Sunset Stories with Tanya Manley

Tragedy to Triumph - The Austin McFadden Story Part 1

Our guests Bryan & Paula Hill share their story of navigating their grief journey, marriage and life after losing their son Austin after a motorcycle accident in 2022. Bryan and Paula met in 2001. Bryan came into the marriage to a pre-made family open minded but extremely clueless what he was getting into. They married 9 short months later. 3 kids aging 15 months to 7 years old and a mom that just wanted to do the right thing. They moved from Kansas to Florida in 2002 where they bonded with their kids and found their family values. 2005 the family moved to Texas where the kids began to feel the roots growing as home. Austin was their middle child, battled mental health since middle school just trying to find who he was and where he fit in. Paula writes "He had a heart for music and art and was self-taught in both. He became an amazing young man becoming a family man, raising a child and pursuing his dream of tattooing and so much more. We couldn't be prouder of who my son Austin is and what an impact he left on this world"!
To honor our son's life Austin's Sunshine Foundation started February 2023 "what we knew was we had a purpose and that was to keep Austin's light going in other people's darkness". " That meant using his loss to help us and others". So, we created the foundation to walk alongside families that lose young adults ages 18 to 26 in motorcycle or auto accidents. We have found that parents have appreciated us and our story. We have placed memorial signs out in their child's memory, we have purchased food for families that just can't think about food at the moment and so much more. We are coming up on 1 year anniversary and can't wait to see what God is going to do. We share our story with complete transparency, the good, the bad and the very ugly in hopes that it will be an inspiration to other grieving parents that they are not alone and there's a whole grief community out there ready to support and walk with them through this difficult journey.
Never take life for granted.
Value every breath you take! https://www.facebook.com/AustinsSunshine?mibextid=ZbWKwL
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Maya Roffler with Surviving Siblings Podcast (part) 2

Maya is the host and founder of The Surviving Siblings Podcast as well as the co-founder of The Surviving Siblings Summit. Maya launched her podcast in March of 2022 telling the story of her then five year grief journey after losing her brother to a homicide in November of 2016.
 
Now, Maya has five seasons of the podcast on air and shares the stories of her fellow bereaved siblings. She shares their stories to give hope to all the bereaved siblings out there and to let them know that they are not alone. Maya believes that grief is like a snowflake and no two experiences or feelings are exactly the same. However, we can all connect, learn, and grow through sharing our stories.
 
Maya has also published a grief journal, The Grief Guide for Surviving Siblings, created merchandise for siblings, and continues to advocate on behalf of surviving siblings on a daily basis. If you know someone struggling with the loss of a sibling send them this podcast and connect them to Maya! 
 
 

Maya Roffler with Surviving Siblings Podcast Part 1

Maya is the host and founder of The Surviving Siblings Podcast as well as the co-founder of The Surviving Siblings Summit. Maya launched her podcast in March of 2022 telling the story of her then five year grief journey after losing her brother to a homicide in November of 2016.
 
Now, Maya has five seasons of the podcast on air and shares the stories of her fellow bereaved siblings. She shares their stories to give hope to all the bereaved siblings out there and to let them know that they are not alone. Maya believes that grief is like a snowflake and no two experiences or feelings are exactly the same. However, we can all connect, learn, and grow through sharing our stories.
 
Maya has also published a grief journal, The Grief Guide for Surviving Siblings, created merchandise for siblings, and continues to advocate on behalf of surviving siblings on a daily basis. If you know of someone struggling with the loss of a sibling, please share this and Maya's podcast with them!
 

Grief 2 Hope with Hope Reger

On this Episode of Sunset Stories podcast I'm so excited to have on Hope Reger! Hope Reger lives in Ohio with her husband Mike, she has two sons Brian, 34 and Justin, forever 19 and three amazing granddaughters! Hope believes her purpose in life was given to her after the traumatic loss of her son to murder. That purpose is to provide positivity, inspiration, and hope to others through her Grief 2 Hope program she created in honor of her son. Grief 2 Hope is a virtual peer grief support group that allows grievers a safe space to be their authentic self with support of others who understand and know exactly what they are going through. One of Hope's quotes she likes to end each session with is " Grief changes your entire world, it can also inspire you to change the world".
For more details you can find Hope and Grief 2 Hope on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram as well as her website 
www.grief2hopesupport.com  
 
 
 
 
 

More Than Words with Jason Tuttle Episode #20

On the next Episode of Sunset Stories podcast we discuss grief with a father and full-time caregiver to his son Zachary. Jason writes: I am a married father that was blessed with a son that was/is beautiful, gentle soul that was brought into this world with vastly greater purpose than I could have ever imagined. My son was born with a multitude of cognitive and physical disabilities. I was his medical caregiver as a stay-at-home parent for 12 years and as a working parent for the remainder of his time with us. My son was born with a rare condition called Eagle-Barrette Syndrome, severe neurological delays, and Epilepsy/Seizures. He was also nonverbal and needed a wheelchair for mobility but could walk with assistance. My son lived a medically hard life, but he always did it with a smile on his face, love in his heart, and a hug waiting for anyone who would accept it from him. My son was and still is my world. Unfortunately, God decided his purpose was done and He called him home on January 28, 2022, at 10:34 am. Since that day, I have made it my purpose to continue his loving legacy through my public, grief journaling. It is through the words he inspires me to write that I have I have started my personal crusade to help as many fellow grievers as possible of all ages and situations deal with the hardest day of their lives and deal with the vastness of the lifelong journey that grief has invited them to join. I publish my letters to him in my Facebook page Letters to Zachary. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552174684952&mibextid=ZbWKwL
 
 

One Year Anniversary Episode #19 Debunking Myths about grief (grief panel)

 Linda Triplett, Michelle Barbuto, Melissa Hatcher, Lenny Hunt & Paula Bloom are all on tonight! I can’t believe it’s been one year since I acted on these urges to share my grief and create a safe space for others to do so. We are switching things up a bit with this episode and thought it would be a great time to bring back some of our guests to discuss some Myths about grief. Although the way we all lost our children is different, the stories, dates and details. The common thing that bonds us is child loss. 
The grief of my past has felt very present the past few months even though I am in year two of the death of my son CJ. Maybe it’s because fall was approaching his birthday and mine, our favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. No matter what the year brought about with his mental illness we would come together in the fall and celebrate our family. Maybe it was the compound grief of being my dad’s caregiver the last five months and him passing in October this year!
I would think I was doing ok and then suddenly I was not. 
Grief is a human experience, no one can escape it but more often than not the care, support and compassion we receive is less than human at least after for me it has been and so many others that I talk to. However, when I surround myself or reach out to the people on this panel, I feel seen heard and loved. Perhaps it’s because we realize we are living everyone’s worst nightmare. We have been walking this path alongside each other and been a support system in one way or another. So, let’s dive in to these 5 Myth’s about Grief! Myths about Grief- Are they true?
1. If you ignore grief, it will go away?2. Grief always ends after a specific amount of time.3. Everyone grieves the same way.4. The grieving process is always linear.5. You can only grieve the loss of a loved one.
Wherever you are on you are on your grief journey I hope these stories provide you some help as you walk the lonely road of grief. Remember you are never alone! 
In a world full of darkness. Be a Light!

In the trenches with Toni Filipone A coach’s walk through grief (part1) Episode #18

Toni Filipone shares her journey through navigating grief and how she discovered even after 20 years of being a personal development coach, traveling the world and speaking in front of 70,000 people that she was at a loss in her grief after her partner took her own life. This book gives you ways to retrain your brain in grief mode and gives the grieving hope that there is a life after loss. Everyone needs a  Coach T in their life. You can thank me later! 

I’m okay with Lenny Hunt Episode #17

My next guest Lenny Hunt is a gift as many of you are to the grief community. He talks openly about a car accident that took the lives of his two boys Dawson and Devin. Lenny never lost consciousness and survived. Now, he has dedicated his life to helping the grieving especially during the loss of a child. He has built quite a large following on Tick Tock and when CJ was in the hospital before he passed away, I was scrolling one night and found Lenny. I am so grateful he chose Sunset Stories to tell his story. I know it helped me and thousands of others. 

A hearts message Episode #16

You will want to grab your tissue for happy tears!  Elizabeth Swaim shares her book of poetry " A hearts message " after losing her fiancé and love of her life Hunter tragically after a motorcycle accident 2 years ago. Her journey of healing and even finding love again while still honoring the love she shared for 6 years with Hunter. I am honored she chose our platform to share this beautiful story. 

Grief Coach & Wellness Guru Cami Thelander Episode #15

We are so excited to announce our next guest in Sunset Stories Cami Thelander.
Cami Thelander is a Grief Coach and Craniosacral Therapist who offers a mindful, body-oriented approach to healing from loss. From a young age, Cami experienced various layers of grief and loss that lead her on a journey to her own healing. When she was 11 years old, Cami's father died from ALS. Later at the age of 15, she watched her step-dad die from prostate cancer. She spent 10 years avoiding her grief and suffering from chronic illness until her body demanded that she learn how to process her loss in a healthy way. Since then, she's been exploring various healing modalities such as yoga, herbs and essential oils, craniosacral therapy, and grief coaching, and has combined these resources into a holistic approach to healing from loss. Now, she shares these tools with her clients to empower others to transform the pain of grief into a life full of meaning and purpose.
She offers:
1:1 Grief Coaching -- Embodied Grief Support Program, a holistic approach to processing grief and navigating loss
Free grief groups and resources in my FB community
Contact Info:
Website - www.bearfootyogi.com
Phone- 651-322-0300
Email- cami@bearfootyogi.com
FB Group link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/embodiedgriefsupport/?mibextid=oMANbw
Instagram- @bear.foot.yogi
Accollades:
Certified Grief Coach
Certified Yoga Teacher
Craniosacral Therapist
Trained Death Doula
Bachelor of Science in Biology
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Cami Thelander
Bear Foot Yogi
(651) 322-0300
www.bearfootyogi.com
So exciting to hear her story and her commitment to growth and healing over the past ten years!