Claim OwnershipGrieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic
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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.
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In American culture, men and women are often expected to grieve in very different ways, but those expectations can leave many men feeling pressured to stay silent, stoic, or emotionally closed off. Morgan Rich is working to challenge that pattern. Rich, a writer and life coach, focuses on helping men navigate grief, change and pain in healthier, more authentic ways. His work also explores what healthy masculinity can look like beyond the stereotypes that often shape how men are “supposed” to ...
The teenage years are a crucial time to prevent addiction. The brain is still developing, making it more vulnerable to the lasting effects of drugs and alcohol. It’s also a time when peer pressure can lead to risky choices. So how do you help teens not only say no, but also inspire their friends and communities to make better decisions? In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, meet Annabelle Lovell, a high school junior raising awareness about the dangers of teen drug and alcohol use—not just at...
Loss shows up in every part of life. We lose games, we lose jobs, and sometimes we lose the people we love most. This week on Grieving Out Loud, Marcia Earhart shares a story shaped by more heartbreak than most people could imagine. Before she reached adulthood, she had already faced 17 major losses. She believes those early experiences may have prepared her, at least in some small way, for the unthinkable: losing two of her children. One died in a tragic car crash, and the other was taken by...
"Dopesick" — the Emmy Award-winning series that dives deep into one of the most devastating crises of our time: the opioid epidemic. The show pulls back the curtain on Purdue Pharma, the company that aggressively marketed OxyContin and helped fuel addiction across America. It’s gripping television based on real events—and real people. Today on Grieving Out Loud, you'll hear from two of those real-life heroes. Rick Mountcastle, the inspiration behind one of the main characters in season one—po...
Terry Almanza knows a thing or two about gangs, drugs, and organized crime. She spent nearly three decades with the Chicago Police Department, following a long family tradition of public service. But after her teenage daughter died from an overdose, Almanza says she was devastated by how law enforcement handled the case. Now, she’s traded her badge for advocacy. Terry believes too many drug dealers are getting away with murder — and she’s calling on others to push for stronger laws and accoun...
Imagine going to a treatment center for addiction, only to be sent to work at a chicken processing plant for no pay. That’s one of the shocking realities investigative reporter Shoshana Walter uncovered in her national investigation into court-mandated addiction treatment. Her reporting exposed how a broken system turned thousands of people into an unpaid workforce for some of the country’s largest corporations—work that made her a Pulitzer Prize finalist. At the center of her story was a tre...
Grief changes everything. It’s the kind of pain that steals your breath and reshapes your world, a weight that never fully lifts. For Stephanie Wiley, that pain runs deeper than words can express. She suddenly lost her teenage son, the boy who never missed a chance to say “I love you,” to fentanyl poisoning. In the aftermath of unimaginable loss, Stephanie found healing in an unexpected place: her kitchen. What began as therapy, a way to cope with grief one cookie at a time, has grown into he...
A 2012 documentary, The Queen of Versailles, introduced the world to David and Jackie Siegel, the powerhouse couple behind Westgate Resorts. The film showcased their booming business, lavish lifestyle, and bustling household of eight children. But behind the glamour, life took a devastating turn. The Siegels’ world came crashing down after the loss of their 18-year-old daughter, Victoria — a tragedy that reshaped not only their family but also their life’s work. While they knew about some of ...
On any given day, paramedics are called into chaos—heart attacks, car crashes, overdoses, and everything in between. For Aaron Westfall, those emergencies too often involve the painful grip of addiction. But instead of only seeing tragedy, he chooses to see the person behind the struggle. That’s because Aaron has been there himself. He not only battled his own addiction, but also survived brain cancer—twice—endured abuse, and mourned the devastating loss of the person he loved most as a child...
This fall, the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was transformed into a sea of grief and remembrance. Four thousand tombstones stretched across the grass—each one representing a life cut short by substances. The Trail of Truth was more than an event; it was a call to action, shining a light on the nation’s fentanyl and substance use disorder epidemic and urging lawmakers to finally take notice. Among the rows of stones, families gathered—mothers, fathers, siblings, and friends—united in both...
From appearances on the Oprah Show to features in the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Ken Druck has long been recognized as a leading voice on grief. A pioneer in grief literacy, he has earned numerous honors, including the “Distinguished Contribution to Psychology” award. But what makes his voice so powerful isn’t just decades of expertise—it’s the personal heartbreak that shaped his path. When his 21-year-old daughter died in a tragic accident, Druck was forced to navigate the very journey he now ...
The numbers are heartbreaking. Nearly 40% of high school students say they feel persistently sad or hopeless, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About one in five reported struggling with anxiety or depression in just the past two weeks, and another one in five said they seriously considered suicide in the past year. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we sit down with the researchers behind a powerful new book, Mind the Children, that digs int...
From a school shooting in Minneapolis to bomb threats against Jewish hospitals in New York, hate crimes continue to make headlines across the country. FBI data shows that reported incidents rose by more than 200 in just one year, from 2022 to 2023. With every act of hate comes unimaginable grief, something today’s guest knows far too well. Mindy Corporon’s life was forever changed when a hate crime took the lives of both her 14-year-old son and her father. Rather than allowing her pain to tur...
What began as a joyful winter break reunion quickly turned into tragedy. In January 2016, a group of college friends gathered at a lake house in southern Wisconsin to celebrate the new year. But before the celebration was over, four of them had vanished—including Sally McQuillen’s 21-year-old son, Christopher. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Sally shares her son’s story, the heartbreak that followed, and what it has been like to live with unimaginable loss. She opens up about the weight...
Picture this: 3,800 tombstones stretched out near the U.S. Capitol. Each one represents a life lost to substances— not a number, not a statistic — but a son, a daughter, a sibling, a friend. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, I sit down with Kimberly Douglas and Alexis Pleus, the women behind the Trail of Truth. For them, this mission is deeply personal. They’re turning their grief into action, demanding that lawmakers pay attention while hundreds of thousands of Americans die every year f...
Grief is something most of us will face at some point in our lives—but it’s not exactly coffee shop conversation. Gary Roe is hoping to change that. He’s not only an award-winning author who’s written more than 20 books on grief, but also someone who speaks with honesty, compassion, and deep personal experience. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Gary shares about his painful childhood, the lessons he’s learned about grief and resilience, and what he hopes others can carry with them from h...
How do you keep going when your world falls apart? It is a question even adults struggle to answer, so imagine what it is like for a child. For many, the pain of losing someone they love becomes unbearable. In the search for something, anything, to numb the hurt, they turn to alcohol or other substances. When grief is left unspoken and untreated, that path becomes even easier to fall into. Ellen Ingraham knows that pain. She lost her father when she was just two years old. As if that heartbre...
New York City is home to more than twice the population of any other U.S. city, so when a story makes headlines there, it usually means it’s something big. But for Scott Caddell, the reason his son’s name appeared in the news was devastating. First, Scott lost his oldest son to a brutal and widely publicized murder. Then, years later, his younger son died from fentanyl poisoning. Long before either tragedy, Scott was battling his own addiction, a struggle that began when he was still a ...
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we sit down for a one-on-one conversation with a man who’s spent decades on the front lines of the United States' battle against illicit drugs and overdose deaths. Derek Maltz, who recently served as acting administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), built a nearly 30-year career as a special agent. He also led the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force—the nation’s oldest and largest. Maltz opens up about why the fentanyl crisis has be...
Imagine watching a documentary about the dangers of opioids—then moments later, learning your only living child is gone. That’s the devastating reality Michael Land faced when his son unknowingly took a pill laced with a deadly dose of fentanyl. In the wake of unimaginable loss, Michael is choosing to keep his son's memory alive by living out the adventures they once dreamed of doing together. From national parks to stunning waterfalls, he’s been traveling the country—sharing their story, con...
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everyone is entitled to their own outlook and Theory on addiction but I hurt when anyone discredits the fact that addiction is also a genetic problem. I am not saying that the only way someone becomes addicted is because their great grandma was an alcoholic either. I come from a long line of addicts starting with both grandparents. They did get sober and both became drug and alcohol councilors. Of my 3 uncle's 2 aunts and my mother all 6 suffered in one way or another with the best case is i have a completely sober uncle to the worse case i have an uncle who is drinking himself to death and an aunt who is in jail for crimes. In 2003 my closest cousin died from alcohol poisoning and since than its been one hell of a ride between the cousins and their addictions. Until 1/1/2020 everyone close to me did a pretty good job conquering those demons and survived. So i think addiction and genetics go hand in hand!!
I 100% believe pain pills are the reason people turn to heroin!!