This week, I sat down with Dermot Joyce, who shared the deeply moving story of loosing his wife Audrey to cancer.Dermot speaks so honestly about walking the cancer journey by her side, the fear, the fight, and the heartbreak. He opens up about their son Jack, who was just 8 at the time, and the pain of helping him understand what was happening to his mum and how that honesty has helped Jack to be so open in turn.A raw, emotional, and truly honest conversation from an ordinary man going through something no family should have to face.Thank you to this episodes supportersFeeling stuck in your body? Grief can weigh heavily on us physically as well as emotionally. If you’re ready to try gentle movement from home Ecofitness by Korina Duffy is offering listeners a 30-day free trial.Move at your own pace, in your own space, even in your pyjamas.💚 Sign up here: https://coach.everfit.io/package/QJ743362🎙️ This episode was brought to you and recorded at GK Media Studio.They also offer a beautiful Legacy Package where you can record your own personal or family podcast, capture memories with a loved one, or tell your story in your own words.They can even travel to you.📼 Learn more here: https://www.gkmedia.ie/legacyFor more information on Grief Retreats visit www.griefireland.com
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Family Flowers Only with Chris O'Connor
This week, I sat down with Chris O’Connor, who shared the heartbreaking loss of his dad, James O’Connor who died while attempting to summit Mount Kilimanjaro on the morning of his 40th birthday.Chris is just 17, still in school, but speaks with a depth and honesty that left me completely in awe of him. He talks about the pressure to stay strong, the anger that built up in the aftermath, and how healing it’s been to finally open up and speak about his grief.He also shares the deep love he has for his dad, the man who introduced him to running, supported him through everything, and shaped so much of who he is today.This is a powerful and moving conversation about love, loss, and the strength it takes to keep going. One you should get your teenagers to listen to and one we can all learn so much from ourselves.You can follow Chris' journey on Tiktok:https://www.tiktok.com/@chrisoconnAnd Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/christopher.oconn?igsh=MW93cGJkdmlvaGNtdQ==Feeling stuck in your body?Grief can weigh heavily on us physically as well as emotionally. If you’re ready to try gentle movement from home Ecofitness by Korina Duffy is offering listeners a 30-day free trial.Move at your own pace, in your own space, even in your pyjamas.💚 Sign up here: https://coach.everfit.io/package/QJ743362🎙️ This episode was recorded at GK Media Studio.They also offer a beautiful Legacy Package where you can record your own personal or family podcast, capture memories with a loved one, or tell your story in your own words.They can even travel to you.📼 Learn more here: https://www.gkmedia.ie/legacyFor more information on Grief Retreats visit www.griefireland.com
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Family Flowers Only with Ann Higgins
This week, I sit down with Ann Higgins, a woman who has known profound love and deep loss throughout her life. Anne shares her journey from losing her brother and mother, to the heartbreak of miscarriage and failed IVF. But at the heart of her story is the incredible bond she formed with a young boy in her class while working as a teacher.He was living in residential care, and Anne and her husband felt an instant connection. What followed was a long and difficult road to foster and eventually care for him permanently, becoming a family in every sense of the word. Their story captured the hearts of the nation when they appeared on Room to Improve, but tragedy struck again when he suffered a traumatic injury and passed away.Ann speaks with honesty, warmth, and strength about grief, motherhood, and what it means to give your whole heart to someone, no matter how long you get to love them.For more information about Grief Retreats visit www.griefireland.comFor more information on recording your own personal podcast as a keepsake for family friends etc contact GK MEDIA on Instagram or herehttps://www.gkmedia.ie/legacy
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Family Flowers Only with Laura Craine
This week, I sat down with Laura Craine, the founder of With Love and Dreams, a beautiful creative business that helps people honour their loved ones through memorial jewellery and flower preservation. Laura is a resin artist who works with cremated remains, funeral flowers, and other deeply personal items to create meaningful keepsakes for those who are grieving.Laura also shares her own story of loss, having experienced the death of 3 of her grandparents within six months. She speaks especially about the bond she shared with her granddad, Harry, and how his passing shaped her understanding of grief and deepened her empathy for the people she now supports through her work.It’s a conversation about memory, legacy, and the creative ways we carry love forward.This episode is kindly brought to you by GK Media.For more information on their legacy video and podcast service please visit them here https://www.gkmedia.ie/legacyFor more information on Grief Retreats visit www.griefireland.comYou can find Laura @with love and dreams
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Family Flowers Only with Orla Clancy
This week, I sit down with Orla Clancy, who shares the story of losing both of her parents, her mum Christina and her dad Noel. Orla was just 13 when her mother died suddenly, a loss that shaped her teenage years. In the years that followed, her relationship with her dad grew incredibly strong as he raised her through life’s hardest and most formative moments.Then, at just 29, Orla faced another devastating loss when her dad became unwell and passed away from cancer.This is a story of grief, love, and the deep bond between a daughter and her parents especially the connection that forms when a parent becomes your whole world.For more information about Grief Retreats visit www.griefireland.comFor more information on recording your own personal podcast as a keepsake for family friends etc contact GK MEDIA on Instagram or herehttps://www.gkmedia.ie/legacy
During the pandemic I created a community on Instagram called Grief Ireland. It was following the death of my sister Elaine and her husband Pa. I found Grief to be still a taboo subject, unspoken, and a topic that not many wanted to discuss. Unless of course those who were in "the club no-one wants to be in". But to find those people was difficult. So I went on a mission to open the conversation, to comfort those who mourn, to educate those who don't, to hold space for others to talk about their Grief, Love and Loss and to remember our loved ones and ensure that they would never be forgotten.
Ireland