All Episodes

December 30, 2024 54 mins

As we come to the close of another year, it is a time when we naturally look both backward and forward. In looking back, it is often a time when we (individually and collectively) reflect on passings—the death of important people in our lives. Some of them are lost through long, debilitating declines; others are lost suddenly, wrenched from us without morning. Either way, we mourn the losses; we seek ways to cope with and process our grief; to preserve their memories and find ways to move on. In today’s episode, I’m talking with Rachel Zimmerman, the author of “Us, After,” a memoir centered on the death of her husband, who committed suicide at the age of 50.  As an award-winning journalist, her story naturally begins with a search for answers: How could the man she’d married, a devoted father and MIT professor with many friends, with no history of mental illness, have done this? But her exploration ends up being much more than a search for facts. Her book examines the devastation and resurgence of domestic life; the mental struggles between private and public lives; the secrets we keep; the work of motherhood; and the rediscovery of love, and the good of what remains.  It is a deeply personal, absorbing and yes, inspiring, story.

About the Guest:

Rachel Zimmerman is an award-winning journalist who has written about health and medicine for more than two decades. She’s a contributor to The Washington Post and previously worked as a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal and a health reporter for WBUR, Boston’s public radio station, where she co-founded a popular blog and podcast. Her essays and reporting have been published in The New York Times; Vogue.com; New York Magazine’s The Cut; “O” The Oprah Magazine; The Atlantic; Slate; and The Huffington Post, among others. She received an MS from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a BA from Sarah Lawrence College. She lives with her family in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

 

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.