Holding the Light
Child loss, universally, has been called the single, most devastating experience a family can face. It is a very personal journey, with no handbook for survival. Sharing our stories of love and loss offers validation, hope, and healing. Join Monica and Colby Charette in a very unique, mother-and-son podcast, as they share their personal grief journey, and those of others, with intimate interviews each episode that offer powerful experiences, candid advice for friends, retrospective lessons learned, insight and encouragement, and everything in-between. If you have experienced child loss, or care about someone who has, we invite you to hold the light with us, and keep coming back for inspiration and hope.
Episodes
36 episodes
Darlene Sforza: Finding My Purpose Amidst Layered Grief
Losing a child, on it’s own, is more than enough to bear in one lifetime. But imagine losing three brothers before that and witnessing your mother’s unimaginable grief while navigating sibling loss. Then, in a 17-month span, watching both of yo...
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Season 4
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Episode 35
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39:33
Margaret Reilich-Godino: Adolescent Sibling Loss
Sibling relationships often have a unique dynamic, shaped by shared experiences and a deep, sometimes, unspoken bond. Margaret was just 13 when her older sister and best friend Maiah, died in a tragic accident. Adolescent grief can have a profo...
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Season 4
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Episode 34
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37:05
Sarah Kilch Gaffney: Grief Doesn't Take a Holiday
The holidays are here, and for those grieving the loss of someone they love, it can be so challenging. Our guest not only understands this as a grief support facilitator, but also as a widow, who lost her husband in her 20s, while raising their...
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Season 3
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Episode 33
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39:31
Samantha Banerjee: My PUSH for Preventing Stillborn Babies
In 2013 Samantha Banerjee was pregnant with her first child, she lovingly named, Alana. Nearing the end of a textbook pregnancy and just days away from meeting her baby girl, the unthinkable happened. Alana died from stillbirth. And thus began ...
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Season 3
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Episode 32
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52:15
Monica Charette: 10 Things I Have Learned About Grief In 10 Years
October 11, 2024 marks 10 long years since Cassidy died. She would be 27 this year. I never thought I’d still be here, but here I am. Not only have I survived, but I have learned to live again, just differently. I’m living WITH my grief. This e...
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Season 3
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Episode 31
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25:08
Vicki Roy: My Brother Was More Than a Victim of a Mass Shooting
**This conversation includes references to violence, including experiences of a mass shooting, traumatic grief, and other details unsuitable for young children. This recording is prohibited from being copied or reproduced without permission.***...
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Season 3
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Episode 30
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46:30
Sandy Fisher: If I Knew Then What I Know Now (Loss By Suicide)
There is something to be said about a mother’s intuition. Sandy Fisher knew something was wrong the day her 18-year-old son, Scott Junior, died by suicide. He had just entered college. Now, after 18 years of grieving his loss, and even an attem...
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Season 3
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Episode 29
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44:01
Rob Reider: The Sad Dads Club
Navigating life after child loss is hard enough without the gender-based stereotype that men must somehow be strong and overcome their grief. After the devastating loss of his daughter Lila to stillbirth, Rob Reider has created a space to he...
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Season 3
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Episode 28
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43:34
Mary Alexandre: Balancing Grief with Joy
When your child dies, it’s so hard to accept that every part of their existence is no longer possible. Mary Alexandra felt this deeply after her daughter Celina died, as life, inevitably, moves forward. This kind of grief, never goes away. But ...
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Season 3
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Episode 27
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39:36
Julie Brown: Writing and My Grief Evolution
When faced with the possibility that her 34-year-old daughter Jessica might die from brain cancer, Julie Brown turned to her writing for solace, which, she says, has become part of her evolution. After Jessica’s passing, this caregiving and cou...
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Season 3
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Episode 26
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30:36
Susan Cloutier: Surviving the Loss of My Son and Husband
When a horrific car accident suddenly claimed the lives of her teenage son Casey, and her husband Gus, Susan Cloutier had to dig deep to want to keep living. She shares her story of losing half of her family in an instant, parenting her angr...
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Season 3
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Episode 25
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42:13
Debbie Reynolds: Living After the Loss of My Children
While Debbie Reynolds would not, and should not, ever say she is childless, she is now navigating a life without her only two children, Michelle and Matthew. How does a parent even begin to process the death of their young daughter, whi...
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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39:57
Annette McCoy: Coming to Terms with Suicide
Suicide without warning is more common than we might think. Which is why Annette McCoy will never stop asking herself, “how did I not know?” Sometimes, even after years of searching, the answers just aren’t there. Instead of focusing on h...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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38:26
Dawn Prime Watson: Surviving My Son's Suicide Without Blame
Every day Dawn carries her heavy grief, alongside endless love for her son Krys, but she never carries the guilt or responsibility that often plague parents of child loss to suicide. In this podcast, this brave Mom candidly shares how the demon...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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1:08:36
Cidny Bullens: As Long As You Love (A special interview with our podcast theme song singer-songwriter, and fellow parent of child loss)
In a very special interview, Colby and I had the complete joy and honor of talking with Cidny Bullens, a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, who is known for being a backup vocalist for Elton John, singing lead vocals on the Grease soundtrack, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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1:02:11
Tom Howard: A Father's Reflection on Grief & Healing
When your child dies by suicide, it presents unique circumstances that can intensify and sometimes prolong and complicate the grieving process for parents. Tom Howard is slowly reassembling the pieces of his own shattered life after the loss of...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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34:32
Taryn Murray: Finding Personal Peace After Child Loss
It’s so hard to move forward after the loss of a child. Hard for grieving parents to find their place in the world; to maintain their role as a parent, a daughter, son, or friend. Remembering who they are, and what makes them happy....
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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42:18
Kirstie Martin: Grief & My Mental Well-Being
When you are suffering with the most difficult grief of child loss, in your deepest despair, you sometimes question your mental well-being. But how do you know when grief becomes a mental health crisis? Kirstie Martin knew the difference one da...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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47:02
Charlie Hartman: Losing My Only Child
Is grief different for parents of only children? Charlie Hartman’s answer surprised us. But what didn’t, is the lifetime of grief she now bears after the death of her 30-year-old son, Alec. Her voice lights up when she says his name...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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39:08
Lisa Reilich: Surrendering to My Grief
When Lisa Reilich suddenly lost her 18-year-old daughter Maiah in a tragic accident in 2020, she dug deeper into the meaning of “transitioning” and discovered new ways to know her daughter, and, continue their relationship. Lisa shares the pers...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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51:50
Deb Roberts: Mourning My Son With A Nation
Grieving the loss of your child is very personal—and private—until your loss becomes part of a national tragedy. Deb Roberts shared her grief with people around the country, as we held our collective breaths waiting to hear the fate of the 33 c...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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48:06
Amber Poulin: Childhood Cancer & Grief
Four words a parent never wants to hear: your child has cancer. How would you talk with your 11-year old child about his own mortality? We wondered, when you anticipate your child's death, when does the grief journey actually begin? Amber Pouli...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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34:54
Mark Jose: Holiday Grief
The holidays are especially challenging for grieving families. Colby and I were honored to talk with Mark Jose, a professional grief counselor, longtime Hospice volunteer, and grief support group facilitator. In this episode, Mark h...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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41:30
Cathy Langlais (Amanda's & Chris's Mom from Episode 11): My Story
If you tuned into our most recent podcast, you had the opportunity to meet Amanda Garay, who bravely shared the loss of her younger brother Chris, to suicide. This week, we are joined by Amanda’s and Chris's Mom, Cathy Langlais, who says, the o...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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27:28
Amanda Garay: Losing My Brother to Suicide
Siblings are your first friends, the keeper of your earliest childhood memories, the people you expect and plan to be part of your future. In this week’s podcast, Amanda Garay shares her deep love, and the lifelong grief she now bears after her...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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32:32