life's too short

Sarah Mc Ginn
  • 0.0 (0)
  • PERSONAL JOURNALS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Hello, I’m Sarah Mc Ginn, and you’re listening to Life's Too Short Grief changes everything - your beliefs, your purpose, your sense of time. This podcast explores those changes through honest conversations with people who have lived through the unimaginable, as well as solo reflections from me on my own journey with loss. Each week we share stories of what grief takes, what it gives, and how it reshapes the way we live. These conversations can be raw and difficult, but also full of love, laughter, and unexpected hope. Because as we all know - life is too short. 🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe to listen back to past seasons and join the conversation. 💙 To support the podcast and help me keep bringing you these stories, visit Buy Me a Coffee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 12/23/2025

    Christmas Grief: Coping With Loss During the Festive Season

    Christmas can intensify grief in ways you don’t expect. For many people, the festive season brings memories, longing, and a deep sense of absence - especially if you’re facing your first Christmas without someone you love. In this solo episode of Life’s Too Short, I talk honestly about Christmas grief and what it’s really like to cope with loss during the holidays. I share a personal story about the first time I heard a Christmas song after my mum died, how grief can surface suddenly, and how this season can feel isolating when the world expects joy. This episode explores: why grief often feels heavier at Christmasthe emotional complexity of the festive season after losshow to survive your first Christmas without a loved onepermission to lower expectations and opt out of traditionshow joy and grief can exist together over time Whether you’re grieving a parent, partner, child, or someone deeply important to you, this episode is for anyone trying to get through Christmas while carrying loss. You can find me on Instagram @lifestooshortpodcast, where I share updates, reflections and details about upcoming episodes. I’ll be taking a short break over the Christmas period to rest and be with my family, but new episodes will be back in the new year. Thank you so much for listening, sharing, and holding space for these conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    14 min

  2. 12/09/2025

    Marina Wild: A Story of Motherhood, Hope, and an Incurable Diagnosis

    This week’s episode is one I’ll carry with me for a long, long time. Marina joined me to talk about a different kind of grief - the grief that comes before loss. The kind that lives inside uncertainty, scans, treatments, watching your child grow, and holding both hope and heartbreak in the same breath. At 34, Marina was living her dream life in the west of Ireland - painting, teaching, growing a garden, building a future with her husband. Then came a diagnosis that changed everything: ALK-positive lung cancer. A disease she never imagined could happen to her, and one that is, for now, incurable. In this conversation, Marina speaks with honesty, clarity and unbelievable strength about: • the shock of diagnosis • the years of treatment that followed • becoming a mother after cancer • parenting through uncertainty • anticipatory grief • the everyday beauty she holds onto • and the spiritual grounding that keeps her going I’m so grateful Marina trusted this space with her story. It’s emotional, it’s human, it’s real, and it will stay with you. If you or someone you love is navigating cancer, or the uncertainty of life-limiting illness, there is support, community, and advocacy happening every single day. I’ve linked to Marina’s work and the Marie Keating Foundation below. Where to Find MarinaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinawild_art/Website & Artwork: https://www.marinawild.com/ Marie Keating FoundationSupport, information & resources: https://www.mariekeating.ieLung cancer awareness & advocacy: https://www.mariekeating.ie/cancer-information/lung-cancer/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 19m

  3. 11/20/2025

    Annabelle Reynolds: Anger, Love, Addiction, and Loss

    In today’s episode, I’m joined by Annabelle Reynolds for an incredibly honest conversation about complex grief - the kind of grief we don’t often talk about publicly. Annabelle shares the story of her father, a deeply kind and vibrant man whose life changed dramatically after the 2008 recession. Over the years, addiction, shame, and difficult family dynamics reshaped their relationship long before his death from esophageal cancer in 2019. We talk about: What it’s like to “lose” a parent many times before they physically dieAnger, rage, jealousy, and the emotions society rarely associates with griefGrowing up fast and becoming the caretaker long before adulthoodNavigating addiction, family fractures, and grief that doesn’t fit the traditional mouldThe first year after loss, anticipatory grief, and building a toolbox to survive itHealing as sisters, spirituality, signs, humour, and the messy truth of moving forward This is the first time Annabelle has shared her story in full, and it’s a conversation I know will resonate deeply with anyone who has experienced complicated loss - or ever wondered whether their version of grief is “normal.” A gentle content note: this episode includes discussion of addiction, self-harm, and complex family trauma. If this episode meant something to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with someone who might feel a little less alone hearing it. That’s how our community grows. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    57 min

  4. 11/11/2025

    Sarah Mc Ginn: Do You Believe in Signs?

    In this solo episode, I reflect on the idea of signs; the small, sometimes strange ways we feel our loved ones near after they’re gone. A song on the radio. A robin in the garden. A moment that feels too precise to be coincidence. Why do we look for them? What do they mean? And do they actually matter, or is the meaning in how they make us feel? Through honest reflection and gentle storytelling, I'm exploring how grief sharpens our awareness of the world around us, how comfort doesn’t always need proof, and why believing (or not believing) in signs can both be okay. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Was that them?”, this episode is for you. 🎧 Listen to more episodes of Life’s Too Short wherever you get your podcasts. ✨ Follow on Instagram @lifestooshortpodcast 📰 Subscribe to the newsletter on Substack: https://lifestooshortpodcast.substack.com/ 💬 Leave a rating or review, it helps others find these conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    10 min

  5. 11/04/2025

    Morgan Cummins: On Loss, Growth, and the Gift of Living Differently

    In this week’s episode of Life’s Too Short, I speak with Morgan Cummins; an executive coach and recruiter who lost his dad suddenly more than 20 years ago. What began as an unimaginable shock became, over time, one of his greatest teachers. We talk about what it means to live with loss, how grief can reappear in the body years later, and how to let go of anger without letting go of love. Morgan shares his path from anxiety to spirituality, the lessons he’s carried into fatherhood, and how the death of his dad reshaped his definition of success, legacy, and peace. It’s a grounded, generous conversation about what loss can show us, if we let it. 🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts. Find Morgan on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgancummins12/ 💬 Join the conversation Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/lifestooshortpodcast Substack → https://lifestooshort.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    51 min

  6. 10/29/2025

    Sarah Mc Ginn: Will It Always Hurt This Much?

    In this solo episode, I explore one of the hardest questions we face after loss, will it always hurt this much? When someone dies, people often say that time heals. But the truth is, time doesn’t erase grief, it just changes our relationship with it. The pain softens, reshapes, hides in quieter moments. Sometimes it returns without warning. I'm speaking honestly about how grief evolves, how we learn to carry it differently, and why joy doesn’t mean forgetting. This episode is for anyone who’s still in that in-between space; not where they were, not fully okay either, but finding a way forward. 🎧 Subscribe to Life’s Too Short wherever you get your podcasts. ❤️ If this episode stayed with you, please consider leaving a review, it helps others find these conversations. 🔗 Follow on Instagram: @lifestooshortpodcast 📰 Join the Substack community: lifestooshort.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    8 min

  7. 10/20/2025

    Feebee Foran: When grief breaks you open and everything changes

    In this episode of Life’s Too Short, I’m joined by Feebee Foran - founder of Forager.ie, nature educator, herbalist, and all-round powerhouse. Feebee lost her Dad suddenly in just 11 days. What followed was a grief she hadn’t expected - intense, physical, and deeply disorienting. She talks about how she kept pushing forward in her corporate job until one day, she couldn’t anymore. This conversation explores what happens when grief cracks something open in you - and the slow journey back to yourself through nature, creativity, and doing things differently. We talk about the impact of grief on the body, the emotional isolation of being the “strong one,” and how she began to reimagine life on her own terms - building a business that feels rooted, healing, and aligned. This one’s about loss, yes - but also joy, belonging, and remembering who you are. ⚠️ Please note: this episode contains discussion of sudden loss and the physical symptoms of grief. If you enjoy this conversation, you can support the podcast by subscribing, sharing, or leaving a review. It really helps others find these stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min

  8. 10/13/2025

    Sarah Mc Ginn: The Person You Were With Them

    This episode looks at the version of you that disappears when someone you love dies. The humour, confidence, or calm they brought out in you - gone with them, at least for a while. It’s about who we were in their presence, and how to reconnect with that person again, even after they’re gone. If this episode resonates, share it with someone who might need it - or join the conversation on Substack or Instagram @lifestooshortpodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    6 min
See All (37)

Trailers

About

Hello, I’m Sarah Mc Ginn, and you’re listening to Life's Too Short Grief changes everything - your beliefs, your purpose, your sense of time. This podcast explores those changes through honest conversations with people who have lived through the unimaginable, as well as solo reflections from me on my own journey with loss. Each week we share stories of what grief takes, what it gives, and how it reshapes the way we live. These conversations can be raw and difficult, but also full of love, laughter, and unexpected hope. Because as we all know - life is too short. 🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe to listen back to past seasons and join the conversation. 💙 To support the podcast and help me keep bringing you these stories, visit Buy Me a Coffee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Sarah Mc Ginn
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sarah Mc Ginn
  • Show Website
    life's too short