Episode 27: Angel Thompson – Grieving Together

Grief doesn’t just affect the person who experienced the loss. It can change a marriage, a relationship, and the way two people move through life together.

In Episode 27 of Rod & Chris: Unqualified and Unsupervised, Angel Thompson joins us to talk about what it’s like to support a spouse who is grieving the loss of family members.

Angel shares the challenges of watching someone you love hurt when you can’t fix it, knowing when to step in and when to simply be there, and learning how to support your partner while navigating the changes grief can bring to a relationship.

We also have an important conversation about suicide, the impact it leaves on those who love someone, and why we need to be willing to talk about it.

Because sometimes loving someone through grief isn’t about finding the right words or making things better. It’s about staying beside them while they find their way forward.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What it’s like to support a grieving spouse
• How grief can affect a relationship
• The challenge of wanting to help when you can’t “fix” the loss
• Grief following suicide and its impact on families
• Why simply being present can matter
• How couples can keep moving forward together

Content Note: This episode includes discussion of suicide and suicide loss.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is available 24/7.

No experts. Just experience. And sometimes, being there is enough.

Rod & Chris: Unqualified and Unsupervised
Unfiltered conversations from the club we didn’t want to join.

Music: “Sergio’s Magic Dustbin” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Episode 26: Scott Tepner – The Day He Died

Scott Tepner had a heart attack.

Then he died.

While lying on a table in the emergency room, Scott’s heart stopped. The medical team brought him back—and he lived to tell the story.

In Episode 26 of Rod & Chris: Unqualified and Unsupervised, Scott joins us to talk about what happened that day, what he remembers, and how coming that close to the end changed the way he looks at the life he still gets to live.

Because sometimes it takes losing everything—even for a few moments—to completely change what matters.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• What happened the day Scott suffered his heart attack
• What he remembers about dying in the ER
• What it was like waking up after being brought back
• How the experience changed his priorities
• Why he approaches life differently today

No experts. Just experience. And this week, one hell of a second chance.

Music: “Sergio’s Magic Dustbin” by Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech), licensed under Creative Commons.

Episode 25: Peggy Dunn – The Long Goodbye

What happens when the person you’ve loved for more than 50 years is still here—but life together begins to change?

Peggy Dunn joins Rod & Chris to share what happened when her husband of more than five decades was diagnosed with dementia, beginning a journey often described as the long goodbye.

Peggy talks honestly about watching someone you’ve built a lifetime with begin to change, stepping into the role of caregiver, and experiencing a kind of grief that doesn’t wait for death. It can begin with a diagnosis, a forgotten memory, a change in personality, or the realization that the life you planned together may no longer look the way you imagined.

It’s a conversation about dementia, caregiving, marriage, love, and anticipatory grief—grieving the losses that happen along the way while still loving and caring for the person who is right in front of you.

And after more than 50 years together, there are a lot of memories, a lot of love, and a lot to hold onto.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Peggy and her husband’s life together
• The dementia diagnosis that changed their lives
• What “the long goodbye” really means for a spouse
• Becoming a caregiver after decades as partners
• The grief that can begin long before someone is gone
• Finding a way forward when life doesn’t look the way you expected

Sometimes grief begins with goodbye.

Sometimes it begins long before.

Music Attribution
“Sergio’s Magic Dustbin” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/