Episode 22 – Dead Serious(ish)
In this deeply reflective and unexpectedly wide-ranging episode, El and Don start with grief, loss, and anniversaries, but quickly find themselves unpacking far more.

From running a 5K on a difficult day to navigating the emotional weight of family estrangement, breakups, and furniture that carries forgotten dreams, they explore how grief shows up in unexpected ways. The conversation touches on masking, inherited stoicism, societal expectations, and the discomfort of public or "manufactured" grieving.

🔹 Why anniversaries hit differently each year
🔹 Grieving people, futures, relationships, and decisions
🔹 The difference between being the oldest and feeling responsible
🔹 Poppies, public mourning, and social media pressure
🔹 Masking emotions even from ourselves

This is an episode about the grief we talk about and the grief we don't, and how learning to feel it fully is part of living well.

Keywords: grief, emotional masking, loss, anniversaries, neurodivergence, family dynamics, social media grief, breakups, honest conversation, shared experience