How do you keep living after the unthinkable? In this episode of Grief & Grit, we sit down with Rachael Strauss, who shares the heartbreaking yet profoundly human story of losing her younger brother, Herschel Siegel, to suicide at just 24 years old.
Rachael paints a vivid picture of Herschel’s vibrant, magnetic personality — and the painful reality of his mental health struggles, which deepened during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. She reflects on the shock and devastation of his death, and the conscious choice she made to seek out what she calls “cushions” — small mercies and silver linings hidden inside overwhelming grief.
With raw honesty, Rachael talks about:
-
Breaking the silence around suicide and challenging the stigma by being open about her family’s loss
-
The unexpected ways her community showed up and supported her family
-
Her personal coping strategies, from reframing anniversaries to celebrating Herschel’s life on his birthday
-
Accepting that life after loss requires building “a new road”
Now living in Toronto, Canada, Rachael, a dental hygienist and one of six siblings, has turned her personal tragedy into advocacy. By sharing her story, she encourages open conversations about mental health and suicide, offering comfort and connection to others walking a similar road.
This episode is an invitation to witness one sister’s grief journey, her resilience, and her commitment to keeping her brother’s memory alive with love, honesty, and courage.
💛 If you or someone you love is in crisis, please dial 988 in the U.S. to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Follow Grief & Grit:
Support Our Work on Patreon:
🎁 Get access to behind-the-scenes content, bonus mini episodes, printable grief tools, and more.
👉 https://www.patreon.com/c/griefandgrit
💛 Reminder: If you or someone you know is in crisis, dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.).
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.