This episode discusses suicide, grief, and loss. No graphic details or methods are described. If you're struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text (US), and the Crisis Text Line is available by texting HOME to 741741.

Last week, we talked about prevention. This episode goes somewhere prevention often skips; the language we use around suicide, the people left behind after a loss, and the conversation most of us are too afraid to have. We break down why "died by suicide" has replaced "committed suicide," what postvention means and why survivors of loss are so often left without support, and most importantly, how to actually ask someone if they're okay, in a way that might genuinely help.

If someone came to mind while you were listening: that's probably not a coincidence. Reach out to them this week.

Support me on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/nikkithedeathdoula⁠

Get merch and find any other info you need on the podcast here: www.nikkithedeathdoula.com/podcast

Music: "Cheery Monday"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We're revisiting this conversation for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month because this episode still matters!!

A note before you listen: this episode discusses suicide and mental health struggles openly. If you're in a rough place right now, please see the resources at the bottom of these notes before or after listening.

If you or someone you know is struggling:

-988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call or text 988 (US), available 24/7-Crisis Text Line — Text HOME to 741741 (US)-International Association for Suicide Prevention — findahelpline.com for resources outside the US

You don't have to be in crisis to reach out. These lines are also there if you just need to talk something through.

Support me on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/nikkithedeathdoula⁠

Get merch and find any other info you need on the podcast here: www.nikkithedeathdoula.com/podcast

Music: "Cheery Monday"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

If you have thoughts about suicide or harming yourself please call or text 988. I promise someone is there who cares.

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses suicide, mental illness, and grief in detail.

For Suicide Awareness Month, I sat down with Jackie M. Baker, a pediatric nurse practitioner, author, and mother, who lost her son Sebastian to suicide after his years-long battle with bipolar disorder and suicidal thoughts. Jackie shares what it was like to walk through the hardest kind of grief, and why she now devotes her time to supporting other mothers who've lost children to suicide.

Jackie is the author of the upcoming book Messy Mourning: Hope for Mothers Grieving the Loss of a Child by Suicide, and writes regularly about grief, faith, and healing at her Substack, Jackie's Substack.

You can find Jackie at:

Website: jackiembaker.com

Substack: jackiembaker.substack.com

Support me on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/nikkithedeathdoula⁠

Get merch and find any other info you need on the podcast here: www.nikkithedeathdoula.com/podcast

Music:

"Cheery Monday"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We see it again and again: a family keeps vigil for days, someone finally steps out for coffee, and that's the exact moment their loved one dies. Why does it happen?

In this episode, I dig into one of the strangest, most consistent patterns in end-of-life care: patients who seem to wait until the room is empty (or, just as often, wait until everyone arrives) before they let go. I look at the leading theories and what this pattern might say about autonomy, love, and how little we really understand about dying.

A note: This episode explores death and dying in a reflective, non-graphic way. If end-of-life topics are difficult for you right now, feel free to skip this one and come back to the feed next week.

Support me on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/nikkithedeathdoula⁠

Get merch and find any other info you need on the podcast here: www.nikkithedeathdoula.com/podcast

Music: "Cheery Monday" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Welcome to Season 10! I’m so excited to be back and have some great episodes upcoming as well as some lovely ideas for a special project in the future. Stay tuned!!!

Support me on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/nikkithedeathdoula⁠

Get merch and find any other info you need on the podcast here: www.nikkithedeathdoula.com/podcast

"Cheery Monday"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

TW: religion and reproductive rights discussed

I’m sharing a full episode of Just Rest today! Just Rest is hosted by a guest on good Grief from my early days, and dear friend Niccole Havelka. Here is more info onh er show and this episode:

What does faith have to do with reproductive justice — and what does either have to do with rest? Everything, it turns out. Nicole sits down with Elaina Ramsey, Executive Director of FaithChoice Ohio, an organization that elevates the moral power of faith communities for abortion justice and reproductive freedom in Ohio and beyond. Elaina shares her journey from fundamentalist evangelical to pro-faith, pro-choice advocate, and how that transformation shaped her understanding of bodily autonomy, mutual aid, and rest as a deeply spiritual practice. Whether you're navigating burnout in movement work or simply trying to stay human while doing hard things in the world, this episode is for you.

CONNECT WITH ELAINA RAMSEY & FAITHCHOICE OHIO:Website: faithchoiceohio.org

Instagram: @FaithChoiceOhio

Facebook: @FaithChoiceOhio

Podcast: R-Soul https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/podcast

CONNECT WITH NICOLE HAVELKA:

Newsletter

LinkedIn

Work with Nicole

Support me on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/nikkithedeathdoula⁠

Get merch and find any other info you need on the podcast here: www.nikkithedeathdoula.com/podcast

In this bonus episode, I'm reading a letter sent in by a listener named Kim, written shortly after her father's death. Her dad was a brilliant, complicated man whose life was also shaped by depression and addiction. Kim writes about holding his hand through his final hours, singing him the lullaby her grandmother once sang to her, and discovering that his death became one of the most healing experiences of her life.

This isn't just a story about loss, it's about presence, forgiveness, and the strange grace that can show up at the very end. Thank you, Kim, for trusting us with something so personal. If you've ever loved someone whose struggles made loving them complicated, I hope this offers some comfort.

Support me on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/nikkithedeathdoula⁠

Get merch and find any other info you need on the podcast here: www.nikkithedeathdoula.com/podcast

In blue-collar workplaces, the culture runs on toughness. Show up, do the job and don't complain. But what happens when a worker loses a father, a coworker, a marriage, or a career, and that same "drive on" mentality is the only tool he's been given to cope?

In this episode, I sit down with Adam Daviau, a bilingual end-of-life doula and grief coach who has spent his career helping men navigate loss, especially men in trades and industries where vulnerability isn't exactly part of the job description. We talk about why the standard grief-support system so often fails working men, what unprocessed grief actually looks like on the job site and at home, and what it takes to build a different kind of support.

Adam Daviau is a bilingual end-of-life doula based in Sudbury, Ontario, and the founder of Beautiful Existence Doulas. After navigating the overwhelming logistics and emotional weight of his own father's death, Adam became the advocate he wished his family had had; now helping individuals and families lead through loss with clarity and dignity.

You can find Adam here: https://beautifulexistencedoulas.com/

https://www.instagram.com/beautiful_existence_doulas/

https://www.facebook.com/beautifulexistencedoulaservices#

Support me on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/nikkithedeathdoula⁠

Get merch and find any other info you need on the podcast here: www.nikkithedeathdoula.com/podcast