Building A World Worth Living In - Trends In Suicide Prevention & Postvention
Release Date: 09/06/2024
When Death Is Scheduled – Mark Chesnut On Grieving His Sister
Grief Out Loud
In this deeply personal episode, Mark Chesnut returns to Grief Out Loud to share his experience of losing his sister Glynn to ovarian cancer. Glynn chose medical aid in dying after nearly four years of treatment, giving Mark and his family the unusual experience of knowing when death would occur. This conversation explores the complexity of "scheduled death," the challenges of finding appropriate language to discuss medical aid in dying, and how knowing the date changed their family's grieving process. is a journalist, editor, public speaker, and the author of: Mark previously appeared...
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Closer In Grief - Building A Relationship After Someone Dies
Grief Out Loud
When someone dies, our relationship with them doesn't just disappear. Sometimes the relationship changes in ways we never expected, allowing us to feel closer to them than we did when they were alive. This can leave us learning to grieve not just for what we had, but for what never got the chance to have with them. In this episode we talk with Never Faull about grieving for their father, who died in 2018 from cirrhosis of the liver. Nev shares how their relationship with their father was distant during his life and how they've found ways to create a deeper connection with him after his...
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The Grief We Bury: Daria Burke on Childhood Loss, Collective Grief, & Estrangement
Grief Out Loud
is an author, executive, and healer-at-heart. She's also a grandchild grieving for her grandmother and a daughter estranged from her parents. In this episode, Daria shares the profound impact of losing her maternal grandmother at age seven and how that early loss reverberated through her life. This loss and grief exist alongside the immense healing she's done around growing up in poverty, childhood trauma, and her parents' absences, addictions, and the eventual estrangement from them. With the recent release of her memoir, , Daria opens up about the moment, decades later, that reawakened the...
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Going Beyond Words: Supporting Children With Autism Who Are Grieving - Jennifer Wiles, M.A., LMHC, BC-DMT, FT
Grief Out Loud
In this episode, we delve into the grief experiences of children and teens with autism. Our guest, - Director of the HEARTplay Program and a dance movement therapist with decades of experience - joins us to discuss how children with autism process grief and how parents and others in their lives can support them. Drawing on her background in both nonverbal forms of expression and grief support, Jennifer shares compassionate, practical insights rooted in her work with families. This conversation is both timely and essential, especially during , as it highlights the importance of expanding how...
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When Grief Comes Home - Parenting & Grief
Grief Out Loud
Grief often arrives without warning and changes everything we thought we knew about ourselves, our families, and the world around us. In this episode, we talk with Erin Nelson and Colleen Montague about their new book, When Grief Comes Home, a resource created from years of both personal loss and professional experience supporting families who are grieving. Erin, founding Executive Director of in Central California, and Colleen, Program Director, discuss how they came to write this book that blends memoir, practical tools, and reflective questions. We discuss: Erin's personal...
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When You Lose Your Anchor People: Renée Watson & Making Space For Grief
Grief Out Loud
What does it mean to lose your anchor people? In a short period of time, experienced the death of her mother, her mentor Nikki Giovanni, and her childhood friend, Charnetta. Renée shares how these experiences influenced her latest novel for young readers, , which follows 13-year-old Sage as she navigates grief after the death of her best friend. Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author whose recent book All the Blues in the Sky explores grief through the eyes of a young person. Her young adult novel, , received a Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Honor. Her children's...
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Fifty-Seven Fridays: Myra Sack On Love, Loss & Grieving Her Daughter
Grief Out Loud
In this deeply moving episode we talked with about the love, loss, and legacy of her daughter, Havi. Diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease at just 15 months old, Havi's life was brief but profoundly impactful. Myra shares how she and her family navigated the unbearable reality of their daughter's illness and death, including transforming their Shabbat ritual into "Shabbirthdays" held every Friday to celebrate Havi's life. Myra reflects on the arduous medical rollercoaster that led to Havi's Tay-Sachs diagnosis, the challenges of navigating a world that struggles to support the...
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Living With Incurable Cancer: Caroline Catlin On Time, Grief, & Mortality
Grief Out Loud
What does it mean to live with an incurable illness while navigating grief, time, and the complexity of human connection? In this episode of Grief Out Loud, we sit down with —writer, artist, and grief care worker—to explore her experience of living with an incurable brain cancer diagnosis. Caroline shares how her relationship with cancer has evolved over the past six years, from the early days of fighting for a diagnosis to the ongoing reality of regular scans and the uncertainty of what’s next. She speaks candidly about anticipatory grief, the way mortality shapes her daily...
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What Now? Carla Fernandez & Renegade Grief
Grief Out Loud
In this episode of Grief Out Loud, we welcome back , co-founder of , to talk about her new book, , in which she explores the question: "Now what? What are we supposed to do after someone dies?" Carla reflects on the death of her father, the unconventional paths she’s taken to process her grief, and how The Dinner Party came together from a desire to create non-traditional spaces for young adults navigating loss. In this conversation we delve into the dominant narratives around grief — and how the few that do exist may not fit for most of us. From potluck meals to altar...
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A Tribute To My Dad - Bryan Jung & This Is Why
Grief Out Loud
In this episode Bryan Jung talks about the experience of being only nine years old when his father, a prominent lawyer in the Korean community, was tragically shot by another lawyer. Fifteen months later and just nine days before Bryan’s 11th birthday, his father died. Bryan reflects on the impact of his father’s death, the strength of his family, and how he continues to honor his dad’s legacy. He shares how his grief evolved over time, the role of community support, and the lessons he’s carried into his own life. Bryan also discusses founding , an online...
info_outlineIt might be better to ask Canada Taylor what she doesn't do in the realm of suicide prevention, postvention, and grief support rather than what she does because she seems to do just about everything and anything. This is part two of our conversation with her, so if you missed the first, Ep. 297: Honoring A Great Love, be sure to listen. In this episode, we talk about the holistic approach she takes to suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. An approach that focuses on building a world worth living in. A world where youth - and people of any age - have their basic needs met and can access safety, community, and true belonging.
We discuss:
- Some of the professional roles Canada holds
- What is different for grief professionals and educators when the topic of suicide arises
- The changing landscape of suicide prevention & postvention
- How systems and institutions can create barriers to more humane and effective interventions
- What we still don't know when it comes to suicide
- How stigma, shame, and isolation contribute to suicide - and the harm they cause for those left behind
- Risk factors for youth suicide, especially for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ youth
- Protective factors like belonging, safety, and community
- Why cultural & community specific prevention & intervention strategies are necessary
- What the headlines get wrong about youth suicide
- The pockets of hope Canada's come across in the field
Since 2005 Canada Taylor has worked in behavioral health care serving youth and adults, with a focus in deathcare and helping families navigate grief, loss, and trauma amidst crisis. Relational, restorative, and transformative approaches are key underpinnings to Canada’s holistic, integrative philosophy to creating change and healing for all. Currently she is the Suicide Prevention Coordinator and Postvention Response Lead for the Multnomah County Health Department. Canada was honored with the Trillium Health Mental Health Hero award in 2021 and Multnomah County's Committee Choice Award in 2024 for her work in grief and suicide prevention. Grounding spaces in humor, authenticity, and vulnerability are essential to Canada’s professional and personal life, and especially her work in suicide prevention.
Organizations we reference:
School Crisis Recovery & Renewal Network (SCRR)
SAMSHA Black Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition
National Suicide Prevention Month
If you are someone you know is struggling, please reach out
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988
BlackLine: 800.604.5841
LGBTQ National Hotline: 888.843.4564