Elastic Heart

One of my favorite aspects of the show is the opportunity to learn more from individuals based on their grief experiences. And while I absolutely love meeting and speaking with new people who have insights to share on these topics, I’m especially honored when I can connect with longtime friends who share parts of their stories that I might never have otherwise known.

I had this exact opportunity with today’s guest, Josh Moorhead. Josh is someone I’ve grown up with–literally miles apart on the same road. I was fortunate enough to reconnect with him in our early adult years, and thanks to social media, we’ve had the chance to build on our childhood friendship through our shared perspectives on the world and the ways we hope to help change it for the better.

After reconnecting with Josh to work on some new merch for Bury Me through his design company, Scope Creep, we had the chance to connect more deeply about the project and some of Josh’s grief experiences. It became clear pretty quickly that this was a conversation worth sharing with a larger audience, especially since it touched on so many topics that others have most likely experienced–navigating relationships affected by substance use disorder, the grief that comes from family estrangement, and trying to find closure when the circumstances don’t necessarily foster that on their own.

In this deeply personal conversation, Josh reflects on the complexities of navigating a relationship with a parent whose presence was often fleeting. “Our relationship was like a big house with lots of rooms, but we only ever got to look at a few of them,” he says, capturing the emotional distance and unanswered questions that defined their connection. Through stories of familial estrangement, forgiveness, and his evolving role as both son and father, Josh explores what it means to hold space for imperfection while still showing up with care. He shares how he’s raising his own children with emotional honesty—preparing them for life’s inevitable losses and the difficult truths that often come with loving others.

CONTENT NOTE: In addition to discussing estranged family relationships, this episode includes discussion relating to substance use disorder.

About Josh Moorhead

Josh Moorhead is an experienced artist, designer, creative strategist, and brand builder who brings attention to small businesses and start-ups through a broad range of creative marketing solutions, including brand identity, web design, digital, and print. Learn more about Josh’s creative work and follow Scope Creep on Instagram.

Listen to Elastic Heart by Sia ➜

Credits + Gratitude

Bury Me in New Jersey is recorded in Hammonton, NJ, with the help of our sound guy Nick Rumaczyk, head mensch and husband Bradley Nussbaum, and operations chief Katel LeDu.

Our theme music is Grief on Repeat by New Harm—you’re getting an exclusive first listen here, and their debut EP is coming soon!

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to our Kickstarter backers who made this season possible: Anjanette R., Sergey K., Molly E., Kim H., Erin and Bill H., Fluffy Farms, Lauren L., Fairacres Organic Produce, Holly, Stacy G., Sam J., Kerrie, and Colleen C. We are endlessly grateful for your support.

If you’d like to keep up to date with the other work we’re doing to support Bury Me, please consider subscribing to our Substack at burymeinnj.com. It’s absolutely free to read our content, though we do offer paid membership options which help us to continue producing more grief content.

Get full access to Bury Me in New Jersey at www.burymeinnj.com/subscribe