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/

Episode 24: Toni Plante – A Mother’s Story, Part 2

Some conversations need more time.

In Part 1 of our conversation with Toni Plante, she shared the heartbreaking story of losing her 15-year-old daughter to suicide after her struggle with depression.

In Part 2, we continue Toni’s story.

Toni talks about what came next—learning to live with an unimaginable loss, finding a way forward, and eventually turning her grief into a mission to help others.

She shares why she now speaks openly about suicide and mental health, the importance of awareness and research, and what she hopes parents, families, and communities can learn from her daughter’s story.

This isn’t a conversation about “getting over” grief. It’s about learning how to carry it, finding purpose alongside it, and having conversations that are sometimes incredibly difficult—but desperately important.

Toni trusted us with a story no mother ever wants to tell. We’re incredibly grateful she chose to tell it with us.

In Part 2, you’ll hear:

• What life looked like for Toni after losing her daughter
• How she began finding her way forward
• Why she decided to speak publicly about suicide
• Her work promoting awareness and supporting research
• What she wants other parents and families to know
• Why talking openly about mental health and suicide matters

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of depression, suicide, and the death of a child.

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

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/

Episode 23: Toni Plante – A Mother’s Story, Part 1

Some stories can’t—and shouldn’t—be squeezed into one episode.

In this rare two-part conversation, Toni Plante joins Rod & Chris to share the story of her 15-year-old daughter, her struggle with depression, and her death by suicide.

Toni talks openly about what their family experienced, the things she understands differently now, and the unimaginable process of figuring out how to keep living after losing a child. She shares how she found a way through the darkest days—not by leaving her daughter behind, but by carrying her story forward.

Today, Toni speaks openly about suicide and mental health, working to raise awareness, encourage conversation, and support research that may help other young people and their families.

This is a difficult conversation, but an important one. It’s also a conversation about love, survival, purpose, and what can happen when someone chooses to turn devastating loss into a reason to speak up.

In Part 1, you’ll hear:

• Toni’s story as a mother
• Her daughter’s struggle with depression
• The devastating reality of losing a child to suicide
• How Toni began navigating life after her daughter’s death
• Why she now shares their story publicly
• Her commitment to awareness, conversation, and research

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of depression, suicide, and the death of a child.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 in the U.S. to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Part 2 continues Toni’s story in Episode 24.

Episode 22: Kevi Niland – When You Don't Get to Say GoodbyeWhat happens when someone you love is dying—but circumstances keep you from being there?In Episode 22 of Rod & Chris: Unqualified and Unsupervised, we're joined by Kevi Niland, whose life and career took her to Washington, D.C., where she worked as a Reading Clerk on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.But this conversation isn't about politics. It's about love, loss, and a goodbye that didn't happen the way Kevi imagined it would.When Kevi's fiancé became seriously ill, his children moved him from Washington, D.C. to Arizona, where they lived. Suddenly, Kevi found herself separated from the person she loved during the final chapter of his life.Kevi shares what it was like to grieve someone who was still alive but no longer physically beside her, and then to face his death without having been there at the end. We talk about the complicated emotions that come when decisions are outside your control, the things left unsaid, and how you begin moving forward when you didn't get the goodbye you wanted.It's a powerful reminder that grief doesn't always come with closure—and sometimes there isn't a neat ending to the story.In this episode you'll hear:

• Kevi's fascinating career as a Reading Clerk in the U.S. House of Representatives
• What happened when her fiancé became seriously ill
• The heartbreak of being separated from someone you love near the end of their life
• Grieving when circumstances and decisions are outside your control
• The complicated emotions surrounding a goodbye you didn't get to have
• How Kevi began navigating life after his death
• Why closure doesn't always look the way we expect it to
• 
  

Sometimes grief isn't only about losing someone. It's also about grieving the moments, conversations, and goodbyes you thought you would have.If this conversation resonates with you, please follow the podcast, leave a rating and review, and share this episode. Someone else may be carrying a goodbye they never got to say.Music CreditsMusic: "Sergio's Magic Dustbin" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Episode 21: Toni Loyal – Grief, Tradition, and Homegoing

How we grieve is shaped by who we are, where we come from, and the traditions passed down through generations.

In Episode 21 of Rod & Chris: Unqualified and Unsupervised, we're joined by Toni Loyal, who grew up on the South Side of Chicago and shares the traditions surrounding death, mourning, and remembrance in his Black family and community. Toni takes us inside what happens when a family comes together after a loss—from the rituals of mourning and the funeral itself to the homegoing celebration and the re-pass, when family and friends gather afterward to share food, stories, laughter, and memories.

We talk about why a funeral can be both deeply sad and a celebration. Toni shares how faith, family, food, music, storytelling, and community all become part of honoring the person who died—and helping those left behind begin to move forward.It's a conversation about the different ways we say goodbye, the traditions that connect generations, and how grief and celebration can exist in the same room.In this episode you'll hear:

• Toni's experience growing up on the South Side of Chicago
• Traditions surrounding death and mourning in his Black family
• What a homegoing celebration means and why it's important
• The role of faith, music, family, and community
• What happens at the re-pass after the service
• Why food, stories, laughter, and memories are part of grieving
• How traditions help families honor those they've lost

No matter what our traditions look like, grief has a way of bringing us together. And sometimes celebrating a life is just as important as mourning its loss.

If this conversation resonates with you, please follow the podcast, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who might enjoy hearing a different perspective on how we grieve, remember, and celebrate the people we love.

Music CreditsMusic: "Sergio's Magic Dustbin" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Episode 20: Dr. Sterling Laaveg – The Gift of Respite

What do you do when you've been caring for someone around the clock and you desperately need a break... but feel guilty for taking one?

That's where respite care comes in.

In Episode 20 of Rod & Chris: Unqualified and Unsupervised, we're joined by Dr. Sterling Laaveg to talk about the life-changing impact of respite care. Drawing from his experience as a respite care volunteer in Arizona, Dr. Laaveg shares what it's like to spend time with patients who are nearing the end of life, giving their caregivers something they rarely allow themselves—time away.

For caregivers, stepping away can feel impossible. There are errands to run, sleep to catch up on, appointments to keep, or sometimes just the need to sit in silence for a little while. Dr. Laaveg reminds us that taking care of yourself isn't abandoning the person you love—it's what allows you to keep showing up for them.

This conversation shines a light on the quiet, compassionate work of respite volunteers and why caring for the caregiver is just as important as caring for the patient.

In this episode you'll hear:

• What respite care is and why it matters
• Dr. Laaveg's experiences volunteering with end-of-life patients in Arizona
• Why caregivers often struggle to give themselves permission to take a break
• How even a few hours of respite can make a lasting difference
• The emotional rewards of serving patients and their families
• Why no caregiver should have to carry the burden alone

If this episode encourages you, helps you better understand the challenges caregivers face, or inspires you to support someone in need, please follow the podcast, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who could benefit from this conversation.

Music Credits

Music: "Sergio's Magic Dustbin" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/