The Sucky Sisterhood Podcast: Interviews with Miscarriage and Infant Loss Survivors

Uniquely Similar...what does this mean? Listen to this genuine, honest and heartfelt interview with Crystal Webster and find out how this oxymoron plays a role in the relationships between loss moms. She also shares what it's like to build a legacy and parenting your child after they've passed away. When her daughter, Madelyn died in her arms just hours after she was born, Crystal wanted to also. It took her years to learn to live again - only once she realized Maddie wouldn't want her mom to spend the rest of her life waiting to die. You'll also hear Crystal address topics like joy, happiness and resilience and the extensive research she's doing to empower other bereaved moms who are searching for a reason to smile again. 

Crystal is a business owner, entrepreneur, speaker, mentor, award-winning author ("Confessions of a Griever: Turning a Hot Mess into an Haute Message {Laughable Lessons for When Life Just Sucks}", co-founder of Sharing Solace, wife, daughter, auntie…but above everything else in the world Crystal is Madelyn Elizabeth Webster’s mama. Sharing Solace was founded from that love and hope: to help grievers grieve and lovers love their griever through technology-elevated, tangible, pass-along-able gifts wrapped in a community of strength and support...so you can always 'Remember. You're not alone.'

To continue the conversation, we invite you to share this video and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Connect with us at GatheringHope.org, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook or TikTok.

• Find us online
  • GatheringHope.org
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Facebook Community Group
• Find Crystal Webster online
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Website
• Resources mentioned in this episode
  • Confessions of a Griever: Turning a Hot Mess into a Haute Message (Laughable Lessons for When Life Just Sucks)
  • Resilient Grieving: How to Find Your Way Through a Devastating Loss
  • Greater Good Science Center
• Timely Tender Totes
• Join our email list HERE.
• Have a suggestion for who we should interview next? Send us an email at [email protected].
• Gathering Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. To support this podcast and our mission to provide resources and community to miscarriage, stillbirth & infant loss survivors, click HERE. 
• Support the show 

If you are a survivor, we encourage you to join us at our annual Gathering where we honor our babies and our unique motherhood. Early Bird tickets are available at GatheringHope.org/gathering-2022. 

Support the show

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Let's talk! Email us at [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram at Sucky Sisterhood Podcast and Gathering Hope.

Visit our website at suckysisterhood.com for more resources and support.

In honor of Father's Day, we invited Clint Watkins to join us for a conversation about bereaved fatherhood. You will be inspired by Clint's expression of love for his children, as he talks about grieving alongside his wife, Jillian. Clint also points to misconceptions of masculine grief, using Biblical examples of lament. This conversation doesn't shy away from the gutting sorrow that comes with child loss, and how this experience can lead to questioning God. He openly shares how wrestling with faith can be a gateway to a stronger faith that is anchored in true hope. We also talk about how to support dads through loss and what our culture needs to understand about the complexity of grief. 

Clint is a missionary with the posture of a wounded shepherd. As a campus minister, he helps men and women find hope through the death and resurrection of Jesus. As a sufferer, he and his wife lost their first two babies in two years. In 2018, they lost Eli during delivery due to a fatal condition. In 2020, they lost Rowe through miscarriage. What sustained them was God's invitation to struggle honestly with him in their sorrow. Now, Clint teaches and writes in order to extend that same invitation to others. The Lord welcomes our wrestling in order to offer us rugged hope. He and Jillian live in Lancaster, PA, with their third child, Conley. 

 You can read more of Clint's writing at FrailFather.com or ClintDWatkins.com and connect with him on Instagram at @clintdwatkins. 

Support the show

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Let's talk! Email us at [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram at Sucky Sisterhood Podcast and Gathering Hope.

Visit our website at suckysisterhood.com for more resources and support.

On this episode, we welcome Allie Demes, a postpartum and bereavement doula. Allie values transparency and honesty, openly sharing her journey to beauty from ashes, after the loss of her daughter, Calvary. She shares about the Lord's nearness as she travels through her healing journey and talks about how her experience has led her to find a new passion for ensuring other loss mamas never walk alone. 

Allie is a teacher turned homeschool mom and has been married to her best friend for 10 years. Together with their three living children, two dogs, a cockatiel and five chickens, they find magic in the mundane in sunny Florida.  

If you are a survivor, we encourage you to join us at our annual Gathering where we honor our babies and our unique motherhood. Tickets are available now at GatheringHope.org/gathering-2022.

To continue the conversation, we invite you to share this video and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Connect with us at GatheringHope.org, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook or TikTok.

We know that pregnancy loss is lonely, but you are not alone. We're survivors, too...let's walk through this together!

SHOW NOTES:

• Find us online!
  • GatheringHope.org
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
  • Facebook Community Group
• Find Allie Demes online!
  • Instagram
  • Website
• Resources Mentioned in the show:
  • Wild, Free, + Well Mama group
  • Book -  I Had a Miscarriage: A Memoir, A Movement
  • Book - The Redbird Sings the Song of Hope
• Timely Tender Totes
• Join our email list HERE.
• Have a suggestion for who we should interview next? Send us an email at [email protected].
• Gathering Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. To support this podcast and our mission to provide resources and community to miscarriage, stillbirth & infant loss survivors, click HERE. 
• Support the show 

If you are a survivor, we encourage you to join us at our annual Gathering where we honor our babies and our unique motherhood. Early Bird tickets are available at GatheringHope.org/gathering-2022. 

Support the show

Support the show

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Let's talk! Email us at [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram at Sucky Sisterhood Podcast and Gathering Hope.

Visit our website at suckysisterhood.com for more resources and support.

Taking a departure from our normal interview with loss mamas, we invited Emily Morehead, a Licensed Professional Counselor & co-owner of The Couch Therapy to educate us on all things mental health. We talk about how to find a therapist, what to expect during your first appointment, the different types of therapy and how to establish whether they are a good fit for your personality and mental health goals. In this episode, you'll walk away empowered to start your own mental health journey. We also dive into postpartum grief, how to establish boundaries, the concept of suffering vs. pain, and self-care for bereaved parents. The resources that Emily shares are plentiful, so we've included all of them in the show notes below. We are so grateful for her dedication to providing excellent care for grieving mamas! 

Show Notes

• Books: 
  • The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
  • It's Ok That You're Not Ok: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand, by Emily Devine
  • Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself, Nedra Glover Tawwab
• Gottman's Couples Therapy 
• Postpartum Support International 
• PSI 24-Hr Helpline: call or text 1.800.944.4773
• Find Emily online
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • TikTok
  • Website
• Find us online!
  • GatheringHope.org
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
  • Facebook Community Group

Support the show

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Let's talk! Email us at [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram at Sucky Sisterhood Podcast and Gathering Hope.

Visit our website at suckysisterhood.com for more resources and support.

Welcome to Slaying the Stigma, a podcast focused on changing the narrative of pregnancy and infant loss, one mother at at a time. On this episode, we welcome Chelsey Schnell, founder of Evermore Blooms, as she shares with us how she combined the love of her children, Ava and Orion, with her entrepreneurial spirit to create a nonprofit organization that gifts a beautiful bouquet of flowers to moms on important days like due dates, after a miscarriage. She also shares the details of walking through baby loss and how her faith grew through that experience. Chelsey is also an enthusiastic, passionate leader who has most of The Office memorized, can't turn down a good piece of plain cheesecake, and believes with her entire soul that iced coffee is a year-round drink. You won't want to miss this heartfelt interview that embraces both laughter and tears! You can learn more about Evermore Blooms at Evermoreblooms.org.

This series is designed to empower and encourage survivors in their healing journey, while also educating others seeking to understand the unique issues surrounding miscarriage, stillbirth & infant loss. By highlighting women who vulnerably share their stories, our hope is that one of these conversations will resonate with you and inspire you to share with others in your own community!

To continue the conversation, we invite you to share this podcast and subscribe. Connect with us at GatheringHope.org, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook or TikTok.

If you are a survivor, we encourage you to join us at our annual Gathering where we honor our babies and our unique motherhood. Tickets are available now at GatheringHope.org/gathering-2022.

Join our private Facebook group, Gathering Hope: A Community for Moms After Pregnancy and Infant Loss where you can meet other mothers and find support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/850363201806229

We know that pregnancy loss is lonely, but you are not alone. We're survivors, too...let's walk through this together!

Find Chelsey online at Evermore Blooms website or on social media, Instagram or Facebook.

Support the show

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Let's talk! Email us at [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram at Sucky Sisterhood Podcast and Gathering Hope.

Visit our website at suckysisterhood.com for more resources and support.

On this episode, we welcome Dr. Cindy Haggerton, who bravely talks about her son, Evans and his impact on her life. We talk about grieving differently than your spouse, the new people that become part of your life after the heartbreaking loss of a baby, what has surprised her most about grief, her adoption journey, where she finds hope and how the Lord showed his hand through so many of the details, both big and small.

SHOW NOTES:

• Find us online!
  • GatheringHope.org
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
• Find Cindy Haggerton online!
  • Instagram
  • Website
• Timely Tender Totes
• Join our email list HERE.
• Have a suggestion for who we should interview next? Send us an email at [email protected].
• Gathering Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. To support this podcast and our mission to provide resources and community to miscarriage, stillbirth & infant loss survivors, click HERE. 
• Support the show 

To continue the conversation, we invite you to share and subscribe to to this podcast. Connect with us at GatheringHope.org, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook or our private Facebook group, Gathering Hope: A Community for Moms After Pregnancy and Infant Loss where you can meet other mothers and find support. 

If you are a survivor, we encourage you to join us at our annual Gathering where we honor our babies and our unique motherhood. Early Bird tickets are available at GatheringHope.org/gathering-2022. 

Support the show

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Let's talk! Email us at [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram at Sucky Sisterhood Podcast and Gathering Hope.

Visit our website at suckysisterhood.com for more resources and support.

"I remember journaling before going to bed, 'God please grant me peace as I go into this hospital, because I don't think I can do this.'"

Meet Ali! We are so excited to share this interview with you--if there was ever a representation of how grief and joy can collide, this is it. In fact, after ending this interview that we recorded a few months ago, we instantly knew we wanted her to become one of our #Gathering2021 speakers. (And she said yes!!)

Alishia shares her story with us, starting from the very beginning of her journey from engineer and newlywed, to stillbirth survivor & pregnancy loss advocate. We talk about where she's found hope, the role that her faith has played in her healing journey, the online community she found along the way and her role in fostering a welcoming atmosphere for those who are searching for other mothers like themselves. We hope you will join us this Thursday morning at 9am CST! You'll be able to watch here on Facebook, our YouTube channel or IGTV. 

Slaying The Stigma: Changing the Narrative, One Mother at a Time, encourages survivors in their healing journey, while also educating others who are unfamiliar with the issues surrounding miscarriage & infant loss. Our hope is that one of these conversations will resonate with you and inspire you to share with others in your own community.

SHOW NOTES:

• Find us online!
  • GatheringHope.org
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
• Find Alishia Anderson online!
  • Instagram
  • Website
  • LinkTree
• Resources mentioned in today's episode
  • Still Here: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Triumph after Stillbirth, by Alishia Anderson
• Timely Tender Totes
• Join our email list HERE.
• Have a suggestion for who we should interview next? Send us an email at [email protected].
• Gathering Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. To support this podcast and our mission to provide resources and community to miscarriage, stillbirth & infant loss survivors, click HERE. 

Support the show

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Let's talk! Email us at [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram at Sucky Sisterhood Podcast and Gathering Hope.

Visit our website at suckysisterhood.com for more resources and support.

 We invite you to listen to our conversation with Mallory Morgan . Co as she talks about her recurring miscarriages & infertility, while believing God is in every step of the journey to growing her family.

In our series, Slaying The Stigma: Changing the Narrative, One Mother at a Time, we highlight women who vulnerably share their perspective, their heart and their stories. By normalizing the conversation of pregnancy loss, we are collectively encouraging women in their healing journey and educating others who are unfamiliar with the issues surrounding miscarriage & infant loss.

Listen in and help us welcome Mallory as she bravely shares her story. Can you relate to her experience? Share this important conversation with your community and help us slay the stigma!
SHOW NOTES:

• Find us online!
  • GatheringHope.org
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
• Find Mallory Morgan online!
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Website
• Resources mentioned in today's episode
  • WorkWell.co
  • Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, by Timothy Keller
  • Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans
  • A Grief Observed, by C.S. Lewis
  • Risen Motherhood
• Timely Tender Totes
• Join our email list HERE.
• Have a suggestion for who we should interview next? Send us an email at [email protected].
• Gathering Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. To support this podcast and our mission to provide resources and community to miscarriage, stillbirth & infant loss survivors, click HERE. 

Support the show

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Let's talk! Email us at [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram at Sucky Sisterhood Podcast and Gathering Hope.

Visit our website at suckysisterhood.com for more resources and support.

“My journey has taken me some really incredible places that I wouldn’t have gone, otherwise. Obviously I would rather have my daughter here with me, but I’m just so amazed by the creativity of so many moms who have experienced pregnancy & infant loss, and what they do with their grief.” 

-Candi Summers

TODAY, we invite you to explore the possibility that your unique experience and survival story could be exactly what another woman needs to hear as she navigates her own journey. Candi Summers shares personal story with miscarriage, mental health and her healing process. Plus, you’ll learn more about her work combating infant & maternal mortality, and how the experience of grieving her daughter Olivie Juliana then traveled across the world to minister to another mother in Liberia. 

Candi lives in Arlington, Texas with her children and her husband Nathan. She served on the board of the nonprofit BESTWA for 14 years and became Executive Director in January 2019.  Candi homeschools her children, and loves reading, genealogy, trivia, and people.

Slaying The Stigma: Changing the Narrative, One Mother at a Time, is a series that encourages survivors in their healing journey, while also educating others who are unfamiliar with the issues surrounding miscarriage & infant loss. Our hope is that one of these conversations will resonate with you and inspire you to share with others in your own community.

SHOW NOTES:

• Find us online!
  • GatheringHope.org
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
• Find Candi Summers online!
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
• Resources mentioned in today's episode
  • BESTWA
• Timely Tender Totes
• Join our email list HERE.
• Have a suggestion for who we should interview next? Send us an email at [email protected].
• Gathering Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. To support this podcast and our mission to provide resources and community to miscarriage, stillbirth & infant loss survivors, click HERE. 

Support the show

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Let's talk! Email us at [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram at Sucky Sisterhood Podcast and Gathering Hope.

Visit our website at suckysisterhood.com for more resources and support.

We’re honored to have author, speaker and coach, Pamela Henkelman return to share her story. Pamela is an enthusiastic encourager who believes all of life flows from our intimacy with God. She helps weary, discontent, Christian women build a deep bond with God and understand his love.

Our new series, Slaying the Stigma, focuses on encouraging survivors in their healing journey, while also educating others who are unfamiliar with the issues surrounding miscarriage & infant loss. Our hope is that one of these interviews will resonate with you or inspire you to share with others in your own community.

SHOW NOTES:

• Find us online!
  • GatheringHope.org
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
• Find Pamela Henkelman online!
  • Pamela's website
  • Instagram
• Resources mentioned in today's episode
  • I'll Hold You in Heaven, by Jack Hayford
  • Draw Near Beloved: Six Growth Mindsets to Deepen Your Faith
• Timely Tender Totes
• Join our email list HERE.
• Have a suggestion for who we should interview next? Send us an email at [email protected].
• Gathering Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. To support this podcast and our mission to provide resources and community to miscarriage, stillbirth & infant loss survivors, click HERE. 

Support the show

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Let's talk! Email us at [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram at Sucky Sisterhood Podcast and Gathering Hope.

Visit our website at suckysisterhood.com for more resources and support.