The Silent Why: finding hope in grief and loss

What can we learn from this month that helps us the rest of the year? This My Why is the next episode of my ‘To every thing there is a season’ series, where on the first Friday of the month for a year I am sharing lessons I’m learning from each month of the year, and we’ve reached August. Welcome to another My Why from Claire Sandys (co-host of The Silent Why podcast).  My Why episodes are weekly...

#043. A big welcome to our first in-person podcast guest for this episode - Dr Jennifer Bute, a retired medical doctor from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Exciting! The Silent Why is our podcast mission to open up conversations around loss and grief, and to see if hope can be found in 101 types of permanent loss. Someone recently described us as “collecting stories of hope” and we liked that! Loss #...

Strap yourself in, because I'm on my soapbox this week! Welcome to another My Why from 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/itsnotmevsyou Over the last few years I’ve had an increasing number of discussions with people on topical issues and...

#042. Did you know you can feel 'environmental or ecological grief'? Find out more in this episode about what it is and who is feeling it. Welcome to Let’s Chat… These episodes pop-up occasionally instead of one of our 101 different losses, as I (Claire Sandys, one of the co-hosts of The Silent Why podcast) chat to a guest who has experience or expertise in a particular area that can hel...

On the hottest day ever in the UK it seems appropriate to finally introduce you to my biggest fan.  Welcome to another My Why from Claire Sandys (co-host of The Silent Why podcast).  He's tall, got a big head, a lazily chosen name, and has been my editing colleague all day, but he’s also sparked thoughts about the importance of embracing my uniqueness, and I want encourage you to do the same....

#041. Loss of a sibling can have a huge impact, but when you share as much as David did with his sister, the blow can be literally life-changing. The Silent Why podcast is on a mission to open up conversations around loss and grief, to see if hope can be found in 101 types of loss, or as David described us; “collecting stories of hope”. In this episode we talk to David Richman, an author and motiv...

So, as it hots up here in the UK for summer, I decided that the symptoms of heatstroke are pretty similar to that of grief, or griefstroke if you will, but are the remedies the same? Plenty of water, wet flannel, moving to a cool place, cold packs in the armpits... Let's find out. Welcome to another My Why from Claire Sandys (co-host of The Silent Why podcast). These episodes are weekly audio...

#040. Carol Tyler is an award-winning and self-described ‘cartoonist and comics-book person’ from Cincinnati, who is known for her autobiographical comics and being married to Justin Green. Loss #28 of 101 - Loss through art and the death of a cartoonist. The genre of autobiographical comics is completely new to us. This genre is all about telling personal stories in the form of comic books or com...

I wanted to have another chat with Katie after her diagnosis with breast cancer, to find out about the losses attached to a diagnosis like this, and how they differed from the loss of her daughter. 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, but this one is a bit different as I'm using th...

#039.  What is End of Life and Grief Coaching, when can it be useful to us, and is it only for people facing bereavements? Welcome to Let’s Chat… These episodes pop-up every now and then instead of one of our 101 different types of loss, as I (Claire Sandys, one of the co-hosts of The Silent Why podcast) chat to a guest who has experience or expertise in a particular area that can help us either d...

What can we learn from this month that helps us the rest of the year? This My Why is the next episode of my ‘To every thing there is a season’ series, where on the first Friday of the month for a year I am sharing lessons I’m learning from each month of the year, and we’ve reached July. Welcome to another My Why from me, Claire Sandys, co-host of The Silent Why podcast. My Why episodes are weekly...

#038. What is it like to have your husband go for a hike and not return? In this episode England meets New England in the US, as we talk to Clarissa Moll who lost her husband Rob during a family adventure across America. Loss #27 of 101 - Loss of a young father and husband In the summer of 2019, Clarissa and her husband, Rob, took their four home-schooled children on a 3,000 mile coast-to-coast va...

As summer arrives in the UK there's the temptation to assume everyone will be living life to the full, but sunshine doesn't just fix everything for everybody. Welcome to another My Why from 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/sunshine...

#037. On 13 March 1996, a 43-year-old man walked into Dunblane Primary School near Stirling, Scotland, and shot dead sixteen pupils and one teacher. Fifteen others were also injured before he killed himself. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in British history. Loss #26 of 101 - Loss of a daughter in a school shooting The outpouring of loss and grief that follows a school shooting is vast and...

Increasingly I find myself, with age, looking back to the 'good ol' days' of my youth, where life seemed simpler, easier and less hassled. I find myself starting to utter statements my grandma used to use like 'when I was young...'.  Welcome to another My Why from Claire Sandys, co-host of The Silent Why podcast. My Why episodes are weekly audio shorts of my latest blog po...

#036. How hard is it to step away from an organisation you've set up and been involved in for 30 years? Introducing Lis Whybrow, a former private client solicitor who spent in the region of 40 years  supporting individuals with wills and probate (among many other things).   Loss #25 of 101 - Loss of a professional accreditation. You might think it was hanging up a 30-year law career that made...

This week I was struggling a bit with the dreaded 'brain fog', so instead of sitting down to write a blog to read for the My Why I decided to take my phone (and it's fuzzy hat to cut out wind noise) into the garden and share with you how I like to take life lessons from the nature around me. Welcome to another My Why from Claire Sandys (co-host of The Silent Why podcast).  My Why ep...

#035. We went to The Podcast Show, in London, baby! And in this episode we (your hosts, Chris & Claire) chat about our recent trip to the big city.    Having visited the capital for the 'new international festival for podcasting' - The Podcast Show 2022 - with thousands of other podcasters, we share a bit about what we've learnt, what we saw and what we did. Listen in for some f...

What can we learn from this month that helps us the rest of the year? This My Why is the next episode of my ‘To every thing there is a season’ series, where on the first Friday of the month for a year I am sharing lessons I’m learning from each month of the year, and we’ve reached June. Welcome to another My Why from Claire Sandys (co-host of The Silent Why podcast).  My Why episodes are weekly au...

#034. What's it like working as a Police Chaplain, being on a ride along, or at a crime scene? What do they wear? Do they get to use the sirens?! Welcome to Let’s Chat… These episodes pop-up every now and then instead of one of our 101 different types of loss, as I (Claire Sandys, one of the co-hosts of The Silent Why podcast) chat to a guest who has experience or expertise in a particular ar...

Our podcast is about loss, but it's also about hope. And the biggest dollop of hope we've received so far comes from our guests and their answers to the final question we always ask. Welcome to another My Why from 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: thesil...

#033. How do murder detectives cope with facing loss every day in the form of murder? In this episode we chat to Steve Keogh, a former Scotland Yard murder detective.  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. Steve retired from London's Metropolitan Police in 2021 and since the...

Expressing I'm disappointed with life is a new thing for me, but I'm learning it might be a healthy thing too. Maybe even the way forward. Welcome to another My Why from 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/disappointedwithlife Mo Gaw...

#032. Losing your partner in life is always hard, but when you're childless and you've formed a marriage built around a great friendship, it leaves you feeling a unique pain and loneliness. In this episode we hear from Sasha Bates who lost her husband suddenly in 2017 after he suffered an aortic dissection - a tear in the main blood vessel which runs from the heart. Sasha is a writer and...

This My Why is an overview of The Silent Why podcast, the different types of episodes we put out and why, what's a herman, what's in the tool shed, the top countries and cities listening, how many downloads we've achieved and how you can support us in our mission and passion to help people facing loss. Welcome to another My Why from Claire Sandys (co-host of The Silent Why podcast)....