The Silent Why: finding hope in grief and loss

#102. I've always loved graveyards. I'm not sure what it is about them that draws me in, but a little while ago I decided to record my musings as I wander round them.  So that's what these Graveyard Musing episodes are, just me and my phone, in a graveyard (and sometimes Chris!).Welcome to another Graveyard Musing from me, Claire Sandys (host of The Silent Why podcast). In this musing, Chris (husband) and I are wandering around Llanfair Talhaiarn Cemetery in North Wales.Come with us to hear the sounds of the Welsh countryside (a.k.a. sheep!) and hear our thoughts as we look around a beautiful cemetery in a valley in the gorgeous Welsh countryside. If you want to hear more episodes like this, check out: Graveyard Musings, Tyne Cot & Ypres, Belgium: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/7f63d7e9/graveyard-musings-tyne-cot-and-ypres-belgiumGraveyard Musings: Gloucestershire, England (Part 1 of 3): https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/76b3f1f7/graveyard-musings-gloucestershire-england-part-1Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#101.  Another milestone reached! We've hit loss number 50 on our mission to explore 101 different types, meaning we only have 51 (!) to go. So we're just half an episode away from being halfway through all 101! In this episode we (Chris & Claire Sandys) pause briefly to discuss the last batch of losses, 41-50, and what nuggets of wisdom we've taken from each guest. We're loving every second of talking to others on this podcast, but we're also learning a lot about healthy ways to process our own grief, whether childlessness, pets, relatives, friends, health, or even just the day-to-day losses we sometimes face.And the not-yet-famous-but-might-be-one-day 'Hermontage' is back! As we, once again, mix together the last 10 guest's Hermans. If you don't know what a Herman is, check out the link below.Huge thanks to Losses 41-50: Lisa Kolb Ruland, Harry Kind, Chris Lord-Brown and Jonathen Harty (double guest episode), Samantha Langford, Margaret Reed Roberts, Jody Day, Jeanette Koncikowski, Julia Trehane, John Cronin and Catherine Fowler (another double guest episode), and Stephen Downes.Plus, we end this episode with something very special - The Herman Song, sent to us by an avid Silent Why listener and supporter - John Cunningham. If you'd like to see our guests and encourage them, pop over to our social media for the latest collage of their lovely faces and hit 'like'.To listen to the full episodes go to: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/101losses. Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#100. When you lose your dominant arm, what's worse, the emotional toll, or the physical loss? This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to chat about grief and see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss.Loss #50 of 101: Loss of a left arm and shoulderMeet Stephen Downes from Cornwall, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma at the age of 22 when he found a lump in his neck on Christmas Day, 1997. After intensive radiotherapy that seemed to be it, until he felt another lump in the same place in 2022. Diagnosed as a myxofibrosarcoma (a rare malignant, cancerous, tumour) Stephen was told he would need to have his left arm, shoulder and three ribs removed or the cancer would kill him. Just weeks later he had a 14-hour operation to remove it all in Derriford Hospital (a teaching hospital with an integrated Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit). This is a very honest conversation about a very big, and very recent loss. Stephen talks about how others have responded to his amputation, when he does and doesn't need help, whether he minds people asking about it, why this hasn't been the hardest loss he’s had to face, and what mentality keeps him going and persevering to do the things he loves - like surfing.For more about Stephen: https://www.instagram.com/the_onearmedsurfer/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087628640542 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557078361569https://www.linkedin.com/in/onearmedsurfer/ His Podcast: 'Chopped: Strength through Vulnerability': https://open.spotify.com/show/25U9PwuZPoHMzEmqklrtenPlus, the episode we mentioned about the loss of an arm, and a career (Loss 4/101 with Dan Richards): https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/4a76699e/loss-4101-loss-of-a-right-arm-and-shoulder-dan-richardsSupport the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#099. Here it is again - Mother's Day.As many mum's across the UK will be glowing with pride at the presents their children offer, other women will be wincing a little (or a lot) every time they see these words. Well, as a childless-not-by-choice (cnbc) woman I know how they feel, and I'm here to share how I'm learning to mark it without letting it mark me.This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around loss and grief and to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss. It's hosted by me (Claire Sandys), with husband Chris joining in for the '101 loss list' episodes. For this episode, I'm re-releasing a recording I did last year just after Mother's Day (with a newly added intro for you this year). I had decided to do things a little differently in 2023 and I just switched the microphone on and winged it! Working from a few notes I made on my Supernote, I chatted about why Mother's Day is a challenge, who struggles with it, how I get through it, how we can refocus it, and what I've found to be helpful along the way.And don't forget if you know someone that really struggles with Mother's Day, why not send them a Herman? It doesn't have to arrive on the day, and it might be just the boost they need: www.thehermancompany.comFor more about our childless journey listen to Episode 3  - Loss of fertility - where we chat in more detail about our experience: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/492a29c1/loss-3101-loss-of-fertility-chris-and-claire-sandys-part-1For the full blog post by Amy Young that I read from: https://www.messymiddle.com/an-open-letter-to-pastors-a-non-mom-speaks-about-mothers-day/And if there are certain losses you'd like to learn more about from us, or our guests, scroll down the 'Let's Chat...' page on our website to the list of topics and you can see some of our episodes categorised there: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/letschatOr you can see our full list of 101 losses so far here: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/101lossesSupport the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

Are you struggling at the moment? Do you feel lonely in what you're facing? If you answer "yes" then this episode is for you. However, if the answer is "not at the moment" then I also think it's for you too. And if life is just peachy keen right now, then you might still want to lean in, to be able to help those around you who are finding life tough.Welcome to another My Why from Claire Sandys (co-host of The Silent Why podcast). My Why episodes are weekly audio shorts of my latest blog post. If you'd prefer to read it, you can find it here: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/post/yourenottheonlyoneIf I said to you 'you're not the only one going through this' you might think I was stating the obvious or being a bit insensitive, but the reason a lot of us suffer for longer than we need to in grief, loss, ill-health etc is because on some level we DO believe we're completely alone in what we're going through. This way of thinking is lonely and isolating, and can be more detrimental us that we realise. But when we really acknowledge that we're not alone in our grief, loss or pain, and start to connect with others in similar situations, it can be a powerful step on our way towards healing. And that's what I want to help you with today - helping you feel less alone.Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#098. Let's Chat... about the amazing part that colour can play at a funeral. Let’s Chat episodes are with guests who have experience/expertise in a particular area of loss. In this episode, I (Claire Sandys) chat to the very lovely Jen Watson, a Funeral Celebrant in Kent. I first heard about Jen on our Funeral-Director-Work-Experience trip to North Wales. Back then she was known as Jen Wilkinson, but now she has a new name, a new patch to work on, and it was great to finally connect with her.Jen setup JW Celebrancy in 2021 after qualifying as a Funeral Celebrant and has cultivated a very vibrant way to brand her services - which I was eager to chat to her about. Jen offers empathetic and colourful services for bereaved families to help them share their loved one’s final life-story. She has a beautiful way of involving colours in a funeral (which leaves you desperate to get a glimpse at her wardrobe) and shares how she's developed this, and why she's never led a service in full black.It's a great conversation that will make you smile and well-up, and inspire you when it comes to funeral planning, as well as give you a whole new take on how other people celebrate their loved ones when they die.For more about Jen, visit her website or social media:https://jwcelebrancy.co.uk/https://www.facebook.com/JenWatsonFuneralCelebrantJWCelebrancy https://www.instagram.com/jenwatsonfuneralcelebrant/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-jwcelebrancy/ And Jen is also the proud owner of Herman and did this great video on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C2KIfpXs4dA/For my previous chats with Funeral Celebrants & Funeral Directors, visit: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/letschatFor Loss 43/101: Loss of life for a Funeral Director: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/7abc6ce6/loss-43101-loss-of-life-for-a-funeral-director-jonathen-harty-and-chris-lord-brownSupport the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#097. When someone dies in hospital there's the loss of a patient, but there's also the grief of the family, so how does dealing with that grief differ, depending which side you're on?This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around grief, to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss.Loss #49 of 101: Loss in an Emergency DepartmentIn this episode, you'll meet two guests, each telling their side of the story about the death of a patient after emergency surgery. Our first guest is Catherine Fowler, the daughter of Tim Fleming, who died of an aortic dissection in 2015 after being admitted to the Emergency Department in Dublin (where he was visiting on a work trip). We’re also joined by John Cronin, a consultant in Emergency Medicine, who was on duty the day Tim was admitted, and aware of colleagues’ attempts to diagnose his condition.However, our guests' paths didn't cross the day Tim died, they met much later as they both searched for answers about how aortic dissection is diagnosed and treated. Seventy adults, of all ages, every week in the UK & Ireland, suffer an aortic dissection (when the aorta, the major artery in the body that carries blood from the heart, starts to tear). And sadly, only around half of these people survive. What Catherine, John, and many others at The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust have been working on since Tim's death is something we should all be thankful for, because it has massively changed the approach to diagnosing aortic dissection. For more on The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust, visit: https://aorticdissectioncharitabletrust.org/https://www.facebook.com/AorticDissectCThttps://www.instagram.com/aorticdissectcthttps://twitter.com/AorticDissectCThttps://www.linkedin.com/company/the-aortic-dissection-charitable-trust/ Sasha Bates episode mentioned: Loss 23/101: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/7bb3198e/lossSupport the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

Many years ago, in 2021, The Silent Why podcast launched with one specific last question it wanted to ask all its 101 loss guests - What's your Herman?Since then, it's been an exciting journey collecting Hermans (answers to this question). However, this year, in January 2024, I launched The Herman Company and all of a sudden (after a year of hard work!) Hermans became a real thing. So, how and why did all this come about exactly? Well, that's what this episode is going to tell you. Welcome to another My Why from Claire Sandys (co-host of The Silent Why podcast). My Why episodes are weekly audio shorts of my latest blog post. If you'd prefer to read it, you can find it here: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/post/thestoryofhermanIf you're new to the podcast and have no idea what a Herman is at all, then you might want to listen to/read this (super short) episode first:https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/4b7bd2bc/whats-your-herman (you can also search on your podcast player for 'What's your Herman?')This episode is about filling you in on how we got from just a question about Hermans to the real, live, little fellas being out in the world. It's the story of Herman.To find out more about Hermans: https://www.thehermancompany.comTo buy a Herman: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/product-page/hermanTo listen to our guest's Hermans you can listen to any of our 101 loss episodes: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/101lossesOr check out our Hermontage episodes where every now and then we put them all together:https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/7b969faa/blog-my-why-hermontagehttps://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/79337336/blog-my-why-hermontage-iiSupport the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#096. It's not just Christmas that can be a tough, heading into a New Year can be tricky too. And this year, even though we were very intentional about navigating a childless Christmas (and it went well), we hit New Year and for some reason the wheels fell off the apple cart!We're Claire and Chris Sandys, hosts of The Silent Why podcast, lovers of deep conversation, building community and marzipan (that's mostly Claire).We're also childless (not by choice) which adds a layer of discomfort to some of the popular family times of the year, and so we understand those that aren't fully engaging with the excitement of another year ahead. In this episode we discuss together (for the first time since New Year) why we thought our New Year's Eve might have been a bit of a disappointment - and you get to listen in with us 😉. We also talk about how Christmas went, and introduce you to something very exciting that was launched by The Silent Why yesterday (8 Jan 2024)!Yes, Hermans are now a real, physical thing, and they are available to pre-order (at a special price for this week only) from the website: www.thehermancompany.com. More on this in the episode but also on our social media (links below).Pre-order your Herman now: www.thehermancompany.comPre-order 'Praying Through Infertility' (as mentioned in episode): https://sheridanvoysey.com/prayingthroughinfertility/Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

Sometimes our hope feels particularly weak or unstable as we head into a new year, especially if we've have a hard year behind us, or face a tough one ahead. Welcome to another My Why from Claire Sandys (co-host of The Silent Why podcast). My Why episodes are weekly audio shorts of my latest blog post. If you'd prefer to read it, you can find it here: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/post/knowhopeSo because New Year isn't easy for everyone in 2021 I gathered together 10+1 Knows (taken from the Herman's our guests have shared on the podcast), to help you find something to hang your hope onto as the clock strikes midnight. And because we need hope every year I thought I'd share them again as we head into 2024.Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#095. We all need hope, but where's yours at right now?Welcome to the fifth small burst of hope, a hopelet if you will, from me, Claire Sandys (host of The Silent Why). This year I'm providing hopelets every day between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2023, to help you find/mend/replace/fix your hope.This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to find hope through all kinds of grief, and at all times of year. Hopelet 5 is all about cherishing our hope and why it's worth even bothering to invest our time, and heart, in hope at all.On our social media hand illustrations this one gets the thumbs up. Literally.These are the two YouTube video's I mention in the episode:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PluaPvhkIMUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLFEvHWD_NESupport the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#094. We all need hope, but where's yours at right now?Welcome to the forth small burst of hope, a hopelet if you will, from me, Claire Sandys (host of The Silent Why). This year I'm providing hopelets every day between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2023, to help you find/mend/replace/fix your hope.This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to find hope through all kinds of grief, and at all times of year. Hopelet 4 explores how our hopes don't just guide us, but other people as well.Plus, we invited Winston Churchill into the studio to read one of his quotes for us 😉.And because you can literally count all the hopelets on one hand, I've illustrated them all on social media for you. Check out the links below to see them. Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#093. We all need hope, but where's yours at right now?Welcome to the third small burst of hope, a hopelet if you will, from me, Claire Sandys (host of The Silent Why). This year I'm providing hopelets every day between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2023, to help you find/mend/replace/fix your hope.This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to find hope through all kinds of grief, and at all times of year. Hopelet 3 explores the blessings and the danger of having high hopes. And because you can literally count all the hopelets on one hand, I've illustrated them all on social media for you. Check out the links below to see them. Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#092. We all need hope, but where's yours at right now?Welcome to the second small burst of hope, a hopelet if you will, from me, Claire Sandys (host of The Silent Why). This year I'm providing hopelets every day between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2023, to help you find/mend/replace/fix your hope.This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to find hope through all kinds of grief, and at all times of year. Hopelet 2 explores what to do when you feel like your hope is weak, damaged or neglected. And because you can literally count all the hopelets on one hand, I've illustrated them all on social media for you. Check out the links below to see them. Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#091. We all need hope, but where's yours at right now?Welcome to the first small burst of hope, a hopelet if you will, from me, Claire Sandys (host of The Silent Why). This year I'm providing hopelets every day between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2023, to help you find/mend/replace/fix your hope.This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to find hope through all kinds of grief, and at all times of year. Hopelet 1 explores what to do when you feel like your hope is small. And because you can literally count all the hopelets on one hand, I've illustrated them all on social media for you. Check out the links below to see them. Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#090. Christmas can be a tough time, right?If your response is 'absolutely not' then this festive episode might not be for you. But if you sense a sad little 'yeah it is' voice deep within, then we're hoping this opportunity to hear from a mix of our previous (and future) podcast guests might bring you some comfort.We're Claire and Chris Sandys, hosts of The Silent Why podcast, lovers of deep conversation, building community and marzipan (that's mostly Claire).We're also childless (not by choice) which adds a layer of discomfort to this special time of the year, so we understand those that aren't full of the festive spirit, and so do many of our guests, who have been through all kinds of grief and hardship.Our guests have recorded snippets for us about what makes Christmas hard for them, but also how they draw comfort through the season.Thank you to Sue Brayne, Virginia Solomons, Lori Alcorn, Alina Mavis, Sasha Bates, Lisa Newman, Peter Ellis, Elizabeth Leon, Jennifer Bute, Lis Whybrow, Stephen Downes, Greg Williams, Samantha Langford and Sheridan Voysey.Plus, a beautiful piano rendition of In the Bleak Midwinter recorded especially for this episode last year by the very talented - Jon Sandys. We know not everyone's Christmas will be happy, but we are finding we can all have hope, so we're wishing you all a very Hopey Christmas instead.And we've got small episodes of hope coming out on the podcast every day this week, to help you know that you're not alone.Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#090. Life is hectic. Christmas is hectic. Sometimes we simply need to stop for a moment. And that’s what this short episode is all about. Oh, and my brother-in-law's beautiful piano playing of one of my favourite carols.Welcome to The Silent Why podcast, here to help you navigate loss and grief, and possibly... find hope. These very short, episodes will pop up every now and then to help you take a moment to check in and see how you're really feeling.  Just under 7 minutes total, including 2 minutes of time for you and you alone - join me in for a few minutes of peace and allow yourself to press pause on life for a short while. And for this episode I'm asking you to stay where you are, rather than join me in a different location, and listen to the piano as you allow time to find out what you want, and need, this Christmas.Thank you to Jon Sandys on the piano for 'In the Bleak Midwinter' (by Gustav Holst and Harold Darke).Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

#089. Christmas can be hard, and we've experienced that ourselves as a childless couple, especially at a time of year when family seems to be at the heart of most festivities. This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around grief, to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss, and we're Chris & Claire Sandys, your childless hosts.Every year we put out an episode where we chat about how we're feeling about Christmas. We started with an episode in 2021, talking about how hard it felt and Chris' loss of Christmas spirit, then we did another episode last year (Finding Comfort at Christmas - which included other podcast guests' experiences), and now here we are again.In this episode we chat about how being intentional over the last two years has helped us face Christmas 2023, why it will always be a little sad, and what we're putting in place to try and regain our Christmas joy (even if it's just between the two of us).We mention lots of other episodes you might want to hear, here are the links: Chris' Loss of Christmas Spirit (2021): https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/4b23ecc3/chris-loss-of-christmas-spiritFinding comfort at Christmas (2022):https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/7c519304/finding-comfort-at-christmasThat weird time between Christmas and New Year: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/4be504ec/that-weird-time-between-christmas-and-new-yearAnother New Year? Why?!!: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/7c36974a/another-new-year-whyBlog: A weary world rejoices: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/4b228ac5/blog-my-why-a-weary-world-rejoicesBlog: The Season of December: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/78557ecc/blog-my-why-the-season-of-decemberSupport the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

So, Christmas. Your friend or your foe? As this is a question most of us ask each year, I thought I'd republish this episode/blog that I put out in December 2021, to help us find the friend in Christmas when it's feeling more foe foe foe than ho ho ho.Welcome to another My Why blog from Claire Sandys (co-host of The Silent Why podcast). My Why episodes are weekly audio shorts of my latest blog post. If you'd prefer to read it, you can find it here: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/post/christmasfriendorfoeI really want to like Christmas but it's hard some years, especially when you don't have children, you're going through a hard time or it brings sad memories. It's a time of year that many people dread because of that. So I'm looking at how we can reignite our friendship with this season.Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.

Find Christmas tough? We're here for you.This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around grief, to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss.Some hosts put out less podcast episodes over Christmas, but not me, I'm going for more!In this episode I (Claire Sandys, host) am going to give you an idea of previous Christmas and New Year content you might want to listen and give you a run down of what to expect from us this year over Christmas and New Year - and there's lots to choose from. As promised, here are the links to the episodes I mention:Chris' Loss of Christmas Spirit (2021): https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/4b23ecc3/chris-loss-of-christmas-spiritFinding comfort at Christmas (2022):https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/7c519304/finding-comfort-at-christmasThat weird time between Christmas and New Year: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/4be504ec/that-weird-time-between-christmas-and-new-yearAnother New Year? Why?!!: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/7c36974a/another-new-year-whyBlog: A weary world rejoices: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/4b228ac5/blog-my-why-a-weary-world-rejoicesBlog: The Season of December: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/78557ecc/blog-my-why-the-season-of-decemberLet's Chat Food and Grief, with Lisa Kolb Ruland: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/podcast/episode/7dcf6269/lets-chat-food-and-grief-with-lisa-kolb-rulandLoss 48/101: Loss through anorexia & orthorexia eating disorders, with Julia Trehane: Support the show-----thesilentwhy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Support the show through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy or by buying a Herman: thehermancompany.com What's a Herman? - thesilentwhy.com/hermanSign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.