The Silent Why: finding hope in grief and loss

It can be tense living with hopeful expectations for the future but also unfulfilled expectations in your past. Do you ever feel the strain of holding those in tension and wonder - what if I just let go? This is a subject I'm blogging about because of the lovely Peter Ellis. One of the 'rewards' for supporting me monthly through buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy is to choose a blog topi...

#069. Where there's loss of human life, one person will often be found in the background - the funeral director. They quietly go about their business with discretion and dignity, engaging with families to provide support and care in their greatest time of need. But how do they personally shoulder the burden of working with loss every single day?  This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission...

#68. Many mum's across the UK are likely still glowing after a day of being celebrated, but maybe for you Mother's Day (or Mothering Sunday, to use the proper name) makes you wince a little (or a lot). Well, as a childless-not-by-choice (cnbc) woman I know how you feel, and I'm here to share how I'm learning to mark it without letting it mark me. This is The Silent Why, a podca...

#067. We’ve all thought through the scenario; what items would I grab if the house was on fire? But what is it actually like to live through that at the age of sixteen, and lose all your possessions?  This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around loss and grief and to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss. Loss #42 of 101 - Loss of possessions in...

Having blogged about every month of the year for the last 12 months (see series: 'To every thing there is a season'), I'm now reflecting and wondering if it's possible to find hope in all seasons. Welcome to another My Why from me, Claire Sandys, co-host of The Silent Why podcast. My Why episodes are audio shorts of my latest blog post. If you'd prefer to read it, you can...

#066. Let’s Chat… about the complexities of living with a wide variety of losses; how we face them, share them, compare them and get through them.   These Let’s Chat… episodes are for me (Claire Sandys) to chat one-on-one with a guest who has experience or expertise in a particular area of loss. However, in this Let’s Chat… I’m talking to TWO guests for the first time. Peter Ellis (Loss 32 - Loss...

#065. How is grieving the loss of a loved one different when there's no physical body to bury, cremate or identify? How is getting 'closure' impacted when a body of a loved one isn't recovered? This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around loss and grief and to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of permanent loss. Loss #41 of 101 -...

Do you need a bit of love and hope this Valentine's Day?  Wondering what love is and where to find it? Want to hear why it's better to define our lives by love, and not loss?  Welcome to another My Why from me, Claire Sandys, co-host of The Silent Why podcast. My Why episodes are audio shorts of my latest blog post. If you'd prefer to read it, you can find it here: thesilentwhy.com/...

February is here, the last month in my year-long series ('To every thing there is a season...'), so what can this short, love- and pancake-filled leap year month teach us about life? Welcome to another My Why from me, Claire Sandys, co-host of The Silent Why podcast. My Why episodes are weekly audio shorts of my latest blog post. If you'd prefer to read it, you can find it here: the...

#064.  Another milestone reached! We've hit loss number 40 on our mission to explore 101 different types, meaning we only have 61 (!) to go. In this episode we (Chris & Claire Sandys) pause briefly to discuss what we've learned so far on this journey. What are the takeaways? What has encouraged us? What will we try in the future? What's most memorable about the last 10 losses we...

#063. What is actually going on in the brain when we grieve? And how do grief and science work together? This Let’s Chat episode explores the affect of grief on the brain and whether science can help us understand grief and love, or even prepare for loss. These Let’s Chat… episodes pop-up every now and then instead our 101 loss episodes, as I (Claire Sandys) chat to a guest who has lived-experienc...

I love the comedy-drama Ted Lasso and so it was always going to be next on my list of TV programmes to explore on the podcast. Specifically around how the programme approaches loss and grief in Season 1. Welcome to The Silent Why, a podcast exploring every type of loss and grief and all the places we find them. I'm Claire Sandys and every now and then, among our regular episodes looking for 1...

*Announcement Episode* In this short episode we want to let you know about some changes to the podcast from next week, and why. From Tuesday we'll be releasing one episode a week instead of two, and this is for a few valuable reasons we've outlined in this episode. To quote the wonderful Olaf from Frozen - "All good things, all good things." We'll be providing all the same...

#062. Ever felt the pain of a broken dream? Those great expectations which turned into even greater disappointment? Hopefully this episode will restore some hope that new beginnings can be found, whatever the dream you lost.  This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around loss and grief and to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of permanent loss. Loss #...

Well, January is here, another marmite-month for many (in England that means you either love it or hate it), so what can we learn from the first month of the year? Welcome to another My Why from me, Claire Sandys, co-host of The Silent Why podcast. My Why episodes are weekly audio shorts of my latest blog post. If you'd prefer to read it, you can find it here: thesilentwhy.com/post/theseasono...

#061. Dislike New Year's Eve? Don't get it? Don't want to be a part of it? Hate it even?! Well allow us to show you how you can turn it from foe into friend. This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around loss and grief and to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss. We (Claire & Chris) know New Year is hard and disliked by a lot o...

The Silent Why podcast is on a mission to seek hope in 101 different types of permanent loss. We (your hosts, Claire and Chris Sandys) also love a good spin-off. In this short episode Claire helps you find what you need. Links to episodes/blogs mentioned... Episode 13 -  ‘That weird time between loss of an old year and the start of a new year’. (Chris & I chat about that weird time between Chr...

#060. Christmas can be a tough time, right? If your answer is 'absolutely not' then this festive special might not be for you. But if you feel a sad little 'yeah it is' voice inside, then come with us as we chat through why some find it hard and how we can find - and share - comfort through it. We're Claire and Chris Sandys, hosts of The Silent Why podcast, lovers of deep...

#059. What is the relationship between food and grief? This Let’s Chat… episode is exploring the relationship between food and grief. Does it help or hinder? Heal or hurt? These Let’s Chat… episodes pop-up every now and then instead of one of our 101 different types of loss, as I (Claire Sandys, co-host of The Silent Why podcast) chat to a guest who has lived-experience or expertise in a particula...

Because it is an art, not a science. Have you got someone coming to your family or group gathering and you're not sure how to include them and make them feel welcome? Maybe they're single, childless, divorced, grieving, unemployed, or just having a really tough time and you're keen for them to fit in. I'm here to help. Welcome to another My Why from me, Claire Sandys, co-host o...

#058. How do you grieve a loss that others might be happy about? This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around loss and grief and to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss. Loss #39 of 101 - Loss of riding a motorbike Meet Mark Riddles, from Northern Ireland, who was hit by a car while out riding his motorbike in 2021. Despite only going 30-40mph t...

Well, December is here - love it or loathe it - we're in it, and what does it want to teach us this year? Welcome to another My Why from me, Claire Sandys, co-host of The Silent Why podcast. My Why episodes are weekly audio shorts of my latest blog post. If you'd prefer to read it, you can find it here: thesilentwhy.com/post/theseasonofdecember This My Why is the next episode of my ‘To e...

#057. Imagine what it might be like to lose everything around you - husband, house, car, money, financial security, and even your trust in people. Now imagine what that would be like if it was all because you met and fell in love with a psychopath.    This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around loss and grief and to see if hope can be found in 101 different types...

*Announcement Episode*  This is just a short hello to let you know we are having a three-week break from releasing episodes as normal. We wanted to offer a short explanation, so this mini episode explains why The Silent Why won't appear in your feed until the beginning of December 2022. Out of the two of us, Claire carries the bulk of the load with the mission to explore 101 different types o...

I've berated November in many of my previous 'Season of...' blogs, so now it's here, do I still feel the same about this grey month? Welcome to another My Why from me, Claire Sandys, co-host of The Silent Why podcast. My Why episodes are weekly audio shorts of my latest blog post. If you'd prefer to read it, you can find it here: thesilentwhy.com/post/theseasonofnovember T...