Episode 28: Angela Myers – Love, Loss, and Life with ALS

What happens when the person you planned to grow old with is diagnosed with a disease that changes everything—and you're raising two young daughters while trying to hold your family together?

Angela Myers joins Rod & Chris to share her journey of caring for her husband as he battled Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a progressive neurological disease that affects the nerve cells responsible for voluntary muscle movement.

Angela talks about the challenges of becoming a caregiver while still being a wife and mother, navigating the uncertainty of a devastating diagnosis, and trying to maintain some sense of normalcy for her two young daughters as their father's disease progressed.

It's a conversation about love, marriage, parenting, caregiving, and the kind of grief that begins long before someone is gone. The physical and emotional demands of caring for someone with ALS are enormous, but so is the challenge of helping children understand what's happening to someone they love.

And when her husband died, Angela faced another chapter—learning how to move forward while raising two daughters who were grieving their father.

Because sometimes being strong doesn't mean having it all together.

Sometimes it just means getting everyone through another day.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Angela and her husband's journey through an ALS diagnosis

• Understanding Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and how it changes everyday life

• Becoming a caregiver while still being a wife and mother

• Raising two young daughters while their father battled a terminal illness

• The emotional and physical challenges of caring for a spouse with ALS

• Experiencing anticipatory grief while caring for someone you love

• Helping children navigate the illness and eventual loss of a parent

• Finding a way forward as a widow and single parent

Sometimes grief begins with a diagnosis.

Sometimes the hardest part is trying to protect the people you love from a reality you can't change.

And sometimes moving forward means learning how to carry both the love and the loss.

Music Attribution
“Sergio's Magic Dustbin” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Rod & Chris: Unqualified and Unsupervised
No experts. Just experience. And conversations worth having.

Episode 29: Mary Ingham – Breaking the Silence: Domestic Abuse Awareness, Part 1

What does it take to leave an abusive relationship? And why is it never as simple as telling someone to “just leave”?

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Rod & Chris are marking the occasion with a special two-part conversation featuring Mary Ingham from Crisis Intervention Service.

In Part 1, Mary joins us to talk about the realities of domestic abuse, the challenges survivors face, and the important work Crisis Intervention Service does to help individuals and families find safety, support, and a way forward.

Domestic abuse isn't always physical. It can involve emotional manipulation, financial control, intimidation, isolation, and fear. And for someone living in an abusive situation, leaving isn't always as simple—or as safe—as the rest of us might think.

It's a conversation about awareness, compassion, breaking the silence, and understanding that nobody deserves to live in fear.

And this time, we're doing more than talking about it.

As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Chris is taking on a 50-mile cycling challenge to raise $5,000 for Crisis Intervention Service.

The goal? $100 for every mile.

Fifty miles. One mission. Helping people find a way out of dangerous situations and toward a safer future.

Whether you contribute $5, $50, or sponsor an entire mile, every donation helps support the mission.

Visit rodandchris.com and click the Fundraiser tab to learn more and donate.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Meet Mary Ingham and learn about the work of Crisis Intervention Service

• Why October's Domestic Violence Awareness Month matters

• The different forms domestic abuse can take beyond physical violence

• Why leaving an abusive relationship can be incredibly complicated

• The barriers survivors face when seeking safety and support

• How Crisis Intervention Service helps individuals and families in crisis

• What friends, family, and communities can do to support survivors

Sometimes the hardest part isn't asking for help.

It's believing there's a way out.

And sometimes making a difference starts with something as simple as showing up, speaking out, or chipping in.

This is Part 1 of a special two-part conversation. Be sure to join us for Part 2 as we continue our discussion with Mary Ingham.

Content Warning
This episode includes discussion of domestic abuse, intimate partner violence, and trauma. Please listen with care.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, confidential help is available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), by texting START to 88788, or online at thehotline.org.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

Music Attribution
“Sergio's Magic Dustbin” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Rod & Chris: Unqualified and Unsupervised
No experts. Just experience. And conversations worth having.

Episode 27: Angel Thompson – Grieving Together

Grief doesn’t just affect the person who experienced the loss. It can change a marriage, a relationship, and the way two people move through life together.

In Episode 27 of Rod & Chris: Unqualified and Unsupervised, Angel Thompson joins us to talk about what it’s like to support a spouse who is grieving the loss of family members.

Angel shares the challenges of watching someone you love hurt when you can’t fix it, knowing when to step in and when to simply be there, and learning how to support your partner while navigating the changes grief can bring to a relationship.

We also have an important conversation about suicide, the impact it leaves on those who love someone, and why we need to be willing to talk about it.

Because sometimes loving someone through grief isn’t about finding the right words or making things better. It’s about staying beside them while they find their way forward.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What it’s like to support a grieving spouse
• How grief can affect a relationship
• The challenge of wanting to help when you can’t “fix” the loss
• Grief following suicide and its impact on families
• Why simply being present can matter
• How couples can keep moving forward together

Content Note: This episode includes discussion of suicide and suicide loss.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is available 24/7.

No experts. Just experience. And sometimes, being there is enough.

Rod & Chris: Unqualified and Unsupervised
Unfiltered conversations from the club we didn’t want to join.

Music: “Sergio’s Magic Dustbin” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License