Senseless with Erika Mahoney

To listen to the rest of this episode, search for Last Day wherever you listen to podcasts. When Nadia Bowers's sister Sasha died of fentanyl overdose in 2015, Nadia was seven months pregnant with her first child and had gotten married just six weeks earlier. Suddenly she had to ask herself: how do I go on after the worst thing that's ever happened to me? In this episode, Nadia tells Stephanie how...

EPISODE 8 -- With the trial over, Erika explores the mass shooting’s permanent imprint on her community. Plus, we’ll hear from musicians Aly & AJ, who survived a mass shooting in Sacramento about turning their pain into purpose. Finally, we meet the last known person to see Erika’s dad alive—a young woman who says Kevin Mahoney saved her life in the parking lot on that fateful day.   Follow Erika...

EPISODE 7 -- Three and a half years after the shooting, the trial finally begins in a Boulder courtroom for the young man who killed 10 people — including Erika’s father. Dozens of witnesses take the stand, including the police officer who stopped the gunman. Erika and other families share their victim impact statements. It’s both brutal and beautiful — a chapter where, at long last, some long-awa...

EPISODE 6 -- After realizing she can still talk to her dad, Erika’s search for connection and comfort deepens. She looks to the belief system instilled in her by her mom and begins meeting with a medium. She also connects with other people facing the trauma of loss when she attends an intimate grief retreat in the redwoods of Northern California.   Follow Erika for a behind-the-scenes look at the...

EPISODE 5 -- Erika makes a bold decision to move back to Boulder. This new path puts her at the center of the web of pain left behind by the mass shooting at King Soopers and sparks the idea of this podcast. She attends the annual remembrance ceremony, visits the hospital that braced to treat victims of the shooting, and reconsiders her own identity as a journalist and survivor. She also joins the...

EPISODE 4 -- Navigating life and death, grief and joy, Erika gives birth to her daughter just three months after her dad was killed in a mass shooting. At first motherhood is a distraction from the pain. But after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Erika sinks into a deep depression. She starts therapy with grief expert Claire Bidwell Smith. Follow Erika for a behind-the-scenes look at the show...

EPISODE 3 -- We go back to that fateful day in Boulder as police and survivors try to make sense of what happened. In her search for understanding, Erika discovers new connections, friendships and a love story that rose from the ashes.    Follow Erika on Social Media for a behind-the-scenes look at the show. Instagram & Threads: @eri_mahoney Substack: @erikamahoney X: @MahoneyEB TikTok: @erika.mah...

EPISODE 2 -- Erika looks back on when she covered a mass shooting for a national news outlet. As more information comes to light about what unfolded in Boulder, she realizes she’s on the other side of the story now, answering the questions instead of asking them.   Follow Erika Mahoney on Instagram at eri_mahoney. Her website is erikamahoney.com. Senseless is written and reported by Erika Mahoney,...

EPISODE 1 -- Erika’s world shatters with a single phone call: there’s an active shooter at a Boulder, CO, supermarket—and her dad is inside. What unfolds next is a story of fear, heartbreak, and the unimaginable reality of waiting to find out if someone you love is still alive.   Follow Erika Mahoney on Instagram at eri_mahoney. Her website is erikamahoney.com. Senseless is written and reported by...

Mass shootings have become a daily, uniquely American tragedy. But what happens to those left behind afterward? In Senseless, journalist Erika Mahoney presents her deeply personal, unfiltered journey through grief, trauma, resilience, and moving forward, and a look at the complex web of pain left behind after your world shatters forever. From Lemonada Media, out June 17th, wherever you get your po...