Claim OwnershipGrieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic
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© 2026 Grieving 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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It’s often said there’s no greater pain than losing a child. Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, Kym Hinchey, knows that devastation all too well. After helping her son through recovery from substance use disorder, she lost him to a sudden overdose. Just a few months after finding her 27-year-old son, Adrian, dead, Kym returned home to another unimaginable loss-her husband, also found dead on their bedroom floor. In the span of just a few months, Kym lost both her son and her husband. The gri...
When you grow up in a home where alcohol and drugs are part of everyday life, it can be difficult to avoid being pulled into a generational cycle of addiction. It becomes your normal, what you know, what surrounds you. And too often, it’s intertwined with mental health struggles and abuse, making substances feel like a way to numb or escape the pain. That was the reality for today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, Toni Handboy. Her childhood was shaped by trauma and loss. She experienced abuse, a...
With the number of drug overdose deaths dropping, some are celebrating. But is there a risk in declaring victory too early and cutting funding for prevention? Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, an addiction researcher at Stanford, says not so fast. About 72,000 overdose deaths a year still exceeds the total number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War. Dr. Wayne Kepner says not only are far too many people still dying, but celebrating too early could cost more lives. He recently wrote an ...
If you haven’t experienced alcohol addiction yourself, chances are someone close to you has. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, roughly 29 million people in the United States are living with alcohol use disorder. It affects people from every walk of life, including many who never expected to struggle with substance use. Today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, Katie Lain, says her path into addiction wasn’t sudden. It happened gradually, after spending more time around people...
When faced with a large crisis, taking the first step can feel daunting, especially when the companies involved hold significant money and power. That was the reality at the start of the opioid epidemic. Mississippi was one of the first states in the nation to take on opioid manufacturers in court. Now, the state’s attorney general joins us to talk about that fight, and the evolving threats still facing communities across the country. On this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we sit down with Att...
Over the past two decades, suicide rates have steadily risen across the United States. Even when family and friends notice the warning signs and try to get help, the outcome can still be devastating. That’s the heartbreaking story of today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud. Larissa Strong’s daughter, Hailey, had been receiving care in an inpatient mental health facility after a suicide attempt. Despite that, Larissa says the facility allowed her daughter to leave, and within 48 hours, Hailey was a...
One struggled with mental health growing up. The other battled addiction. But Greg Vorst and Michael Nolan say that despite having different diagnoses, many of the struggles underneath were surprisingly similar. After years of doing their own work, the two not only found recovery and stronger mental health, they also teamed up to open a treatment center together in Silicon Valley, Embodied Recovery, blending their personal experiences with professional expertise and insights drawn from ancien...
If you love, you will likely grieve. That isn’t meant to sound heavy; it’s simply human. And most of us, if we haven’t already, will one day lose someone we love. For today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud, those losses came much earlier than they do for many. Sylvia Wolfer was just seven years old when her father died suddenly from a heart attack. At 17, she lost her younger brother in a car crash. Several years later, her older brother was killed in a separate car crash. Since then, Sylvia has ...
Every life carries a purpose. But when a child dies young, it can feel as if that purpose was cut short, or even stolen. We’re left with questions that don’t have easy answers: What was their life meant to be? What impact did they have? How did they leave their mark on the world? Andrea Magder knows that feeling all too well. She lost her artistic son, Ethan, suddenly to an opioid overdose. From music to poetry to even a novel, Ethan loved expressing himself through creativity. But Andrea is ...
When President Trump signed an executive order classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, some who have lost loved ones to the powerful synthetic opioid applauded the decision. But a drug historian argues The White House is making serious mistakes in its approach to the crisis. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, historian Dr. David Herzberg looks back at earlier substance crises in the United States and discusses what went wrong, what went right, and what lessons those experienc...
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, hear from the new CEO of Shatterproof, a national nonprofit working to reverse the addiction crisis. Pam Jenkins recently stepped into the organization’s top role after more than three decades in public health. Jenkins is widely recognized for creating bold, award-winning health campaigns that break through the noise. She led the team that introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease, a campaign that reshaped public awarenes...
Lori Kellar is one of the more than 48 million Americans who have struggled with addiction. Like so many people, it began with something that didn’t seem dangerous at all: casual, social drinking. Over time, though, alcohol slowly took control, unraveling her life and putting strain on her relationships with her children, grandchildren and her husband, Dennis. For years, Lori battled her disease in silence, doing everything she could to hide it. When she finally found the courage to say yes t...
Patricia Roos was a sociology professor at Rutgers University when she lost her 25-year-old son, Alex, to a heroin overdose. In the aftermath of that loss, she redirected her life’s work by examining the systemic forces that fuel addiction and the shortcomings of how the nation responds to the overdose crisis, particularly the heavy reliance on the criminal justice system. Her new book, Surviving Alex: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, and Addiction, weaves together her personal story and profe...
You may know her as the voice of Sally Brown in Peanuts, but by the time she was just 11 years old, Hilary Momberger-Powers had already appeared in dozens of commercials. Behind that familiar voice, though, was a child quietly struggling — with the voices in her own head and the ones she couldn’t escape at home, where she endured emotional abuse from a mother battling alcohol addiction. That early trauma set Hilary on a dangerous path marked by substance use, abuse and homelessness at a young...
Sometimes the most meaningful change does not start in a boardroom or a big city. It starts when one person decides they cannot look away anymore. That is exactly what happened with today’s guest. After seeing firsthand the urgent need for compassionate and accessible substance use disorder treatment in his New Mexico community, Trent Carter decided to take action. Trent is a nurse practitioner with a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and the founder of Renew Health, a recover...
Today’s marijuana is not the marijuana of the 1960s and ’70s. It’s far more potent, and a growing body of research is linking heavy use to serious mental health issues, including psychosis and schizophrenia. Our guest on Grieving Out Loud, Kristen Gilliland, knows those dangers all too well. Her son experienced cannabis-induced psychosis and later died from an accidental drug overdose — a loss Kristen never imagined her own family would face. That reality is especially striking given her back...
Substance use disorder is a devastating and complex disease, not only for the person experiencing it, but also for their families. Many people struggling with substance use carry deep shame, often asking themselves: Why can’t I stop? Why am I hurting the people I love? What’s wrong with me? The disease can also span generations, shaping both family histories and futures. That’s the case for Jennifer Chase. After the turmoil substances caused throughout her childhood, Chase was determined to t...
Marijuana is a word that can quickly spark debate. Should it be legal? Does it offer real medical benefits? Is it a gateway drug? These questions continue to fuel controversy, and strong opinions exist on all sides. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we sit down with Crissy Groenewegen, director of the Parent Action Network. She works closely with parents and families impacted by marijuana, helping them share their stories in ways that reach and influence lawmakers. We do not shy away from...
When you think of a trailblazer, you think of someone who walks into the unknown and leaves a path behind for others to follow. Dr. Sophie Two Hawk is one of those people. She spent her childhood moving from place to place, living on and off reservations. And by 16, she had already graduated high school — not just early, but as valedictorian. Three years later, she’d finished her undergraduate degree. And in 1987, she became the first Native American to graduate from medical school in South D...
In a special year-end edition of Grieving Out Loud, we take a look back at some of the emotional and meaningful conversations featured on the podcast this year. The show, produced by Emily’s Hope and hosted by Angela Kennecke, spotlights families affected by the opioid epidemic, as well as experts working to curb the growing mental health and substance-use crisis. Throughout 2025, Kennecke interviewed lawmakers, law enforcement leaders, and parents who have lost loved ones to fentanyl. Their ...
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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!!