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  • How We Teach Children To Face Grief And Move Forward

    How We Teach Children To Face Grief And Move Forward
    Jan 1 2026
    Grief doesn’t run on a schedule, and kids feel that truth in their bones. We sit down with author and grief group facilitator Ta'Shay Mason to unpack how children experience loss, why feelings often arrive in waves, and what adults can do to create safety without forcing conversation. From a mother’s steady persistence to the surprising comfort of equine-assisted activities, Ta'Shay shares practical ways to help kids express themselves when words feel too heavy.

    You’ll hear about a powerful memorial option many families don’t know exists: eco-friendly reef balls that incorporate a loved one’s ashes and become a living habitat for marine life. Families decorate the form together with handprints, shells, and ribbons, then watch it lowered into the sea and receive coordinates to visit later. This ritual turns goodbye into a shared act of care for the ocean, giving children something tangible, creative, and hopeful to hold onto. We also talk about common dynamics like anger, magical thinking, and memory gaps, and how to normalize them with honest language and gentle choices.

    Ta'Shay walks us through her series A Child’s Journey Through Grief, where a nine-year-old learns to say goodbye, finds connection in group therapy, and builds new traditions for birthdays and recitals. The core takeaway: don’t push kids to “move on.” Help them move forward—one story, one photo, one small tradition at a time. If you’re supporting a child or navigating your own loss, you’ll leave with grounded strategies, fresh ideas for memorials, and a kinder framework for the long road of remembrance.

    If this conversation helped you, subscribe, share it with someone who’s grieving, and leave a review so more families can find these tools.

    Here's Ta'Shay's website: https://tashay-mason.com/books

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    31 Min.
  • Hope All The Way with Theo Boyd

    Hope All The Way with Theo Boyd
    Dec 4 2025
    A life can fall apart and still grow deeper roots. That’s the energy of our conversation with award-winning author and podcaster Theo Boyd, whose first memoir sparked national attention and whose next book, Hope All the Way, turns tender signs and hard data into a roadmap for living with loss. We begin with the question so many grievers whisper: am I doing this right? Theo shares how formal training validated what her heart already knew—there’s no single path, but there are better choices. Integrated grief becomes our north star: building a future that holds the past, telling stories that keep loved ones present, and creating rituals that transform memory into momentum.

    We move from personal to cultural with Theo’s original national study, The Silent Weight of Grief in America. The findings are striking: most grieving Americans want more media that actually teaches coping, while many feel pressure to hide their sorrow, especially younger millennials. We talk about why people look to media for guidance, how that can help or hurt, and what needs to change across workplaces, schools, and social feeds to normalize grief literacy. Instead of vague platitudes, we offer concrete language and practices that lower the burden: permission to feel, community that listens, and habits that anchor the day.

    Threaded through it all are the signs Theo trusts: a partner whose life echoes her parents, a song about dirt that sent her home, and a plan to build on the family farm with pieces of the old house woven into the new. Hope becomes tangible—recipes saved for the holidays, a notebook on the kitchen table, fences repaired, pastures prepared. It’s the opposite of moving on; it’s carrying forward with care. If you’ve struggled to reconcile love and loss, you’ll leave with language, perspective, and a few next steps that make the weight easier to bear.

    If this conversation resonated, follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find tools and hope when they need it most.

    To learn more about Theo, visit her website: https://thinktheo.com/

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bereaved-but-still-me--2108929/support.
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    23 Min.
  • The Acceptance Ladder: Climbing From Curse To Gift with Stephen Nawotniak

    The Acceptance Ladder: Climbing From Curse To Gift with Stephen Nawotniak
    Nov 6 2025
    (00:00:00) Authenticity, Grief, And Purpose
    (00:00:55) Meet Stephen: Trek, Diagnosis, And Work
    (00:02:04) Hospitalization And The Two Lies Of Depression
    (00:04:52) Medication, Perspective, And Self-Talk As Opinion
    (00:06:00) Daily Function: Rest Breaks And Zero Days
    (00:08:23) Fulfillment Over Happiness
    (00:09:01) Identity Shift: I Have It, I’m Not It
    (00:12:01) Reframing Negative Self-Talk For Everyone
    (00:14:59) From Stigma To Self-Acceptance
    (00:17:20) The Acceptance Ladder Explained
    (00:20:19) Children’s Books And Finding Self Within
    (00:23:10) Speaking, Resources, And Perspective Shift
    (00:25:21) Closing Reflections And Takeaways

    We explore how perspective turns pain into purpose, from hospitalization and stigma to practical tools that make tough days workable. Stephen Nawotniak shares the Acceptance Ladder, reframing self-talk, and small habits that change how we move through depression and bipolar.

    • two lies of depression and how to challenge them
    • medication as intensity-softener, not magic cure
    • negative self-talk as opinion rather than fact
    • fulfillment over happiness as a daily aim
    • zero days, rest breaks and night-before prep
    • identity shift from I am to I have
    • community stigma vs self-stigma and selective disclosure
    • the Acceptance Ladder from curse to gift
    • turning pain into purpose through service and craft
    • children’s books that guide an inner journey
    • personal growth vs illness management framing

    If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who needs real, usable tools. Subscribe for new episodes, leave a review to help others find the show, and tell us: which rung of the Acceptance Ladder are you on today?

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bereaved-but-still-me--2108929/support.
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    33 Min.
  • Belonging and Healing: An Adoptee’s Mental Health Story

    Belonging and Healing: An Adoptee’s Mental Health Story
    Oct 2 2025
    What if the story of adoption held both rescue and rupture at the very same time? We sit down with Ayrton Beatty, who was placed for adoption after three months in foster care, to talk candidly about identity, attachment, and why language like “placed” instead of “given up” can change how a life is understood. Ayrton walks us through learning the painful truth of their origins, navigating sealed records, and reaching out to a birth mother who carried her own trauma—and how compassion sometimes means choosing not to force contact that others may not be ready for.

    Across our conversation, we unpack the science of early attachment and the higher risk of mental health challenges among adoptees, including borderline personality disorder and PTSD. Ayrton shares what therapy has looked like in practice, from “all inclusive” counseling to surreal nightmares, and how trust becomes a skill rebuilt over time after abuse. We also explore the reality of medical unknowns: what happens when a clinician asks for family history you don’t have, how a medication triggered Long Q-T Syndrome, and the vigilance required when genetic information is missing. Along the way, DNA testing complicates and enriches identity—German and Jewish ancestry within an Irish-rooted adoptive family—proving that belonging can be layered without being false.

    This is a nuanced, humane portrait of adoption that holds joy and grief together. You’ll hear why Ayrton still believes adoption saves lives, even as it leaves scars—and how humor, clear words, and steady support can help an adoptee feel seen. If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who needs nuance, subscribe for more thoughtful stories, and leave a review to help others find the show.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bereaved-but-still-me--2108929/support.
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    29 Min.
  • Beyond the Myths: Understanding Hospice Care

    Beyond the Myths: Understanding Hospice Care
    Sep 5 2025
    What happens when we strip away the fear and misconceptions surrounding hospice care? In this illuminating conversation with Rosa Hernandez, a pre-planning specialist with over four decades of healthcare experience, we discover that hospice represents not an ending, but a different way of continuing life's journey with dignity, comfort and personalized support.

    "The limitation is not hospice," Rosa emphasizes throughout our discussion. "The limitation is the illness." This powerful distinction frames our exploration of what hospice truly offers - comprehensive medical care that addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of both patients and their families. Far from hastening death, hospice care often extends life when introduced early, creating space for meaningful connection during challenging times.

    We tackle persistent myths head-on: hospice isn't just for cancer patients or those on death's doorstep; it doesn't mean giving up treatment; patients aren't sedated into unconsciousness; and families aren't abandoning their loved ones by choosing this path. Instead, hospice represents an intensely personalized approach to care that meets patients wherever they call home, with services available 24/7 and crisis response typically faster than traditional emergency care.

    Perhaps most compelling is hospice's commitment to family support through education, respite care, and bereavement services. As Rosa shares poignant stories from her years of service, we glimpse the profound difference hospice makes in helping families navigate difficult decisions with confidence and grace. Whether you're facing these choices now or simply want to understand your options for the future, this conversation offers valuable insights into embracing life's final chapter with compassion and clarity.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bereaved-but-still-me--2108929/support.
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    31 Min.
  • Falling Forward: Andy Campbell's Conversation about Cancer, Loss, and Resilience

    Falling Forward: Andy Campbell's Conversation about Cancer, Loss, and Resilience
    Aug 7 2025
    (00:00:00) Life's Lessons From a Mother's Fight
    (00:00:00) Life's Lessons From a Mother's Fight
    (00:00:00) Life's Lesson's From a Mother's Fight
    (00:06:20) Andy's Journey Through Multiple Traumas
    (00:12:10) Finding Freedom in Letting Go of Control
    (00:12:10) Finding Freedom in Letting Go of Control
    (00:16:39) How Core Beliefs Shape Resilience
    (00:22:50) Building Your Default Network for Crisis
    (00:27:47) Transforming Pain Into Purpose

    How do you keep going when everything has been taken from you? Andy Campbell's story will stop you in your tracks.

    After surviving childhood sexual abuse, losing his mother to cancer, battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer (which he has now survived for nearly seven years against all odds), and enduring the devastating loss of his son to suicide, Andy has earned the right to speak about resilience in a way few others can.

    The most profound moment in our conversation comes when Andy describes his cancer diagnosis. Having watched his mother and three aunts die from cancer, he had spent years preparing for what he thought would be inevitable, only to be blindsided by pancreatic cancer instead. In that moment of complete helplessness, Andy discovered something unexpected: freedom. "The recognition that I had no control over it was probably the most freeing moment in my life," he shares.

    What sets this conversation apart is Andy's practical approach to resilience. He describes developing "core beliefs" that function like a computer's BIOS - fundamental operating instructions that kick in when all else fails. These beliefs, which he's compiled in his book "Overcoming Life's Toughest Setbacks," serve as a default network during times when clear thinking is impossible.

    Perhaps most moving is Andy's reason for sharing his story. Not to showcase his strength, but to reach someone who might be contemplating giving up. "I have been broken, I have been beaten, I have been down on my knees. Honest to God, some days I don't know how I'm still here, but if I can do it, you can do it."

    Visit askandycampbell.com to learn more about Andy's journey and his approach to transforming life's greatest challenges into opportunities for growth and connection.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bereaved-but-still-me--2108929/support.
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    34 Min.
  • Tigers on Hilltops: Facing Fear When Cancer Changes Everything

    Tigers on Hilltops: Facing Fear When Cancer Changes Everything
    Jul 3 2025
    When faced with the devastating news of his wife's cancer diagnosis, Tony Stewart's world imploded. "It was just sort of mind-blowing, earth-shaking, the end of life as we had known it together," he shares with raw honesty. That fateful phone call launched Tony and his wife Lynn into a five-year journey that would transform their understanding of love, fear, and what it means to truly live.

    The memoir's beautiful title "Carrying the Tiger" emerged from a friend's Tai Chi practice—the ritual of symbolically lifting your fear (the tiger) and placing it on a distant hilltop where it seems less threatening. This powerful metaphor became their touchstone as they navigated the complex medical landscape while simultaneously trying to appreciate each precious moment they still had together.

    What makes Tony's story exceptional isn't just his vulnerability in sharing the medical odyssey, but his willingness to discuss the uncomfortable truths of caregiving. He candidly reveals moments of breakdown when exhaustion overwhelmed him, the complicated feelings that arose during Lynn's decline, and the guilt he experienced when finding new love shortly after her death. "I had thoughts that made me ashamed," he admits, normalizing the complex emotional landscape that caregivers often navigate silently.

    Perhaps most remarkable is Tony's discovery that even in profound grief, joy remains possible. The hospice period, which lasted just two weeks, became paradoxically "the two most beautiful weeks" of his life—filled with deep connection, meaningful conversations about mortality, and the privilege of caring for someone he deeply loved. This counterintuitive finding—that beauty can coexist with heartbreak—offers hope to anyone facing loss.

    Now studying to become a certified grief educator, Tony emphasizes the deeply personal nature of grieving: "Everyone grieves in their own way, at their own time and speed." His journey from devastated spouse to someone who can embrace new love while still honoring Lynn's memory demonstrates that moving forward isn't abandoning the past but carrying it with you as you create a new future.

    Listen now to be inspired by this transformative story of resilience, love that transcends death, and the possibility of finding joy even in life's darkest moments. Then explore Tony's book "Carrying the Tiger: Living with Cancer, Dying with Grace, Finding Joy While Grieving," available wherever books are sold.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bereaved-but-still-me--2108929/support.
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    32 Min.
  • Grieving Someone Who's Still There: Lessons from Pick's Disease

    Grieving Someone Who's Still There: Lessons from Pick's Disease
    Jun 5 2025
    (00:00:00) Introduction to Ronda's Story
    (00:02:10) Understanding Pick's Disease Symptoms
    (00:05:04) Mother's Previous Health Battles
    (00:07:30) Living With Someone With Dementia
    (00:11:41) Anticipatory Grief and Life Lessons
    (00:15:25) Ocean Dream Fulfilled
    (00:19:12) Final Reflections and Closing

    Watching someone you love transform before your eyes while they're still breathing creates a unique form of grief that few discuss openly. In this deeply moving conversation, Ronda Adamo shares her family's journey through her mother's battle with Pick's disease, a rare form of frontal temporal dementia that claimed her just ten months after diagnosis.

    Before receiving that life-changing medical news, Ronda and her sisters faced a painful confusion as their mother's personality shifted dramatically. The godly woman they'd always known began exhibiting uncharacteristic behaviors - falling frequently, speaking in uninhibited ways, and seeming cognitively distant. Having watched their mother previously battle multiple forms of cancer, the family mistakenly attributed these changes to potential medication abuse, a misunderstanding that still weighs heavy on Ronda's heart years later.

    "Not everything is as it seems," Ronda reflects. The diagnosis revealed their mother's brain was being altered by an accumulation of tau protein, transforming the woman they knew while her heart still beat. The family pivoted quickly from disappointment to determined support, learning what it means to grieve someone who hasn't yet died. Despite the rapid progression of the disease, they created a precious memory by fulfilling their mother's lifelong dream - walking in the ocean wearing a flowing white dress, even though winter's chill meant abandoning their original spring timeline.

    Ronda's story offers profound wisdom for anyone supporting a loved one through dementia: allow yourself to grieve throughout the journey, practice patience and forgiveness, and consciously choose to let positive memories burn brighter in your mind than the difficult moments. Her vulnerability reminds us that in our most painful human experiences, we can still find moments of beauty that sustain us through grief and beyond.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bereaved-but-still-me--2108929/support.
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    21 Min.