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

March 11A Drug Historian on What America Keeps Getting Wrong About the Fentanyl Crisis
When President Trump signed an executive order classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, some who have lost loved ones to the powerful synthetic opioid applauded the decision. But a drug historian argues The White House is making serious mistakes in its approach to the crisis.
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, historian Dr. David Herzberg looks back at earlier substance crises in the United States and discusses what went wrong, what went right, and what lessons those experiences might hold today. He explores how history can inform today’s policies, the unintended consequences of past approaches, and why understanding the bigger picture is crucial for tackling the opioid epidemic. By examining decades of drug trends and responses, Herzberg offers a perspective that goes beyond politics, helping listeners think critically about how America can respond more effectively to fentanyl and other substance crises.
Explore David's website and books here.
Dr. Herzberg says research shows that roughly 75% of people who use even the most addictive drugs like heroin and cocaine do not develop an addiction. This means addiction risk is shaped less by the drug itself and more by a person’s circumstances, environment, and biology. That is why prevention, early intervention, and access to treatment matter so much.
1. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) / Addiction Center (sourced from national survey data): “Approximately 25% of people who use illicit drugs develop an addiction.” — AddictionCenter.com, sourced from national substance use data
2. Peer-reviewed academic literature: Schlag, A.K. (2020). “Percentages of problem drug use and their implications for policy making: A review of the literature.” International Journal of Drug Policy. Key finding: “The majority of drug use is episodic, transient and generally non-problematic.”
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the following:
How Do We End the Fentanyl Epidemic? A Candid Conversation with a Former DEA Chief
Can We Save Lives While Cutting Funding? A Tough Conversation at the Top
He Saw a Gap in Addiction Treatment and Decided to Do Something About It

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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
42 min
March 04A New Strategy for America’s Addiction Crisis
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, hear from the new CEO of Shatterproof, a national nonprofit working to reverse the addiction crisis. Pam Jenkins recently stepped into the organization’s top role after more than three decades in public health.
Jenkins is widely recognized for creating bold, award-winning health campaigns that break through the noise. She led the team that introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease, a campaign that reshaped public awareness across the country.
In our conversation, she shares her top priorities as CEO, what concerns her most about the current addiction crisis, and how she plans to use her platform to drive meaningful change in a fight that impacts millions of Americans.
Explore Shatterproof's Treatment Atlas here.
Related Episodes:
Investigative Reporter Uncovers Abuse and Profit in Rehab Programs
Life-saving scholarship: How Emily’s Hope treatment scholarship gave a woman her life back
Shatterproof founder’s life mission after losing son

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
February 25A Wife’s Battle With Addiction, A Husband’s Journey to Love Her Through It
Lori Kellar is one of the more than 48 million Americans who have struggled with addiction. Like so many people, it began with something that didn’t seem dangerous at all: casual, social drinking. Over time, though, alcohol slowly took control, unraveling her life and putting strain on her relationships with her children, grandchildren and her husband, Dennis.
For years, Lori battled her disease in silence, doing everything she could to hide it. When she finally found the courage to say yes to help, she was met with another crushing reality. Treatment came with a price she felt she couldn’t afford.
That’s when an Emily’s Hope Treatment Scholarship stepped in.
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Lori opens up about her battle with addiction, and Dennis shares his experience of loving someone through it. They talk about what they wish they had known sooner, the fear and uncertainty along the way, and how everything began to change when Lori said yes to the help she so desperately needed.
If you enjoyed this episode, you may like the following:
‘I lost who I was.’ Emily’s Hope Treatment Scholarship gives mom second chance
Life-saving scholarship: How Emily’s Hope treatment scholarship gave a woman her life back
The Voice You Knew — The Story You Didn’t

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
31 min
February 18How the System Fails People with Addiction
Patricia Roos was a sociology professor at Rutgers University when she lost her 25-year-old son, Alex, to a heroin overdose. In the aftermath of that loss, she redirected her life’s work by examining the systemic forces that fuel addiction and the shortcomings of how the nation responds to the overdose crisis, particularly the heavy reliance on the criminal justice system.
Her new book, Surviving Alex: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, and Addiction, weaves together her personal story and professional expertise. Through it, she examines how stigma, inequity and a lack of compassion within our health care and treatment systems can lead to devastating outcomes — and how we can begin to do better.
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Patricia shares her journey as both a mother and a researcher, what she learned while desperately trying to help her son, and how she’s using her voice to call for systemic change and a more compassionate response to substance use disorder.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the following:
He Saw a Gap in Addiction Treatment and Decided to Do Something About It
Investigative Reporter Uncovers Abuse and Profit in Rehab Programs
‘The ugliest, biggest elephant in the room:’ Confronting addiction as a disease
A mother’s urgent message on mental health and addiction
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
40 min
February 11The Voice You Knew — The Story You Didn’t
You may know her as the voice of Sally Brown in Peanuts, but by the time she was just 11 years old, Hilary Momberger-Powers had already appeared in dozens of commercials. Behind that familiar voice, though, was a child quietly struggling — with the voices in her own head and the ones she couldn’t escape at home, where she endured emotional abuse from a mother battling alcohol addiction.
That early trauma set Hilary on a dangerous path marked by substance use, abuse and homelessness at a young age. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, she courageously shares her story, what helped her heal and find recovery, and the advice she offers to others who may be walking a similar road.
Learn more about and purchase Hilary's book here.
If you enjoyed this episode, you may like the following:
A mother-daughter journey from Hollywood to heroin to healing
Growing Up with Grief: Emily’s Siblings Open Up
A TV Anchor Shares Her Loss to Overdose and Efforts to End Stigma
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
52 min
February 04He Saw a Gap in Addiction Treatment and Decided to Do Something About It
Sometimes the most meaningful change does not start in a boardroom or a big city. It starts when one person decides they cannot look away anymore. That is exactly what happened with today’s guest.
After seeing firsthand the urgent need for compassionate and accessible substance use disorder treatment in his New Mexico community, Trent Carter decided to take action.
Trent is a nurse practitioner with a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and the founder of Renew Health, a recovery center built on the belief that everyone deserves hope, healing, and a real chance at recovery. Under his leadership, Renew Health has been named the best drug and alcohol rehab center in New Mexico and continues to grow by reaching more people, breaking down barriers to care, and reshaping what recovery can look like.
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Trent shares how Renew Health began, what truly helps when someone you love is struggling with substance use disorder, and how we can start to turn the tide on the addiction epidemic together.
Purchase Trent Carter's book, The Recovery Tool Belt, here.
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out the following:
The TikTok doctor: An addiction medicine expert’s mission to reach the younger generation
How Do We End the Fentanyl Epidemic? A Candid Conversation with a Former DEA Chief
Expert insights on preventing substance abuse

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
January 28A Brain Scientist’s Warning Every Parent Should Hear
Today’s marijuana is not the marijuana of the 1960s and ’70s. It’s far more potent, and a growing body of research is linking heavy use to serious mental health issues, including psychosis and schizophrenia.
Our guest on Grieving Out Loud, Kristen Gilliland, knows those dangers all too well. Her son experienced cannabis-induced psychosis and later died from an accidental drug overdose — a loss Kristen never imagined her own family would face.
That reality is especially striking given her background. Kristen holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry and spent years as a professor teaching organic chemistry, neurochemistry, and the chemistry of drugs and poisons.
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Kristen opens up about what she wishes she had known sooner, what parents need to understand as marijuana becomes more accessible, and how she leaned on her scientific background to find purpose after losing her son.
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out the following:
Mother blames cannabis-induced psychosis for son’s death
A Mother’s Warning About Laced Marijuana
Teens Share What Really Works to Prevent Drug and Alcohol Use

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
42 min
January 21She Promised It Would End With Her—Then It Didn’t
Substance use disorder is a devastating and complex disease, not only for the person experiencing it, but also for their families. Many people struggling with substance use carry deep shame, often asking themselves: Why can’t I stop? Why am I hurting the people I love? What’s wrong with me?
The disease can also span generations, shaping both family histories and futures. That’s the case for Jennifer Chase.
After the turmoil substances caused throughout her childhood, Chase was determined to take a different path. But a medical emergency altered the course of her life, and she developed an addiction of her own.
She eventually found recovery, but not before witnessing her son begin his own dangerous struggle with substances. In today's episode of Grieving Out Loud, Chase shares how she uses her lived experience, and the knowledge she has gained about substance use disorder, to help other families facing the same disease.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the following:
A Childhood Shaped by Loss, a Life Reclaimed in Sobriety
‘The ugliest, biggest elephant in the room:’ Confronting addiction as a disease
‘I lost who I was.’ Emily’s Hope Treatment Scholarship gives mom second chance
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
January 14The Cost of Getting Marijuana Wrong
Marijuana is a word that can quickly spark debate. Should it be legal? Does it offer real medical benefits? Is it a gateway drug? These questions continue to fuel controversy, and strong opinions exist on all sides.
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we sit down with Crissy Groenewegen, director of the Parent Action Network. She works closely with parents and families impacted by marijuana, helping them share their stories in ways that reach and influence lawmakers.
We do not shy away from this complicated topic. How harmful can marijuana really be? What impact has legalization had on Americans’ mental and physical health? And how are businesses using legal loopholes to put profit over public safety?
All of this and more in today’s conversation.
If you enjoyed this episode, you may like the following:
Mother blames cannabis-induced psychosis for son’s death
Inside Victoria’s Voice: The Diary That’s Waking Parents Up
Grief, marijuana, and addiction: A conversation about cannabis use disorder

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
42 min
January 07Dr. Sophie Two Hawk on Healing Native Communities from Addiction and Trauma
When you think of a trailblazer, you think of someone who walks into the unknown and leaves a path behind for others to follow.
Dr. Sophie Two Hawk is one of those people.
She spent her childhood moving from place to place, living on and off reservations. And by 16, she had already graduated high school — not just early, but as valedictorian. Three years later, she’d finished her undergraduate degree. And in 1987, she became the first Native American to graduate from medical school in South Dakota.
It wasn’t simple. It wasn’t smooth. And more than once, teachers told her that Native Americans can’t become doctors.
But Sophie Two Hawk understood something early on: if you don’t see someone who looks like you in the place you want to be… sometimes that’s the sign you’re meant to be the first.
Today, you’ll hear her remarkable story, and how it intersects with a heartbreaking reality. Substance use disorder and overdoses continue to devastate Native American communities at rates far higher than the rest of the population.
In this episode, we’ll explore what’s behind these disparities, and what real healing, hope, and change can look like.
If you enjoyed this episode, you may like the following:
Straight talk with an addiction care doc: Understanding substance use disorder
Beating the Odds from Gang Life to Changing Lives
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
47 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…