Parental Loss and Caregiver Grief: When You Finally Stop Holding It All with Aimee Suyko - Episode 101

DESCRIPTION: Aimee Suyko’s mom was the person she called about everything, which made losing her especially lonely: the person she wanted to help her through the grief was the person who had died. In Episode 101 of Grief Is Not A Dirty Word, Nick Gaylord talks with Aimee about losing both parents and the caregiving responsibilities that left little room to process her mother’s death. Aimee remembers her mom’s stage four lung cancer diagnosis, the sudden changes that followed a serious fall and a final month together that held both painful uncertainty and unexpected laughter. After her mother died, caring for her father meant coordinating appointments, managing finances and helping sell the family home of more than 50 years while continuing to work. She shares how grief and caregiver exhaustion eventually caught up with her during a work trip to Hawaii, prompting her to leave her job, seek therapy and begin journaling. Nick and Aimee also explore the pressure to appear okay, why grieving people need support rather than someone trying to fix them and how boundaries can protect relationships when friends respond differently to loss. Her writing eventually connected her with a growing grief community and led to a book, offering another way to put words to feelings that can be difficult to explain. Throughout the conversation, Aimee returns to the memories of her parents, the value of giving yourself grace and the possibility of living fully while still missing someone deeply. WHO THIS EPISODE HELPS: Anyone navigating parental loss, caregiver grief or delayed grief, especially people who have spent so long caring for others that their own loss has barely had room to surface. WHAT LISTENERS WILL GET: An honest conversation about grief support, caregiver exhaustion and life after loss, with perspective on finding supportive people, making space for difficult emotions and enjoying memories without feeling that laughter diminishes love. This episode answers: Why am I still grieving my mom years after she died? How do I grieve one parent while caring for the other? How do I cope with losing both parents? What can I say when people keep trying to fix my grief? Is it okay to laugh and enjoy life while I’m grieving? Key Takeaways: Caregiving can leave little space for your own grief. Aimee describes moving straight from her mother’s death into caring for her father, then feeling her mother’s loss intensely years later. Being productive doesn’t show the whole picture. Continuing to work and handle responsibilities hid how exhausted and overwhelmed Aimee felt. Support can begin with listening. Aimee wanted people who could sit with her feelings without offering explanations or trying to make everything better. Different grief responses deserve room. Nick and Aimee discuss how siblings and friends may express grief differently, even when they deeply loved the same person. Laughter can keep memories close. Family humor, journaling and connection helped Aimee find room for life alongside the love and grief she still carries. AIMEE'S LINKS: Website: https://aimeesuyko.com/ Resources Hub: https://aimeesuyko.com/resources/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/intheirfootstepsblog/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimee-suyko-0b42ab26 Blog: https://aimeesuyko.com/blog/ She Still Rises Community: https://www.skool.com/she-still-rises/about Purchase Aimee's Book (What Remains: Reflections on Losing, Loving, and Learning to Live Again): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H3CW9L7Y Support the show GIVE THE SHOW A 5-STAR RATING ON APPLE PODCASTS!   FOLLOW US ON APPLE OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM!   BOOKMARK OUR WEBSITE: www.griefisnotadirtyword.com FOLLOW OUR DEAD DADS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griefisnotadirtyword Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefisnotadirtyword TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@griefisnotadirtyword YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmmv6sdmMIys3GDBjiui3kw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-gaylord/