Time Keeps Moving, But She Doesn’t: Mackenzie Galloway-Cole On Grief And New Year’s
Grief Out Loud
In the fall of 2023, Mackenzie Galloway-Cole was living out her rom-com-worthy love story with her wife Megan in New York City. Then, on an ordinary night in November, Megan collapsed and died a few hours later from a sudden cardiac event. In the aftermath, Mackenzie had to find her way in this newly shattered world without Megan, her anchor and biggest cheerleader. Mackenzie reflects on the shock of becoming a young widow, the added layers of grief that come with queer partner loss, and the painful realities of navigating death care systems that often default to heteronormative...
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Brennan Wood On How Grief Is To Feel, Not Fix - Even At The Holidays
Grief Out Loud
It’s our annual holiday episode, this time with Dougy Center Executive Director and . Brennan first encountered Dougy Center after her mom, Doris, died of breast cancer three days after Brennan’s 12th birthday. She has since navigated almost four decades of holiday seasons with grief along for the ride. She shares about the early years that were awful; the young-adult years she spent volunteering away from family; and how, as an adult, she’s learned to hold both grief and joy while creating new traditions for...
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Beyond Silence: Kyndal Parks On Honoring Her Grandfather & Advocating For Better Grief Support
Grief Out Loud
When Kyndal Parks’ grandfather died on Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving – she lost one of her biggest supporters and confidants. While navigating her grief, Kyndal was also navigating life as a college student where she often felt unseen in her grief by faculty and the wider institution. What began as a class assignment turned into a powerful audio piece about loss, legacy, and the urgent need for grief-informed spaces on college campuses, particularly at HBCUs where collective trauma, silence, and resilience intertwine. In...
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Going To College With Grief - Loss In Young Adulthood
Grief Out Loud
When Hilary was 18, her oldest sister, Kelly, died from a rare cancer called DSRCT (desmoplastic small round cell tumor). In the same year, Hilary left for college and her parents divorced - three life-altering events that reshaped her relationships, sense of stability, and the early years of adulthood. In this episode, we talk about: Growing up as the youngest of three sisters and the creative, nurturing bond she shared with Kelly Navigating Kelly’s diagnosis, treatment, and death while still in high school Trying to appear “fine” in college while carrying...
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The Friends We Make In Grief
Grief Out Loud
When Cassie arrived at Dougy Center for her first peer grief support group for young adults after her dad died, she sat in the parking lot wondering if she could even walk inside. When she did, she found people her age who understood what it meant to have a parent die - people who would end up shaping her life in ways she never imagined. In this episode, Cassie talks about how grief changed her, what it was like to find community in a peer support group, and how those friendships continue to support her years later. Now, as a volunteer facilitator in a peer grief support group for children,...
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Caring For The Caregivers
Grief Out Loud
When you’re grieving, “Take care of yourself,” might be the last thing you want to hear. So what does self-care actually look like for a parent or caregiver who is grieving? Rebecca Hobbs-Lawrence, MA, who coordinates the Pathways Program at Dougy Center for families facing an advanced serious illness, joins us to share practical tools for caregivers who are trying to balance taking care of others with tending to themselves, along with crucial advice for friends and family who want to provide truly...
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Mourning Air - Leena Magdi On Grieving Her Brother And Her Homeland
Grief Out Loud
When Leena Magdi’s younger brother, Hamoodi, was killed, her world shifted entirely. In her debut book , Leena explores how grief reshapes identity, faith, and love. In this conversation, Leena shares what it meant and means to be Hamoodi’s sister, how sibling grief is often dismissed, and how writing helps her navigate the grief. Leena also shares about her family’s forced displacement after war broke out in Sudan less than a year after Hamoodi’s death - and how she’s learning to grieve both her brother and her home. We discuss: What it means to be a sister after a sibling...
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Grieving A Sudden Or Unexpected Death With Dr. Jennifer Levin
Grief Out Loud
When someone you know dies suddenly, everything changes in an instant. The world you once knew can feel unfamiliar and unsafe, and finding your way back to even the smallest sense of stability can feel impossible. In this episode, we talk with , therapist, educator, podcast host, and author of . Jennifer specializes in supporting people grieving sudden or unexpected deaths that can completely upend how we see the world and shift our sense of safety. We discuss: The differences and overlap between the terms: sudden, unexpected, and traumatic How grief affects the...
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Grief Is Forever, But So Is Love: Tiriq Rashad On Loss & Creativity
Grief Out Loud
When , artist, poet, and performer, sits down to write, he’s not just telling his own story - he’s carrying his daughter, his brother, and his mother with him. In this conversation, Tiriq shares the layered ways grief has shaped who he is: from the death of his first child before she was born, to growing up caring for his brother who lived with cerebral palsy and autism, to the sudden death of his mother. Through it all, Tiriq’s foundation in caregiving, service, and community continues to guide him - both in his personal life and in his art. His new album, Kiss My Art, is...
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Now I’m An Adult Orphan: Tyler Feder On Dancing At The Pity Party, Again
Grief Out Loud
When was 19, her mom died of cancer, an experience she captured years later in her bestselling graphic memoir . In the years since, Tyler has described herself as a “dead mom person” - reflecting just how much of her life was shaped by the death of her mother. But this past winter, Tyler’s dad also died, adding a new aspect to her identity, this time as an adult orphan. In this episode, we discuss: The contrast between her parents’ personalities – mom (quiet, creative, cat-like), dad (gregarious, emotional, dog-like) - and which of those aspects Tyler carries...
info_outlineHow do you keep your heart open to love after it's been broken apart by grief? Danielle LaRock was just 19 when her father died of a heart attack. In 2022, her partner Ian died suddenly. Then, in 2024, her beloved dog Blue died, and with Blue went many shared memories of time spent with Ian. The experience of loving and being loved by Ian opened up places in Danielle's heart that had closed down after her father's death. That openness has stayed with her, even as she grieves for both Ian and Blue. That ongoing love and connection have shaped Danielle's grief and the ways she tries to support others who are also grieving.
We discuss:
- How Danielle coped - and didn't - as a college student after her dad's death
- The isolation of being surrounded by peers who hadn't experienced the death of a parent
- Meeting Ian as children and reconnecting as adults
- How Ian's own experience with the death of his dad helped him understand and support her grief
- Being present for Ian's medical crisis and emergency brain surgery
- The trauma of witnessing his death and being the person who had to tell his friends and family
- How experiencing deep love with Ian changed her approach to all relationships
- Learning to celebrate the milestones of others while grieving the loss of the ones she would have shared with Ian
- The spiritual awakening Danielle experienced after Ian's death
- Discovering traditional therapy didn't work for her
- The value of online support groups, specifically for young widows & widowers
- Exploring ways to support others in their grief
Guest Bio
Danielle LaRock is the co-host of the popular podcast National Park After Dark, which explores dark history and tragedy in outdoor spaces. A former veterinary technician from New England, Danielle has become a compassionate voice in the grief community, using her own experiences with loss to help others navigate their journeys.
Connect with Danielle on IG.