Love Survives Grief

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Loss Dad, Author and Podcast Host Nick Mendelke. 

Love Survives Grief is beyond grateful for Nick sharing his experience and wisdom on grief. He is a Husband/Father with immense courage, with a rare ability to put his deepest thoughts, feelings and emotions into words with honesty, strength and vulnerability. Tune into his podcast to hear his families tragic story of loosing their son Ryder. Order a copy of The book Celebrating Angels: Stories of Pregnancy and Infant Loss where Nick is one of many authors sharing their story.(links below) 

What Happens Next: Stories of Grief and Loss | Ryder’s Story

https://nickmendelke.podbean.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio

Celebrating Angels: Stories of Pregnancy and Infant Loss

https://a.co/d/05Pd2PzV

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October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month—a time dedicated to honoring the babies who left this world far too soon and the families whose lives were forever changed by their love.

In this episode of Love Survives Grief, we explore the history behind Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month, why it exists, and why it continues to matter. We discuss what this month represents, how it began, and the importance of creating space for remembrance, education, and compassion.

Most importantly, we remember our babies not because of how they died, but because of how they lived. They were here. They were deeply loved. They forever changed our families, and their stories deserve to be spoken. Whether you've experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, infant loss, or are simply hoping to better support someone who has, we invite you to join us as we honor every tiny life that left an everlasting imprint on the hearts that love them.

Because awareness isn't just about knowing the statistics—it's about remembering the lives behind them.

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After talking about the words that hurt, we wanted to turn the conversation toward hope. In this episode, we share the words, gestures, and simple acts of kindness that truly made a difference—and the support we wish every grieving family could receive.

If you've ever wondered how to help someone after loss, this episode is for you. You don't need the perfect words. You just need a willing heart, a listening ear, and the courage to show up. Sometimes the smallest expressions of love become the ones a grieving person remembers forever.

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Most hurtful comments aren't spoken with bad intentions—but that doesn't mean they don't leave lasting scars. In this episode, we share some of the phrases that made an already impossible journey even harder, explain why they hurt, and offer a different perspective for anyone wanting to better support someone in grief.

Whether you're grieving or trying to love someone who is, this conversation is an honest reminder that compassion isn't about having the perfect words—it's about showing up with empathy

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After Kash's death, it felt like the world kept moving while ours stood completely still. In this episode of Love Survives Grief, we talk about waiting for answers that never came, living with the unanswered questions of SUIDS, and slowly learning what it means to navigate a new normal without the resolution we desperately wanted.

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You've been asking, and we're opening up. In this special Q&A episode, we answer some of your most personal questions—from our parents and whether they met our children, to how grief has changed us over the years and the moments that have shaped who we are today.

We love these episodes because they give us a chance to connect with you beyond the podcast topics and invite you a little deeper into our story. Thank you for your thoughtful questions, your kindness, and for walking this journey with us. We hope this conversation helps you know us a little better and reminds you that healing often begins through honest, human connection.

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In this raw and emotional episode of Love Survives Grief, Stephanie and Shaun revisit the first morning they woke up to a reality they never wanted—a reality where their son was gone and the world expected answers. Before they had time to process what had happened, they were suddenly faced with an overwhelming list of choices: funeral homes, burial or cremation, service details, paperwork, death certificates, finances, clothing, flowers, and countless questions that no parent should ever have to answer while living through the worst day of their lives.

As they reflect on those early hours, they ask a difficult but important question: Why are grieving families forced to make so many life-altering decisions so quickly? Is the current system designed to help families, or has it become a process driven by timelines, business needs, and logistics rather than human compassion?

Stephanie and Shaun share what it felt like to make permanent decisions while operating in a fog of shock and trauma. They discuss the choices they wish they had more time to consider, the pressure they felt from well-meaning professionals, and the reality that many grieving parents aren't capable of fully understanding the consequences of their decisions in those first few days.

This episode opens a conversation about what it would look like if grieving families were given more time, more guidance, and more grace? How can hospitals, funeral homes, and support systems better serve families whose worlds have just been shattered?

If you've ever felt rushed through grief, struggled with decisions made during the darkest days of your life, or wondered how we can better support bereaved families, this conversation will resonate deeply.

Because sometimes the greatest act of compassion isn't asking families to decide—it's giving them permission to simply grieve.

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November 17, 2019 began like any other Sunday.

In this deeply personal episode of Love Survives Grief, Stephanie and Shaun take listeners back to the ordinary morning that forever divided their lives into a "before" and an "after." It was a day filled with routine, familiar moments, and no indication that their world was about to shatter.

Together, they walk through the events of that morning—the normal rhythms of family life, the plans for the day, and the countless small moments that seemed insignificant at the time but would later become permanently etched into their memories.

Then everything changed.

The life they knew ended in an instant. The future they had envisioned disappeared, replaced by shock, confusion, and a pain no parent should ever have to endure.

With honesty and vulnerability, Stephanie and Shaun share what happened that day, the emotions that followed, and the memories they continue to carry nearly seven years later. They discuss the details many people never see—the chaos, the disbelief, the unanswered questions, and the desperate hope that somehow this couldn't be real.

This episode is one of the hardest stories they've ever told, but it is also the foundation of why Love Survives Grief exists. Because while November 17th marked the day their lives were forever altered, it also marked the beginning of a journey that would teach them what it means to survive the unimaginable while continuing to love a child who is no longer physically here.

This is the story of the day everything changed.

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In this opening episode of Love Survives Grief, Stephanie and Shaun introduce themselves not as experts or therapists, but as two ordinary parents whose lives were forever changed by unimaginable loss. 

Together, they share their earliest experiences with death and grief, how loss shaped them long before becoming grieving parents themselves, and the ways those past experiences compare to the devastating reality of losing a child. Through honest conversation, they reflect on the shock of entering a world no one ever expects to join and the loneliness that often follows traumatic loss.

Stephanie and Shaun also open up about why they created this podcast: to give grieving families a place where hard conversations are welcomed, painful emotions are understood, and no one has to feel so alone in their grief. Love Survives Grief is a space for raw truth, healing, remembrance, and hope — a reminder that even after life’s darkest moments, love still survives.

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