Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

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Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Angela Kennecke

238 episodes

13 hours ago

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 ...

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Personal Journals,

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All content for Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic is the property of Angela Kennecke and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

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 ...

Show more...

Personal Journals,

Society & Culture,

Health & Fitness

Episodes (20/238)

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Inside Victoria’s Voice: The Diary That’s Waking Parents Up

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 ...

4 days ago

37 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

A Paramedic Using His Battle With Addiction to Save Others

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...

1 week ago

33 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

4,000 Tombstones on the National Mall Tell the Story of America’s Drug Crisis

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...

2 weeks ago

40 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Coping With Grief and Choosing Life After Tragedy

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 ...

3 weeks ago

50 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Why So Many Teens are Struggling, and What We’re Missing

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...

1 month ago

41 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Choosing Love After a Hate Crime Took Her Son and Father

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...

1 month ago

41 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

A Grieving Mother’s Story of Loving and Losing a Wild Child

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...

1 month ago

39 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Thousands of Tombstones by the U.S. Capitol to Honor Lives Lost to Substance Use

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...

1 month ago

38 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

What This Grief Expert Wants You to Know About Healing and Hope

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...

2 months ago

42 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

A Childhood Shaped by Loss, a Life Reclaimed in Sobriety

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...

2 months ago

37 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Murder Took One Son, Fentanyl Took the Other

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 ...

2 months ago

47 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

How Do We End the Fentanyl Epidemic? A Candid Conversation with a Former DEA Chief

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...

2 months ago

44 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

A Father’s Road Trip for Grief, Healing and Hope

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...

2 months ago

35 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Grieving Moms Take on Snapchat and Congress After Their Sons' Fentanyl Deaths

They call themselves “bereaved besties,” but it’s a bond born from heartbreak. Amy Neville and Bridgette Norring never imagined their lives would intersect like this, until both of their teenage sons died after taking what they believed was a prescription pill they bought on Snapchat. Instead, it was a deadly dose of fentanyl. Now, these two mothers are learning how to live with the unthinkable, while doing everything they can to make sure no other family has to. They’ve taken their gri...

3 months ago

39 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Can We Save Lives While Cutting Funding? A Tough Conversation at the Top

On this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we’re having an important one-on-one conversation with a key figure from President Trump’s administration—someone deeply involved in shaping how our country responds to the addiction and mental health crisis. Right now, more than 48 million Americans are living with substance use disorder. Yet, the administration is proposing a $56 million cut to a federal grant that helps communities and first responders access naloxone—the life-saving medication that ca...

3 months ago

35 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Your To-Die List: Bestselling Author on Living Fully and Resiliently

Most of us have a daily to-do list—sometimes scribbled on paper, sometimes just running through our heads. But today’s guest on Grieving Out Loud invites you to consider a different kind of list: a to-die list. Bestselling author and self-help coach Karen Salmansohn has written more than 25 books for adults and tweens, with more than two million books and courses sold. Her work has been featured in national outlets including The New York Times, The Today Show, and InStyle magazine. Karen isn’...

3 months ago

42 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

He Wanted Justice for His Son, So He Became the Investigator

Most of us would never imagine taking on the role of a law enforcement investigator. But for so many grieving parents, that’s exactly what they’ve had to do. After losing their children to fentanyl, they find themselves combing through phone records, tracing dealers, and trying to uncover the truth—because no one else will. For too long, overdose deaths were dismissed as tragic accidents. And while that mindset is beginning to shift amid the rise in fentanyl-related deaths, the heartbreaking ...

3 months ago

38 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Faces We Can't Forget: The INTO LIGHT Project

Imagine walking into a room lined with hand-drawn graphite portraits—each one capturing the face of someone lost to fentanyl poisoning or a drug overdose. It’s a powerful experience, one that says more than statistics ever could. That’s the vision behind the INTO LIGHT Project, a nationwide nonprofit turning personal tragedy into public awareness through art. On this episode of Grieving Out Loud, you'll hear how the organization is not only raising awareness about the fentanyl epidemic, but i...

4 months ago

35 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Forever 15, A Young Life Stolen By Fentanyl

When parents find out their child is facing a serious challenge, most will do whatever it takes to help. That was certainly true for Janel Rodriguez after she learned her teenage son was battling a marijuana addiction. But despite her efforts, Janel's world was shattered in a way she never saw coming. Just weeks into his sophomore year, her son Noah bought what he believed was a Percocet. It turned out to be fentanyl—and it cost him his life. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Janel ...

4 months ago

35 minutes

Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

Naloxone Saved Me, Now I’m Saving Others: Morgan’s Story

Around three dozen of her friends—that’s how many lives Morgan Mentele believes have been saved thanks to Emily’s Hope distributing free naloxone in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota area. In this powerful episode of Grieving Out Loud, Morgan courageously opens up about her journey: how she went from being a mom of two and Sunday School teacher to battling substance use disorder, how recovery finally became possible, and why she—and dozens of others—wouldn’t be here today without the life-saving ...

4 months ago

32 minutes