This episode of the Solo Dad Podcast is a deeply honest Solo Mom conversation with Alicia, whose story moves through love, marriage, parenting, mental illness, separation, suicide loss, and the reality of raising grieving children after trauma.

Alicia shares what it was like to love a man whose laugh filled the room, while also slowly watching mental illness change the life they were building. She talks about the impossible choices that came with trying to protect her children, the guilt of needing boundaries, the fear of not knowing what would happen next, and the grief that followed after Daniel died by suicide.

This conversation does not offer easy answers because this kind of grief does not come with easy answers. Instead, it offers something more honest: the reality of surviving the unthinkable one decision at a time.

Matt and Alicia also talk about how children grieve differently than adults, why clear language matters when talking to kids about death, the importance of therapy and support, and why “finding the helpers” can become a lifeline when solo parenting feels impossible.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of mental illness, suicidal ideation, firearms, police response, divorce, child grief, and death by suicide.

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