The numbers are heartbreaking. Nearly 40% of high school students say they feel persistently sad or hopeless, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About one in five reported struggling with anxiety or depression in just the past two weeks, and another one in five said they seriously considered suicide in the past year.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we sit down with the researchers behind a powerful new book, Mind the Children, that digs into what’s fueling America’s youth mental health crisis. The authors—journalists, researchers, and clinicians—want parents and policymakers to understand the full picture. Too often, they say, the blame gets pinned on a single factor. But the truth is, there are many forces at work. 

  Today I'm joined by Naomi Schaefer Riley, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who studies child welfare and foster care, and Dr. Ken Winters, a senior scientist at the Oregon Research Institute in Minnesota, and consultant at the Center for Indigenous Behavioral Health at the University of Iowa.

Learn more about and purchase their book, Mind the Children, here.

If you liked this episode, check out the following next: 

• Your To-Die List: Bestselling Author on Living Fully and Resiliently
• A mother’s urgent message on mental health and addiction
• Mental health expert offers advice after his own son battles depression, anxiety & addiction
• Mother blames cannabis-induced psychosis for son’s death

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

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Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

From a school shooting in Minneapolis to bomb threats against Jewish hospitals in New York, hate crimes continue to make headlines across the country. FBI data shows that reported incidents rose by more than 200 in just one year, from 2022 to 2023. With every act of hate comes unimaginable grief, something today’s guest knows far too well.

Mindy Corporon’s life was forever changed when a hate crime took the lives of both her 14-year-old son and her father. Rather than allowing her pain to turn into anger, she chose a different path, one rooted in kindness, compassion, and the belief that the world can be better.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Mindy shares her advice for those living with grief and her vision for how we can all move forward in a time marked by hate and division.

Learn more about her mission at sevendays.org.

Purchase Mindy's book, Healing a Shattered Soul, here: https://www.mindycorporon.com/healing-a-shattered-soul/

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out the following: 

Broken Heart Syndrome: 4 Ways We Grieve

Changing lives through grief and the gift of pain

Growing Up with Grief: Emily’s Siblings Open Up

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

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For more episodes and information, just go to our website, emilyshope.charity
Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

What began as a joyful winter break reunion quickly turned into tragedy. In January 2016, a group of college friends gathered at a lake house in southern Wisconsin to celebrate the new year. But before the celebration was over, four of them had vanished—including Sally McQuillen’s 21-year-old son, Christopher.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Sally shares her son’s story, the heartbreak that followed, and what it has been like to live with unimaginable loss. She opens up about the weight of fear, guilt, and regret—and how grief, while devastating, has also revealed the depth and power of love.

Learn more about Sally's memoir: https://www.sallymcquillen.com/reaching-for-beautiful-memoir

If you enjoyed this episode, check out Episode 214 "Growing Up with Grief: Emily’s Siblings Open Up": https://emilyshope.charity/episode/abby-adam-groth/

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

Subscribe to Grieving Out Loud/Emily’s Hope Updates

Suggest a Guest

For more episodes and information, just go to our website, emilyshope.charity
Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Picture this: 3,800 tombstones stretched out near the U.S. Capitol. Each one represents a life lost to substances— not a number, not a statistic — but a son, a daughter, a sibling, a friend.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, I sit down with Kimberly Douglas and Alexis Pleus, the women behind the Trail of Truth. For them, this mission is deeply personal. They’re turning their grief into action, demanding that lawmakers pay attention while hundreds of thousands of Americans die every year from alcohol and drugs. And now, even as the crisis grows, treatment and prevention programs are on the chopping block. Most importantly, you’ll hear what they believe needs to change to save lives.

You can listen to Alexis's previous episode on Grieving Out Loud here. 

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

Subscribe to Grieving Out Loud/Emily’s Hope Updates

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For more episodes and information, just go to our website, emilyshope.charity
Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Grief is something most of us will face at some point in our lives—but it’s not exactly coffee shop conversation. Gary Roe is hoping to change that. He’s not only an award-winning author who’s written more than 20 books on grief, but also someone who speaks with honesty, compassion, and deep personal experience.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Gary shares about his painful childhood, the lessons he’s learned about grief and resilience, and what he hopes others can carry with them from his journey.

You can visit Gary's website here. 

If this episode resonated with you, here are more conversations you’ll want to hear:

Surviving the holiday season while grieving

Broken Heart Syndrome: 4 Ways We Grieve

Your To-Die List: Bestselling Author on Living Fully and Resiliently

Growing Up with Grief: Emily’s Siblings Open Up

Words of Wisdom: Surviving Grief

Send us a text

Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

Subscribe to Grieving Out Loud/Emily’s Hope Updates

Suggest a Guest

For more episodes and information, just go to our website, emilyshope.charity
Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

How do you keep going when your world falls apart? It is a question even adults struggle to answer, so imagine what it is like for a child. For many, the pain of losing someone they love becomes unbearable. In the search for something, anything, to numb the hurt, they turn to alcohol or other substances. When grief is left unspoken and untreated, that path becomes even easier to fall into.

Ellen Ingraham knows that pain. She lost her father when she was just two years old. As if that heartbreak were not enough, her older sister, her best friend, was fighting a life-threatening condition. Like so many others carrying quiet grief, Ellen turned to alcohol to cope.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Ellen shares her story, how she faced her pain, found her way toward healing, and what she wants others to know if they are struggling too.

If you enjoyed this episode, check out these ones next: 

The silent crisis of alcohol and women’s liver disease

Telling Everyone’s Story While Hiding Her Own: A Journalist’s Battle with Addiction

Broken Heart Syndrome: 4 Ways We Grieve

Send us a text

Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

Subscribe to Grieving Out Loud/Emily’s Hope Updates

Suggest a Guest

For more episodes and information, just go to our website, emilyshope.charity
Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

New York City is home to more than twice the population of any other U.S. city, so when a story makes headlines there, it usually means it’s something big. But for Scott Caddell,  the reason his son’s name appeared in the news was devastating.

First, Scott lost his oldest son to a brutal and widely publicized murder. Then, years later, his younger son died from fentanyl poisoning. Long before either tragedy, Scott was battling his own addiction, a struggle that began when he was still a kid.

On this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Scott opens up about the heartbreak no parent should ever have to endure. He talks candidly about addiction, grief, the lessons he learned too late, and how he is still putting one foot in front of the other, even after losing so much.

Send us a text

Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

Subscribe to Grieving Out Loud/Emily’s Hope Updates

Suggest a Guest

For more episodes and information, just go to our website, emilyshope.charity
Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we sit down for a one-on-one conversation with a man who’s spent decades on the front lines of the United States' battle against illicit drugs and overdose deaths. Derek Maltz, who recently served as acting administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), built a nearly 30-year career as a special agent. He also led the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force—the nation’s oldest and largest.

Maltz opens up about why the fentanyl crisis has become so personal to him, what he believes must happen to stop the mass poisoning of Americans, and the critical missteps that have allowed the epidemic to grow.

Listen to Episode 120 of Grieving Out Loud with April Babcock: https://emilyshope.charity/episode/april-babcock/

If you enjoyed this episode, you may like this one with Art Kleinschmidt, the former Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy: https://emilyshope.charity/episode/arthur-kleinschmidt/

Send us a text

Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

Subscribe to Grieving Out Loud/Emily’s Hope Updates

Suggest a Guest

For more episodes and information, just go to our website, emilyshope.charity
Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Imagine watching a documentary about the dangers of opioids—then moments later, learning your only living child is gone.

That’s the devastating reality Michael Land faced when his son unknowingly took a pill laced with a deadly dose of fentanyl.

In the wake of unimaginable loss, Michael is choosing to keep his son's memory alive by living out the adventures they once dreamed of doing together. From national parks to stunning waterfalls, he’s been traveling the country—sharing their story, connecting with others, and raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, one conversation and social media post at a time.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Michael opens up about the day everything changed, what he wishes every parent knew, and how he’s finding purpose in the pain by helping others avoid the same heartbreak.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may like ‘The Pharmacist’ Dan Schneider gives the backstory on the hit Netflix documentary or Life after ‘The Pharmacist’ for Dan Schneider: A new mission.

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

Subscribe to Grieving Out Loud/Emily’s Hope Updates

Suggest a Guest

For more episodes and information, just go to our website, emilyshope.charity
Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

They call themselves “bereaved besties,” but it’s a bond born from heartbreak.

 Amy Neville and Bridgette Norring never imagined their lives would intersect like this, until both of their teenage sons died after taking what they believed was a prescription pill they bought on Snapchat. Instead, it was a deadly dose of fentanyl.

Now, these two mothers are learning how to live with the unthinkable, while doing everything they can to make sure no other family has to. They’ve taken their grief to Washington, are fighting for new legislation, and are part of a lawsuit against Snapchat’s parent company.

Join this raw and honest conversation with two mothers who are speaking out, standing up, and working to make the digital world safer for your family.

Listen to Amy Neville's previous episode on the podcast here.

Listen to Bridgette Norring's previous episode on the podcast here.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may like this one with Dr. Art Kleinschmidt, newly appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at SAMHSA.

Send us a text

Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

Subscribe to Grieving Out Loud/Emily’s Hope Updates

Suggest a Guest

For more episodes and information, just go to our website, emilyshope.charity
Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz