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Getting Back Up: Finding Life After Death  (Season 1)

Episode 18: Life After Loss w/ Melody Rollins Downes (Part 1)

In this episode, Jamal and David sit down with Melody Rollins Downes, a close friend, mother, and widow, to explore the full story—not just the moment of loss, but the life that came before it. Melody opens up about her childhood, her marriage, and what it meant to love deeply—and then lose suddenly.

She reflects on how grief shaped her—but didn’t define her—and what she’s learned about healing, parenting, and continuing to live when life doesn’t go as planned.

Together, they explore the experiences that made Melody who she is. what marriage taught her—and what grief revealed, parenting through pain and presence, and finding identity again when life feels unrecognizable.

Getting Back Up: Finding Life After Death is a podcast that explores the raw, unfiltered reality of surviving profound personal loss—and finding a way forward.  The idea for the podcast was born after David and Jamal met in 2023. Both widowers, who had lost their wives to cancer, quickly found a deep connection through multiple conversations about pain, perseverance, and parenthood. They realized that while men often bond over music, sports, or TV, they rarely speak candidly about loss or emotional recovery. Getting Back Up was created to change that narrative—blending the everyday with the existential in a format that’s as relatable as it is real. 

Thank you for your support!

Hosts: David McClain & Jamal Jones
Executive Directors: Marlon Jackson & Ted Winners (Like A Gazelle Productions)
Editing: Steve Senisi (Reel Media)
Music: 
Grenada, "Treasure" 
McDonald, Otis, "Phife for Life", otismusic.com

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