Don't Forget To Breathe: A Podcast for Living after Child Loss.
Don’t Forget To Breathe is a podcast for parents living after child loss, and for those walking beside them through grief.
Hosted by bereaved parents Bruce Barker and Kristin Glenn, this show offers honest, compassionate conversations about life after child loss, long-term grief, healing, and learning how to keep living while carrying profound loss. Together, Bruce and Kristin create a space where grief does not need to be explained, and where parents can feel understood, supported, and less alone.
Originally launched in 2020, the podcast began as a form of soul-cleansing and healing, as Bruce shared his 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 marked by deep personal transformation, including divorce, closing a business, intensive therapy, and continued healing, the podcast returns with a renewed heart and a deeper, more expansive perspective.
With Kristin joining as co-host in Season 4, the conversation widens. Drawing from decades of lived experience, Bruce and Kristin are joined by parents who bravely share their stories of grief, resilience, and life after the loss of a child. Together, they explore how grief changes over time, and how sorrow, hope, love, and even laughter can exist side by side.
The podcast also creates space for spouses, family members, friends, and anyone walking beside a bereaved parent, offering insight into the realities of grief and the power of simply showing up with compassion and presence.
You’ll hear the shift in voice, perspective, and presence, from surviving to living. Wherever you are in or around grief, this podcast offers connection, understanding, and the quiet reassurance that no one has to carry loss alone.
Episodes
45 episodes
Season 4 Wrap and Don't Forget To Breathe song -E444
As Season 4 comes to a close, Bruce Barker reflects on an unforgettable year of conversations, courage, and connection.In this special solo episode, Bruce looks back at some of the season's most impactful moments with guests including Ta...
Who Am I After Child Loss -E443
Who were you before your child died? And who have you become since?In this deeply personal conversation, Bruce Barker and Kristin Glenn explore one of the most profound realities of child loss: the person you were before your child died ...
Marissa's Story: Healing Isn't Betrayal, Even When It Feels That Way -E442
Marissa's daughter, Skylar, died in 2015 at just four years old. More than a decade later, Marissa shares what many bereaved parents quietly experience: the love hasn't changed, the grief hasn't disappeared, and healing can sometimes feel like ...
Grief in Their Words: Voices That understand Child Loss -E441
Sometimes another person's words express exactly what our hearts have been trying to say.In this special episode, Bruce and Kristin step away from the traditional interview format to share writings and reflections from several remarkable...
A New Chapter: Introducing the Don't Forget To Breathe Foundation -E440
What began as one father's way of surviving the loss of his daughter has grown into something far bigger than a podcast.In this special episode, Bruce Barker and Kristin Glenn announce the launch of the Don't Forget To Breathe Foundat...
One Breath at a Time with John DeDakis -E439
What happens when a journalist who spent decades telling other people's stories suddenly finds himself living the story he never wanted?In this deeply thoughtful conversation, Bruce Barker and Kristin Glenn welcome author, journalist, wr...
Scott's Story: A Father’s Journey Through Loss, Love and Living Again -E438
As we release this episode on Father's Day weekend, we recognize that this day can carry many emotions for bereaved fathers. It can be a day of love, remembrance, gratitude, heartache, and longing, often all at the same time.In this spec...
I Don't Know What To Say to a Grieving Parent (part 2) -E437
In Part 2 of I Don't Know What To Say to a Grieving Parent, Bruce Barker and Kristin Glenn continue their conversation for those supporting a bereaved parent.This episode focuses on why positivity can feel dismissive, why grief cannot be...
I Don't Know What To Say to a Grieving Parent (part 1) -E436
What do you say to a grieving parent?For many people, the fear of saying the wrong thing leads to silence, distance, and disappearance. But for bereaved parents, that silence often hurts far more than imperfect words ever could.In...
Jamie & Cooper's Story: A Brother's Grief After Sudden Loss (part 2) -E435
In part two of this heartfelt conversation, Cooper shares what it has been like navigating life after the loss of his brother, Parker, following part one’s conversation with their mom, Jamie.Cooper speaks openly about the silence that fi...
Jamie & Cooper's Story: Heart Rocks and Mom Armor (part 1) -E434
In Part 1 of this deeply personal conversation, Jamie shares the story of her son Parker, a vibrant, fearless ten-year-old whose life was tragically cut short during the Baja 500 in Mexico.What follows is a raw and honest discussion abou...
You Can't Fix This -E433
We live in a world wired to fix things. But grief, especially child loss, is not something that can be fixed.In this episode, Bruce and Kristin explore the powerful shift from being a “fixer” to becoming a “witness.” Together, they unpac...
Tammy's Story: A Mother's Day Without Him -E432
In this deeply moving episode of Don’t Forget To Breathe, Tammy shares the story of her son, Easton, a bright, joyful little boy who was deeply loved and long awaited.What began as a normal season of life turned into unimaginabl...
When Joy Feels Like Betrayal -E431
There’s a moment many grieving parents experience, but rarely say out loud.A moment where laughter returns, or a sense of lightness breaks through… and almost immediately, it’s followed by guilt.In this episode, Bruce and Kristin ...
Gina's Story: Love, Impact, and the Unthinkable (Part 2) -E430
In Part 2 of Gina’s story, we move beyond the moment everything changed and into the long, complicated reality of living after child loss. This conversation holds space for what grief becomes over time, the loneliness that cannot be fixed, the ...
Gina's Story: Love, Impact, and the Unthinkable (Part 1) -E429
In Part 1 of this deeply moving conversation, Gina shares the story of her son, Gabe, a kind, funny, and compassionate 17-year-old whose presence impacted everyone around him.From memories of his humor and heart, to the way he showed up ...
What Death Does Not Take -E428
When a child dies, it can feel like everything is taken, your future, your identity, your sense of who you are. In this deeply honest conversation, Bruce and Kristin explore that raw reality, and then gently turn toward something many grieving ...
Natalie's Story: When Grief and Joy Exist Together -E427
In this episode, Natalie shares the story of her daughter Brooklyn, a joyful, imaginative little girl who filled every space with life.Through heartfelt memories and honest reflection, we talk about sudden loss, the early days of shock a...
All The Empty Rooms Documentary; A Reflection on Grief and Love -E426
In this episode, Bruce and Kristin reflect on the Academy Award winning documentary All the Empty Rooms, a film that quietly and honestly invites viewers into the sacred spaces left behind after the loss of a child.Rather than o...
The Shattered Future: The Invisible Loss (Part 2) -E425
In Part 2, Bruce and Kristin continue their conversation about the shattered future that follows child loss. Together, they talk about the milestones that can hit without warning, birthdays, New Year’s, graduations, weddings, and the qui...
The Shattered Future: The Invisible Loss (Part 1) -E424
When a child dies, parents don’t just grieve the life that was lived, they grieve the life that was supposed to be.In this episode, Bruce and Kristin talk about the invisible loss many bereaved parents carry: the future that sha...
Why Time Doesn’t Heal the Loss, But What Might Help (Part 3) -E423
In Part 3, Bruce and Kristin talk about what grieving parents often need most: to be seen, not fixed.They explore why it matters when others say our child’s name, ask how they lived instead of how they died, and allow grief to be spoken ...
Why Time Doesn’t Heal the Loss, But What Might Help (Part 2) -E422
In Part 2, we explore one of the quieter things time actually does: it distances us from support.As the calls become fewer and the check-ins fade, it may begin to look from the outside like we’re coping… or even moving on. But grief is p...
Why Time Doesn’t Heal the Loss, But What Might Help (Part 1) -E421
“Time heals all wounds.”Most grieving parents have heard that phrase. Many of us have been hurt by it.In part 1 of this 3-part series, Bruce and Kristin challenge the myth that time alone heals the loss of a child. This isn’t a sc...
Season 4: Roadmap For Grieving Parents -E420
This conversation opens with a promise: we will talk about child loss with honesty, tenderness, and practical care. Bruce Barker and Kristin Glenn outline the intention for Season 4 of Don’t Forget To Breathe: honest, com...