My Family Keeps Dying & I Can’t Explain It

2026-08-04

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In this episode, I sit down with Jaclyn Rose, a mental health advocate whose life has been shaped by unimaginable loss. Jaclyn shares the heartbreaking story of losing her uncle to suicide, her father to addiction, and years later, her older brother to the very same battle. Rather than allowing grief to harden her heart, she chose to understand it.This conversation challenged the way I think about addiction, mental health, suicide, grief, and what it truly means to love someone who is suffering. We talk about the silence that often surrounds these...

This conversation challenged the way I think about addiction, mental health, suicide, grief, and what it truly means to love someone who is suffering. We talk about the silence that often surrounds these struggles, why shame keeps so many families trapped, and how healing begins when we stop asking, “How could you do this to us?” and start asking, “What pain were you carrying?”

In this episode:

Losing her uncle, father, and brother to suicide and addiction
The text message from her dad hours before he unexpectedly died
Why shame and silence make grief even harder to carry
What addiction taught her about love, forgiveness, and compassion
How she turned unimaginable loss into a mission to help others heal

If you've ever lost someone to suicide or addiction, love someone battling mental illness, or are carrying grief that still feels too heavy to name, I hope this episode reminds you that you are not alone.

Key Moments:

00:00 The Text Message That Changed Everything

05:12 Seeing Her Uncle After Suicide at Just 9 Years Old

09:08 Why Silence Makes Grief Even Worse

16:17 The Birthday That Changed Her Relationship with Her Dad

20:01 The Truth About Her Father's Addiction

24:03 Reuniting With Her Dad One Week Before He Died

31:00 How Grief Turned Into Anxiety, Addiction & Survival

34:19 Why Time Doesn't Heal Trauma

36:05 Can You Love Someone Who Keeps Hurting You?

43:03 What Addiction Really Feels Like

46:41 Her Brother Started Following the Same Path