Losing a parent changes you, but losing a parent as a man when you’ve been taught your whole life to keep it together? That’s a different kind of grief. In this episode, I sit down with Roger Nairn, co-host of the Dead Dads Podcast, to talk about his father’s death from cancer, his choice to pursue Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in Canada, and what it’s really like to grieve as a son when you weren’t given the tools to feel your feelings.

Roger opens up about the guilt he felt when he didn’t cry the way he expected to, how his counselor helped him understand that his grief had been “front-loaded” during his dad’s illness, and why dark humor—including one unforgettable story about the funeral home—became his pressure-release valve.

✨ Why Roger felt “flat” and neutral when his dad died, and what his counselor taught him about anticipatory grief
✨ The MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying) process in Canada and what it’s like to know the exact day and time
✨ The funeral home story that became the spark for the Dead Dads Podcast
✨ How toxic masculinity shapes the way men experience and express grief
✨ Why so many men have never had a real conversation with a friend about death
✨ The power of journaling as a grief ritual
✨ How to find the right grief counselor (and why it’s okay to “break up” with one that isn’t a fit)
✨ Navigating parenthood after losing a parent
✨ The complicated feelings around using AI to “bring back” a deceased loved one’s photo or voice
✨ Why laughing about death and grief doesn’t mean you’ve moved on

Learn more about Roger and his work at https://www.deaddadspodcast.com/

Support the podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/lifewithgriefpodcast

📖 Life Beyond Grief Substack: https://taraaccardo.substack.com/


Connect with me:

View comments

+ Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

«