The Survivors Podcast

The Secret He Left Behind: My Mom Finally Speaks

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*WARNING: This podcast mentions suicide, sexual abuse & trauma and may be triggering.

 

Episode Summary

When Lisa was 10 her mother told her her father had died of a heart attack; 35 years later she discovered the truth — he died by suicide. In this episode Lisa and Natasha sit down with Lisa's 87-year-old mother, Sandy, to talk for the first time on the pod about loss, secrecy, and the silence around suicide in the 1970s.

They explore why Sandy kept the secret to protect her daughter, how that secrecy shaped their grieving, and how learning the truth changed the course of Lisa’s life, inspiring this podcast and her new memoir Surviving: Finding Hope After Suicide Loss (Familius Books).

 

Episode Sponsored by The HelpHUB™ 

Struggling with your mental health? Feeling lost, overwhelmed, or just alone? Well, you're not. Welcome to The HelpHUB™—your online destination for mental health resources, treatment options, content, and tools to help meet you exactly where you are in the moment. Visit TheHelpHUB.co to get started.

 

Takeaways

  • The impact of family secrets on mental health
  • The importance of honesty in healing from grief
  • How mental illness and suicide affect families
  • The role of open conversations in reducing stigma
  • Hope and resilience after loss

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    Chapters

    00:00 The Collision of Truths
    07:41 Unveiling the Past
    12:23 The Impact of Secrets
    18:57 Navigating Grief and Truth
    19:23 The Moment of Clarity
    22:36 The Weight of Truth
    26:13 Processing the Past
    27:07 Becoming Advocates for Mental Health
    29:33 The Importance of Open Conversations
    32:05 Finding Hope and Reasons to Stay
    34:29 Reflections on Loss and Legacy

     

    Mental Health Resources

    • If you or someone you know is struggling, please call 988 for help.
    • The Survivors Podcast Website – https://thesurvivors.net/
    • The HelpHUB™ – Mental health resources, tools, and support networks – https://www.thehelphub.co/
    • National Domestic Violence Hotline – Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7223) 

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      See you next week! In the meantime, keep surviving.

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      The Survivors PodcastBy Lisa Sugarman & Natasha J. Layton
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