Grief doesn’t end; it changes shape. Eight months after losing our toddler, we open the door to where love and ache meet—and to a surprise that softens the edges: a scan that shows us what we are having. The moment lands like thunder and rain, making room for healing and hard questions all at once.

We talk candidly about sharing loss online, the backlash that comes with visibility, and the quiet messages that keep us going—like a dad who wrote, “I lost my son. I need help.” That tension between criticism and connection informs how we show up, why we sometimes use the algorithm to expand reach, and when we step back to protect our energy. We name grief as unspent love, explore how storytelling becomes medicine, and reflect on the power of being the gatekeepers of our son’s memory. Along the way, we revisit a hard medical puzzle—why we think our son’s rare heart condition wasn’t genetic, and how an early high fever might have shaped his development—while choosing humility about what we can’t know.

Pregnancy after loss is its own terrain. We explain why we chose a scan this time and why we decided to find out the sex, especially for our kids who needed a bright thread to hold. We share what the sex is and that truth carries both joy and tenderness: imagining the day we tell the baby about their brother, wondering which features will echo, and preparing for the flood of emotion that birth will bring. We keep returning to presence—breakfast dates with a struggling child, gratitude rounds at the table, letting photos spark stories—because attention is the only control we really have. If you’re navigating grief, parenting, or the complicated hope of new beginnings, this conversation offers honesty, companionship, and a reminder that your story matters.

The palm trees are real. So is the sweat, the power cuts, and the quiet tug to want more than a perfect beach day. We open up about moving our family to a Caribbean island after years of service, travel, and loss—and what “paradise” looks like when the highlight reel ends. The conversation goes beyond pretty postcards into the gritty details: life without living room AC, corrosion from salty air, old cars that always need a fix, and a cost of living that makes time feel spacious but can lull ambition if you’re not careful.

We get honest about money and choice. Lower expenses gave us presence with our kids, but our vision asks for more: a home base and the freedom to roam, adventures beyond one shoreline, and work that funds it without hollowing us out. That means seasons of effort—early mornings, new skills, and unglamorous tasks. We talk about reframing social media as service, aligning income with values, and choosing goals that stretch us without breaking what matters.

Parenting and community show up as teachers. We plug our kids into activities to build friendships and rhythm, and we learn humility on the sidelines—respecting other coaches, supporting the village, and letting our children be guided by more than us. Threaded through it all is a simple shift: paradise isn’t a destination; it’s an inner state we practice by watering the grass where we stand—gratitude today, growth tomorrow, and congruence between what we say and how we live.

If this resonates, follow along: subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and tell us what part of your “paradise” you’re building right now. Your story matters here.

"It's normal, but we can't explain it." That's how many women feel during pregnancy - experiencing profound bodily and emotional shifts they themselves don't fully understand, let alone communicate to their partners. In this raw conversation, Jessyl reveals how during boy pregnancies, she developed a physical aversion to her husband's smell and saliva - a common but rarely discussed hormonal response that left her confused and Alex feeling rejected.

The journey of pregnancy transforms not just bodies, but relationships. Alex candidly shares how he initially approached birth from a traditional medical perspective that created tension with Jessyl's more intuitive approach. Their evolution from hospital births (where birth plans were routinely disregarded) to home births reflects a growing trust between partners that only developed after Alex learned to honor Jessyl's deeper connection to her body's wisdom.

We dive into what Alex calls "the fourth trimester for men" - that disorienting period when fathers suddenly feel a sense of abandonment as their partners naturally shift focus to the newborn. This adjustment, coupled with society's unrealistic expectations about postpartum healing (the myth of the six-week clearance), creates unnecessary pressure on new parents. Instead, we advocate for practical support systems like meal trains over baby registries, protected recovery periods, and creative approaches to maintaining connection beyond physical intimacy.

Whether you're expecting your first child or reflecting on past birth experiences, this conversation offers validation for the complex emotional landscape of bringing new life into your relationship. The greatest gift partners can offer each other? Curiosity instead of control, education instead of assumptions, and the courage to trust each other through one of life's most transformative journeys.

Family boundaries shouldn't be taboo; they're essential. When we first married, cultural assumptions led to uncomfortable jokes about green card marriages, despite my American citizenship. Later, our choice to raise bilingual children sparked resistance from family who feared our kids would never learn proper English. These moments taught us the delicate art of boundary-setting without relationship-breaking.

Your immediate family, your partnership and your children require protection. This doesn't mean cutting off extended family, but recognizing when "family drama" signals the need for clearer boundaries. Throughout our journey, we've learned that respecting our vision for our family sometimes means disappointing others. From language choices to religious differences, we've discovered that communicating boundaries clearly, without anger or accusation, preserves relationships while protecting our core values.

We share practical strategies like managing the environment of family interactions (sometimes not staying in relatives' homes), having each partner address issues with their own family members, and consistently following through when boundaries are crossed. The most powerful realization? You're the CEO of your own family. Your parents and in-laws may have valuable wisdom to share, but ultimately, you and your partner decide what's best for your children and your life together.

Whether you're navigating holiday tensions, religious differences, or conflicting parenting philosophies with extended family, this episode offers honest conversation about creating healthy boundaries without burning bridges. We hope our experiences help you navigate your own family relationships with confidence, clarity, and the courage to protect what matters most to you.

When life delivers its most devastating blows, do we crumble or transform? Alex and Jessyl explore this profound question through their own journey of facing seemingly insurmountable challenges from brain tumor diagnoses to the heart-shattering loss of their toddler son, Liam.

Drawing from their raw experiences, they challenge the notion of "fake positivity" while offering a more authentic approach to finding meaning amid suffering. Their conversation reveals how shifting from "why is this happening to me?" to "what is this here to teach me?" creates fundamental changes in how we process pain and discover purpose.

The couple shares a revolutionary perspective they learned during their daughter's brain tumor journey approaching challenges not as enemies to fight but as teachers bearing important lessons. This framework doesn't diminish pain but provides context that helps carry us through our darkest moments.

What emerges from their story is a powerful truth: purpose often reveals itself through service to others. When we transform our suffering into meaningful action, whether by sharing our stories or supporting others on similar paths our own healing accelerates. As Jessyl notes, "Humans thrive off connection," and finding ways to honor our experiences by helping others creates ripple effects of healing.

Their candid conversation offers practical wisdom for anyone navigating difficult circumstances. By approaching life's challenges with curiosity instead of resistance, we open ourselves to profound growth and transformation. The pain doesn't disappear, but it can evolve into something meaningful that shapes not only our lives but potentially countless others.

Join us on this journey of living wide open through grief, growth, and the discovery of purpose in unexpected places. Subscribe to continue walking this path with us, and if our story resonates with yours, we'd be honored if you shared it with someone who might need these words today.

Alex and Jessyl reunite on the podcast, exploring how their family adapts when one parent is away and the deeper lessons they've learned parenting four children.

• Jessyl shares how she manages parenting solo while Alex was delivering a TEDx talk in Tampa
• The importance of teaching children independence and responsibility from an early age
• How their parenting approach differs with four children versus families with fewer kids
• The distinction between natural consequences and imposed rules in parenting
• Alex's transformative experience sharing their son Liam's story on the TEDx stage
• Cultural differences observed between life in the Dominican Republic and the United States
• The choice we all face: letting our past define us or using it as fuel for positive change
• Why personal growth doesn't require a dramatic transformation, just consistent small steps

Ever wondered if there's a different path for educating your children? One that doesn't involve desks, homework, or standardized testing? Join Jessyl and Alex as they pull back the curtain on their decade-long journey with unschooling – a learning approach that has allowed their four children to thrive while following their natural curiosities.

This raw conversation dismantles common misconceptions about education and learning. Jessyl shares how their children taught themselves to read without a single formal lesson, with their 9-year-old son naturally applying phonetics he'd never been explicitly taught. Alex reflects on his initial skepticism ("I laughed when she first suggested it") and how witnessing his children's development converted him into a believer.

Beyond academics, the couple explores how unschooling has shaped their parenting philosophy. They challenge conventional wisdom about obedience, explaining why they encourage their children to "talk back" respectfully as a way to develop self-advocacy. They discuss the importance of life skills, independence, and how they're navigating the transition as their oldest son approaches adolescence.

What emerges is a thoughtful framework for raising confident, capable humans who maintain their innate love of learning. Whether you're considering alternative education models or simply curious about different approaches to parenting, this episode offers valuable insights into creating an environment where children can discover their unique gifts and potential.

Have you been questioning the traditional educational path? Are you looking for ways to nurture your child's natural curiosity? Listen now and discover how stepping away from conventional schooling might open unexpected doors for your family.

The journey through grief rarely follows a straight line. After sharing our son Liam's story last season, we're revealing a profound new chapter - Jessyl is 20 weeks pregnant with what many call a "rainbow baby." Despite actively trying to prevent pregnancy while navigating our grief, life had other plans.

This pregnancy brings a complex emotional landscape unlike anything we've experienced before. As Jessyl vulnerably shares, "Excitement is not the word I would use... When I think about pregnancy, the last memories I have is Liam. And he's not here." We're walking a delicate path - honoring our son's memory while creating space for new life, processing fears about what happened with Liam while trusting this unique journey.

The reality of grief alongside expectancy means learning to hold seemingly contradictory emotions simultaneously. We discuss how this pregnancy feels like the first time all over again, despite being our sixth child, because everything has fundamentally changed. There's beauty and sadness intertwined, requiring us to take each day as it comes without expectations.

Our conversation expands beyond pregnancy to explore how comfort zones can limit growth. Recent visits from friends have highlighted both the beautiful lifestyle we've created in the Dominican Republic and areas where we've grown complacent. Finding the balance between pushing ourselves toward new goals while appreciating what we already have continues to be our work.

Season three promises raw, authentic conversations about unschooling our children, relationship dynamics, personal growth, and navigating life after profound loss. We invite you to suggest topics and questions as we build this community together, sharing the messy, beautiful reality of living wide open.

Subscribe to join us on this journey of becoming through grief, growth, parenting, partnership and the wild unknown. Your story matters here.

Wrapping up our 12-part series exploring grief, travel, and transformation, we pause to reflect on the profound lessons that have emerged from our journey with loss and rebuilding. Listeners who have followed our path through continents, memories, and healing have witnessed not just our story, but perhaps glimpses of their own capacity for resilience.

Alex shares how recounting these experiences has served as medicine, helping process grief that continues to ebb and flow. "Liam was a guide and still is to this day," he reflects, finding deeper meaning in his son's brief but impactful life. The fundamental truth that resonates throughout our journey? We don't control our lives, but we can choose to live fully within them—creating meaning, purpose, and presence regardless of circumstances.

For Jessyl, this series illuminated my evolution as a mother. Against society's current that often devalues traditional motherhood, losing a child crystallized what truly matters. The window of time when children need us most is heartbreakingly brief. "You don't get those years back," I observe, speaking to those who feel called to prioritize family but question its validity in today's achievement-oriented world.

Our current rhythm in the Dominican Republic feels healing—mornings filled with surfing for the boys, leisurely family time, and selective social engagements that honor our emotional capacity. We've learned to recognize when our children need space to process missing their brother, developing tools to help them navigate emotions they sometimes don't yet understand themselves.

Looking ahead to our next season (returning September 1st), we'll continue exploring relationship dynamics, parenting after loss, and the communication practices that sustain our family. And yes—we've teased a surprise announcement that signals new beginnings amidst our continuing journey.

If something in our story has resonated with your own path through grief, growth, or the beautiful unknown, we'd love to hear from you. What lessons have emerged from these conversations? What questions linger? Connect with us and join this ongoing exploration of living wide open.

How do you tell the story of a child whose life defied medical impossibility yet ended too soon? In this deeply personal and emotional episode, we share the journey of our youngest son Liam—from his unexpected conception to his final heartbeat at just 18 months old.

Born with a severe congenital heart condition that should have claimed his life within weeks, Liam somehow thrived without medical intervention, traveling across continents with our family. His extraordinary resilience allowed him to experience the world's beauty—from Dominican beaches to the Sahara Desert—all while his body quietly compensated for having only three heart chambers instead of the normal four.

The signs were there—subtle skin discoloration, delayed walking, gradual rejection of solid foods—but they unfolded so slowly we couldn't connect them until it was too late. It wasn't until a minor fall in Cyprus led to a hospital visit that we discovered the medical miracle who had been living among us.

What gives us peace amid unimaginable loss is knowing Liam lived exactly the life his soul intended. He experienced constant love, avoided suffering through futile medical procedures, and accomplished his purpose of bringing our family closer together. In his 18 months, he taught us more about presence and unconditional love than many learn in a lifetime.

While sharing this story brings tears, we also find profound meaning in how Liam continues to communicate through signs, particularly repeating numbers like 2:22. His legacy shows us that death isn't merely an ending but a transformation—and that even brief lives can fulfill their perfect purpose.

If you're navigating grief, searching for meaning in loss, or simply need a reminder about what truly matters, Liam's story illuminates how living wide open, even through heartbreak, reveals life's deepest gifts.