Don't Forget To Breathe: Where grieving parents find voice, hope, and connection.
Don’t Forget To Breathe is a podcast for parents who have lost a child.
Hosted by a grieving father, this show offers honest, compassionate conversations about life after child loss, long-term grief, healing, and learning how to keep living while carrying loss.
Originally launched in 2020, this podcast began as a form of soul-cleansing and healing, as I shared my journey as a father who suddenly lost his 20-year-old daughter in 2006, a tragedy no parent should ever have to endure.
After a three year hiatus filled with personal transformation, including divorce, closing my business, intensive therapy, and continued healing, I return with a renewed heart and deeper understanding.
In future seasons, I’ll be sharing conversations with other parents who have bravely offered to speak about living with the unimaginable. Together, we’ll explore what grief looks like over time, and how hope, love, and even laughter can coexist with loss.
You’ll hear the shift in my voice from where I was then, to where I am now. I trust you’ll find common ground in our stories, and perhaps a glimmer of hope as you continue on your own path.
Don't Forget To Breathe: Where grieving parents find voice, hope, and connection.
S3/E32- Child Loss, Grief, and Healing: Season 3 Recap
This episode of Don’t Forget To Breathe reflects on Season 3, a season focused on parents who have lost a child, life after child loss, long-term grief, and healing. Hosted by a grieving father, this recap honors the voices of bereaved parents who shared their stories of love, loss, and learning how to keep living while carrying grief.
Season 3 centered on conversations with mothers and fathers navigating parental grief years after losing a child. This recap is both a thank-you to the parents who bravely shared their stories and a moment of reflection for grieving parents who may be listening quietly from wherever they are in their grief journey.
The episode also looks ahead to Season 4 of Don’t Forget To Breathe and how the podcast will continue offering child loss grief support, honest conversations, and a place for bereaved parents to find voice, hope, and connection.
If you are a parent who has lost a child, or someone supporting a grieving parent, this episode is for you. You are not alone.
Help keep the Don’t Forget To Breathe podcast going. Become a supporter today and be part of the movement to bring light, connection, and hope to those living with loss. Follow this link to become a Supporter:
Welcome to Don't Forget to Breathe. I'm Bruce Barker and I'm your host. Today I'm putting a wrap on season three and preparing to launch season four. Stick around to the end because I have some exciting news to share about season four. So season three marked a shift in the format of this podcast. This season centered on bereaved parents telling their stories. Stories about life after child loss, long-term grief, healing, and learning how to keep living while still carrying profound loss. Before anything else, I want to thank the parents who joined me this season and trusted this space with their very personal stories. Sharing these experiences takes courage, and I'm deeply grateful for each of you. We began the season with Marnie, who joined the podcast and introduced us to her daughter, Joey. Marnie shared the experience of receiving a devastating medical diagnosis just days after Joey was born. News that led to years of hospital visits and the daily fight to keep her daughter alive. Alongside that struggle was a life filled with laughter, adventure, and deep love. That life came to an end twenty one years later when Joey died. Marnie also spoke honestly about what life has been since Joey's death, the weight of the grief, the ongoing struggles, and the ways she continues forward while holding tightly to her daughter's memory. Next, Sheila Johnson Wilson joined me to share her story of loss, grief, and healing. Sheila is a writer and musician who has endured the loss of more than 20 loved ones, including 17 within a five-year period. At the time we recorded, Sheila was in the final stages of writing her book on grief therapy. I'm happy to share that her book is now published. While the working title was Grief Therapy Heartbreak is Real and Healing is Possible, the published title is The Quiet Cry Project. You can find more information about Sheila and her work in the show's notes for episode 28 and by visiting her website at theQuietCryProject.com. Sheila, thank you and congratulations on your book. We wrapped the parent stories for season three with my friend Kristen. Kristen joined me to share her story of losing her son, Zach, and her grief journey over the past 30 years. Kristen is one of the founders and former executive director of a Colorado-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting grieving parents who have experienced child loss. I met Kristen three years ago when I joined that same nonprofit as a dad's support group facilitator. Kristen has shared her story countless times over the years, both as an executive director and as someone who showed up for parents in their hours and days following their unimaginable loss. This season, she joined me to speak about her own story through the lens of Veloma, a word that means against the natural order of things. And as bereaved parents, we know all too well losing a child is the most stark, tragic, and painful example of Veloma. In the second part of Kristen's story, she shared how her nonprofit work began and what it meant to show up for grieving families year after year, the emotional weight of holding space for others, and the ways community and connection sustain healing, including her own. We also talked about what comes next after years of serving others so fully. Kristen, thank you for sharing your incredible journey. And speaking of what comes next, that brings me to the exciting news about season four. I am honored to announce that Kristen will be joining Don't Forget to Breathe as a co-host. Together, Kristen and I will continue welcoming bereaved parents onto the podcast, giving them a platform to share their stories of child loss, grief, hope, and healing, their own personal stories of Veloma. We'll also share one-on-one conversations with each other about child loss, grief, healing, and life after losing a child. Kristen and I have spent countless hours talking together over the years, and we felt it was time to share those conversations with you. Look for season four in the coming weeks as we continue offering grieving parents a place to find voice, hope, and connection. And as I mentioned in episode 31, if you feel a pool, even a small one, to share your own story, I invite you to reach out. This podcast is one way to introduce the world to your child, to speak their name, and to share your grief, your struggles, and if it feels true for you, the healing you found along the way. You don't need any special equipment. We can record right where you are, anywhere in the world, just through a simple online platform. My contact information is in the show notes and follows this episode. If you're considering sharing, please reach out. We can talk through the process together. This community would be honored to hold space for your story. So until next time, I'm Bruce Barker, and please don't forget to breathe away.