Grief Is Not A Dirty Word

Nick Gaylord
  • 4.9 (61)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Daily

Grief Is Not A Dirty Word is a weekly podcast that brings honest, real-world conversations about grief, loss, trauma, healing, and mental health into the light. Hosted by Nick Gaylord, the show creates a safe, compassionate space for anyone navigating the complicated emotions that come with losing a parent, partner, child, friend, relationship, or former version of themselves. Originally launched as Our Dead Dads, the podcast has evolved into a broader mission: to normalize grief and break the stigma around talking about it. Nick explores every corner of the grieving experience — from anticipatory grief and sudden loss to complicated family dynamics, unresolved anger, identity shifts, and the invisible pain people carry long after the world assumes they’re “fine.” Each episode features powerful, unfiltered stories from guests who have lived through loss and rebuilt their lives in deeply personal ways. Through conversations centered on resilience, vulnerability, courage, and connection, the podcast helps listeners understand that grief isn’t something to hide — it’s something that deserves space, honesty, and community. Whether your grief is fresh or decades old, whether it’s tied to death or to a different kind of ending, this show will help you feel seen, supported, and less alone. If you’re looking for meaningful discussions about healing, emotional wellbeing, and the human experience — you’re in the right place. New episodes every Tuesday. Listen on all major podcast platforms or at griefisnotadirtyword.com. Grief Is Not A Dirty Word — because every story matters, every emotion belongs, and healing begins when we speak the truth.

  1. 3d ago

    September 11, 25 Years Later: Collective Grief, Loss and the Lives We Remember with Nick Gaylord

    DESCRIPTION: Today marks 25 years since the morning of September 11, 2001. There is no guest and this is not a traditional episode. I simply wanted to sit down for a few minutes and talk about the morning I was supposed to visit the Twin Towers, why I never made it there and what unfolded as I realized the impossible was actually happening. My experience cannot be compared to the grief of those who lost someone that day, but like millions of others, I have carried the memory of that morning and the collective loss that followed. I reflect on the lives behind the names we still hear read aloud, the families who have learned to carry their grief and the survivors and first responders who continue living with the consequences. I also remember the way people reached for one another afterward, when being another human being who was hurting was enough to bring strangers together. Twenty-five years later, this is my remembrance of those we lost, those who still carry that loss and the connection we desperately need to find again. WHO THIS EPISODE HELPS: Anyone carrying grief, loss or vivid memories connected to September 11, as well as those trying to understand why this day still feels so heavy 25 years later. WHAT LISTENERS WILL GET: A personal reflection on remembrance, collective grief and learning to carry loss differently, along with a reminder of what can happen when we choose to see and support one another. Support the show GIVE THE SHOW A 5-STAR RATING ON APPLE PODCASTS!   FOLLOW US ON APPLE OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM!   BOOKMARK OUR WEBSITE: www.griefisnotadirtyword.com FOLLOW OUR DEAD DADS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griefisnotadirtyword Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefisnotadirtyword TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@griefisnotadirtyword YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmmv6sdmMIys3GDBjiui3kw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-gaylord/

    September 11, 25 Years Later: Collective Grief, Loss and the Lives We Remember with Nick Gaylord

  2. 5d ago

    Beyond Survival: Finding Hope, Healing and Legacy After Loss with Chelsea Ohlemiller - Episode 97

    WHO THIS EPISODE HELPS: Anyone navigating grief after the earliest days of loss, especially those learning how to live fully while continuing to honor someone they love. WHAT LISTENERS WILL GET: An honest conversation about mother loss, lasting grief, choosing joy, redefining legacy and carrying grief into family life and the workplace. DESCRIPTION: Chelsea Ohlemiller returns to Grief Is Not A Dirty Word for a conversation about what happens when the funeral is over, everyone else has returned to normal and grief remains. Nine years after losing her mother, Rita, Chelsea joins Nick to explore the difference between surviving a loss and beginning to live again. She explains why honoring someone does not require perfectly preserving every recipe, tradition or part of the life they left behind. Their conversation examines the unexpected firsts that continue for years, the guilt that can accompany happiness and the difficult work of choosing hope and joy alongside grief. Chelsea also shares how her children keep their grandmother’s memory alive, including a son who never had the chance to meet her. Nick and Chelsea discuss grief in the workplace and why grieving employees cannot simply leave part of themselves at the door. Through her new book, Legacy After Loss, Chelsea offers a deeply human reminder that moving forward does not mean leaving our loved ones behind. This episode answers:  How do you move forward after losing someone without leaving them behind?  Why does grief still hurt years after someone dies?  How can joy and grief exist at the same time?  How do you honor a loved one’s legacy without feeling pressured to preserve everything?  How should managers support an employee who is grieving? Key Takeaways:  Grief does not follow a timeline, and new firsts can continue appearing many years after a loss.  Moving forward is different from moving on because love, memory and influence remain part of your life.  Legacy does not require perfect replication. Traditions can change while continuing to hold meaning.  Hope and joy can coexist with grief, although choosing them may require deliberate and difficult work.  Meaningful grief support begins with knowing the person, listening carefully and following compassion with action.CHELSEA'S LINKS: Website:  https://hopeandharshrealities.com/ Purchase Legacy After Loss:  https://hopeandharshrealities.com/new-book-coming-september-8th/ Chelsea's Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0D3SKTKQ1 SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/hopeandharshrealities/ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/hopeandharshrealities/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-ohlemiller-a65315198 YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1BkDTuUSW4ym_dU9ebQs1w/videos Support the show GIVE THE SHOW A 5-STAR RATING ON APPLE PODCASTS!   FOLLOW US ON APPLE OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM!   BOOKMARK OUR WEBSITE: www.griefisnotadirtyword.com FOLLOW OUR DEAD DADS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griefisnotadirtyword Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefisnotadirtyword TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@griefisnotadirtyword YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmmv6sdmMIys3GDBjiui3kw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-gaylord/

    Beyond Survival: Finding Hope, Healing and Legacy After Loss with Chelsea Ohlemiller - Episode 97

  3. Sep 1

    Grief, Chronic Illness, Identity Loss and Remaining Unbroken with Adriene Caldwell - Episode 96

    WHO THIS EPISODE HELPS: People carrying widow grief, childhood trauma, chronic illness grief, foster-care trauma or the loss of identity that follows a life-changing diagnosis. WHAT LISTENERS WILL GET: An honest look at grief and loss, how support can fail grieving families and how telling the truth can help someone reclaim identity, agency and hope. DESCRIPTION: In this episode of Grief Is Not A Dirty Word, Nick Gaylord speaks with author Adriene Caldwell about the many forms of grief that can collide in one life. Adriene survived childhood abuse, homelessness, foster care and years of instability before building a career that represented independence, dignity and the future she wanted her daughter to see. At 35, rheumatoid arthritis forced her to leave that career, and eight days after she filed for disability, her 38-year-old husband, Hugh, died unexpectedly in his sleep. She explains the shock of sudden widowhood, the isolation created by unhelpful grief support and the challenge of parenting a ten-year-old through the death of her father while living with chronic pain. Adriene also shares how Experience Camps helped her daughter find people who understood child grief and gave her space to speak about loss with honesty and humor. The conversation explores career loss, identity grief and the painful process of reading the foster-care case files Adriene had kept hidden for years. Writing Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines became an act of radical honesty, a way to reclaim her voice and a chance to challenge systems that failed vulnerable children. Together, Nick and Adriene show that healing from trauma does not mean pretending the damage never happened; it means refusing to let grief, abuse or loss have the final word. This episode answers: ·         How do you cope with the sudden death of a husband while raising a grieving child? ·         Why can losing a career or becoming disabled feel like a form of grief? ·         What should you say and do to support someone after the death of a spouse? ·         How can childhood trauma and foster care affect grief, identity and adult relationships? ·         Can writing about trauma help you heal and reclaim control of your story? Key Takeaways: ·         Grief is not limited to death; chronic illness, lost independence and the end of a professional identity can require real mourning. ·         Practical support often matters more than perfect words. A meal, a grocery run or a genuine check-in can reduce a grieving person’s isolation. ·         Children need grief support from peers who understand their loss without requiring them to explain or soften it. ·         Radical honesty can restore agency when institutions deny accountability and other people have controlled the story. Being unbroken does not mean being untouched by trauma. It means repairing, rebuilding and refusing to be defined by what happened.  ADRIENE'S LINKS: Website:  https://www.unbrokencaldwell.com/ Book information and free sample:  https://www.unbrokencaldwell.com/the-book Buy on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-Outside-Lines-Adriene-Caldwell/dp/B0GSLMZF2Q/ ADRIENE'S SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575765845419 Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/unbrokencaldwell/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/unbrokencaldwell X:  https://x.com/Unbrokenlo81234 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unbrokencaldwell YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Unbroken-Caldwell Support the show GIVE THE SHOW A 5-STAR RATING ON APPLE PODCASTS!   FOLLOW US ON APPLE OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM!   BOOKMARK OUR WEBSITE: www.griefisnotadirtyword.com FOLLOW OUR DEAD DADS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griefisnotadirtyword Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefisnotadirtyword TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@griefisnotadirtyword YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmmv6sdmMIys3GDBjiui3kw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-gaylord/

    Grief, Chronic Illness, Identity Loss and Remaining Unbroken with Adriene Caldwell - Episode 96

  4. Aug 25

    The Grief of Letting Go: Toxic Family Loss, Boundaries and Healing with Susan Snow Part 2 - Episode 95

    WHO THIS EPISODE HELPS: Anyone grieving a living parent, recovering from childhood trauma or struggling with guilt over creating distance from an abusive or toxic family relationship. WHAT LISTENERS WILL GET: An honest conversation about family grief, emotional abuse, generational trauma, sibling reconciliation, setting boundaries and choosing healing without waiting for someone else to change. DESCRIPTION: In Part Two of Nick Gaylord’s conversation with Susan Snow, the focus shifts from her father’s assassination to the painful family dynamic he left behind. Susan describes losing her foster sister as a child, being denied the opportunity to say goodbye and watching her mother turn to alcohol as a way of coping with grief. After her father died, Susan also lost the one person who had made her feel safe inside a home shaped by emotional abuse, fear and instability. She explains how manipulation and conflicting stories damaged her relationship with her younger brother until they finally compared notes and recognized what had been happening. Writing The Other Side of the Gun forced Susan to choose between protecting a fragile family relationship and telling the truth about her own trauma and healing. That decision eventually led to estrangement from her mother and another kind of grief: accepting that she may never have the mother-daughter relationship she spent years hoping for. Susan and Nick discuss going no contact, releasing guilt, breaking generational cycles and discovering that peace begins when personal worth no longer depends on another person acknowledging it. This episode answers: How do I grieve a parent who is still alive?Is it okay to go no contact with a toxic parent?Why do narcissistic parents turn siblings against each other?How do I stop feeling guilty for leaving an abusive family?How do I break generational trauma and finally find peace?Key Takeaways: Grief can include mourning a relationship, sense of safety or version of a parent that someone needed but never received.Children who become protectors or substitute parents may carry guilt and responsibility that never belonged to them.Comparing experiences honestly can help siblings recognize manipulation and rebuild a damaged relationship.Going no contact is not an easy or casual decision, but distance may be necessary when a relationship repeatedly harms someone’s mental health.Breaking generational trauma begins with recognizing harmful patterns, establishing boundaries and refusing to pass the same pain to the next generation.SUSAN'S LINKS: Susan's websites: https://susansnowspeaks.com/ https://traumatalksbysusansnow.com/ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/traumatalksbysusansnow/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/susansnowrealtor/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/susan_snow1/ Support the show GIVE THE SHOW A 5-STAR RATING ON APPLE PODCASTS!   FOLLOW US ON APPLE OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM!   BOOKMARK OUR WEBSITE: www.griefisnotadirtyword.com FOLLOW OUR DEAD DADS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griefisnotadirtyword Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefisnotadirtyword TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@griefisnotadirtyword YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmmv6sdmMIys3GDBjiui3kw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-gaylord/

    The Grief of Letting Go: Toxic Family Loss, Boundaries and Healing with Susan Snow Part 2 - Episode 95

  5. Aug 18

    The Grieving Child Everyone Missed: Violent Loss, Trauma and Hope with Susan Snow (Part 1) - Episode 94

    WHO THIS EPISODE HELPS: Anyone carrying traumatic grief, childhood loss or emotional pain they have learned to hide from the people around them. WHAT LISTENERS WILL GET: A deeper understanding of PTSD, trauma recovery and the difference between appearing strong and genuinely healing after loss. DESCRIPTION: When Susan Snow was 17, her father, LAPD Detective Thomas Williams, was assassinated outside her six-year-old brother’s school. In the confusion that followed, Susan learned how easily a grieving child can become invisible when the adults around them are overwhelmed by their own loss. She joins Nick Gaylord to discuss the traumatic grief, PTSD and emotional masking that shaped her life for years afterward. Susan explains how being praised for her strength helped create a version of herself that appeared fine while she remained trapped in fight-or-flight beneath the surface. Fourteen years later, coverage of the Columbine shooting forced the trauma she had buried back into her life and finally led her to trauma-informed therapy. She and Nick explore why functioning is not the same as healing, how grief and joy can coexist and why grieving children need adults who allow them to find language for their pain. Susan also shares how vulnerability, nervous-system regulation and the right professional support helped her reclaim her life and turn her experience into hope for others. This episode answers:  How do I heal from traumatic loss and PTSD?  What happens to a child when a parent is murdered?  Can grief and trauma cause PTSD years later?  Why do I still feel broken even though a therapist said I was fine?  How do I stop masking my grief and start healing? Key Takeaways:  Children experiencing grief need direct support, honest communication and space to express emotions they may not yet know how to name.  Appearing strong and continuing to function do not necessarily mean someone is healing from trauma or loss.  Unprocessed trauma can remain beneath the surface for years before a reminder or triggering event brings it back.  Finding a trauma-informed therapist who understands the specific type of trauma involved can make an enormous difference.  Grief and joy can exist together, and learning to manage PTSD can create real hope even when the past cannot be changed.SUSAN'S LINKS: Susan's websites: https://susansnowspeaks.com/ https://traumatalksbysusansnow.com/ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/traumatalksbysusansnow/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/susansnowrealtor/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/susan_snow1/ Support the show GIVE THE SHOW A 5-STAR RATING ON APPLE PODCASTS!   FOLLOW US ON APPLE OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM!   BOOKMARK OUR WEBSITE: www.griefisnotadirtyword.com FOLLOW OUR DEAD DADS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griefisnotadirtyword Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefisnotadirtyword TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@griefisnotadirtyword YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmmv6sdmMIys3GDBjiui3kw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-gaylord/

    The Grieving Child Everyone Missed: Violent Loss, Trauma and Hope with Susan Snow (Part 1) - Episode 94

  6. Aug 12

    From Traumatic Loss and Suicidal Grief to the Choice to Keep Living with Devin Fish - Episode 93

    WHO THIS EPISODE HELPS: People carrying unresolved grief, traumatic loss, family addiction, shame, suicidal thoughts, or the weight of generational trauma—especially anyone who feels trapped inside a chapter they cannot imagine surviving. WHAT LISTENERS WILL GET: An honest look at how isolation magnifies shame, why asking for help can interrupt a suicidal crisis, and how grief recovery is built through imperfect, repeated choices rather than one dramatic turning point. DESCRIPTION:Army veteran and author Devin Fish joins Nick for an unflinching conversation about unresolved grief, childhood trauma, family addiction, suicidal ideation, and the long road toward healing. Before turning eighteen, Devin moved sixteen times, attended seven schools, and learned to survive instability by withdrawing from the people around him. At nineteen, after his mother Rachel died unexpectedly, he was forced to make the decision to remove her from life support and then returned to military life without truly processing the traumatic loss. Years of loneliness, shame, online exploitation, and repeated blackmail eventually convinced him that his career and future were over—and that suicide might be his only escape. Devin tells Nick how thirty seconds of courage allowed him to admit the truth to a military family life counselor and begin a grief recovery process that unfolded over several difficult years. He also explains how becoming an Army career counselor gave him purpose, how he learned to recognize old destructive patterns, and why healing does not require forgetting the past. Their conversation explores generational trauma, complicated grief, self-forgiveness, faith, and the difference between wanting life to end and desperately needing life to change. Through his book, Answering the Hard Questions, Devin offers listeners a message rooted in lived experience: let this be the end of a chapter, not the end of the book. This episode answers:·         How do I cope with unresolved grief and regret after my mother dies? ·         Why can loneliness, shame, and blackmail lead to suicidal thoughts? ·         What should I do when I feel like suicide is the only way out? ·         How do you heal from childhood trauma and addiction in the family? ·         Can you forgive your parents without excusing the harm they caused? Key Takeaways:·         Isolation can turn fear and shame into convincing lies; telling one safe person the truth can interrupt that spiral. ·         A suicidal crisis may come from desperately needing the current pain or circumstances to end—not from an unchangeable desire to die. ·         Grief recovery is rarely one clean turning point. It is a turning curve built through support, setbacks, boundaries, and repeated choices. ·         Understanding the trauma and addiction carried by previous generations can create compassion without erasing accountability or harm. ·         Sharing an honest survival story can return hope to someone who cannot yet imagine the next chapter of their own life. Guest ResourcesAnswering the Hard Questions — book: https://a.co/d/028ZBmgD Devin Fish on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devin.fish.79/ 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org/  DEVIN'S LINKS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devin.fish.79/ YouTube — Answering the Hard Questions: https://www.youtube.com/@9d7fish LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devin-fish-179069386 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devin_5054/ Support the show GIVE THE SHOW A 5-STAR RATING ON APPLE PODCASTS!   FOLLOW US ON APPLE OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM!   BOOKMARK OUR WEBSITE: www.griefisnotadirtyword.com FOLLOW OUR DEAD DADS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griefisnotadirtyword Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefisnotadirtyword TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@griefisnotadirtyword YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmmv6sdmMIys3GDBjiui3kw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-gaylord/

    From Traumatic Loss and Suicidal Grief to the Choice to Keep Living with Devin Fish - Episode 93

  7. Aug 4

    Finding Hope Through Grief, Trauma and Brain Injury Recovery with Nicholas Ruchlewicz - Episode 92

    WHO THIS EPISODE HELPS: People grieving who they were before a traumatic brain injury, life-changing accident or major loss, along with the families and caregivers supporting them through trauma recovery. WHAT LISTENERS WILL GET: An honest conversation about identity loss, grief, therapy, post-traumatic growth, dark humor and rebuilding a meaningful life when returning to the old version of yourself is no longer possible. DESCRIPTION: After a near-fatal motorcycle crash, Nicholas Ruchlewicz woke up to a life he did not recognize and a brain that no longer worked the way he expected. In this episode of Grief Is Not A Dirty Word, he joins Nick to talk about traumatic brain injury, identity loss and the rarely acknowledged grief of mourning your former self. Nicholas shares why losing his ability to focus and solve problems was more frightening than his physical injuries, and how years of therapy helped him face guilt, anger and the pressure to become who he had been before. He explains the question that shifted his perspective: What gifts did your trauma give you? Their conversation also explores dark humor as a survival tool, the value of peer support and why every person’s grief remains valid without comparison. Nicholas describes becoming “beyond 100%” not because every symptom disappeared, but because his recovery allowed him to stand beside other trauma survivors. This is a candid conversation about healing after trauma, reclaiming your story and realizing that a changed identity is not a lost identity. This episode answers: ·         How do you grieve the person you were before a traumatic brain injury? ·         How can a traumatic brain injury change your identity and personality? ·         Can therapy help with grief and depression after a life-changing accident? ·         How do you rebuild your life when you cannot return to who you were before? ·         Why does humor help people cope with trauma, grief and chronic pain? Key Takeaways: ·         Grief can include mourning your former identity, abilities and imagined future while you are still alive. ·         Healing does not require erasing what trauma took away or forcing yourself to call the experience a blessing. ·         Therapy can help uncover the fear, guilt and frustration beneath anger while challenging you to see your story from a different perspective. ·         Humor can reduce trauma’s power and give survivors a sense of control over experiences they never chose. ·         Recovery is not always a return to an old baseline; purpose, advocacy and connection can create a life that is different and still deeply meaningful. Connect with Nicholas Ruchlewicz Linktree / complete resource hub: https://linktr.ee/giftofperspective Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/npr_nerd/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NPR_Nerd Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/31vgmhbu654nulf6pcfso4khw6i4 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicholas.ruchlewicz/ Email: giftsinperspective@gmail.com SameYou survivor portrait, “A Gift of Perspective”: https://www.sameyou.org/portrait_nicholas_r Trauma Survivors Network guest feature: https://www.traumasurvivorsnetwork.org/guest-appearance-surviving-the-impact/ Support the show GIVE THE SHOW A 5-STAR RATING ON APPLE PODCASTS!   FOLLOW US ON APPLE OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM!   BOOKMARK OUR WEBSITE: www.griefisnotadirtyword.com FOLLOW OUR DEAD DADS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griefisnotadirtyword Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefisnotadirtyword TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@griefisnotadirtyword YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmmv6sdmMIys3GDBjiui3kw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-gaylord/

    Finding Hope Through Grief, Trauma and Brain Injury Recovery with Nicholas Ruchlewicz - Episode 92

  8. Jul 28

    Repairing Trauma, Childhood Grief & Emotional Neglect with Danielle Bernock - Episode 91

    WHO THIS EPISODE HELPS Anyone carrying the lasting effects of childhood emotional neglect, unresolved grief, spiritual trauma, complicated loss, or relationship wounds. This conversation is especially meaningful for people who have spent years believing they needed to earn love, acceptance, or belonging. WHAT LISTENERS WILL GET A deeply honest conversation about grief beyond death, healing childhood trauma, repairing broken relationships, understanding emotional neglect, and discovering that recovery begins by acknowledging what happened instead of pretending it didn't. DESCRIPTION:Some losses leave a headstone. Others quietly shape an entire lifetime without anyone recognizing them as grief. In this episode of Grief Is Not A Dirty Word, Nick sits down with author, speaker, and trauma survivor Danielle Bernock to explore childhood emotional neglect, spiritual trauma, accumulated grief, family loss, and the lifelong process of healing. Danielle shares how losing multiple family members, experiencing rejection inside her church, and growing up believing she had to earn love affected every relationship she would later have. Together, Nick and Danielle discuss why grief is often much bigger than death, why trauma compounds over time, and why repairing our relationship with ourselves often becomes the foundation for healing every other relationship in our lives. This conversation is filled with honesty, compassion, laughter, and hope for anyone learning that their story is not over. THIS EPISODE ANSWERS: What is childhood emotional neglect, and how does it affect adults later in life?  How can unresolved childhood trauma influence grief and relationships?  What is spiritual trauma, and how can someone begin healing from it?  Why do multiple losses seem to become harder instead of easier over time?  How do you begin repairing your relationship with yourself after years of emotional pain? KEY TAKEAWAYS: Emotional neglect can leave lifelong wounds even when parents genuinely loved their children.  Grief extends far beyond death and often includes the loss of safety, belonging, identity, trust, and connection.  Trauma frequently accumulates over time, making later losses feel even heavier than earlier ones.  Healing does not require blaming others forever, but it does require honestly acknowledging what happened.  Repairing the relationship you have with yourself often becomes the first step toward repairing relationships with others.DANIELLE'S LINKS: WEBSITE:  https://www.daniellebernock.com CONTACT:  https://www.daniellebernock.com/contact/ COACHING:  https://www.daniellebernock.com/coaching/ SPEAKING:  https://www.daniellebernock.com/speaking/ TO BUY DANIELLE'S BOOKS:  https://www.daniellebernock.com/books/ Support the show GIVE THE SHOW A 5-STAR RATING ON APPLE PODCASTS!   FOLLOW US ON APPLE OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM!   BOOKMARK OUR WEBSITE: www.griefisnotadirtyword.com FOLLOW OUR DEAD DADS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griefisnotadirtyword Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefisnotadirtyword TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@griefisnotadirtyword YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmmv6sdmMIys3GDBjiui3kw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-gaylord/

    Repairing Trauma, Childhood Grief & Emotional Neglect with Danielle Bernock - Episode 91
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About

Grief Is Not A Dirty Word is a weekly podcast that brings honest, real-world conversations about grief, loss, trauma, healing, and mental health into the light. Hosted by Nick Gaylord, the show creates a safe, compassionate space for anyone navigating the complicated emotions that come with losing a parent, partner, child, friend, relationship, or former version of themselves. Originally launched as Our Dead Dads, the podcast has evolved into a broader mission: to normalize grief and break the stigma around talking about it. Nick explores every corner of the grieving experience — from anticipatory grief and sudden loss to complicated family dynamics, unresolved anger, identity shifts, and the invisible pain people carry long after the world assumes they’re “fine.” Each episode features powerful, unfiltered stories from guests who have lived through loss and rebuilt their lives in deeply personal ways. Through conversations centered on resilience, vulnerability, courage, and connection, the podcast helps listeners understand that grief isn’t something to hide — it’s something that deserves space, honesty, and community. Whether your grief is fresh or decades old, whether it’s tied to death or to a different kind of ending, this show will help you feel seen, supported, and less alone. If you’re looking for meaningful discussions about healing, emotional wellbeing, and the human experience — you’re in the right place. New episodes every Tuesday. Listen on all major podcast platforms or at griefisnotadirtyword.com. Grief Is Not A Dirty Word — because every story matters, every emotion belongs, and healing begins when we speak the truth.

Information

  • Creator
    Nick Gaylord
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    110
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Grief Is Not A Dirty Word
  • Show Website
    Grief Is Not A Dirty Word

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