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Episode 43: What If I Forget Her?

One of the fears many widowers carry isn't losing a memory—it's losing the connection behind it.

In this episode, Jamal and David tackle a question that often goes unspoken: What if I forget her? They share the moments that stop you in your tracks—the conversation you can't quite place, the sound of her voice that's harder to recall, the story whose details have become fuzzy with time. They discuss the pressure many grieving spouses feel to preserve every memory, every photo, every keepsake, as if forgetting a detail somehow means losing the person.

Together, they explore how memories naturally evolve, why children often become memory keepers too, and how some moments unexpectedly grow stronger while others fade. Most importantly, they challenge the belief that memory and love are the same thing. Because while memories may change over time, the impact of the people we loved continues to shape who we are.

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.

Getting knocked down is part of life. Getting back up is how we live.

Hosts: David McClain & Jamal Jones
Executive Director: Marlon Jackson
Editing: Marlon Jackson
Music:
Grenada, "Treasure"
McDonald, Otis, "Phife for Life", otismusic.com

Thank you for listening! Follow us on Instagram/TikTok @getbackuppodcast and on X @GBUpodcast

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Episode 42: I’m Tired of Being Strong (What everyone sees after loss)

For many widowers, strength becomes a role they never asked to play. You keep showing up. You take care of the kids. You pay the bills. You go to work. You handle the responsibilities. And somewhere along the way, people start telling you how strong you are. But what happens when you're exhausted?

In this episode, Jamal and David talk openly about strength fatigue—the emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion that can come from carrying grief, responsibility, and expectations for far too long. They share personal experiences of functioning while depleted, feeling pressure to hold everything together, and struggling to ask for help even when they desperately needed it.

Together, they explore the difference between resilience and suppression, why burnout can quietly disguise itself as strength, and how rest, vulnerability, therapy, and trusted relationships can become part of the healing process. Because sometimes the strongest thing a man can do isn't carry more—it's finally putting some of the weight down.

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.

Getting knocked down is part of life. Getting back up is how we live.

Hosts: David McClain & Jamal Jones
Executive Director: Marlon Jackson
Editing: Marlon Jackson
Music:
Grenada, "Treasure"
McDonald, Otis, "Phife for Life", otismusic.com

Thank you for listening! Follow us on Instagram/TikTok @getbackuppodcast and on X @GBUpodcast

Send us Fan Mail

Episode 41: When you don't feel like yourself

After loss, there comes a moment many widowers quietly experience: you look in the mirror, go to work, attend a family event, or scroll through old photos and think... I don’t even recognize myself anymore.

In this episode, Jamal and David explore the identity disruption that often follows the death of a spouse. They discuss how grief changes more than your emotions—it changes your routines, your priorities, your relationships, your confidence, and sometimes even your personality. From feeling disconnected in social situations to realizing that the version of yourself before loss lived in a completely different reality, they share personal stories about navigating the uncomfortable space between who they were and who they are becoming.

Together, they examine why trying to "get back to normal" can keep us stuck, what makes identity loss so difficult to recognize, and how growth often begins before we're even aware it's happening. This conversation is a reminder that you are not broken, lost, or failing. You are adapting to a life you never asked for—and rebuilding an identity that can honor the past while embracing the future.

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.

Getting knocked down is part of life. Getting back up is how we live.

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

Thank you for listening! Follow us on Instagram/TikTok @getbackuppodcast and on X @GBUpodcast