@dougy.org Visit dougy.org for grief support resources, activity sheets, and past episodes.

When Grief Comes Home - Parenting & Grief Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

Grief often arrives without warning and changes everything we thought we knew about ourselves, our families, and the world around us. In this episode, we talk with Erin Nelson and Colleen Montague about their new book, When Grief Comes Home, a resource created from years of both personal loss and professional experience supporting families who are grieving. Erin, founding Executive Director of Jessica's House in Central California, and Colleen, Program Director, discuss how they came to write this book that blends memoir, practical tools, and reflective questions.

We discuss:

Erin's personal experience with grief including the death of her husband when their children were just 3 and 5 years old, her mother from suicide, and her son Carter, who died in an accident
The unique impact of sudden loss
The power of rituals and expressive activities
What teens really need when they are grieving
Strategies for returning to school and work
Activites and discussion starters parents and caregivers can use to connect with their kids
Learning to trust yourself in grief
Making space for the dark parts of grief while also staying open to moments of light and joy

Resources & Mentions:

When Grief Comes Home: A Guide For Living Through Loss While Supporting Your Child, by Erin and Colleen – [available wherever you get your books]

Jessica's House: https://jessicashouse.org/

Dougy Center: https://www.dougy.org/

💬 Connect with us: griefoutloud@dougy.org 🎧 If you find this episode meaningful, consider leaving us a rating or review to help more people find Grief Out Loud.

Grief Out Loud is produced by Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Children & Families.

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