EARLY RELEASE: I don’t know why I bother trying to plan out this season in advance. I got on Facebook and read the news about Breonna Taylor and how Brett Hankison, John Mattingly, and Myles Cosgrove will not face any indictment for her murder. And though we saw the signs and we’re learning our history, once again we were reminded of our place in this world in the eyes of men. And I couldn’t help but think, here we go again.

There is no right way or wrong way to grieve. There is no proper way to go through this. There isn’t even one way to walk with you through this. So the music is just going to play. I won’t speak, but you can. Take this time to feel the depths of your feelings in a safe space. Cry if need. Scream. Sing. Laugh. Close your eyes. Hug yourself. Pray. Question. Rage. Dance. Breakdown. Let it out in this space. Know that I’m furiously grieving with you.

Today’s episode is dedicated to you Breonna Taylor.

Additional Notes:

The music from this week's episode was produced by RalphReal, Underbelly, and The Brothers Records.

The prayer was from Cole Arthur Riley. You can find more of her black liturgies on Instagram. Also support her Patreon. The work she is doing is important and necessary.

To listen to the entire Grief Series, please visit loosechangepodcast.com. We talk about why it's okay to grieve, how it's okay to not be okay and what not to say to a friend that is going through the hard work of grief. I hope it helps.

When I wrote the episode Please Don't Ask Me if I'm Okay, it came as a response to the amount of people asking me and many of my black friends about their mental state without fully understanding what they were asking for. I followed up that episode with What Not to Say When You Don't Know What to Say. That was a totally practical interview with Oliver Ip, pastoral scholar and psychologist in training. In that episode, Ollie and I went over things one should avoid saying to a friend that is grieving or in pain. I asked Ollie, how do you tell someone that you don't see them as 'safe.' That they are not who you would like to give access to your grief or pain for the sake of your mental stability or  because you're not looking for advice or whatever. So listen to hear his response. 

Loose Change was produced and hosted by me. The music featured on this episode was created by Anno Domini, Birocratic, and Bad Snacks and the segment intro was mixed by me.

A special thanks to Oliver Ip for your continued support and really easy interviewing style. For episode transcripts and cover art, please visit loosechangepodcast.com/episodes

Don't forget to leave a 5 star rating and a review. And check out the Patreon.

Be back next week for another new episode.

If you've listened to the last season of this podcast, you'll know that my husband lost his job here in Hong Kong and with two kids and two sets of student loan debt, we have to be a two income household. Paying $2400 US for our 600 sq ft flat doesn't help either. But we were hopeful, optimistic. We believe that after 10 years of working for the same company, it was time for David to find something new, something better, that this was a chance to flex these skills elsewhere. That was back in March. And here we are in September. And 6 months of rejections has really taken its toll on us, on him. So with the money we have left and our daughters by our side, we prepare to leave.

Loose Change was produced and hosted by me. The music featured on this episode was created by Underbelly, Birocratic, and Otis MacDonald and the segment intro was mixed by me. A special thank you to Emmanuella for letting me cry on the phone until I could create this episode and my uncle Alex for encouraging me with the music. For full transcripts and cover art, please visit loosechangepodcast.com/episodes

This episode was a little different than what I told you was coming for the new season, but I hope you understand the circumstances. New episode next week.

Welcome to Season 3 of the Loose Change podcast. My name is Deanna and today is my birthday!

As this podcast evolves and starts to take form, I want to make sure that you feel like it's really made for you. During the break, I took a step back to listen to what you are talking about in your day to day lives, the transitions you are going through, the hard work you are doing, the triumphs you've celebrated. And I find that we are a lot alike and so very different. And that, above all else makes me encouraged for us to go through change together.

Season 3 of the Loose Change Podcast is coming soon. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss it. You can find me on Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RadioPublic, Overbreaker, and of course on my brand new website, loosechangepodcast.com. I'll see you there.

Email questions, feedback or your experience with change to [email protected]

On this episode of Loose Change, I only felt the need to reflect on what I learned about podcasting from producing these last two seasons. I wanted to talk to you about what I learned about interviewing, editing, and endurance, just being able to follow through and complete the season. But this season didn’t go the way that I planned it, but probably because these last six months did not go the way that we planned it.

So today, on the second season finale of Loose Change, I want to celebrate you and me and us by reflecting a little bit on the journey to get this far. I’ll share a little bit on my thought process and the work process and what I see coming next and how you can be a part of it!

As we move into the next season, here are 5 things you can do to support the podcast. 

Oliver Ip is (was) a pastor, a life coach and a theological scholar, but more importantly, he was the one who taught me how to practically care for others. I've finally got him on the podcast to share some of the best and worst things you can say to someone who is grieving. Today’s episode could be thought of as Part 3 of this series of What to Do When Your Friend is not okay. I took a lot away from this episode. I know you will too.

Resources:

Season finale next week!