The Silent Why: finding hope in grief and loss

#105. What's it like to suddenly start losing your hair at the age of 22? How open should you be about it when start dating? This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around grief, to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss. Loss #53 of 101: Loss of hair through alopecia Meet Laura Burns, a social worker for an anti modern-slavery charity, but als...

#104. What's it like to handle a human heart? Or to operate in that small space between life and death? And is there grief for a surgeon when a patient dies during, or after, surgery? This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around grief, to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss. Loss #52 of 101: Loss of a life for a heart surgeon Meet Mark Fie...

#103. When a close family member dies, like a parent, it's easy to assume there was love there, but what if you're not sure if you loved that person, or even if they loved you, what does grief look like then? This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around grief, to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss. Loss #51 of 101: Loss of a dad (&ap...

#102. I've always loved graveyards. I'm not sure what it is about them that draws me in, but a little while ago I decided to record my musings as I wander round them.  So that's what these Graveyard Musing episodes are, just me and my phone, in a graveyard (and sometimes Chris!). Welcome to another Graveyard Musing from me, Claire Sandys (host of The Silent Why podcast). In this mus...

#101.  Another milestone reached! We've hit loss number 50 on our mission to explore 101 different types, meaning we only have 51 (!) to go. So we're just half an episode away from being halfway through all 101! In this episode we (Chris & Claire Sandys) pause briefly to discuss the last batch of losses, 41-50, and what nuggets of wisdom we've taken from each guest. We're l...

#100. When you lose your dominant arm, what's worse, the emotional toll, or the physical loss? This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to chat about grief and see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss. Loss #50 of 101: Loss of a left arm and shoulder Meet Stephen Downes from Cornwall, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma at the age of 22 when he found a lump in his nec...

#099. Here it is again - Mother's Day. As many mum's across the UK will be glowing with pride at the presents their children offer, other women will be wincing a little (or a lot) every time they see these words. Well, as a childless-not-by-choice (cnbc) woman I know how they feel, and I'm here to share how I'm learning to mark it without letting it mark me. This is The Silent...

Are you struggling at the moment? Do you feel lonely in what you're facing? If you answer "yes" then this episode is for you. However, if the answer is "not at the moment" then I also think it's for you too. And if life is just peachy keen right now, then you might still want to lean in, to be able to help those around you who are finding life tough. Welcome to anothe...

#098. Let's Chat... about the amazing part that colour can play at a funeral. Let’s Chat episodes are with guests who have experience/expertise in a particular area of loss. In this episode, I (Claire Sandys) chat to the very lovely Jen Watson, a Funeral Celebrant in Kent. I first heard about Jen on our Funeral-Director-Work-Experience trip to North Wales. Back then she was known as Jen Wilki...

#097. When someone dies in hospital there's the loss of a patient, but there's also the grief of the family, so how does dealing with that grief differ, depending which side you're on? This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around grief, to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss. Loss #49 of 101: Loss in an Emergency Department In th...

Many years ago, in 2021, The Silent Why podcast launched with one specific last question it wanted to ask all its 101 loss guests - What's your Herman? Since then, it's been an exciting journey collecting Hermans (answers to this question). However, this year, in January 2024, I launched The Herman Company and all of a sudden (after a year of hard work!) Hermans became a real thing. So,...

#096. It's not just Christmas that can be a tough, heading into a New Year can be tricky too. And this year, even though we were very intentional about navigating a childless Christmas (and it went well), we hit New Year and for some reason the wheels fell off the apple cart! We're Claire and Chris Sandys, hosts of The Silent Why podcast, lovers of deep conversation, building community a...

Sometimes our hope feels particularly weak or unstable as we head into a new year, especially if we've have a hard year behind us, or face a tough one ahead.   Welcome to another My Why from Claire Sandys (co-host of The Silent Why podcast). My Why episodes are audio versions of my latest blog post. If you'd prefer to read it, you can find it here: https://www.thesilentwhy.com/post/knowh...

#095. We all need hope, but where's yours at right now? Welcome to the fifth small burst of hope, a hopelet if you will, from me, Claire Sandys (host of The Silent Why). This year I'm providing hopelets every day between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2023, to help you find/mend/replace/fix your hope. This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to find hope through all kinds of...

#094. We all need hope, but where's yours at right now? Welcome to the forth small burst of hope, a hopelet if you will, from me, Claire Sandys (host of The Silent Why). This year I'm providing hopelets every day between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2023, to help you find/mend/replace/fix your hope. This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to find hope through all kinds of...

#093. We all need hope, but where's yours at right now? Welcome to the third small burst of hope, a hopelet if you will, from me, Claire Sandys (host of The Silent Why). This year I'm providing hopelets every day between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2023, to help you find/mend/replace/fix your hope. This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to find hope through all kinds of...

#092. We all need hope, but where's yours at right now? Welcome to the second small burst of hope, a hopelet if you will, from me, Claire Sandys (host of The Silent Why). This year I'm providing hopelets every day between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2023, to help you find/mend/replace/fix your hope. This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to find hope through all kinds o...

#091. We all need hope, but where's yours at right now? Welcome to the first small burst of hope, a hopelet if you will, from me, Claire Sandys (host of The Silent Why). This year I'm providing hopelets every day between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2023, to help you find/mend/replace/fix your hope. This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to find hope through all kinds of...

#090. Christmas can be a tough time, right? If your response is 'absolutely not' then this festive episode might not be for you. But if you sense a sad little 'yeah it is' voice deep within, then we're hoping this opportunity to hear from a mix of our previous (and future) podcast guests might bring you some comfort. We're Claire and Chris Sandys, hosts of The Silent...

#090. Life is hectic. Christmas is hectic. Sometimes we simply need to stop for a moment. And that’s what this short episode is all about.  Oh, and my brother-in-law's beautiful piano playing of one of my favourite carols. Welcome to The Silent Why podcast, here to help you navigate loss and grief, and possibly... find hope.  These very short, episodes will pop up every now and then to help y...

#089. Christmas can be hard, and we've experienced that ourselves as a childless couple, especially at a time of year when family seems to be at the heart of most festivities. This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around grief, to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss, and we're Chris & Claire Sandys, your childless hosts. Every yea...

So, Christmas. Your friend or your foe?  As this is a question most of us ask each year, I thought I'd republish this episode/blog that I put out in December 2021, to help us find the friend in Christmas when it's feeling more foe foe foe than ho ho ho. Welcome to another My Why blog from Claire Sandys (co-host of The Silent Why podcast). My Why episodes are audio versions of my latest b...

Find Christmas tough? We're here for you. This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around grief, to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss. Some hosts put out less podcast episodes over Christmas, but not me, I'm going for more! In this episode I (Claire Sandys, host) am going to give you an idea of previous Christmas and New Year content y...

#088. When it comes to eating disorders and losses, you might find you immediately think of ‘loss of weight’, but there’s so much more that can be lost through disorders linked to food and eating. This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around grief, to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss. Loss #48 of 101: Loss through  anorexia & orthorexia...

#087.  Let's Chat... setting up your own funeral business, personalising funerals, and everything funeral directing. In these Let’s Chat episodes, I (Claire Sandys) chat one-to-one with a guest who has experience/expertise in a particular area of loss. In this episode I’m chatting to Adrianne Hickey, a Funeral Director in North Wales. I met Adi on our trip to North Wales to get some work expe...