𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘀: 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 & 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝘀

What happens when survival begins long before your child dies? In this episode of Beyond the Loss, I sit down with Luciane Horton, whose 27-year-old son John passed away in January 2026 after a six-year battle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and two lung transplants. Luciane opens up about the reality of caregiving through chronic illness, the agonizing seven-year wait on the organ transp...

There is strength in being the person other people can rely on - but after losing a child, a different kind of strength is required. In this solo cast, I reflect on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and explore why it is often so much easier for grieving parents to give support than to receive it. Drawing from my personal journey after the loss of my son Michael and my work as a systems th...

What happens when the beliefs that have grounded your life are suddenly challenged by the death of your child? In this episode of Beyond the Loss, Dr. Sharon Spano sits down with Teresa Davis - a grief mentor, registered nurse of over 43 years, author, and host of The Grief Mentor podcast. On November 30, 2018, Teresa’s 32-year-old son Andrew, a corporate pilot, was killed in a fatal plane crash c...

What happens when the ways we learn to survive after the death of a child begin shaping not only how we grieve, but how we live, work, relate, and understand ourselves? In this episode of Beyond the Loss, Dr. Sharon Spano speaks with Sally McQuillen, a licensed clinical social worker, certified alcohol and drug counselor, and author of Reaching for Beautiful. Sally is also the mother of Christophe...

What happens when the life you knew is suddenly gone, and the only way forward is to begin discovering who you are right now in this very moment? In Episode 27 of Beyond the Loss, I sit down with Jamie Casley, a high school teacher and literacy specialist from New Zealand. In August of 2023, Jamie's world changed forever when her 18-year-old daughter, Lily, collapsed and died unexpectedly fro...

In this Episode of Beyond the Loss, I introduce a new series theme: The Shape of Survival.   After the loss of a child, many parents - especially high achievers - subconsciously organize themselves into high-functioning patterns. We plan, work, organize, exercise, and take care of everyone around us to create structure in an unpredictable world.   In this episode, I explore the nuance between heal...

In Episode 25 of Beyond the Loss, I welcome Gwen Kapcia (LMSW, FT), a licensed social worker, certified thanatologist, and co-author of Not Another Lasagna: How to Truly Help a Grieving Friend. Gwen brings nearly 40 years of experience across hospice care, funeral home aftercare, and grief mentorship, alongside her own personal journey through pregnancy loss.   Together, we discuss the nuances of...

What happens when a date on the calendar marks the exact place where your life divided into before and after? In this Season Finale of Beyond the Loss, I bring together the core strands of The Hidden Aftermath—examining how grief alters our bodies, our identity, our capacity, and our relationship with time. I share a deeply personal reflection on two dates that intersect every September: the natio...

In this special "Best Of" compilation edition of Beyond the Loss, I bring together key insights from some of our most powerful past conversations. Featuring guest insights from Kelly Edmondson, Dr. Tom Dutta, Mindy Corporon, and Lisa Boehm, this episode explores the shifting reality of personal capacity, the quiet gap that opens after the funeral, dismantling "joy guilt," and l...

In this interview episode of Beyond the Loss , I sit down with Kelly Edmondson —trauma ICU nurse, healthcare executive, board-certified grief counselor, and founder of The Timely Presence. In January 2023, Kelly lost her 28-year-old son, Darius, after he suffered a seizure in his sleep related to late-onset epilepsy. Kelly opens up about her son's vibrant life, his resilience while building a...

In this episode of Beyond the Loss, I examine a subtle yet deeply lonely reality of The Hidden Aftermath: feeling like a stranger in familiar social spaces. While others may assume that your ability to attend gatherings, smile, and engage in conversation means you are returning to "normal," the internal reality is often vastly different. I open up about my own journey following the death...

In this episode of Beyond the Loss, I step into one of the most tender and unspoken territories of The Hidden Aftermath: the quiet presence of anger. While the world readily accepts sadness, anger can make people uncomfortable. Consequently, many parents hide their frustration—whether it is sparked by well-meaning clichés, institutional medical failures, spiritual doubts, or the painful realizatio...

What happens when grief does not stay private, but becomes a part of how we lead, work, and respond to one another in the world? In this episode of Beyond the Loss, I sit down with Mindy Corporon, former wealth management CEO, author of Healing a Shattered Soul and Grief Leadership. In April 2014, Mindy’s 14-year-old son, Reat Underwood, and her father, Dr. William Corporon, were murdered in a hat...

What happens when remembering hurts... but forgetting feels unbearable? In this episode of Beyond the Loss, I sink into one of the quietest and most agonizing realities of The Hidden Aftermath: the fear that time will slowly diminish the vivid memories of our children. For a grieving parent, memories are far more than photographs or stories—they are sacred, living connections. When a detail soften...

What happens when happiness catches you by surprise after a devastating loss... and guilt immediately follows? In this episode of Beyond the Loss, I sit down with author and grief advocate Lisa Boehm for an intimate conversation on navigating one of the most painful, unspoken layers of parental child loss: "joy guilt." Many bereaved parents describe a moment when the sun feels warm or a...

In this episode of Beyond the Loss, I examine one of the most disorienting realities following the death of a child: the profound shift in our personal capacity. For high-functioning, capable parents who are used to solving problems, carrying heavy responsibilities, and pushing through pressure, noticing a drop in energy or tolerance can feel frustrating and confusing. Drawing from my own experien...

In this episode of Beyond the Loss, I step into one of the most isolating and heavy territories of The Hidden Aftermath: the silent erosion of guilt, shame, and self-blame. While the words are often used interchangeably, they carry vastly different weights. Guilt focuses on an action—“I did something wrong”—whereas shame turns inward, delivering a direct attack on our character: “There is somethin...

What happens when the role that gave your love a daily place to go suddenly ends? Because for many parents, caregiving was not only something you did—it was exactly how you expressed love throughout the course of your daily life. In this episode of Beyond the Loss , I sink deep into one of the most hidden aftermaths of child loss: the sudden, silent termination of the active caregiving identity. W...

What if grief doesn’t begin as a thought? What if it stays in our body? What happens when our body remembers what loss has asked us to carry? The Hidden Aftermath. In this special bridge episode, I step into the deeply invisible, unspoken layers of life after the death of a child - starting with our physical bodies. For many grieving parents, the world assumes that once the funeral is over, the me...

In this episode of Beyond the Loss , I welcome Dr. Thomas A. Dutta —an executive leader, author, and host of the Quiet Warrior Show —for a deeply moving and vulnerable milestone: his first time speaking openly on a public platform about the loss of his son, Tommy, who passed away preterm 31 years ago. Tom pulls back the curtain on the corporate "lone wolf" mentality, detailing how he bur...

In this episode of Beyond the Loss , I dive deep into an invisible layer of parental grief: the aching loss of an unlived future. When a child dies, we don't just miss past memories; we grieve forward into the years that never came - the weddings, the milestones, the ordinary daily routines, and the next versions of our children we never got to meet. I openly reflect on the unique shapes this...

What if the first moment of joy after the loss of your child doesn’t feel like relief… but betrayal? In this episode of Beyond the Loss ,I dive deep into one of the most unexpected and painful hurdles of the grief journey: the "loyalty bind." For many grieving parents, a sudden laugh, a moment of genuine connection with a friend, or a peaceful morning doesn't arrive as a gift. Inste...

In this episode, I begin a new series called *Life After Child Loss* by exploring the difference between grief and mourning, and how both may shape the long journey after the death of a son or daughter. For many grieving parents, the early experience of loss can feel like survival. We do what we need to do to breathe, to function, and to move through a life that no longer feels familiar. Over time...

When a child dies, grief does not impact only one person — it reshapes the entire family system. In this deeply compassionate episode, I explores how child loss changes family dynamics, emotional roles, communication patterns, and the way each person searches for stability after heartbreak. From silent misunderstandings to emotional distance, this conversation offers a powerful systems-based persp...

 In this episode of Beyond the Loss: Life and Identity After a Child Dies, I explore something that often happens in the aftermath of profound loss—the way grief becomes labeled, interpreted, or explained through language that may not fully reflect the reality of what grieving parents are living.   Recently, I was reminded of how quickly we reach for familiar frameworks when trying to understand g...