Passing for Normal

Colleen and Jared English

Jared and Colleen will be sharing stories from their unusual life as expats that are also sorting through grief after the passing of their daughter Claire, who live with Rett Syndrome for 15 years.

  1. 09/21/2025

    It Takes Time, a LOT of Time

    In this episode we discuss the life altering, disorienting process of recovering, falling into normal, and pursuing magic again.

    30 min

  2. 09/07/2025

    A Dad's Perspective

    After a hiatus, Jared is back! We talk briefly about where he's been and why he's returning to the podcast now. In honor of it being Father's Day down in Australia, we focused our conversation around a dad's perspective on being a parent/caregiver. Jared shares how he told strangers in Hobbiton about our chaotic life and why he thinks reading fantasy with the girls was one of his best dad moves.

    31 min

  3. 08/20/2025

    How to do hard things

    After my unexpected hiatus I am back and discussing the funk I've been in and reflecting on one of the lessons I learned from Claire, to do hard things, you need support.

    15 min

  4. 05/06/2025

    History of Mother's Day

    It is no secret that I don't love Mother's Day and the consumer based forced nature of the holiday. Plot twist, I was very excited to learn about the roots of the holiday and how inclusive it inherently is of the bereaved. I would love to hear your thoughts, do we need a bereaved Mother's Day too? Message me on Instagram @_colleenenglish

    13 min

  5. 03/13/2025

    Adapt

    Lessons from Claire: Adapt. I know I am preaching to the choir on this. This episode is not about how to adapt things for your child. It is a reminder to adapt things for yourself and a story about how much I love coffee and believe in the power of community. I would love to hear from you! Please let me know what you think of the podcast on Instagram @_colleenenglish You can find me on substack too! https://substack.com/@colleenenglish

    12 min

  6. 02/19/2025

    Leaving Holland

    Hello! After our extended holiday it is good to be back. This week marks four years since Claire passed unexpectedly. In 2023 I wrote a piece called "Leaving Holland" a response to the poem "Welcome to Holland" by Emily Perl Kingsley that attempts to describe a bit what this process has felt like. In this episode I give a quick update and read this piece that still resonates deeply within me. Thank you for listening.

    12 min

  7. 12/24/2024

    End of year wrap up

    Wishing you all peace and joy in the last few days of the year. We are exhausted and are off for a bit to recharge. This passing for normal stuff is hard, sending love to you all.

    17 min

  8. 12/14/2024

    Formal and deep grief

    Chloe's back! We talk about the end of the school year and formal for all of you that remember the dress drama that started so many months ago. Chloe talks about trying to have fun and how much more complicated everything is without her sister her. As invisible as the grief for a mother can be, siblings seem to be even more forgotten. So Chloe wanted to share her experience to encourage others out there grieving as teens and remind people of how real grief is. Enjoy!

    51 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Jared and Colleen will be sharing stories from their unusual life as expats that are also sorting through grief after the passing of their daughter Claire, who live with Rett Syndrome for 15 years.

Information

  • Creator
    Colleen and Jared English
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Passing for Normal