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Getting Back Up: Finding Life After Death (Season 1)

Episode 17: The Holidays After Loss

For anyone grieving, the holiday season doesn’t just bring lights and cheer—it brings shadows, silence, and reminders of what (and who) is missing. In this episode, Jamal and Dave get real about what it’s like to face your first holiday after losing someone you love—and every holiday after that.

Through personal stories of their first holidays post-loss, from potlucks that kept grief company to traditions that found new life, they reflect on how rituals can be both anchors and lifelines. They talk about honoring those who’ve passed, blending old traditions with new love, helping kids feel safe and seen, and keeping the holidays simple, sacred, and human. Whether you're a solo parent lighting a candle, a widow decorating the same tree, or a friend wondering how to show up—this one’s for you.

Getting Back Up: Finding Life After Death is a podcast that explores the raw, unfiltered reality of surviving profound personal loss—and finding a way forward. The idea for the podcast was born after David and Jamal met in 2023. Both widowers, who had lost their wives to cancer, quickly found a deep connection through multiple conversations about pain, perseverance, and parenthood. They realized that while men often bond over music, sports, or TV, they rarely speak candidly about loss or emotional recovery. Getting Back Up was created to change that narrative—blending the everyday with the existential in a format that’s as relatable as it is real.

Thank you for your support!

Hosts: David McClain & Jamal Jones
Executive Directors: Marlon Jackson & Ted Winners (Like A Gazelle Productions)
Editing: Steve Senisi (Reel Media)
Music:
Grenada, "Treasure"
McDonald, Otis, "Phife for Life", otismusic.com

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