Joining me on the podcast today is a friend of mine, Rich Weber, who has a lot to share when it comes to the aftermath of losing a parent. Having lost my father when I was very young, I know first hand how difficult it can be to pick up the pieces and adjust to life after a great loss and I’m incredibly grateful that he’s taken the time out to have this important discussion with me.

In today’s episode, Rich opens up on his experience growing up mourning the sudden loss of his Mother and how that period affected both him and his family members. He also shares how he came to terms with the complex and confusing thoughts surrounding grief in his adult life and why coming into his own sense of self was so beneficial for his own closure.

To learn more, tune in to Episode 5 of You Got This!

Some Questions I Ask:

• Were you especially close to your siblings growing up? (8:31)
• Do your personality traits strongly differ from the rest of your siblings? (14:51)
• Was it beneficial for you to have a relationship with both your Mother and the caretakers who came in afterwards? (19:25)
• Could you speak on the dynamics within your own family? (23:57)
• What advice would you give to any fathers and children who are grieving the loss of a parent? (26:19)
• How have you balanced your personal aspirations with your family life? (29:05)

In This Episode You Will Learn:

• Some background on Rich’s family & His mother’s illness (1:05)
• The emotional aftermath of their mother’s passing & How Rich adjusted to living with a series of nannies (4:40)
• Why losing one of their favourite nannies affected Rich and his family so strongly (9:01)
• How Rich’s great aunty became a stabilizer for his family while they were in mourning (12:22)
• Rich’s perspective on accepting and coming to terms with loss (16:36)
• How grief can be used to introduce new passions and a sense of resiliency into our lives (34:19)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I’m joined by my stepbrother of over 40 years and great friend, Ed Gosselin. For us and many others that stem from our generation, we’ve grown up around the mentality that grief is something we just needed to push through and was rarely talked about at length.

Today, we’re taking the opportunity to reflect on what the grieving process was like for us personally, who impacted us the most throughout the adjustment to life after a huge loss, and how having family members in close proximity to us played a role during that period of time. We also discuss how individual people in our lives left a lasting impact and gave us much needed hope during such a confusing time.

If you’re curious to hear our perspective on this topic, tune in to Episode 4 of You Got This!

Some Questions I Ask:

• Could you talk about what the first few years were like for you after your mom passed away? (1:30)
• Do you remember any specific low points during that period of time? (5:23)
• Do you feel it was a good or a bad thing that you saw your mom’s passing coming in advance? (5:57)
• At what point did you start to feel hope again after the loss you’d experienced? (7:22)
• Did anyone help you during your grieving process who wasn’t directly in your circle of friends and family? (10:42)
• What was your reaction to your father remarrying only a year after you’d lost your mother? (18:52)
• What would you say to someone who has lost a parent in their teenage years? (22:00)

In This Episode You Will Learn:

• How generational mindsets influenced how we approached grief in our early days (4:33)
• How prominent male figures in Ed’s life played a role in his grieving process (9:43)
• A background on Ed’s father’s circle of friends and the impact they left on him (12:00)
• The difference in Ed’s family members in how they dealt with loss (17:01)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What could be tougher than anybody leaving this earth too early?

As much as no one ever wishes to have a loved one die, it does happen, and everybody copes differently with the loss. The way we perceive a tragedy like that can really change our life, but the truth is, only time is really going to help heal the wounds we have.

Today, I talk with Harry Morell - a friend of mine, that tragically lost his father in the 9/11 events. At that time, he was only six years old, and the real memories with his dad are few but Harry is lucky to have plenty of stories heard from close people that created a hero image of his father.

Listen to Episode 03 of You Got This! where we discuss the experiences Harry’s been through, as a child and teenager, how his friends were and still are his best support group, and how to act around people that have gone through a tragedy, so that you make sure you don’t hurt them or make them feel uncomfortable.

Some questions I ask:

• How did you feel in the first couple of months after losing your father? (01:20)
• As you were working through things, did you ever have an epiphany that, “Hey, things might be alright! I’m going to work my way through this”? (03:13)
• Do you feel like your friends, consciously or subconsciously, have played a role in raising you, to an extent? (07:07)
• What advice would you have for people on how to approach somebody like you? (10:41)
• What advice would you have for people who have lost their spouses? (15:48)

In this episode, you will learn:

• How having a community support group helped Harry and his family cope with the loss. (05:07)
• One anti-hero in Harry’s story that hurt his feelings when actually the intention was to help him. (08:48)
• How hearing stories of his dad helped Harry shape his character. (11:26)
• The ways in which Harry feels his dad close to him, when he’s doing his job. (14:39)
• How with time, grief turns into inspiration. (17:32)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.