Before They Go Missing

Ann Reynolds

Before They Go Missing is a solo podcast by Ann Reynolds about the people who disappear — not dramatically, not suddenly — but quietly, in rooms no one checks on. Loneliness. Grief. Mental health. Housing insecurity. System failures. Every episode tells one story and asks one question. New episodes every week.

Episodios

  1. hace 3 h

    No Address, No Identity

    Starla was 15 when the voices started. By 25, she was living on the streets. By 29, her family didn't know if she was alive. This is the story of untreated mental illness. Of a young woman with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression, and PTSD who tried to get help — but the system failed her. Of parents who did everything right and watched their daughter disappear anyway. Of a cousin who stayed clean while her sister spiraled. And of what happens when someone stops having an address and the world stops being able to find them. THE NUMBER THIS WEEK 52 million Americans have mental illness. Less than half get treated. For those without treatment, homelessness risk is three times higher. And 50% of homeless people have untreated mental illness. IN THIS EPISODE We tell Starla's story — from the moment the voices started to the day she disappeared into the streets of Atlanta. We hear from her parents, who put her in rehab at 17, only to watch her come out and use again within two weeks because the treatment center missed her real diagnosis. We hear from her cousin, who grew up with Starla and stayed clean while watching her cousin spiral. And we hear what it means to have no address, no phone, no way for the system to know if you're alive or dead. This is about untreated mental illness. This is about a system that fails the people who need it most. This is about disappearing one day at a time, until nobody can find you. THIS WEEK'S QUESTION Do you know someone with untreated mental illness right now? Someone using drugs to self-medicate? Someone whose family can't reach them? This week, reach out. Tell them you see them. Tell them they matter. Tell them help is possible. SHARE YOUR STORY If you know someone with untreated mental illness, or if you're struggling yourself, email us: btgmpodcast@gmail.com We're listening. We want to hear your story. CONNECT WITH ANN Follow Before They Go Missing on Instagram: @before.they.go.missing Check out the full show & resources: linktr.ee/btgmpodcast IF THIS EPISODE HITS HOME If you're struggling with untreated mental illness: Call 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (available 24/7)Visit NAMI.org (National Alliance on Mental Illness) for resources & support groupsFind a community health center near you at findahealthcenter.hrsa.govText "HELLO" to 741741 (Crisis Text Line)If you're concerned about someone with untreated mental illness: 211.org — connects you to local mental health & housing servicesNAMI Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI (support for families)Local mental health crisis teams in your areaPeer support groups — NAMI Family & Friends support groups PREVENTION BEFORE DISAPPEARANCE Mental illness doesn't kidnap people. It doesn't happen all at once. It happens slowly — in the way someone stops answering their phone, moves from place to place, and one day finds themselves with no address, no phone, no way for anyone to know if they're alive. By the time you realize they're gone, they've been disappearing for years. Don't wait. If you know someone struggling, reach out now. Before they disappear. FOLLOW, SHARE, COMMENT Love this episode? Share it. Leave a comment. Tell us your story. Because prevention isn't just about programs — it's about visibility. It's about saying out loud that this is happening. It's about refusing to let people disappear into their own minds. Before They Go Missing — New episodes every Wednesday at 7am CT. Prevention before disappearance.

    21 min

  2. hace 15 h

    Aging Out

    Julia was 10 years old when her dad overdosed. She went into foster care. Five placements. Multiple caseworkers. Then she turned 18 and the system stopped caring. Chelsea's mom was a lawyer who forgot to pick her up from school. By 15, she was in the system. By 18, she had nowhere to go. This is the story of what happens when the government decides you're an adult. Even though you've never had parents. Even though you've never had stability. Even though you have nowhere to go. In New York City alone, 3,000 young people age out of foster care every year. In America, it's 20,000. And one in four will experience homelessness within a year. This is Julia's story. This is Chelsea's story. And this is what it means to disappear the moment the state stops being responsible for you. THE NUMBER THIS WEEK 20,000. That's how many young people age out of the foster care system in America every year. 3,000 in New York City alone. And one in four will be homeless within a year. The average age of aging out is 18. Most have no job, no savings, no family support, and nowhere to go. IN THIS EPISODE We tell the story of two girls aging out on the same day in New York City. Julia found Communities Moving Forward — a co-living program that gave her a room, housemates, support, and a path forward. She now works at the nonprofit and mentors newer residents. Chelsea didn't find that safety net. She's been couch surfing, living in shelters, and disappearing into survival mode ever since. Same age. Same city. Same day. Different outcomes. And the difference is access to one program that actually showed up. THIS WEEK'S QUESTION Do you know a young person aging out of foster care right now? Someone who's about to turn 18 and has nowhere to go? This week, step up. Support co-living programs in your city. Find ways to say yes. Because the difference between a future and disappearing is often just one person who decides to show up. SHARE YOUR STORY If you're aging out or you know someone who is, email us: btgmpodcast@gmail.com We're listening. We want to hear your story. CONNECT WITH ANN Follow Before They Go Missing on Instagram: @before.they.go.missing Check out the full show & resources: linktr.ee/btgmpodcast IF THIS EPISODE HITS HOME If you're aging out of foster care: Communities Moving Forward (NYC): communitymoving forward.orgNFYI (National Foster Youth & Alumni Policy Council): nfyi.org211.org — connects you to local housing, education, job training & supportIndependent Living Programs — available in most states for youth 16+Local co-living programs in your area (search "co-living for foster youth" + your city) If you want to support aging out youth: Volunteer with local foster care organizationsSupport co-living programs financiallyMentor a young personAdvocate for extended support past 18 (in some states it goes to 21)Host a young person in your home PREVENTION BEFORE DISAPPEARANCE The system stops supporting young people at 18. But maturity doesn't magically happen on a birthday. Most 18-year-olds are still figuring out who they are. Foster youth who age out are doing it alone. Prevention isn't about waiting until they're homeless. It's about showing up before they disappear. It's about co-living programs. It's about extended support. It's about saying yes when nobody else will. FOLLOW, SHARE, COMMENT Love this episode? Share it. Tag a foster care organization. Tell us your story. Because prevention isn't just about programs — it's about visibility. It's about saying out loud that this is happening. It's about refusing to let young people disappear the moment they turn 18. Before They Go Missing — New episodes every Wednesday at 7am CT. Prevention before disappearance.

    26 min

  3. 25 jun

    What Grief Keeps

    For the first three weeks, the casseroles didn't stop coming. Brenda's refrigerator was full. Her freezer was full. Then by week six, the flowers were dead. By month three, people had mostly stopped asking how she was doing. By month six, something worse happened — they stopped saying her son's name. Tyler was nineteen when he died. Two years later, Brenda still thinks about him every single day. The world just expects her to be done by now. THE NUMBER THIS WEEK Five days. That's the average bereavement leave most American employers offer. Five days to bury someone, plan a funeral, and somehow also grieve. Then you're expected back at your desk, like nothing happened. IN THIS EPISODE We explore grief that lasts longer than the casseroles. The difference between the big missing — the funeral, the first holiday — and the everyday missing that nobody checks on. Why support arrives almost exactly backwards from when it's needed most. The Mother's Day card Brenda didn't know how to fill out five months after losing her son. What Jewish, Victorian, and Latin American traditions understand about grief that we've forgotten. The concept of Continuing Bonds — that healthy grief isn't about moving on, but learning to carry it, indefinitely, alongside the rest of your life. THIS WEEK'S QUESTION Think of someone in your life who lost someone, a while ago. Not recently. A while ago. This week, say that person's name to them. Not "I'm thinking of you." Their actual name. Ask one real question about them. Watch what happens when you give someone permission to talk about the person they lost without flinching. SHARE YOUR STORY Do you know someone who is disappearing? Have you been there yourself? Ann wants to hear it. btgmpodcast@gmail.com CONNECT WITH ANN @before.they.go.missing | linktr.ee/btgmpodcast IF THIS EPISODE HITS HOME 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988 GriefShare (grief support groups & resources) — griefshare.org The Dinner Party (community for people grieving loss) — thedinnerparty.org Before They Go Missing is a solo podcast by Ann Reynolds. New episodes every week. Prevention before disappearance. Follow the show. Share this episode. Leave a comment below.

    19 min

  4. 17 jun

    Fifty-Eight Hours

    He had three kids. Two of them lived in the same city. They all assumed someone else was checking on him. Jim was a foreman, a Little League coach, a father who taught his kids how to drive in empty parking lots on Sunday afternoons. He was the kind of man who remembered every birthday. Then a stroke took his car, his independence, his ability to move freely through the world. And somewhere between his son's assumptions and his daughter's good intentions, Jim disappeared into the silence of his own apartment. Eleven days passed before anyone found him. THE NUMBER THIS WEEK Eleven days. That's how long it took before anyone noticed Jim was gone. The average is fifty-eight hours. Eleven days is what happens when everyone assumes someone else is checking. IN THIS EPISODE We tell Jim's story — a man shaped by people and noise and a full table, placed alone in a quiet apartment and told he had earned it. Why aging alone in America looks so different from aging alone in Denmark, Japan, or the Netherlands. What researchers call the grief cliff and why it applies to more than just loss. Why a forty-minute drive became a distance too wide to cross. What three kids in two cities teaches us about the arrangements we make and the gaps those arrangements hide. Why we need to stop building Jims apartments and start building communities. THIS WEEK'S QUESTION Think of someone in your life over 65. Not the one you're worried about. The one you assume is fine. When did you last ask them how they fill their days? Not a text. A real conversation, where you wait for the real answer. That's your one thing this week. SHARE YOUR STORY Do you know someone who is disappearing? Have you been there yourself? Ann wants to hear it. btgmpodcast@gmail.com CONNECT WITH ANN @before.they.go.missing | linktr.ee/btgmpodcast IF THIS EPISODE HITS HOME 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988Eldercare Locator (find local resources for older adults) — 1-800-677-1116AARP Caregiver Resource Center — aarp.org/caregivers Before They Go Missing is a solo podcast by Ann Reynolds. New episodes every week. Prevention before disappearance. Follow the show. Share this episode. Leave a comment below.

    19 min

  5. 10 jun

    The Empty Room

    She had seventeen house plants. Each one named. Each one watered on a schedule she kept in a little notebook by her kitchen window. Margaret was 71. She hadn't left her apartment in six weeks. Not because she couldn't. Because there was nowhere to go and nobody who would notice if she did. This is the episode that started everything. THE NUMBER THIS WEEK Fifty-eight hours. That is the average amount of time that passes between when an elderly person dies alone at home and when anyone realizes they are gone. Let that sit for a second. IN THIS EPISODE We explore a kind of disappearance that rarely makes headlines—not sudden or dramatic, but gradual, silent, and often unnoticed by the world around us. The story of Margaret and what seventeen house plants have to do with survival. Why one in four people worldwide have no one they would call in a crisis. The friendship recession and how we got here. What it actually means that the Surgeon General declared loneliness a public health epidemic. Why we stopped knocking on each other's doors and what it is costing us every single day. What community living changes about all of it. THIS WEEK'S QUESTION Who in your life has seventeen house plants and no one to notice when they stop watering them? Who is one knock away from being found? SHARE YOUR STORY Do you know someone who is disappearing? Have you been there yourself? Ann wants to hear it. btgmpodcast@gmail.com CONNECT WITH ANN @before.they.go.missing | linktr.ee/btgmpodcast IF THIS EPISODE HITS HOME 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988Institute on Aging Friendship Line, for adults 60+, 24/7 — 800-971-0016 Before They Go Missing is a solo podcast by Ann Reynolds. New episodes every week. Prevention before disappearance. Follow the show. Share this episode. Leave a comment below.

    19 min
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Before They Go Missing is a solo podcast by Ann Reynolds about the people who disappear — not dramatically, not suddenly — but quietly, in rooms no one checks on. Loneliness. Grief. Mental health. Housing insecurity. System failures. Every episode tells one story and asks one question. New episodes every week.

Información

  • Creador
    Ann Reynolds
  • Años de actividad
    2 k
  • Episodios
    5
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Copyright
    © Ann Reynolds
  • Mostrar sitio web
    Before They Go Missing