Wait... Is This My Life?

In this week’s episode, Brendan and Kelly Sickel share their powerful and honest journey through addiction, recovery, and growth. Brendan reflects on 11 years of sobriety and the early challenges he faced, while Kelly opens up about loving someone in active addiction and finding support in Al-Anon. Together, they share how their relationship has transformed, and grown stronger, over the past decad...

In this solo episode, I reflect on the eighth anniversary of my sister Marissa’s passing. This year felt different in many ways, and I share some of those shifts and what this milestone has brought up for me.

In this episode, I sit down with my friend MariPat, a medium and energy healer, to talk about her path into spiritual work. She shares how she first began connecting with her intuitive side and what ultimately led her to embrace mediumship. I also reflect on my own experiences working with her through Integrated Energy Therapy (IET) during the early years of my grief journey. Together, we explore...

Continuing with the Mental Health Awareness theme for May, this is a solo episode to check in on my current life and how I am feeling. I talk about what has been going on lately, how I have been feeling with my own mental health, and also things that I am trying to work on for myself.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, my cousin Carly is back to discuss her experience with mental health and how her grief has tied into it. Carly shares the tools, insights, and lessons she has learned over the years and what she has applied to her own life from working in the mental health field for the past decade. As always with the two of us, we bring a lighthearted tone, along with so...

In this episode, I continue my conversation with my friend Jen. Jen opens up about her dad, Jack, who passed away seven years ago. She speaks honestly about his struggles over the years and how those challenges shaped their relationship. Jen also shares how her grief has shifted with time and what she has learned along the way. It’s a vulnerable and honest look at the realities of loss and the ong...

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Jen (McCaffrey) Segal to talk about the losses that have shaped her life. She shares memories of her childhood friends, Colleen and Danny. We also reflect on her relationship with my sister, Marissa, and how Marissa’s passing has stayed with her and how her grief has changed over the years. Jen's episode has been separated into two parts. Part 2 will air...

For this episode, my Mom joins me and we get into all the ways grief has scrambled our brains — the fog, the forgetfulness, the “wait… what was I doing?” moments. We also share some of the funny stories that have come out of the past few years, the ones that remind us we're human and still able to laugh even when things are hard. It’s honest, light, and a little chaotic in the best way (fitting fo...

Welcome to Season 2! After a three‑month hiatus, I’m back and easing into Season 2 with a personal check‑in. In this episode, I share what I’ve been navigating during my time away and what I've been up to. I also give a peek at what’s ahead for this season.

In this solo episode, I reflect on the holidays — what they looked like growing up, how traditions shifted as my sister and I got older, and the profound changes that came after Marissa's passing. I share the daunting early years of navigating grief during the holiday season, the slow process of finding new traditions that felt right, and the ways my family honored both the lows and the highs alon...

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Christina Graveley to explore the impact of loss. Christina shares her journey of losing both of her parents, 11 years apart, and how those experiences shaped the course of her life. She opens up about the challenges of being a caretaker for her Mom during an already busy season in life, and the lessons she has carried forward from that time. We also refl...

In this solo episode, I open up about a deeply personal chapter — watching my brother-in-law begin a new relationship after my sister passed away. I share what that experience was like through the lens of my own grief, the complicated emotions it brought up, and how my perspective has changed over time. This isn’t a story about judgment or resolution — it’s about growth, perspective, and the quiet...

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Kelsey to explore the complex emotions that surface when life doesn’t align with the timelines we imagined. From the quiet disappointments to the unexpected joys, we unpack what it means to navigate adulthood when milestones feel delayed or out of reach. We reflect on how perspective—especially the way we speak to ourselves—can shape our experience more t...

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Kelsey Runyen to talk about what it really means to support someone through grief. We explore her personal experience walking alongside me—and others—during some of life’s hardest moments. Kelsey shares the ways she's learned to show up with compassion, how to navigate the emotional ups and downs without taking things personally, and why being present dur...

In this solo episode, I share some life updates and open up about some behind-the-scenes things with the podcast. I reflect on what this journey has taught me so far—from unexpected challenges to meaningful growth—and offer a glimpse into what’s to come.

In this episode, I’m switching things up a bit! My friend Kelly returns — but this time, she’s the one asking the questions. I figured since I’m always inviting guests on to share their stories, it was only fair that I take a turn in the hot seat. Kelly interviews me in a fun and candid “get to know me” episode. We kick things off with some rapid-fire questions, dive into more in-depth conversatio...

In this episode, I sit down with my cousin Jenna (O'Connor) McGlynn to talk about the profound impact of losing her mother at just six years old. Jenna opens up about the memories that remain from that time, how the loss shaped her childhood and the person that she is today, and the strength she found in stepping into a motherly role for her younger siblings.

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Jack Delaney. We talk about his experience with mental health over the years and what it’s been like navigating that as a man. Jack also shares his journey to sobriety — how he got sober at 25 years old and what nearly nine years of sobriety has taught him. We also discuss the loss of his Dad, who passed three years ago. Jack opens up about their relation...

In this episode, I sit down with my family friend — and shore neighbor — Melissa (Young) Radomicki. Melissa opens up about the loss of her father, who passed away six years ago after being diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. We talk about the difficult moments during his treatment, the strength it took to be present, and how losing him has shaped her life since. We also talk about her father-in-law...

In this solo episode, I talk about the many signs that I have received over the past 7 years since my sister, Marissa, passed. Receiving these signs, whether big or small, have always been like little pieces of hope for me throughout my grief journey.

In this lighthearted episode, my cousin, Carly, and I discuss the things we wish people didn't say to grievers, even though we know that they mean well. We share some stories from our early years of grief that we are now able to laugh about and discuss our thoughts around certain situations after losing a family member.

In this episode, I have both of my parents on to discuss how they have navigated the hardships they have faced since early on in their marriage. My Mom shares her story of starting to attend Al-Anon while my Dad was not yet sober and they both share their perspectives on rebuilding their marriage in the aftermath. They also discuss how they leaned on each other while caring for aging parents and w...

In this solo episode, I discuss the emotions I have been feeling leading up to the anniversary of my sister's passing and the lingering emotions I have been dealing with. I chose to do this episode after the anniversary date since my emotions felt too heavy and all over the place leading up to the day. I also share some funny stories of my sister, Marissa, which is always something that I try to f...

In this episode, I have my Dad back on to talk about his journey to sobriety. He very honestly details what his life was like throughout active addiction and what led him to become sober. My dad has been sober for over 30 years now, and to have that as a normal thing in our lives, since my sister and I were young, was truly a gift that we were always aware of.

In this episode, I have my friend, Jenna Walsh, on. She came into my family's life when she started dating my brother-in-law, who she is now married to. We discuss how she lost her Mom and her Dad in under 2 years, testing positive for the BRCA2 gene and opting to get a double mastectomy, how she supported my brother-in-law in his early years of grief and how she shows up for him in that way, and...