The Rise Back: Reclaiming Life After Suicide Loss & Chronic Pain with Tiffaney Childers

Content Note:This episode includes discussion of suicide, suicide loss, and chronic pain. Please listen with care and take breaks as needed. If you or someone you love is struggling, please reach out to a trusted person, local resources, or a crisis hotline in your area.In This EpisodeIn this deeply moving episode of the Refine and Shine Podcast, Angelina sits down with author, speaker, and suicide loss advocate Tiffaney Childers.After losing both parents to suicide just one year and five days apart, Tiffaney went into survival mode—raising two young kids, holding a marriage together, and pushing her own grief down as far as she could. Years later, a failed hip surgery led to chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS), leaving her in permanent nerve pain and forcing everything she’d avoided emotionally to the surface.Instead of staying at rock bottom, Tiffaney chose to rise.Today, she:Serves on a L.O.S.S. Team (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors), showing up within minutes of a suicide loss to support families on the worst day of their lives.Advocates for safe, informed use of medication, especially around pain, depression, and grief.Shares her framework, The RISE Up Method, to help others move through grief, trauma, and chronic pain with courage and purpose.Has written her book The Rise Back: Reclaiming Life After Suicide Loss, Pain, and Silence, breaking years of silence and stigma around suicide loss.This episode is for you if you’ve ever felt numb, alone in your grief, stuck in pain, or afraid to talk about the hard things.You’ll Hear Tiffaney Share:How losing her mom and dad to suicide only a year and five days apart completely changed the trajectory of her life.Why she went into “survival mode”—juggling kids, marriage, and work—without space or support to really grieve.How self-medicating with alcohol slowly entered the picture and why so many suicide loss survivors turn to numbing behaviors.The heartbreaking statistic that survivors of suicide loss are 7x more likely to die by suicide themselves—and why support is critical.How a hip surgery gone wrong led to chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and intense nerve pain in her foot.Why she believes unprocessed emotional pain will eventually find a way out physically if we keep shoving it down.The LOSS Team & Showing Up for SurvivorsTiffaney explains what the L.O.S.S. Team does and why it matters:How law enforcement calls the team within about 15 minutes of a suicide.What happens when she arrives on scene:Helping with practical details like writing an obituary.Providing language and guidance on how to tell children about a suicide at different ages.Connecting families with support groups, counseling, and scene restoration, so loved ones don’t have to handle traumatic cleanup.Why they come in with a simple, compassionate posture:“I’ve been there. I’ve walked in your shoes. What do you need?”She also shares how serving on the LOSS team actually triggered her own long-delayed grief, forcing her to finally process what she’d buried for nearly 18 years.The RISE Up MethodTiffaney walks through her RISE Up Method, created in the aftermath of chronic pain, sobriety, and facing her grief head-on:R – Reach out before you shut downDon’t isolate. Reach out to a trusted friend, loved one, therapist, or mentor before you disappear into shutdown mode.I – Ink it outGet your thoughts out of your body and onto paper. Journaling became one of her most powerful tools for healing, even after years of dismissing it as “silly.”S – Sit with itThe loneliest and hardest part: sitting with your feelings without numbing or running away. When she stopped drinking, all the raw emotions she’d avoided finally showed up.E – Embrace who you’re becomingYou will never be the person you were before—and that’s okay. Healing means becoming someone new and being willing to celebrate growth.U – Unlearn all the liesEspecially after suicide loss, the brain tells painful lies: “You should have known,” “You should’ve done more,” “This is your fault.” She reminds us:“Liar, liar, brain on fire.”P – Protect your peaceNot everyone deserves access to your healing. That may mean walking away from old friendships, patterns, or environments that keep you stuck.Other Powerful Themes We Talk AboutWhy Tiffaney says “Grief is not a mental illness”—it’s a natural response, like love without a landing place.The difference between grief and mental health challenges—and how medication can sometimes help but can also dull your spark.Why rest is not weakness and how chronic pain forced her to slow down, listen to her body, and reset.The role of movement and sunlight in her healing: starting from 500 steps a day to now walking about 5 miles, even though the pain still exists.The importance of talking openly with your kids about suicide in age-appropriate ways, instead of letting them silently build their own story.How sharing her ...