Don't Forget To Breathe: A Podcast for Living after Child Loss.

With the Holidays upon us, we discuss the impact the Holidays have had on them, along with what's coming up this year. We talk about the necessity of allowing yourself to do and feel what comes up for you during an especially emotional time of the year. We also put out a call for you to send a message to the loved ones who won't be with you this season.

In this episode, we try to explain what it means by "Doing the Work". And by doing do, Rena gets very open and personal about a loss she experienced this week, and how she is doing the work.

The word "grief" has typically been associated with death. In this episode, Rena and I discuss the actual meaning of Grief, and begin talking about the 40 different forms of Grief. In a world full of trauma and loss, you will encounter many people in your daily life that are grieving. Let's talk about that and the need to create space for Grief.

In this episode, Rena and I continue our "unperson" session from Nashville, as we discuss finding your joy during celebratory events, all the while you continue your journey through grief. We talk about some specific tools that can help you navigate the invitations that may or may not come.

Can you experience joy at a special occasion when you are in your journey of grief? Is it even ok to feel joy? What will people think of your tears? Does it mean you are "moving on"? Rena and Bruce dive into this subject and discuss those questions in this special episode recored just a few days before Bruce's Son's wedding.

Have you been in the grocery aisle, maybe near your child's favorite snack or food; maybe it was a certain brand of chips? And you could hear your child asking for their favorite; really hear their voice in your mind? Rena and I dive into those moments when the chips start to talk in the grocery aisle.

After The Show is a series of conversations Rena and I have after we’ve stopped recording the podcast. We noticed that we spend a great deal of time talking after the shows, continuing our conversations about grief and recovery or sometimes just talking about our experiences, thoughts and ideas. And then we realized that some of what we talk about should be shared with our listeners; sort of a casual, more intimate chat. So we’d like you to find a comfy spot and be with us while we just talk.

As parents who have experienced the death of your child, we have all had things said to us that make us say...inside..."Did you really just say that to me?" We have internal explosions or gasps of disbelief. In this episode, we expose and share some of the things that have been said to us and said to friends that leave us shaking our heads. We are getting real and raw in our talk, so there is definitely use of explicit language; there's your warning.

We are diving into a few ways survivors feel a sense of guilt,  or is it just another form of grief. We talk about how that can manifest itself into a sense of not allowing yourself to feel joy, and if you do have a moment of joy, it might be immediately followed with a sense of guilt. That guilt can be debilitating and lead you to anger, sadness, and even depression and despair.  But is it really "guilt"?

In the first season of our podcast, you got a very clear view of who I am by me telling my story. Now that we've added a Co-Host, I think it’s important for you to get to know her and hear her story as well. Rena is a Certified Grief Specialist, but so much more...