RE-RELEASE Trigger warning. This episode has some discussion about suicide. Ansel speaks about his father, Charles, who passed away in 2018 from kidney and heart complications after he stopped taking his medication. Ansel discusses losing his father, navigating his new normal, and his many struggles with his “grief shroud”, a way to describe the emotions that can come over you while dealing with the loss of a loved one. Ansel recognizes that the condolences and well-wishes were well-meaning, but he wasn’t in a place to receive them. While he also better understands where patience truly come ..read more

RE-RELEASE CJ speaks with Pam who lost her father, Hollis, in February. Pam discusses the relationship that she has with Hollis and how they were able to more fully develop their relationship before he died. Even though Hollis wanted a more casual memorial service, Pam and her siblings decided to have a Scottish wake. Grief has surprised Pam as she adjusts to living without her father present. References about a Scottish Wake: CUNY Visit Dunkeld We welcome your comments and feedback about the episode. Share your story or comments via email at sorrytohearpodcast@gmail.com. Instagram (@S ..read more

RE-RELEASE Join the host, CJ, as she discusses her own struggles with grief and loss after losing her mother to a car accident in 2017. Reflecting on “the fog”, the confusion of not knowing where to turn when she expected her mother to be there forever, and forgiveness are tackled in the first episode of the brand new podcast, Sorry To Hear That. We welcome your comments and feedback about the episode. Share your story or comments via email at sorrytohearpodcast@gmail.com. Instagram (@SorryToHearPod) Subscribe to new episodes on your favorite podcast listening app: Apple Podcasts, Stitche ..read more

RE-RELEASE Marcus lost his mother, Brenda, right before Christmas of his senior year of high school 17 years ago. As he has made big choices and little choices, including college, graduate school (twice), ministry, and now in his second church as a pastor - Brenda has missed a lot. The conversation with Marcus is about grief and loss, but, perhaps more importantly, also about wonder, curiosity, and the big “what if”. What if his mother had been able to see him graduate or become a pastor or preach his first sermon? We welcome your comments and feedback about the episode. Share your story o ..read more

RE-RELEASE CJ has lost both her parents. In this episode, she talks about her father, Michael, who passed away in July 2013 as she reflects on Father’s Day. While Michael was not her biological father, he filled a hole in her heart for a very long time and smoothed away at least some of the rough edges. They had a special relationship full of long talks and a lot of time spent together. Unfortunately, after a surprise call, CJ rushed home to be with him, and by the end of the week - he died. Michael had a tragically beautiful death in that he was able to choose what he wanted to do with his ..read more

RE-RELEASE Meet Lashelle as she speaks with CJ about her mother, Linda. Linda had “the perfect storm with the worst outcome” after suddenly falling ill and being put on life support for 10 days. Lashelle’s life was forever changed after she received the phone call that sent her across the country to her mother’s bedside. Exploring Lashelle’s journey and uncovering the many layers that come with grief makes her story a relatable one, including using the words, “I don’t know.” We welcome your comments and feedback about the episode. Share your story or comments via email at sorrytohearpodc ..read more

RE-RELEASE CJ speaks with B. Pagels-Minor (@bpagelsminor on Instagram and Twitter) about their mother, Suzi Anne Franklin who died in 2012 of complications from Epiglottitis, a swelling of the epiglottis which is a part of the mouth located near the back of the throat. This led to B. feeling as though they have much to accomplish in as little time as possible considering Suzi Anne died at the young age of 48. Dealing with their mother’s death, including the aftermath of a lawsuit with the hospital and the sort of normal business of death to close out the estate left B. feeling drained. B.’s ..read more

RE-RELEASE CJ speaks with Halle Marenger as she talks about her infant daughter, Lilah. While Halle had a young son at home, she and her husband were over the moon to be expecting a little girl. She would make their little family complete, especially after 3 previous miscarriages. After many challenges and seven weeks of bed rest in the hospital, little Lilah was born on December 9, 2018, in an emergency C-section after she had stopped moving in utero. Barely 48 hours later, little Lilah died, but only after a lot of love was given to her from family near and far. In the wake of Lilah’s de ..read more

RE-RELEASE Kim, co-host of the podcast Millenial Vibes, joins CJ to talk about her father, Kenneth. Their relationship was and is special - she’s daddy’s little girl through and through. Her father lost his eyesight because of a tumor that began on his retina which caused him to go blind shortly after a risky surgery. The last time he saw Kim physically, she was 10 years old. Through it all, Kim thought of her father as her “Superman” and, unfortunately, the tumor that took his sight ultimately took his life. Kim struggles with understanding her new place in the world without her father whi ..read more

RE-RELEASE Luke has known grief for a long time and CJ speaks with him about his parents, Thomas and Cynthia. Thomas passed away from cancer in 2009, and a few short years later, in 2012, Cynthia passed away for fairly unknown reasons. While his father came as a shock to his system, his mother was his true support. Her passing away so suddenly both had and has made him critically change the way he interacts with the world, his own life and life expectancy, and even change the way he celebrates the holidays, much like Ansel and Charles. With a new baby on the way, Luke has had to grapple wi ..read more