Best Child Overdose Death Podcasts (2024)

1
Friends 26:40

1d ago26:40

26:40

When you experience a devastating loss, friendships can change. Sometimes for the worse, and sometimes for the better. In this episode, Astrid brings her friend Stacey on to talk about how their friendship has changed since the death of her son.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
Searching for That Connection 28:49

7d ago28:49

28:49

One of the things I miss most is my sense of connection to my son. I lost it when he died, and now I'm always looking for ways to reconnect. Do you, too? In this episode, Astrid and Kevin discuss different means of connecting to their son - the things they've tried, what they're open to, and what has worked for them and, sometimes, not worked. What…

1
A Mom’s Journey After Suicide with Deana Morris, Travis's Mom 45:27

4h ago45:27

45:27

By most accounts, March 18, 2023 was just another ordinary day in Abilene, Texas. For Deana Morris and her family it was the day that turned their lives upside down as they discovered their dearly loved 28 year old son Travis had taken his own life. Suicide blindsides loved ones, leaving them with unbearable pain, a lifetime of too many unanswered …

1
Navigating the Holiday Season with Greg Buffkin 9:56

20h ago9:56

9:56

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1
My Ayahuasca Experience as the Parent of a Child Who Died of a Drug Overdose 18:44

4d ago18:44

18:44

The title says it all.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
Giving In 29:31

1d ago29:31

29:31

In this episode, we discuss the benefits of "giving in." Giving in to how we feel. Giving in to the moment. Letting go of the need to get things done. Sometimes, after trauma, we go through a process of redefining what's important in our lives. Our goals are reduced. What it means to accomplish something has a different definition. We have found th…

1
Discovering Hope in the Aftermath with Kellie Sipos, Emilie's Mom 41:32

2d ago41:32

41:32

In the U.S., approximately 270 people die of a drug overdose every day based upon May, 2024 statistics. For Kellie Sipos and her family, these statistics became very personal on July 22, 2018 when their precious 24 year old daughter, Emilie, lost her battle with an addiction. Far too many parents have have had their lives shattered as a result of t…

1
The Power of Writing It Down 29:05

29d ago29:05

29:05

Neither of us is a journaler, although DeAnne recently bought a journal with good intentions. What we can attest to, though, is the power of spontaneous writing exercises to help us understand and see ourselves in different ways. DeAnne discusses her first experience with a writing prompt, a tool many counselors use to help the ones they work with …

1
From a Tragic Beginning with Heather Gillis, Bowen's Mom 40:49

16d ago40:49

40:49

April 7, 2011 was the day Heather and her husband Mac had been anticipating with such excitement for 9 months. It was the day their precious, beautiful son Bowen was born. However, within a few short minutes he was whisked away by medical staff because something was very wrong. A day that was supposed to be filled with celebration, suddenly took a …

1
Why Aren't We Divorced? 27:36

1M ago27:36

27:36

Kevin and Astrid continue their conversation while DeAnne is away. Kevin talks about the different ways he deals with grief, which doesn't currently include therapy. Why is that and what does he do in its place? We talk about our current relationship and why we chose to not separate or get a divorce.…

1
A Husband. A Father. Introducing Kevin, Garrett's Dad. 22:16

1M ago22:16

22:16

DeAnne is out of town, so Astrid invites her husband Kevin, Garrett's dad, to sit in. What are some of the differences in how two parents can grieve the same child? Do we see the same events differently? Kevin gives his take on the subject of an overdose death.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
Does Your Mother Know Where You Are? 26:12

2M ago26:12

26:12

DeAnne and Astrid discuss an interview Astrid watched with a mother whose son committed suicide. It prompted them to touch on whether their own children's deaths were accidental, or not. How do you know if an overdose death was accidental? Does it matter? Does it change the loss? We discuss how we react now when we see signs of hardship. How we rel…

1
A Rediscovery of Hope After Unspeakable Loss with Yolanda Martinez, David's Mom 38:48

1M ago38:48

38:48

Every 39 minutes of every day, someone in the U.S. dies senselessly at the hands of an intoxicated driver! On January 20, 2015, Yolanda Martinez and her family experienced their worst nightmare when their 14 year old son, David, was killed when their family van was hit by a speeding drunk driver. Although badly injured, their daughter and a niece s…

1
Let's Talk Gabor Maté 23:41

2M ago23:41

23:41

Gabor Maté is a Canadian physician and addiction expert. (In our conversation I called him a psychologist - sorry.) In this episode we discuss his book, The Myth of Normal, and what we took away from it. One of DeAnne's biggest impressions from the book was the idea that the body often expresses unaddressed trauma in the form of disease. Astrid's b…

1
The List 30:03

2M ago30:03

30:03

Here we visit The List - topics that have come up for us in our grief journeys that we feel would be worth discussion. What's on the list? What are the things we have faced or continue to face in the process of coming to terms with a death by overdose? We take a look.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
Navigating Life After Suicide with David Szweda, Hudson’s dad 45:35

2M ago45:35

45:35

The unthinkable happened on January 17, 2023. David Szweda and his family’s lives would never again be the same, as they learned their 24 year old dearly loved son, Hudson had taken his own life. Such pain and loss leave parents utterly broken, wondering if they’ll survive it … and if they even want to. A father’s heart is to protect and care for h…

1
An Accidental Conversation About Animals - the Pets We Love 25:14

2M ago25:14

25:14

In this conversation, we start out discussing the rituals and habits we form to get us through the day. and what happens when these get disrupted. It's interesting to think about how we rebuild ourselves and our days after the deaths of our children. One of those rituals for us has been walking dogs, which segues into a conversation about having pe…

1
Why Not You? 30:46

3M ago30:46

30:46

In this episode, we start out by talking about triggers - the things that bring up old feelings of helplessness and anxiety. Neither of us ever really felt that our children would die. But they did. And that brings up the old saying - Why Not You? Why shouldn't it have happened to us? It can happen to anyone, so why not us? We then segue into an ac…

1
Navigating Stillbirth with Erin Maroon, Ashlie’s Mom and co-founder of Ashlie’s Embrace 41:01

3M ago41:01

41:01

After nine long months of waiting for the much anticipated arrival of their first child, a daughter,Ashlie, Erin Maroon and her husband Anthony were crushed and heartbroken as her doctor delivered Ashlie and discovered she was stillborn at full term. Without warning, their long awaited joy and dreams abruptly vanished. How do young parents even beg…

1
Signs 25:33

3M ago25:33

25:33

How many of us have wished for a sign from our loved one? Did you get one? A lot? None? In this episode we discuss some of our experiences with signs.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
There's the Shock, and Then There's the Realization That They Are Not Coming Back 28:00

3M ago28:00

28:00

In today's episode, we welcome our friend Beth, who also lost a child to a drug overdose. We talk about coming out of the shock of experiencing the death of a child, into the realization that they are not coming back. We can be so hard on ourselves. Can we practice self-compassion and self-love?By DeAnne & Astrid

1
A Conversation with Kim Erickson, Austin's Mom 54:56

3M ago54:56

54:56

"GOD rescued me when Austin went to Heaven by allowing me to understand that Heaven is a real place, more wonderful than we can imagine." Kim Erickson, noted speaker, and author of "Surviving Sorrow: A Mother's Guide to Living with Loss." Losing her beautiful 3 year old son, Austin, to a strep throat infection in April 2008, Kim's life was shattere…

1
Reopening to Life 28:28

3M ago28:28

28:28

When your child dies from an overdose, many of us harden to life. We become frozen, paralyzed, and turn to stone. In this episode, we discuss practicing going from hard to soft. Frozen to unfrozen. We also talk about where we find support in this journey and what that support might look like.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
Our Story Part 2 with Guest Host Danielle Zapchenck 42:25

4M ago42:25

42:25

A continuation of Greg and Cathy Buffkin's story of losing our beautiful 26 year old son Ryan to suicide in October 2015. Ours is a journey from the brokenness of unspeakable loss and pain to experiencing GOD's goodness as He began making something beautiful from all those broken pieces and restoring meaning, purpose and hope to our lives. Please c…

1
What Are We Doing? Are We Supposed To Be Doing Something? 27:08

4M ago27:08

27:08

In this episode, we discuss how the ways in which we care for ourselves have changed. This discussion leads into a conversation about finding meaning. Is it out there to find?By DeAnne & Astrid

1
What Does it Mean to Heal? 28:21

4M ago28:21

28:21

In this episode we discuss what it means to heal. Is there a definition for it? Is it possible to heal from grief? Or is grief a chronic condition - something to be endured but never truly healed? Interwoven into the conversation is the question of how to hold love and loss at the same time.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
Holidays and All the Stuff That Goes With It 36:18

4M ago36:18

36:18

Holidays. When your child dies, what do you do about holidays? Do patterns change or stay the same? Cling to the old ways, or make new ones? We've pretty much decided that you can do whatever the hell you want to do. And you can make a change anytime you want to. And somehow, that led to a discussion about what we did with their things. Keep them? …

1
Our Story with guest-host Danielle Zapchenck 38:37

4M ago38:37

38:37

In this 2 part interview, our friend Danielle Zapchenck , host of The Parable Podcast, guest-hosts for me as we dive into the journey my wife Cathy and I have been living since October 25, 2015 when our beautiful 26 year old son Ryan took his own life. While our story is one of deep tragedy and brokenness, it's more than that. It's one where GOD en…

1
All the Memories 25:23

4M ago25:23

25:23

What do we do with our memories of our children? The photos? When your child dies of an overdose, memories can get very loaded. Even the good ones can be painful. Are all of our memories ruined? We discuss.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
From a Crisis of Faith to a Discovery of Hope with Teresa Davis, R.N., Andrew's Mom 43:18

4M ago43:18

43:18

What do we do when our deepest fear suddenly becomes our new reality? How do we even begin to process and navigate the pain and grief we never could have imagined? This is where Teresa Davis found herself on November 28, 2018 when she learned that her 32 year old son, Andrew had died when the plane he was piloting crashed in a very remote area, lea…

1
Is It Really Ok That I'm Not Ok? 26:12

5M ago26:12

26:12

In this episode we talk about our sometimes tendencies to make deaths of our children ok for others. Is it ok to NOT do that? People want a happy ending, and we can't offer that. We talk about Megan Divine's book, It's Ok That You're Not Ok.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
What's Important Now? 30:04

5M ago30:04

30:04

How have our boundaries changed after the deaths of our children? Do we relate to people differently? In this episode, we discuss ways in which our perspectives of what's important have changed. Friendships change, and the way we connect and communicate change. We talk about what's of value now.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
The Things We Reach For When It Happens 38:59

5M ago38:59

38:59

Both of our sons died from a drug overdose. In the immediate aftermath, besides asking ourselves how this could have happened, what do we do to try to understand it? Is it helpful to go through their personal things? Is it helpful to try to identify what they were feeling? Weirdly, are they ok? Do we try to know where they are now?…

1
"Walking Through Fire" with Vaneetha Risner, Paul's Mom 46:18

5M ago46:18

46:18

In this episode, well known author and speaker Vaneetha Risner and I talk about her long journey of loss and suffering beginning with childhood polio, several miscarriages, the death of her infant son Paul, post-polio syndrome, betrayal and abandonment by her first husband, and caring for young daughters alone while battling illness. We talk about …

1
I've Got a Kid in a Bag: Otherwise Known as Unfinished Business 28:44

5M ago28:44

28:44

One of us has a kid in a bag. The other has hers in a box. We start a conversation about what we've done with the ashes of our children after they've died. Is there a right answer? How do we relate to what remains? Literally.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
A Conversation with Jenny Leavitt, Jacob's Mom 41:57

5M ago41:57

41:57

Every year, approximately 11,000 people are killed by drunk drivers, an astounding number. Jenny Leavitt's 17 year old son, Jacob, was one of them in August, 2015. Miraculously, her 29 year old son, Caleb, survived, but was left with catastrophic injuries requiring a long period of healing and recovery. How do parents survive and navigate something…

1
Cracking Open - A Follow Up on the Mind-Body Connection 30:29

5M ago30:29

30:29

Following up on the previous episode, The Mind-Body Connection, we explore the effects of "cracking open" and allowing ourselves to soften in our grief. What happens when we lower our protective barriers and explore what we find there? We look at other avenues of connection and think about what we're willing and able to do in this present moment. W…

1
The Mind-Body Connection 31:34

6M ago31:34

31:34

Today we explore the mind-body connection and what that means for us. Neither of us had ever explored this before our children died. What is it? How does it work? How does it help? Can we use the mind-body connection to connect to our children in a way that's meaningful?By DeAnne & Astrid

1
Navigating the Devastation of Suicide with Tobe and Amy Witmer, Abbie’s parents 47:34

6M ago47:34

47:34

As the day began to unfold on June 28, 2023, life as they knew it would never again be the same for Tobe and Amy as they learned their precious, beautiful 28 year old daughter Abbie had taken her own life after a long battle with depression and PTSD. Tobe and Amy had witnessed the pain and suffering of others as they grieved their loved ones in his…

1
We're In It Now 36:49

6M ago36:49

36:49

We spent the first six episodes lightly touching on the details of our children's deaths. In this episode we ask, why did we do that? What is the benefit of sharing the particulars? What does it mean to have to work through the details of that day? As it says in the title, we're in it now. We are diving in.…

1
Sharing the News 20:28

6M ago20:28

20:28

How do you share the news of what happened to your child? What happens when you share a deep loss with others? Here's a first look. Our stories might change over time.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
Those Social Expectations 17:51

6M ago17:51

17:51

Weirdly, we sometimes find ourselves still trying to meet social expectations even after the worst has just happened. Why do we do this and what have we learned?By DeAnne & Astrid

1
A Grandparent’s Grief Journey with Dr. Michael Bullock, Miles’ grandfather and President of Miles’ Mission 45:27

6M ago45:27

45:27

In our previous episode, Michael’s daughter, Jennifer Bullock-Moore, shared the story of the tragic loss of her beautiful son Miles to stillbirth in September 2021. Grandparents, like surviving siblings, are often overlooked following the death of a child, but their grief is just as real. In this episode, Michael describes the heartbreaking pain of…

1
How Do You Start Your Day and ... My Son Died 23:36

7M ago23:36

23:36

In the lead up to talking about the day Garrett died, we chat about how we sometimes start our day. The shower sets the tone.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
A Conversation with Jennifer Bullock-Moore, Miles' Mom 52:42

7M ago52:42

52:42

2022 statistics from the National Institutes of Health mirror findings of an investigation by ProPublica into the U.S. stillbirth crisis in which more than 20,000 pregnancies every year are lost at 20 weeks or more with the baby being born dead. As the news anchor for the local NBC affiliate in Columbus, Ohio, Jenn’s pregnancy was celebrated and fo…

1
Nicholas: The Aftermath of a Sudden Death 19:06

7M ago19:06

19:06

We explore the immediate aftermath of Nicholas' death. How do you navigate the world when this happens?By DeAnne & Astrid

1
When Things Got Started 24:39

7M ago24:39

24:39

How do you know when things got started? How do you know when there's a problem?By DeAnne & Astrid

1
A Conversation with Aubrey Sampson: Author, Church Planter, Podcaster, and Speaker 55:45

7M ago55:45

55:45

In this episode, noted author, speaker and podcaster, Aubrey Sampson, talks with me about her personal grief journey and a crisis of faith following the sudden, tragic death of her cousin Cameron in a snow hiking accident. Describing Cameron as being like a brother, his untimely death resulted in a season of very deep grief and depression. As if th…

1
Who We Are 18:53

7M ago18:53

18:53

We introduce ourselves and start talking about our kids, and how this kind of death explodes your world.By DeAnne & Astrid

1
A Conversation with Tim Challies, Nick's dad 48:52

8M ago48:52

48:52

How is a parent supposed to accept and begin processing the sudden, unexplainable death of their child? Healthy 20 years don’t just die suddenly without warning or symptoms of some sort. Sadly, a phone call brought this devastating news to Tim Challies and his family on November 3, 2020. His precious son Nick, engaged to be married, and working tow…

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