It's strange to think about who you've become as a result of your loss. But, without a doubt, the person you loved and the love you got from this person shaped you into the person you are today. A few years ago, Challyn's life was quickly turned upside down when she lost her boyfriend to an overdose. After joining a support group, she met her boyfriend who was mourning the loss of his girlfriend. Sharing stories + remembering the lives of their respective losses has become an integral part of their relationship today. Challyn has found a way to honor Erin and Chase that is so admirable. 

Can we hold our bucket of tears and bucket of balloons at the same time? Yes. But it's a really frickin' bumpy road to get there. Two months before getting married, Maggie unexpectedly lost her dad. She shares how she learned to live with the "both/and" - the profound sadness & grief AND the unadulterated joy surrounding her wedding day.

In 2018, Charity unexpectedly lost her husband, leaving her to navigate solo parenting 3 young children. She realized that the "self-care" she was encouraged to do included things that were simply not feasible for someone caring for kids, and she felt called to change this narrative for bereaved co-parents. Her experience with grief and loss inspired her to help other mothers in the same boat, and she authored The Widow's Survival Guide. 

Jade joined me to talk through what it was like to experience the loss of her mother and mother-in-law within mere months of each other - both to different forms of cancer. She provides us with valuable insight on how she juggled grieving alongside her partner while ensuring she did not project her own experience and struggles with loss onto him.

In 2011, Amy lost her twin sister in an accident at a party in college. Amy joins me to share her perspective on what it's like to be a twinless twin, how it's taken her 10 years to find the words to articulate this experience, and how she's given herself the the patience and grace to still honor her grief through life's most joyous moments. Life gave her lemons, and she's making some darn good lemonade!

Amy joined me to talk about what it's like to grieve her mother, despite the fact that her mother is still physically with her. Several years ago, she was diagnosed with a neurological syndrome called primary progressive aphasia, which has deeply impacted her ability to speak and function. Amy offers her insight on how she navigates coming to terms with this challenging transition and how she explains this emotional journey to people.

Sam lost her mother to cancer after a 20-year battle. A few years after her mom passed, her husband unexpectedly lost his mother. How do you support someone through their loss while you're still processing your own? She dives into her own grief journey and perspective with me, and also shares what it was like to grieve alongside her partner. 

I'm back with Robbie's Hope! I spent some time talking with Charlie and Bobby, 2 extraordinary teenage activists working towards normalizing conversations about emotions and mental health. We tackled some tough topics surrounding the way our society treats boys/men when it comes to expressing emotion and showing vulnerability.

On this episode, I'm joined by Carly, who lost her cousin and best friend to an accidental overdose 10 years ago. She talks to me about the unexpected turns her grief took and she beautifully articulates her journey towards deeper self-awareness. 

Why are we so willing to grant compassion and empathy to anyone but ourselves? Being in a relationship when you're grieving can be a unique challenge because when you aren't feeling like the best version of yourself, you feel unworthy of love. Evin Rose, dating and love coach, found her path to her career after experiencing the loss of her father when she was just a kid. She offers incredible insight into how we can convince ourselves that we are still worthy of love after loss. 

We need to talk about teenage suicide because the numbers are staggering. Organizations like Robbie's Hope have devoted themselves to cutting the teenage suicide rate in half by 2028, and they've recruited the help of local teens to make this happen. I'm joined by 3 teens who are a part of Robbie's Hope who helped to co-author the Adult Handbook, a guide written by teens for adults on how to talk to them about mental health and suicide. Changing the conversation around mental health starts with us, and these teens offer us their insight on how and when these conversations should happen.