Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

By Angela KenneckeSociety & Culture Health & Fitness Mental Health Personal Journals

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Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic episodes

May 20What Grief Really Looks Like and Why We Don't Talk About It
Grief can feel incredibly isolating, and it's something our society still struggles to talk about openly. The full range of emotions, the unexpected reactions, the weight of it all. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we're leaning into the conversations that too often go unspoken.
Stephanie Peirolo’s story is one of both loss and resilience. After losing her father as a teenager, she battled substance use disorder. Years later, after finding recovery, she faced another unimaginable loss, her 19-year-old son.
For months, Stephanie kept her story to herself. But over time, she found that sharing it became part of her healing. Today, she is a board-certified executive coach and writer, with a new book sharing her journey.
In this episode, Peirolo opens up about her story, the parts of grief people rarely talk about, and how, after profound heartbreak, she’s found a way to laugh and live fully again.
Learn more and purchase Stephanie's book here.
Listen to Stephanie’s story on The Moth here.
Related episodes:
Growing Up with Grief: Emily’s Siblings Open Up
Broken Heart Syndrome: 4 Ways We Grieve
Coping With Grief and Choosing Life After Tragedy

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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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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
51 min
May 13Mom Survives Back-to-Back Loss of Son and Husband, Finds Meaning in Life Again
It’s often said there’s no greater pain than losing a child. Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, Kym Hinchey, knows that devastation all too well. After helping her son through recovery from substance use disorder, she lost him to a sudden overdose.
Just a few months after finding her 27-year-old son, Adrian, dead, Kym returned home to another unimaginable loss-her husband, also found dead on their bedroom floor.
In the span of just a few months, Kym lost both her son and her husband. The grief was overwhelming. She says there was a time when the pain felt constant, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to keep going.
But instead, Kym decided to devote herself to understanding grief and learning how to live through it. Today, she’s found meaning and purpose again, and she uses her experience to help others who are navigating loss.
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Kym shares her story with honesty and courage—the lessons grief has taught her, and how she’s found a way to keep moving forward.
Download Kym's Free PDF "Five Things I Wish I’d Known at Ground Zero Grief" here.
Find Kym’s book, Then and Now: The Evolution of Grief, here.
Related episodes:
Broken Heart Syndrome: 4 Ways We Grieve
How to Live With Grief, Not Be Defined By It
When Men Don’t Cry: Confronting the Culture of Silent Grief

Send us Fan Mail
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
55 min
May 06The Dandelion in the Window
When you grow up in a home where alcohol and drugs are part of everyday life, it can be difficult to avoid being pulled into a generational cycle of addiction. It becomes your normal, what you know, what surrounds you. And too often, it’s intertwined with mental health struggles and abuse, making substances feel like a way to numb or escape the pain.
That was the reality for today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, Toni Handboy. Her childhood was shaped by trauma and loss. She experienced abuse, and her parents were often absent because of addiction. She was eventually taken from her grandparents and separated from her Lakota roots, moving between foster homes before later ending up in a juvenile detention center.
During that time, Toni says she battled depression and suicidal thoughts. In an effort to cope, she turned to substances, continuing the very cycle she grew up around, as her addiction began to impact her own children.
But Toni’s story doesn’t end there. While many struggle to break free, she has overcome that generational cycle and has now been in recovery for nearly two decades. Today, she’s not only rebuilding her life; she’s helping others who are facing the same battle.
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Toni shares her difficult but powerful story, what finally led her to seek help, and the message she hopes reaches those who feel trapped in addiction.
Related episodes:
Growing up in the shadow of addiction
She Promised It Would End With Her—Then It Didn’t
Dr. Sophie Two Hawk on Healing Native Communities from Addiction and Trauma

Send us Fan Mail
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
1 hr 4 min
April 29Why 72,000 Deaths a Year Is Not a Success Story
With the number of drug overdose deaths dropping, some are celebrating. But is there a risk in declaring victory too early and cutting funding for prevention? Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, an addiction researcher at Stanford, says not so fast. About 72,000 overdose deaths a year still exceeds the total number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War.
Dr. Wayne Kepner says not only are far too many people still dying, but celebrating too early could cost more lives. He recently wrote an article titled, “America must not learn to live with 72,000 overdose deaths a year.”
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Dr. Kepner shares what history has taught us about past drug epidemics, and how those lessons can guide the path forward while preventing as many deaths as possible.
Related episodes:
A Drug Historian on What America Keeps Getting Wrong About the Fentanyl Crisis
Can We Save Lives While Cutting Funding? A Tough Conversation at the Top
How Do We End the Fentanyl Epidemic? A Candid Conversation with a Former DEA Chief

Send us Fan Mail
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
43 min
April 22The Alcohol Addiction Treatment Many Don’t Know Exists
If you haven’t experienced alcohol addiction yourself, chances are someone close to you has. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, roughly 29 million people in the United States are living with alcohol use disorder. It affects people from every walk of life, including many who never expected to struggle with substance use.
Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, Katie Lain, says her path into addiction wasn’t sudden. It happened gradually, after spending more time around people who drank frequently, until she found herself caught in it.
Katie eventually found her way out with the help of treatment and a medication that isn’t often part of the conversation. In this episode, she shares her story, how she reached out for help and what ultimately made the difference.
Learn more about Katie's story and the Sinclair Method at Thrive Alcohol Recovery.
Related Episodes:
After a two-decades’ long alcohol addiction, a husband and father finds recover through Emily’s Hope
Alcohol and women: A dangerous combination
A Wife’s Battle With Addiction, A Husband’s Journey to Love Her Through It

Send us Fan Mail
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
46 min
April 15The Fight Isn't Over: Mississippi's Attorney General on Opioids, Fentanyl, and What's Still at Stake
When faced with a large crisis, taking the first step can feel daunting, especially when the companies involved hold significant money and power. That was the reality at the start of the opioid epidemic.
Mississippi was one of the first states in the nation to take on opioid manufacturers in court. Now, the state’s attorney general joins us to talk about that fight, and the evolving threats still facing communities across the country.
On this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we sit down with Attorney General Lynn Fitch to discuss how the state is working to save lives, from public awareness campaigns and legal action to expanding access to naloxone and fentanyl testing strips.
Episodes Featured:
Will Rops - He Couldn’t Save His Brother, But He’s Working to Save Yours
Cameron Nielson - Saving Lives After Overdose One Call at a Time
Send us Fan Mail
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
49 min
April 08She Left a Mental Health Facility and Bought a Gun. Her Mother Is Fighting to Change That
Over the past two decades, suicide rates have steadily risen across the United States. Even when family and friends notice the warning signs and try to get help, the outcome can still be devastating.
That’s the heartbreaking story of today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud. Larissa Strong’s daughter, Hailey, had been receiving care in an inpatient mental health facility after a suicide attempt. Despite that, Larissa says the facility allowed her daughter to leave, and within 48 hours, Hailey was able to purchase a gun and take her own life.
Now, Larissa is fighting for stricter gun regulations for people struggling with mental health, honoring her daughter’s memory through advocacy. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, she shares her mission and the changes she hopes to see.

Listen to her powerful testimony here.
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out the following:
When Words Are All That’s Left After Suicide
Embracing hope after the loss of a daughter to suicide
Why So Many Teens are Struggling, and What We’re Missing

Send us Fan Mail
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
43 min
April 01The Wounds Beneath the Addiction: One Treatment Center's Deeper Approach to Recovery
One struggled with mental health growing up. The other battled addiction. But Greg Vorst and Michael Nolan say that despite having different diagnoses, many of the struggles underneath were surprisingly similar.
After years of doing their own work, the two not only found recovery and stronger mental health, they also teamed up to open a treatment center together in Silicon Valley, Embodied Recovery, blending their personal experiences with professional expertise and insights drawn from ancient wisdom. Hear how their practices are designed to help people regulate their nervous systems, process trauma and reconnect with their inner wisdom.
Explore Greg and Michael's nonprofit, Melos, here.
Visit the Embodied Recovery website here.
Learn more about the SunDo Practice here.
Related episodes:
He Saw a Gap in Addiction Treatment and Decided to Do Something About It
‘Be Glad:’ Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Gladys McGarey
When Men Don’t Cry: Confronting the Culture of Silent Grief
Send us Fan Mail
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
51 min
March 25How to Live With Grief, Not Be Defined By It
If you love, you will likely grieve. That isn’t meant to sound heavy; it’s simply human. And most of us, if we haven’t already, will one day lose someone we love.
For today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, those losses came much earlier than they do for many. Sylvia Wolfer was just seven years old when her father died suddenly from a heart attack. At 17, she lost her younger brother in a car crash. Several years later, her older brother was killed in a separate car crash.
Since then, Sylvia has learned not only how to navigate her own grief, but how to walk alongside others in theirs. She believes grief doesn’t disappear, but it can change. It can become something you carry, rather than something that controls you.
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Sylvia shares practical ways to move through grief and reflects on what her own losses have taught her about resilience, perspective and the fragile, beautiful nature of life.
Explore Sylvia's website and her work here.
Related epsiodes:
Growing Up with Grief: Emily’s Siblings Open Up
Coping With Grief and Choosing Life After Tragedy
Surviving the holiday season while grieving
When Men Don’t Cry: Confronting the Culture of Silent Grief
Broken Heart Syndrome: 4 Ways We Grieve
Send us Fan Mail
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
38 min
March 18Honoring Artists We've Lost
Every life carries a purpose. But when a child dies young, it can feel as if that purpose was cut short, or even stolen. We’re left with questions that don’t have easy answers: What was their life meant to be? What impact did they have? How did they leave their mark on the world?
Andrea Magder knows that feeling all too well. She lost her artistic son, Ethan, suddenly to an opioid overdose. From music to poetry to even a novel, Ethan loved expressing himself through creativity.
But Andrea is working to turn that loss into something lasting. She’s created an online gallery showcasing the work of artists from around the world who have passed away, giving their creativity a chance to live on.
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Andrea opens up about loving her son through his battle with addiction, finding a way to keep moving forward through overwhelming grief, and the ways she’s now helping others navigate their own journeys of loss.
Visit The Artist Lives gallery here.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the following:
Lights, camera, change: Emmy nominated producer creates documentary about addiction following son’s death
The Voice You Knew — The Story You Didn’t
Inside Victoria’s Voice: The Diary That’s Waking Parents Up

Send us Fan Mail
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
38 min

About Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

From the publisher's feed

After losing her 21-year-old daughter, Emily, to fentanyl poisoning, veteran journalist Angela Kennecke made it her life’s mission to break the silence surrounding substance use disorder and the…