In honor of suicide prevention month, Amanda brings you an incredibly courageous guest who lost her son to suicide in 2020. A woman who embodies an extraordinary amount of bravery, taking to stages nationwide with a mission to elevate the conversation around mental illness, grief and loss, and to break the stigma of death by suicide. Erin Blechman is an author, speaker, and Certified Grief Educator, with a striking ability to speak openly and honestly about her experience as a mother with a mentally ill child who ultimately took his own life.

In this unflinchingly candid conversation, the ladies discuss:

🔥The challenge of staying compassionate and understanding while watching someone you love struggle with mental illness

🔥The relief a parent may feel that their child is no longer suffering, and because they themselves are now unburdened by the pain, but feel shameful speaking that out loud

🔥It’s okay to feel whatever you’re feeling while coping with your child's mental illness as well as grief around their passing

🔥The importance of healing in community; sharing your pain and how you feel with people who "get it" helps to normalize it

🔥The mentality and struggles of a person who dies by suicide

🔥The common of feeling of dying with our loved ones, and moving forward as a way to honor them

🔥The "both/and" concept

🔥Turning "What if's?" into "Even if’s"

About Erin

 In addition to Erin's valiant mission to elevate the conversation about mental illness, suicide, loss, and grief, she also aims to increase education, awareness, and compassion for those who suffer as well as help people become comfortable talking about suicide openly in an attempt to end the stigma. She offers grief support to bereaved parents through online groups and community talks that seek to build greater understanding of mental illness, suicide, loss, and grief. Her book, My Unexpected Journey: Reflections After Losing My Son to Suicide, chronicles the eighteen months following the devastating loss of her beloved son, Max after his long battle with mental illness. Erin lives part-time in both Pennsylvania and Florida with her husband, Bill and Max’s former dog, Emmylou. Their son, Sam, and his wife, Julia, reside in Pennsylvania.

My Unexpected Journey is her first book. Get it here.

Follow Erin on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn and on her website.

*Email your thoughts about this show or if you have an idea for another show to solrisingpodcast@gmail.com.

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Why is our society so afraid of death? How does facing the reality of the inevitable help us to live happier right now? And how can embracing change without resistance lessen the anxiety, fear, and stress most of us feel on a daily basis?

Join Amanda and her ultra pragmatic guest, David Ferrugio of DEAD Talks Podcast for a down-to-earth conversation about the benefit of facing and dealing with grief, death (others and our own), and trauma, and moving forward in a way that sets you free to trust your intuition and live a better life.

Listen for:

🔥David's story of losing his father in the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11 when he was just 12 years old and how he processed this trauma as a boy

🔥The unpredictable nature of life—expecting the unexpected removes the fear, allowing you to roll with the punches more easily

🔥Why the risk of happiness feels so scary

🔥How loss automatically creates a new identify for a griever, and how you have the power to redefine the new you

🔥Motivation to get started on something without needing to know what's going to happen, and the freedom you have to change course whenever you feel moved to

🔥Permission to feel it all and trusting you won't feel devastated forever

🔥An incredible "nod" from David's father in a divinely timed experience at the 9/11 memorial

About David

David Ferrugio is the host of DEAD Talks, a podcast exploring grief, death, and the afterlife through raw, honest conversations with guests ranging from Tony Hawk to Neil deGrasse Tyson. Inspired by losing his father on 9/11 at age 12, David blends humor, heart, and curiosity to normalize talking about life’s only guarantee.

Keep an eye out for David's book to be published September 2026!!

Learn what David's up to here. Visit his website and follow DEAD Talks on Instagram.

*Email your thoughts about this show or if you have an idea for another show to solrisingpodcast@gmail.com.

*Please follow, share, and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review.

Sol Rising is now also on YouTube. Check it out!

Follow Sol Rising on Instagram

Follow Amanda on Instagram

Get Amanda's book, Trust Yourself to Be All In on Amazon or amandamckoyflanagan.com.

Sign up for Amanda's monthly newsletter to receive your free guide, 5 Pillars for an Empowered Life After Loss on her website.

Have you lost someone you love to addiction? Do you carry shame around the way they died? Are you generally perplexed about how an intelligent, kindhearted person—someone with a bright future ahead—falls prey to the disease of addiction, and dies? You're not alone.

Join Amanda and Lauren Sisler, award-winning ESPN broadcaster, author of the new book Shatterproof: How I Overcame the Shame of Losing My Parents to Opioid Addiction (and Found My Sideline Shimmy), and overall extraordinarily resilient human, for a hard look at the shame that accompanies death by substances.

In 2003, Lauren lost both of her parents to the disease of addiction within 5 hours of each other. Amidst profound grief and despair that could have halted her dreams, Lauren discovered an incredible courage that propelled her forward, turning pain and shame into a pathway for success.

Listen as these two powerhouse women uncover:

🔥The disease concept of addiction and how your person lost the power to choose you over drugs and/or alcohol

🔥How shame is lifted once we understand and believe that addiction is a disease, not a character defect

🔥The insidious nature of addiction and how/why a person crosses the line knowing they are heading down a slippery slope

🔥The power of grief to reveal parts of ourselves that need deep healing

🔥How our example of honestly seeking the truth of who we are, and taking the necessary steps to transform, helps others do the same

🔥Giving yourself grace during the push-pull process of becoming vulnerable enough to heal, and change

About Lauren

Lauren Sisler has been captivating audiences with her insightful coverage on ESPN since 2016. Not only is she a powerhouse in the broadcasting world, but she’s also the author of the compelling new book, Shatterproof. Lauren is passionate about sports, but even more passionate about telling the stories of the coaches, athletes, and fans who make it more than a game. Lauren is currently sharing her journey through grief with audiences nationwide, aiming to shed light on crucial issues and dismantle the obstacles that prevent us from embracing our fullest potential.

Check out Lauren’s website to learn where she is speaking next!

Buy her book, Shatterproof: How I Overcame the Shame of Losing My Parents to Opioid Addiction (and Found My Sideline Shimmy)

Follow Lauren on Instagram

*Email your thoughts about this show or if you have an idea for another show to solrisingpodcast@gmail.com.

*Please follow, share, and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review.

Sol Rising is now also on YouTube. Check it out!

Follow Sol Rising on Instagram

Follow Amanda on Instagram

Get Amanda's book, Trust Yourself to Be All In on Amazon or amandamckoyflanagan.com.

Sign up for Amanda's monthly newsletter to receive your free guide, 5 Pillars for an Empowered Life After Loss on her website.

Music credit: "Surfer James" by Tom Deis. Source: Premiumbeats.com.