The Letterbox Podcast

There are some stories that take a lifetime to tell.In this episode of The Letterbox Podcast, Ira Blacker shares a deeply personal letter about his childhood, family, survival and the experiences that shaped the man he became.Ira’s life would eventually take him into the heart of the rock and roll business. After beginning his career in the music industry in the 1960s, he co-founded American Talent International, one of the major rock and roll agencies of its time. His career brought him into the world of artists including Rod Stewart, The Eagles, ZZ Top, Deep Purple, Earth, Wind & Fire, KISS, Rush and Rory Gallagher, among many others.But this letter takes us much further back — before the music industry, the famous names and the extraordinary career — to the childhood and family experiences that shaped Ira’s life.It is an honest and deeply personal reflection on family, survival, resilience, and the things we carry with us long after we think we’ve left them behind.Ira’s remarkable life in the music business is also explored in his memoir, Once A King, Now A Prince, a rock and roll memoir about family, survival and his extraordinary journey from childhood to the centre of rock and roll history.A huge thank you to Ira for trusting The Letterbox Podcast with his story and his words. ❤️📖 Read Ira Blacker’s memoir: Once A King, Now A PrinceOnce A King, Now A PrinceIf this letter stays with you, please follow The Letterbox Podcast, leave a rating or review, and share this episode with someone who might connect with Ira’s story. It really helps more people discover these letters.💌 Have a letter you’d like to share?
Send it to [email protected] Letterbox Podcast — real letters, real stories, one letter at a time.

Dear Mama.Our final letter in this NICU Awareness Month mini series is a letter to the mother who kept showing up.To the mum who learnt the medications, the appointments and the language of the hospital. Who held her baby through blood draws, wires and procedures, while trying to keep some sense of normality for her other child. Who was told she was strong and resilient, when really, she was simply doing what her babies needed her to do.It’s a letter about what happens when the immediate crisis is over, but the feelings haven’t gone anywhere. About the things you hold inside while you keep everyone else safe. And about remembering that you don’t have to be the strong one all the time.Thank you to Katherine @drkatherinewrites for sharing these letters with us, and for all the time, thought and honesty she has put into making this series happen.And thank you to everyone who has listened, shared and helped these stories reach the people who needed to hear them.This mini series may be coming to an end, but NICU Awareness Month continues throughout September. There is support available for families going through a NICU experience.And if you’re going through, or have been through, NICU, we want you to know: you are not alone.If you have a letter you need to write, the Letterbox is open. Send yours to [email protected]. You can write anonymously, and your story might help someone else feel less alone.Follow The Letterbox Podcast, share this series, and send it to someone who might need it.

To Medical Parents | NICU Awareness Week — Letter SixFor the sixth letter in our NICU Awareness Week series, Dr Katherine shares a letter to the parents living through the unimaginable: NICU and PICU parents, heart parents, and families whose children have been seriously ill.Before sharing her original piece for Tiny Tickers, Katherine writes directly to other medical parents about fear, guilt, exhaustion, love, uncertainty and the complicated reality of feeling incredibly lucky and incredibly sad at the same time.The letter that follows, From My Heart to Yours: Nobody Prepared Us For This, was originally written for Tiny Tickers and reflects on the emotional impact of congenital heart disease, life in hospital, siblings, relationships, survival mode and what happens after the medical crisis.Thank you to Tiny Tickers for allowing us to share Katherine’s blog as part of this series. Tiny Tickers supports babies with serious heart conditions and their families across the UK. (Tiny Tickers)Written and read by @drkatherinewrites.If this letter resonates with you, share it with another NICU, PICU or heart parent who might need to hear that they are not alone.Listen to The Letterbox Podcast and send your own letter:
[email protected]:
Written & read by Dr Katherine — @drkatherinewrites
Original blog published by Tiny Tickers — @tinytickers
Shared with permission as part of The Letterbox Podcast’s NICU Awareness Week series.

When you can’t hold your own baby, sometimes the people caring for them become the people who make it possible for you to step away, breathe, eat and sleep.In the fifth letter of The Letterbox Podcast’s NICU Awareness Month series, @drkatherinewrites writes a heartfelt thank you to Susie, the PICU nurses and all the healthcare staff who cared for her daughter through an incredibly difficult time.Although this is Katherine’s story, the gratitude in this letter will be familiar to so many people who have relied on healthcare workers to care for them, their children, their parents, their partners or someone they love.So this one is also a thank you to all healthcare workers. For the big things, the tiny things, and the care you give that families and patients may carry with them for years.Follow The Letterbox Podcast, share this episode with someone who might need it, or write your own letter and send it to [email protected] sometimes the things we never got to say are the things worth saying.

Letter 4 in the NICU awareness month mini series. A Letter About Family, Serious Childhood Illness & The People Who Show Up. Katherine writes a heartfelt letter to the grandparents who supported her family through 18 months of serious childhood illness, hospital stays and her daughter’s heart surgery.She reflects on the complicated emotions of medical parenting, the helplessness of watching your child suffer, and the grandparents who quietly carry their own fear while supporting their children and grandchildren.A moving letter about family, love, grandparents, gratitude and the people who show up when you need them most.Written by @drkatherinewrites. Follow The Letterbox Podcast for more real letters and stories, and send your own letter to [email protected].