Grief Is Not A Dirty Word
Grief Is Not A Dirty Word is a weekly podcast that brings honest, real-world conversations about grief, loss, trauma, healing, and mental health into the light. Hosted by Nick Gaylord, the show creates a safe, compassionate space for anyone navigating the complicated emotions that come with losing a parent, partner, child, friend, relationship, or former version of themselves.
Originally launched as Our Dead Dads, the podcast has evolved into a broader mission: to normalize grief and break the stigma around talking about it. Nick explores every corner of the grieving experience — from anticipatory grief and sudden loss to complicated family dynamics, unresolved anger, identity shifts, and the invisible pain people carry long after the world assumes they’re “fine.”
Each episode features powerful, unfiltered stories from guests who have lived through loss and rebuilt their lives in deeply personal ways. Through conversations centered on resilience, vulnerability, courage, and connection, the podcast helps listeners understand that grief isn’t something to hide — it’s something that deserves space, honesty, and community.
Whether your grief is fresh or decades old, whether it’s tied to death or to a different kind of ending, this show will help you feel seen, supported, and less alone. If you’re looking for meaningful discussions about healing, emotional wellbeing, and the human experience — you’re in the right place.
New episodes every Tuesday.
Listen on all major podcast platforms or at griefisnotadirtyword.com.
Grief Is Not A Dirty Word — because every story matters, every emotion belongs, and healing begins when we speak the truth.
Grief Is Not A Dirty Word
Grief Lessons from Family Trauma, Sudden Loss, and Generational Pain with Heather Locklear
Episode 61 - Heather Locklear
WHO THIS EPISODE HELPS
Anyone navigating grief, trauma, sudden loss, suicide loss, or unresolved emotional pain.
WHAT LISTENERS WILL GET
Tools, language, and emotional clarity to better understand grief, support others, and process layered loss.
DESCRIPTION:
In this powerful conversation, Nick sits down with Heather Locklear to unpack the deep emotional impact of family trauma, sudden loss, and lifelong grief. Heather reflects on learning about suicide at a young age, and how early exposure to death shaped her identity and emotional patterns. She discusses the heartbreaking losses within her family, the grief of watching her daughter struggle, and the complicated terrain of animal loss and anticipatory grief. Together, Nick and Heather explore the generational weight of unspoken pain, the need for grief education, and the reality of healing when multiple losses collide. The episode also examines how sleep, avoidance, and self-protection can become coping mechanisms. Through honesty, humor, and vulnerability, Heather reveals how she continues to grow, forgive, and reconnect after decades of grief. Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of how grief shapes families—and how healing remains possible at any age.
This episode answers:
- What does grief look like when someone grows up around suicide, trauma, and unresolved family pain?
- How do you support a child or adult who is overwhelmed by grief or panic after sudden loss?
- Why does pet loss trigger such intense grief, and how can people better respond to it?
- What are the long-term effects of learning about death or suicide too young?
- How can someone rebuild emotional strength after years of layered grief and family trauma?
Key Takeaways:
- Early exposure to suicide and death can create lifelong emotional patterns around grief and fear.
- Supporting someone in deep distress requires calm language, presence, and nonjudgment.
- Pet loss carries real grief weight and deserves validation, compassion, and proper emotional space.
- Generational trauma impacts how families communicate, cope, and emotionally self-protect.
Healing expands when people speak openly about loss instead of hiding or minimizing it.
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