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
The Tornado: An interview with Melissa Flynn about stepson's overdose
Originally released on April 14th, 2019Your host of Grieving Out Loud, Angela Kennecke, first met Melissa Flynn just a few months after Emily died. Melissa contacted Angela to see how she could help with her newly formed charity...
Brandon Novak’s Story: from fame to homelessness to helping others find recovery
Originally released on August 16, 2020Brandon Novak was a world-famous champion s...
Woman's husband and son both die of overdose 20 years apart to the day
Maura Jamie thought she had experienced the worst loss of her life when her 25-year-old husband died in 2001 from a heroin overdose. Ironically, on the 20th anniversary of her husband's death, Maura lost their 22-year-old son Carter to fentanyl...
From addiction counselor to policy maker: Nation's former Deputy Drug Czar on ending overdose crisis
Art Kleinschmidt was the Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy or Deputy Drug Czar under President Trump. He also served on the Domestic Policy Council in the White House as Senior Advisor for mental health &...
Surviving the holiday season while grieving
Your host of Grieving Out Loud, Angela Kennecke, first met Dr. Mark Vande Braak shortly after the death of her 21-year-old daughter, Emily. Dr. Vande Braak sat down with Angela’s entire fami...
What two mothers have learned following the deaths of their daughters
Originally released July 15th, 2019Celia Farmer, unfortunately, knows the pain of losing a child to suicide. Her 14-year-old daughter, Mali, completed suicide in 2017. Celia was among the first parents who've experienced loss t...
Nick Schivito's story; another young life cut short by fentanyl
Brenda Schivito says her son Nick’s drug usage began when he was just a kid and would ride his bike to the gas station and buy Spice, a synthetic marijuana. The adverse side effects of Spice include psychosis, hallucinations, delirium, and p...
Why drug dealers are putting fentanyl into all of their products
Former drug dealer Scott Silverman now helps families in crisis navigate the road to recovery. The California man is also the author of The Opioid Epidemic: What You Don't Know Will Destroy Your Family and Your Life. Your host, Angela ...
Life after ‘The Pharmacist’ for Dan Schneider: A new mission
In our last episode, we introduced you to the central character of the Netflix docuseries, The Pharmacist, Dan Schneider. Dan told us he had no idea his son was using crack before he was murdered in New Orleans in the late 90’s. While ...
'The Pharmacist' Dan Schneider gives the backstory on the hit Netflix documentary
Netflix docuseries, The Pharmacist, shows how Dan Schneider solved his son's murder in the case of a drug deal gone wrong. Schneider was an early identifier of the opioid crisis in this country and pushed for reform. He joins your host...
Wife of ND governor shares her own battle with addiction to end stigma
Shortly after her husband, Doug, was elected governor of North Dakota in 2016, Kathryn Burgum decided to share her personal story. Burgum is in recovery for substance use disorder after battling alcohol addiction for 20 years. Her platform as F...
Signing off air to focus on the mission of Emily’s Hope
Don’t let the title of this episode fool you. Angela is NOT signing off on this podcast, In fact, you’ll be hearing more from Angela on this platform. But she has signed off on her last broadcast after a 35-year television career to focus on th...
Mother puts up billboards after daughter's fentanyl death
27-year-old Mariah Earp, a mother to three children, died of fentanyl poisoning in 2020 after taking what she thought was Xanax. Now her mother, Rachel Carlisle has become an outspoken advocate to break the stigma and tell Mariah’s story on Tik...
How stigma is killing people with Dr. Nzinga Harrison
Dr. Nzinga Harrison is working to change the conversation around substance use disorder and encouraging it to be treated like any other disease. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, she shares a new approach to those who suffer from addiction ...
How to help people in grief
Your host, Angela Kennecke, has brought you conversations she has had with different speakers and authors from the Bereaved Parents USA Conference over the last four weeks. This week, Angela wraps up the series with a conversation she had with ...
“In a way I was glad I was the one who found him:” mother on loss of son to fentanyl
Your host, Angela Kennecke, is bringing you conversations she had with different speakers and authors at the Bereaved Parents USA Conference in St. Louis in July. She recorded podcasts with women who have dealt with grief and transformed it int...
The unconventional way a grieving mom helps others transform their pain
Your host, Angela Kennecke, is bringing you conversations she had with different speakers and authors at the Bereaved Parents USA Conference in St. Louis in July. She recorded podcasts with women who have dealt with grief and transformed it int...
Author Peggy Green on surviving your child's suicide
Your host, Angela Kennecke, is bringing you conversations she had with different speakers and authors at the Bereaved Parents USA Conference in St. Louis in July. She recorded podcasts with women who have dealt with grief and transformed it int...
A mother's grief journey and how it changed her life
For the next five weeks, your host, Angela Kennecke, will be bringing you conversations that she had with different speakers and authors at the Bereaved Parents USA Conference in St. Louis in July. She recorded podcasts with women who have deal...
17-year-old makes a fatal mistake via Snapchat
It’s becoming an all-too-common story; a young person buys a pill via social media that turns out to be 100 percent fentanyl. Laura Didier’s 17-year-old son, Zach, was experimenting with a couple of pills when he made this fatal mistake. Now La...
A grandmother raising her granddaughter due to the drug epidemic
Lana Olshove is among the more than one million grandparents raising a grandchild due to the drug epidemic. That grandchild is Maddie, who came to live with her five years ago when she was in kindergarten. Lana's son is currently in prison for ...
Alcohol and women: A dangerous combination
Women are drinking more than ever before, as much as men for the first time in history. Dr. Jessica Mellinger says today’s stressors make women an easy target by the alcohol industry. Dr. Mellinger is a liver doctor at the University of Michiga...
Mother loses only child to fentanyl poisoning
Susan Bartz Herrick’s only child Luke was “set up” for addiction due to several factors while still in his teens. He had years of sobriety and accomplishments but experienced setback after setback. On August 28th, 2021, Susan lost her 30-year-o...
A sister’s role in getting brother off opioids
Maryrose Fealey gained TikTok fame as she shared her relationship with her brother, Ian, who suffers from opioid use disorder, through a series of raw videos. Maryrose’s efforts to get Ian off substances and into recovery are shown in a gritty ...