Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic
After losing her 21-year-old daughter, Emily, to fentanyl poisoning, veteran journalist Angela Kennecke made it her life’s mission to break the silence surrounding substance use disorder and the overdose crisis. Grieving Out Loud is a heartfelt and unflinching podcast where Angela shares stories of devastating loss, hard-earned hope, and the journey toward healing. Through powerful interviews with other grieving families, experts, advocates, and people in recovery, this podcast sheds light on the human side of the epidemic — and how we can all be part of the solution. Whether you're coping with grief, supporting a loved one, or working to end the stigma, you’ll find connection, comfort, and inspiration here.
Episodes
292 episodes
Dreaming of the Deceased
Dreams--what do they mean and how they can help in the grieving process. Joshua Black, PhD, is a grief researcher, speaker, consultant, and host of the
Protecting children from addiction
Jessica Lahey is a mother, teacher, and author of The New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed
Mothers of sons who overdosed together on pills laced with fentanyl
Alica Steinfurth’s and Marica Leonard’s sons, ages 23 and 24, worked together as beer truck delivery drivers. Josh and Tanner were outdoorsmen and enduro racing enthusiasts. After a night of drinking last August, they made the fatal mistake of ...
Why prison is no place for those suffering from addiction
Jessica Pfau has battled opioid and alcohol addiction ever since her 2011 gastric bypass surgery. She first joined Angela Kennecke on this podcast in 2019, before heading to prison. Jessica overdosed on heroin laced with fentanyl and that...
Mindfulness and Grief
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Angela Kennecke talks with Heather Stang, a, thanatologist, yoga therapist, author of
"Remember Me:" The gift of a song to a grieving mom
While on a long car drive, Sally Ponzio heard an unmistakable voice in her heart--that of her son, Travis, who had died of overdose six months earlier. Sally says Travis gave her the lyrics to a song called, "Remember Me." She pulled over and&n...
Mother, grandmother in recovery with help from Emily's Hope
Norma is a 52-year-old mother and grandmother. She didn't start drinking until the age of 35, but within a year, she says she was an alcoholic. She had period of sobriety, but now has new hope for long-term recovery after seeking treatment at t...
Phil's story: What went wrong
A Pennsylvania addiction medicine and family practice doctor knew there was something special about Philip, who first came to her at age 21 for substance use disorder. But despite Dr. Aviva Fohrer's best efforts, Phil fell through the cra...
After a two-decades' long alcohol addiction, a husband and father finds recover through Emily's Hope
After Journalist Angela Kennecke's 21-year-old daughter, Emily, died of fentanyl poisoning in 2018, she formed Emily's Hope, a charity in her daughter's name. To date, 44 people have received Emily's Hope treatment scholarships, including 45-ye...
Mother who lost 5 children to overdose shares heartbreaking story
Massachusetts mother, Carol Morris, has lost five out of her twelve children to overdose. Her oldest son died in 2000 and she recently lost another son in 2019. Parents who have lost a child can't imagine surviving the loss of another one. Howe...
Author who Lost Son to Fentanyl Poisoning in 2013 has Advice for Those Newly Grieving
Long-time educator and author, Kris Francoeur, lost her 20-year-old son, Sam, to fentanyl poisoning in 2013. Her book ...
The Woman who Gives a Voice to Parents who've Lost Children to Overdose
Susan Claire lost her 25-year-old daughter, Sharon, to overdose in 2018. She looked around for a podcast for people who have lost loved ones to overdose and couldn't find one, so she started her own. Now she gives voice to family members wh...
#NotInVain, the Facebook Group for Thousands of GrIeving Moms
Thousands of grief-stricken mothers who have lost children in the drug epidemic are finding one another on Facebook. Pj Champion Sallie "accidentally" started a Facebook group for grieving moms called,
Finding Purpose in the Pain
Michigan Pediatrician Marcy Larson is a mother of four, who lost her 14-year-old son, Andy, in a car crash in August of 2018. She looked around for a podcast on child loss and couldn't find one, so she starte...
After Losing Both Parents to Addiction, Jessica Hulsey Formed a National Organization to Raise Awareness and Find Solutions
At the age of 5, Jessica Hulsey was prepared to warn her kindergarten class about the dangers of shooting heroin. Jessica's parents suffered from substance use disorder, which greatly disrupted her life. Both of her parents died young, as the t...
From Meth, Heroin and Homelessness to Faith, Recovery and Motherhood
Megan Eichacker is a farm girl from South Dakota who spent her 20's addicted to heroin and meth. She was living out of her car, barely surviving and always looking for the next high. After going through treatment three times, some of what she l...
Brandon Novak's Remarkable Story from Worldwide Fame, to Living on the Streets, to Finally Finding Sobriety
Brandon Novak was a world-famous, champion skateboarder. However, he was also in his first treatment center for addiction to heroin at age 17. He went on to co-star in TV and movies in the MTV Jackass and Viva La BAM series. H...
Strategies for Survival after the Loss of a Child
Any parent who's lost a child wonders how they will survive. Minnesota author Pat Sheveland wrote the book: How do I Survive? 7 Steps to Living After Child Loss. Sheveland was inspired to write the book because she watched her mother d...
Mother of ‘The Flash’ star, Logan Williams, shares his story and her new mission
When Logan Williams died at the age of 16 on April 2, 2020, it made headlines because of his roles in movies and TV shows. His mom, Marlyse Williams, recently went public with the fact that Logan died of fentanyl poisoning. He had struggled wit...
A Young, Accomplished Woman's Secret Struggle with Addiction Results in Suicide
30-year-old Samantha "Sam" was an artist, a model and a teacher. But this beautiful young woman kept a secret that was both painful and shameful to her: she had struggled with heroin addiction. Although she had started a career as a teacher and...
Tough Love Doesn't Fix Addiction
The struggle for families dealing with a child or partner suffering from substance use disorder can be frustrating and overwhelming. Dave Jansa tried everything to help his son, Kevin. Nothing worked until he found SMART Recovery. Jansa has ser...
How Grieving, Angry Mothers are Changing the World
Shortly after the death of her daughter, Emily, Angela Kennecke got an email from Fiona Cullinan Firine. Fiona had lost her son Cameron to fentanyl poisoning just a couple of months before Emily died. She was discouraged by the lack of criminal...
Fake Prescription Drugs Laced with Deadly Fentanyl
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, fake prescription pills are flooding the market in the United States. They look exactly like the real thing, but often contain the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl. In this episode, Angela Kenne...
The "Poster Child" of Recovery Relapsed and Died
"Grief is untamed," Ryan Blomberg's mother Denise said. Ryan died of fentanyl poisoning at age 26. Ryan was gifted in music and with languages. After a battle with heroin use, Ryan found long-term recovery. Only after the overdose deaths of two...
Daughter writes book on mother's public struggle with addiction
Alexa Giebink's memoir Phoenix: Rising From Addiction is the true story of a family who battled their way out of the fires of addiction and rose together, stronger from the ashes. Mary Ann Giebink was a successful attorney who lost her...