Don't Forget To Breathe: Where grieving parents find voice, hope, and connection.
Originally launched in 2020, this podcast began as a form of soul-cleansing and healing, as I shared my journey as a father who suddenly lost his 20-year-old daughter in 2006, a tragedy no parent should ever have to endure. After a three year hiatus filled with personal transformation, including divorce, closing my business, intensive therapy, and continued healing, I return with a renewed heart and deeper understanding. In future seasons, I’ll be sharing conversations with other parents who have bravely offered to speak about living with the unimaginable. Together, we’ll explore what grief looks like over time, and how hope, love, and even laughter can coexist with loss. You’ll hear the shift in my voice from where I was then, to where I am now. I trust you’ll find common ground in our stories, and perhaps a glimmer of hope as you continue on your own path.
Episodes
In this first half of a two-part conversation, host Bruce Barker talks with Kristin—one of the founders and former Executive Director of a Colorado nonprofit that supports grieving parents.
Kristin opens up about her child, her loss, and the early days of her grief journey. She reflects on how her pain transformed into compassion and why she dedicated herself to walking with families through unimaginable moments.
In thi...
In this first part of a two-episode conversation, host Bruce Barker sits down with Kristin, one of the founders and former Executive Director of a Colorado-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting families who have experienced child loss.
Kristin shares the early chapters of her grief journey and the deeply personal story that led her to create a safe haven for parents in their darkest moments. She reflects on her own l...
The holidays can be one of the hardest times for grieving parents. Between memories of what once was and the silence of what’s missing, emotions can feel overwhelming. In this heartfelt episode of Don’t Forget To Breathe, host Bruce Barker shares gentle reflections and practical coping strategies for navigating the season after child loss.
Discover ways to approach family gatherings, honor your child’s memory through m...
My guest, Sheila Johnson Wilson, a writer, musician, and professional coordinator, has endured the loss of more than 20 loved ones, including 17 in just five years. Through deep personal work, she’s found healing and now shares her story to inspire others with courage to heal, support one another, and dream again.
Contact information for Sheila and William Wood are:
ohohsheilaonline@gmail.com
William Wood: william.wood@n...
In part three of my conversation with Marnie, she shares life after Joey’s death in 2022—the weight of grief, the struggles, and the ways she continues forward while holding onto her daughter’s memory. Unlike the first two episodes, we recorded this in Marnie’s home, where she invited me into Joey’s room, unchanged since the last time she slept there. Surrounded by Joey’s art and presence, it was a sacred, moving expe...
In the second of three conversations, Marnie continues sharing the story of her daughter, Joey—this time moving into the heartbreaking account of her final days and the moment of her death. Alongside the deep pain, Marnie reflects with tenderness and honesty on the love that carried them through. Recorded in a bustling coffeehouse, this episode invites you to listen past the background sounds and into a mother’s unfli...
In the first of three conversations, Marnie from Colorado opens her heart to share memories of her daughter, Joey—the devastating medical diagnosis, countless hospital visits, and the daily fight to keep her alive, as well as the laughter, adventures, and everyday moments that filled their life with love. Recorded in a cozy coffeehouse, this episode invites you to see Joey through her mother’s eyes, before the tragedy...
In this episode, I revisit one of the most talked-about topics from Season 2, Episode 9: Did You Really Just Say That?
We’ll reflect on some of the surprising, hurtful, or well-meaning-but-wrong things people say to grieving parents. I also share a few new comments I’ve heard recently from others in my grief support groups. If you've ever been on the receiving end of words that missed the mark—or if you want ...
Nineteen years ago today, Kristen died. In this short episode, I reflect on the weight of this day—what it brings up, how I’ve coped, and the ways I’ve honored her memory through the years. Grief changes, but it never disappears. This is a quiet space to remember, to feel, and to share the journey of healing.
Help keep the Don’t Forget To Breathe podcast going. Become a supporter today and be part of t...
Where Has Bruce Been?
After a three-year pause, Don’t Forget To Breathe returns with a raw and transparent look at the life-changing events that kept Bruce away from the mic. In this powerful relaunch, Bruce shares his journey through divorce, trauma, therapy, self-discovery, healing, and a new direction in life. It's a fresh chapter—honest, heartfelt, and rooted in the hope of moving forward together.
After more than three years away from the mic, I’m back with Season 3—bringing heartfelt, healing conversations around life after child loss. This season features solo reflections, revisits to powerful past topics, and honest stories from fellow grieving parents. I may not be a professional, just a dad walking this journey, but I hope these episodes help you feel seen, heard, and less alone. Let’s take one step at a t...
This will be a really short chat; I didn’t plan on doing an episode for a couple of weeks, but this thought popped up and I wanted to share it. This will be short, but hopefully, you will find something in it that might help. The big theme of my New Year’s Message…YOU MADE IT!
Help keep the Don’t Forget To Breathe podcast going. Become a supporter today and be part of the movement to bring light, conne...
In the midst of the Holidays, The First Time Since talks about those events, favorite places and special occasions that we experience for the first time since losing a child, or anyone close to us. Simply living life day by day will reveal moments of remembrance that can trigger sorrow, pain, anger and more. But this can feel overwhelming during the Holiday season. If only to know that you are not alone with your aval...
I believe that during the course of our lives, both individually and collectively, our daily activities, experiences and relationships are woven together to eventually form an amazing and complex tapestry; our very own life’s tapestry. A tapestry is made up of so many threads, each with its own purpose and distinct place in the pattern being created. But why those threads; why then; why now. Let's discover some ...
It was time to go back to Denver; time to get out of Louisiana; time to leave behind the horrible experience of burying my daughter. There was nothing to live for any longer. I was cloaked in despair; a walking death-wish. But someone had another plan for my life. This is the story of a divine encounter that changed everything.
Help keep the Don’t Forget To Breathe podcast going. Become a supporter tod...
From the moment I entered the Funeral Home until the time I exited, I was left with a lasting impression of the "business" of funerals. On top of being there because my child had died, the experience was one that I hope no parent will need to go through, even though I know it happens every single day to someone.
Help keep the Don’t Forget To Breathe podcast going. Become a supporter today and...
So on a day like any other, I got the call no parent ever wants to get, or ever really imagines they will, and one they never should. My daughter was dead. This episode covers the moment my life changed forever, and the living nightmare that began the next chapter of my life.
Help keep the Don’t Forget To Breathe podcast going. Become a supporter today and be part of the movement to bring light, connec...
Don’t Forget to Breathe is a podcast that follows the journey of a father who suddenly lost his 20-year-old daughter, and the life that followed a tragedy no parent should ever have to endure.
In these episodes, I’ll talk openly about my grief, my anger, my depression, the emptiness I’ve felt and even those surprising moments of joy, glimpses of happiness, and what it’s been like to learn to laugh again. This is an ong...
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