In this episode, Chris Allan reflects on the emotional toll of sharing grief stories and the importance of normalising conversations around grief. He discusses the feedback from a recent workshop, the complexities of grief, and how to navigate the festive season while coping with loss. Chris shares personal anecdotes about his family's Christmas traditions and emphasises the need for self-care during difficult times.

In this episode, Taylor James and I dive head-first into the messy, tender, absolutely-not-linear world of grief — especially that tricky thing we don’t talk about enough: anticipatory grief. You know, when you're grieving someone who’s still alive but has changed in ways that break your heart a little (or a lot).

We swap stories, laugh, tear up, and highlight the wild cocktail of emotions that comes with loving people through big life shifts. We talk about the strange comfort of humour, how certain dates can hit you like a freight train, and why healing sometimes looks like blasting a song that makes absolutely no sense to anyone but you.

We also chat about funerals — not in the morbid way, but in the “how do we celebrate the humans we adore?” kind of way. At the end of the day, the whole conversation is one big reminder that grief is weird, personal, beautiful, brutal, and entirely yours to navigate. And you don’t have to do it alone.

Takeaways :

• Grief isn’t linear — it wiggles, loops, sprints, naps, and occasionally kicks you in the shins.

• Anticipatory grief? Just as real, just as heavy.

• Your feelings deserve airtime — don’t bottle them.

• A bit of humour can be a lifeline when everything feels too much.

• Significant dates can sting; you’re not “going backwards.”

• Celebrating life matters — joy can sit alongside pain.

• Music = therapy

• Support is everything. Please don't do it on your own

• Take your time — there’s no deadline for “feeling better.”

• Legacy and remembrance keep love alive long after loss.

In this conversation, Chris Allan and Taylor James explore the complexities of grief, particularly focusing on anticipatory grief and the emotional turmoil that accompanies it. Tune in on the 10th of December for the full episode

In the opening episode of Don’t Stop Grieving, host Chris Allan steps into the vulnerable space he’s asking every guest to enter. Before sharing anyone else’s story, he begins with his own.

Chris reflects on a lifetime of loss—starting with the death of his Mum, the passing of a childhood friend and his Gran. He goes into detail about the complex grief surrounding his mum’s stroke, long-term illness, and death during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown. He speaks candidly about the moments that broke him, the moments that made him laugh, and the moments he still doesn’t fully understand.

As he unpacks the years of unprocessed grief that eventually led to a mental breakdown and, ultimately, to therapy, Chris reveals how grief shaped his identity, his boundaries, and even the “larger-than-life” personality he used as armour. Through this process, he discovered that grief is far more layered than we’re taught—touching not only death, but also identity, friendships, coming out, lost relationships, and the versions of ourselves we leave behind.

This episode sets the foundation for what the podcast will explore:
all forms of grief, including anticipatory grief, LGBT+ grief, secondhand grief, identity loss, and the everyday transitions that quietly change us.

Chris also shares the story behind the podcast’s name—honouring his mum, a devoted Journey fan whose favourite song, Don’t Stop Believin’, played at her funeral. Don’t Stop Grieving is a tribute to her spirit, her humour, and the legacy she left behind.

Join us as we begin this series of open, honest conversations about the experiences we’re often taught to hide.
If you’d like to share your own story, you’ll find us on Instagram at @dont_stop_grieving, with TikTok coming soon.