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Grief Out Loud

Grief Out Loud

By: The Dougy Center
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Remember the last time you tried to talk about grief and suddenly everyone left the room? Grief Out Loud is opening up this often avoided conversation because grief is hard enough without having to go through it alone. We bring you a mix of personal stories, tips for supporting children, teens, and yourself, and interviews with bereavement professionals. Platitude and cliché-free, we promise! Grief Out Loud is hosted by Jana DeCristofaro and produced by Dougy Center: The National Grief Center Children & Families in Portland, Oregon. www.dougy.org Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Time Keeps Moving, But She Doesn't: Mackenzie Galloway-Cole On Grief And New Year's

    Time Keeps Moving, But She Doesn't: Mackenzie Galloway-Cole On Grief And New Year's
    Dec 22 2025

    In the fall of 2023, Mackenzie Galloway-Cole was living out her rom-com-worthy love story with her wife Megan in New York City. Then, on an ordinary night in November, Megan collapsed and died a few hours later from a sudden cardiac event. In the aftermath, Mackenzie had to find her way in this newly shattered world without Megan, her anchor and biggest cheerleader.

    Mackenzie reflects on the shock of becoming a young widow, the added layers of grief that come with queer partner loss, and the painful realities of navigating death care systems that often default to heteronormative assumptions.

    Together, Jana and Mackenzie talk about the isolating nature of sudden and unexplained death, the importance of finding people who "get it," and the ways time itself becomes a particularly painful aspect of grief. Mackenzie also shares why New Year's can feel like a uniquely brutal grief milestone, how absence accumulates as life continues, and how Megan's love still shapes the way she takes care of herself today.

    This conversation holds space for heartbreak, dark humor, love stories, and the not-so-quiet ways grief rewires daily life - especially when the person you most want to turn to is the one who died.

    In this episode, we discuss:

    • The story of how Megan and Mackenzie met and fell in love
    • Sudden death and the trauma of an ordinary day turning catastrophic
    • The intersection of being a young, gay widow
    • Navigating hospitals, funeral homes, and death administration as a queer spouse
    • Why the small, everyday moments can hurt more than the big ones
    • How the second Christmas can feel even harder than the first
    • New Year's as a "sneaky" grief holiday
    • How the choices you make in life can reflect and honor your person who died

    Mackenzie Galloway-Cole writes about grief at Good Gay Grief on Substack and can also be found on Instagram at @deadwifeclub
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    50 mins
  • Brennan Wood On How Grief Is To Feel, Not Fix - Even At The Holidays

    Brennan Wood On How Grief Is To Feel, Not Fix - Even At The Holidays
    Dec 11 2025
    It's our annual holiday episode, this time with Dougy Center Executive Director and TEDx speaker Brennan Wood. Brennan first encountered Dougy Center after her mom, Doris, died of breast cancer three days after Brennan's 12th birthday. She has since navigated almost four decades of holiday seasons with grief along for the ride. She shares about the early years that were awful; the young-adult years she spent volunteering away from family; and how, as an adult, she's learned to hold both grief and joy while creating new traditions for her own family. Whether this is your first or 41st holiday season with grief, this conversation offers validation, tangible suggestions, and new ways to think about this time of year. We discuss: How attending a peer grief support group as a teen introduced Brennan to the idea that grief is to feel, not fix. Accepting that not everything has to be bright and shiny, especially during the holidays. Recalling the first Christmas after her mom died and why it felt awful. New traditions she's created as an adult with her own family. Grounding rituals Brennan uses, especially during the holidays. Why it's okay to be mad at holiday traditions you used to love. Need additional tips and suggestions for this time of year? Check out our past episodes and our Holiday Grief Tip Sheet & Worksheet It's Okay That It's Not the Same: Grief at the Holidays It Can Be So Awkward: Holidays & Grief The Not- Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Holidays & Grief Grief And The Holidays Under Pressure – Grief & December Holidays Watch Brennan's TEDxPortland Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN4zP5baJrg Read her A Kid's Book About Grief - https://dougybookstore.org/products/a-kids-book-about-grief Learn more about Brennan - https://www.dougy.org/about/team-dougy/executive-director
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    44 mins
  • Beyond Silence: Kyndal Parks On Honoring Her Grandfather & Advocating For Better Grief Support

    Beyond Silence: Kyndal Parks On Honoring Her Grandfather & Advocating For Better Grief Support
    Dec 4 2025
    When Kyndal Parks' grandfather died on Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving – she lost one of her biggest supporters and confidants. While navigating her grief, Kyndal was also navigating life as a college student where she often felt unseen in her grief by faculty and the wider institution. What began as a class assignment turned into a powerful audio piece about loss, legacy, and the urgent need for grief-informed spaces on college campuses, particularly at HBCUs where collective trauma, silence, and resilience intertwine. In this conversation, Kyndal shares about her grandfather's extraordinary life - from his childhood in the 1940s, to living with a disability, to his time as a Black Panther, a gardener, a traveler, and the steady source of love that shaped her into the person she is today. She talks about the traditions they built together, how her grief shows up even from 2,000 miles away, and why vulnerability and community care are essential if we want to build environments where students who are grieving feel supported. Kyndal also explores the cultural and historical patterns of grief in Black communities, the pressure to "push through," and her vision for a world where grief is met with connection, not silence. We discuss: What made Kyndal's grandfather such an influential figure How his death reshaped her understanding of family, holidays, and identityWhat grief looked like at her college, and within her family and communityWhy she created her audio piece and what she hopes listeners take from it The need for vulnerability, community support, and grief-informed care at HBCUs and beyond How her grandfather continues to guide her today Check out News Ambassadors, the program that helped connect us with Kyndal and her audio piece.
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    48 mins
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