Don't Forget To Breathe: Where grieving parents find voice, hope, and connection.

Bruce Barker
  • 5.0 (5)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Don’t Forget To Breathe is a podcast for parents who have lost a child. 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 other parents who bravely share their stories of grief, resilience, and life after loss. Together, they explore how grief evolves over time, and how sorrow, hope, love, and even laughter can coexist. You’ll hear the shift in voice, perspective, and presence—from surviving to living. Wherever you are on your grief journey, this podcast offers connection, understanding, and the quiet reassurance that you are not alone.

  1. 23H AGO

    Gina's Story: Love, Impact, and the Unthinkable (Part 1) -E429

    Send us Fan Mail 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 for kids who felt unseen, this episode paints a beautiful picture of who Gabe was before everything changed. Gina then walks us through the day of the accident, the hospital, and the unimaginable moments that followed. What unfolds is not only a story of loss, but a powerful reflection of love, community, and the way people come together in the face of tragedy. This is a story about a life that mattered, a community that showed up, and a mother beginning to navigate the unthinkable. This is Part 1 of Gina’s story. Support the show 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: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1376761/support

    32 min

  2. APR 11

    What Death Does Not Take -E428

    Send us Fan Mail 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 parents eventually begin to notice, not what was taken, but what remains. This episode sits in the tension between loss and love. It gives language to the feeling that death took everything, while also holding space for the truth that it didn’t take everything. The bond, the love, the influence of our children, those continue, even as everything else changes. Through personal reflection, they talk about identity after loss, the fading and reshaping of memories, the evolution of relationships, and the quiet ways connection continues. They introduce the idea of continuing bonds, not letting go, but learning how to carry our children differently. This is not about finding silver linings. It is about recognizing what still belongs to you. If you are navigating life after child loss, or supporting someone who is, this conversation will meet you exactly where you are. Because death may take their presence… but it does not take your love.  Support the show 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: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1376761/support

    30 min

  3. APR 4

    Natalie's Story: When Grief and Joy Exist Together -E427

    Send us Fan Mail 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 and numbness, and what it means to keep living while grieving a child. This conversation explores how joy and sorrow can exist together, and how love continues to show up in everyday moments. If you’re walking this road, this is a reminder, there is no right way to grieve… only your way. Support the show 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: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1376761/support

    31 min

  4. MAR 29

    All The Empty Rooms Documentary; A Reflection on Grief and Love -E426

    Send us Fan Mail 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 offering answers or silver linings, the film simply bears witness, to bedrooms untouched, to memories preserved, and to the deep, ongoing connection between parents and their children. Bruce and Kristin explore why the film’s simplicity is what makes it so impactful, how grief lives in physical spaces, and why there is no “right way” to hold onto what remains. They share personal experiences of being in these rooms, both as grieving parents and as supporters walking alongside others, and reflect on the importance of curiosity, presence, and allowing grief to exist without being fixed. This conversation also challenges the cultural instinct to soften tragedy or rush toward strength, instead inviting us to sit in the reality of loss, to honor it, and to better understand what it means to support someone living through it. Because behind every closed door, every untouched room, is not emptiness, but love that remains. Support the show 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: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1376761/support

    33 min

  5. MAR 15

    The Shattered Future: The Invisible Loss (Part 2) -E425

    Send us Fan Mail 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 quiet moments that remind grieving parents of all that was lost. They also speak candidly about resentment, remembrance, and the deep longing to have their children’s lives acknowledged by others. This episode is a gentle but honest conversation about grief support, the lifelong nature of bereavement, and why it matters to keep saying our children’s names, sharing their memories, and making room for love that still has nowhere to go. Support the show 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: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1376761/support

    33 min

  6. MAR 8

    The Shattered Future: The Invisible Loss (Part 1) -E424

    Send us Fan Mail 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 shattered. From missed milestones and imagined grandchildren to the identities we thought we would grow into as parents, this conversation explores the quiet grief of the “what ifs” that often follow child loss. Together they reflect on how memories, milestones, and imagined futures can bring both heartbreak and unexpected moments of beauty, reminders that grief, love, and healing after the loss of a child often live side by side for grieving parents seeking understanding and support. Support the show 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: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1376761/support

    25 min

  7. MAR 2

    Why Time Doesn’t Heal the Loss, But What Might Help (Part 3) -E423

    Send us Fan Mail 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 out loud without trying to make it better. This conversation touches on forever parenthood, the loneliness that can come from society’s invisible grief timeline, and the permission to grieve for life, while still holding joy. Because love didn’t end. And neither did our role as their parent. Support the show 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: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1376761/support

    33 min

  8. FEB 23

    Why Time Doesn’t Heal the Loss, But What Might Help (Part 2) -E422

    Send us Fan Mail 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 patient. And when it’s avoided, it waits. Bruce and Kristin talk about the shift that happens after the early shock, from focusing on how our child died to the fear of forgetting how they lived. The sound of their voice. Their smell. Their quirks. The memories that begin to blur with time. They also explore what truly helps: Sitting with grief instead of avoiding itAllowing grief to become a companion rather than an enemyThe intentional work it takes to move from survival toward livingAnd why we can’t go around grief, we have to go through itBecause healing didn’t come from time. It came from doing the work. From brave people willing to sit beside us in the swamp. Grief isn’t linear. It’s layered. And it becomes a teacher...if we’re willing to listen. Support the show 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: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1376761/support

    23 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Don’t Forget To Breathe is a podcast for parents who have lost a child. 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 other parents who bravely share their stories of grief, resilience, and life after loss. Together, they explore how grief evolves over time, and how sorrow, hope, love, and even laughter can coexist. You’ll hear the shift in voice, perspective, and presence—from surviving to living. Wherever you are on your grief journey, this podcast offers connection, understanding, and the quiet reassurance that you are not alone.

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