Life After Suicide

Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News' Chief Medical Correspondent, draws from her own tragic experience to explore the aftermath of suicide and sudden loss, and, like her new book "Life After Suicide," the podcast is a roadmap to survival, offering inspiring insight on how to regain balance and get back to life. She speaks with people living with loss who have moved through guilt, anger and hopelessness to a new normal as well as with survivors and specialists in medicine, faith and more on how to heal from any type of traumatic experience.

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Episodes

Happiness after Tragedy: Vic Strecher and Dan Harris

Vic Strecher PhD MPH is a professor at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health and author of the book Life On Purpose: How Living for What Matters Most Changes Everything. In this episode, Dr. Jen speaks with Professor Strecher about the death of his daughter, Julia, and how she inspired his book and his life's work to find meaning, resilience, purpose and eventually happiness. Dan Harris is a correspondent for ABC News and co-anchor of the weekend edition of Good Morning America. D...

Jun 18, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 8

Finding Resilience: Robin Roberts and Sheryl Sandberg

As a cancer survivor, Robin Roberts, anchor of Good Morning America, learned how to publicly embrace her vulnerabilities and support from others. Re-framing grief as a means towards healing allowed her to regain her strength, which she hopes inspires others to do the same. Similarly, after her husband and father of their two young children died suddenly, Sheryl Sandberg, chief Operating Officer of Facebook, learned to persevere in the face of loss, and uses her public platform to help others do ...

Jun 11, 2019•49 min•Ep. 7

Faith and Spirituality after Suicide: Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner

Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in NJ and the former President of the New York Board of Rabbis, Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner is no stranger to grief. In 1996, Rabbi Kirshner lost his brother, Rabbi Gabriel Kirshner, to suicide. The loss sent him on a spiritual journey through questions of why, and, eventually, to acceptance. In this episode, Rabbi Kirshner talks with Dr. Jen Ashton about faith and the role spiritual leaders' play in helping others navigate their own journey. We'd love your feedback. Pleas...

Jun 04, 2019•36 min•Ep. 6

Portrayal of Suicide in the Media: A Million Little Things

DJ Nash is the creator, writer and executive producer of the ABC Television show A Million Little Things. The show is about a close group of friends left reeling when suicide unexpectedly claims one of their own. DJ speaks to Dr. Jen about the very real inspiration for the show and about the responsibility he feels to show an authentic portrait of grief. Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D., is the psychological consultant on A Million Little Things. She is also the president and founder of the non profit ...

May 28, 2019•46 min•Ep. 5

Breaking the Cycle of Suicide: James Longman & Dr. John Draper, PhD

James Longman is an ABC News Foreign Correspondent based in London. In his professional life, James has covered political strife, disasters, genocide and conflicts across the globe. He is fluent in French, Arabic and English and is a graduate from the School of Oriental and African Studies and the London School of Economics. In his personal life, James is the survivor of the suicide loss of his father and his grandfather. In this episode, James speaks with Dr. Jen Ashton about breaking the cycle...

May 21, 2019•54 min•Ep. 4

Moving Through Grief: Talinda Bennington

Talinda Bennington is the wife of the late rock singer Chester Bennington. Chester was the lead singer of the massively successful rock band Linkin Park, before he took his own life on July 20, 2017. Talinda speaks to Dr. Jen Ashton about the shock of his death, and how she channeled her pain into something to help others. She is the co-founder of 320 Changes Direction, an initiative to change the culture surrounding mental health. In his life, Chester touched the lives of millions of fans-- wit...

May 14, 2019•30 min•Ep. 3

Learning to Heal: Chloe Ashton & Dr. Sue Simring

Chloe Ashton is Dr. Jennifer Ashton's 19-year-old daughter. In a deeply personal interview, Chloe talks about her shock, pain, anger and resolve following the death of her father to suicide. Today, Chloe is the co-president of a support group at her school that helps others cope after a sudden loss. Through her healing, Chloe learned that the most important way she could honor the life of her father is to find purpose in her own life. In this episode, Dr. Ashton also speaks with her family thera...

May 07, 2019•48 min•Ep. 2

Overcoming Stigma and Anger: Melissa Rivers

Melissa Rivers is an actress and TV producer who, at just 18 years old, lost her TV producer father Edgar Rosenberg to suicide. Years later, she suffered another sudden loss, when her famous mother Joan Rivers died during a routine medical procedure. Melissa opens up about the stigma, anger and pain surrounding sudden loss, in hopes that it will help remove the taboo surrounding suicide. We'd love your feedback. Please contact Dr. Ashton on Twitter or Instagram @DrJAshton. Leave a review here: h...

May 01, 2019•42 min•Ep. 1

Introducing Life After Suicide with Dr. Jennifer Ashton

ABC News' Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton draws from her own tragic experience to explore the aftermath of suicide and sudden loss and, similar to her book, "Life After Suicide," this eight-part series serves a roadmap to survival and offers inspiring insight on how to regain balance and get back to life. Dr. Ashton speaks with people living with loss who have moved through guilt, anger and hopelessness to a new normal as well as with survivors and specialists in medicine, faith ...

Apr 22, 2019•2 min

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