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Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic
Angela Kennecke is a journalist who lost her 21-year-old daughter Emily to fentanyl poisoning on May 16, 2018. Angela is "grieving out loud" to try to put an end to this epidemic by stopping the stigma and promoting the treatment of substance use disorder as the disease it is. Anyone coping with loss and looking for inspiration can benefit from listening to this podcast.
Episodes
195 episodes
Changing lives through grief and the gift of pain
His resume is nothing short of remarkable. Mark Bodnarczuk is a brilliant intellectual, a celebrated author, and a respected researcher who manages and provides oversight for three programs at Stanford. Yet, his latest book
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Season 6
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Episode 194
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40:38
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Shedding light on underreported overdose deaths with Truth Pharm
Opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. have dropped to their lowest levels since 2020, with new CDC estimates showing just over 60,650 lives lost between June 2023 and June 2024—an 18% decrease from the previous year. While this is a hopeful trend,...
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Season 6
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Episode 193
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41:34
Her shocking loss made international headlines—Now she’s helping others navigate grief
Nicola Marshall’s world was shattered by a sudden, heartbreaking loss that made headlines around the globe. Her 12-year-old son died after falling from a balcony while they were vacationing in Spain.Yet, amidst this unimaginable heartach...
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Season 6
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Episode 192
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39:44
A Minnesota mother’s public plea to save lives after a fentanyl tragedy
Nearly 49 million Americans, or about 17% of the population, are battling addiction, according to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Now, picture ten of your closest friends—nearly two of them could be quietly fighting this hidd...
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Season 6
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Episode 191
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35:20
Exposing ‘New York’s Deadliest Pill Pusher’
Doctors are people we often trust to make the best decisions for our health. While that's usually the case, it’s not always true. Dr. Stan Li, a once-respected anesthesiologist, became known as "New York’s deadliest pill pusher." Li wrote more ...
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Season 6
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Episode 190
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39:40
Saving tiny lives and healing families at a sanctuary for opioid-exposed newborns
Addiction's impact extends far beyond adults and teens—each year, over 20,000 babies are born dependent on drugs due to prenatal exposure. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we speak with a neonatal nurse practitioner who saw a crit...
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Season 6
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Episode 189
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39:39
Preview: A glimpse into healing for next week's powerful episode
We're taking a break this week for the election, but we will return next week with a powerful new episode of Grieving Out Loud. Next week's episode dives into a struggle that too many families face, but often goes unspoken. Every year, more tha...
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Season 6
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3:20
Mother who lost son to fentanyl sits down with Vice President Harris
After losing her son Alec to fentanyl poisoning on his 26th birthday, Dita Bhargava has transformed her grief into action, becoming a powerful voice in the fight against fentanyl. She’s engaged in important conversations with political leaders ...
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Season 6
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Episode 188
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44:05
'Be Glad:' Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Gladys McGarey
In this special episode of Grieving Out Loud, we revisit a cherished conversation with Dr. Gladys McGarey, a trailblazer in holistic medicine who passed away on September 28th at the age of 103. Her wisdom transcended the medical field...
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Season 6
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Episode 187
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35:22
Family's Double Tragedy: Father and daughter share loss of two to addiction
Imagine losing not only your mother, but also your twin sister to substance use disorder. On this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Cristina Cavallo and her father, Chris, share their deeply personal and heartbreaking story in hopes of rai...
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Season 6
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Episode 186
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41:14
What a mother wishes she knew before losing her son to fentanyl
As a grieving mother who fought to get help for my daughter’s substance use disorder—and ultimately lost her to fentanyl—I’m often asked what advice I have, or what I wish I had done differently.Today on Grieving Out Loud, I sit down wit...
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Season 6
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Episode 185
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28:46
Words of Wisdom: Surviving Grief
In this special episode of Grieving Out Loud, released for International Podcast Day, we deeply look at grief and its multifaceted nature. In our nearly 200 episodes, we’ve shared deeply personal stories from individuals navigating the...
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Season 6
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Episode 184
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54:51
A mother's and grandmother’s grief over innocent lives lost in the drug epidemic
As the United States faces its deadliest drug epidemic in history, lives are being lost in unimaginable ways. Over the past two decades, more than 5,000 children and teens have died from fentanyl—among them, toddlers and even infants.Jan...
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Season 6
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Episode 183
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30:16
A family’s battle for justice in the fentanyl crisis
Hans Arwine choked back tears as he recalled the moment he had to tell his wife that their son was gone. ”That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done–tell his mother that he was no longer with us,” he said.The heartbreaking scene is tragic...
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Season 6
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Episode 182
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29:20
Family invited to the State of the Union to raise fentanyl awareness
An Iowa couple was invited to the State of the Union address for a reason they could have never imagined just a few years ago. Deric and Kathy Kidd were unaware of how lethal the illicit drug supply had become until the day they found their tee...
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Season 6
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Episode 181
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36:59
Former Purdue Pharma sales rep turns whistleblower
Opioid deaths started skyrocketing when the powerful prescription painkiller OxyContin hit the market. Purdue Pharma, the company behind the drug, has been found guilty of numerous charges. It is now featured in a new Netflix original, "Painkil...
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Season 6
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Episode 180
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28:31
A mother's journey through grief, addiction, and finding hope after losing her daughter
Your life dreams may include starting a business, building a dream home, or nurturing a healthy marriage. But for many, like Sandra Radford, the deepest dream is raising children—a dream she fought to achieve through IVF. Despite the heartbreak...
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Season 6
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Episode 179
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32:58
From pediatrician to pill mill: The shocking case of Dr. Volkman
He’s one of the most notorious pill mill doctors: Dr. Paul Volkman. Sentenced to four consecutive life sentences for unlawfully prescribing pain medications that led to multiple deaths, his story is a shocking descent from a respected pediatric...
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Season 6
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Episode 178
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40:26
ESPN reporter shares personal tragedy of losing both parents within hours to fentanyl
She’s known for her Sideline Shimmy. ESPN sports broadcaster Lauren Sisler is a sideline reporter for college football and gymnastics. But behind the camera, Lauren hid a family secret for a decade. Both of her parents struggled with opioid use...
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Season 6
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Episode 177
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51:36
Expert insights on preventing substance abuse
Not only is the United States battling its deadliest drug epidemic in history, but an increasing number of Americans are also struggling with substance use disorder. According to survey data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services...
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Season 6
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Episode 176
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36:53
Mother shares grief journey after losing two children to drug overdose
Grief—it's a heavy burden, a journey that changes us forever. Each person's path through it is uniquely painful. Today, nearly one in three Americans has felt the devastating loss of someone to a drug overdose. In this episode of Gr...
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Season 6
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Episode 175
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27:39
Growing up in the shadow of addiction
Think back to your childhood—maybe you remember a classmate who misbehaved. Did you know what was happening at home? In Baleigh Cerv's case, she struggled with living with a father who suffered from alcohol addiction and was abusive.Unf...
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Season 6
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Episode 174
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29:34
A grieving father's fight to bring deadly drug dealers to justice
Should drug dealers face prison time? It's a contentious issue with strong opinions on both sides. For years, law enforcement often treated drug overdose deaths as accidental or the fault of the victim. However, with a record surge in fentanyl-...
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Season 6
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Episode 173
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31:41
Promising young entrepreneur dies after taking counterfeit percocet
At just 19 years old, Jack Nathan had a bright and promising future. He founded his own apparel company, Happy Jack, and generously donated some proceeds to support children struggling with mental health issues.However, a single decision...
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Season 6
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Episode 172
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30:03