Fatherless Father’s Day: Navigating Addiction, COVID Protocols, and the Taboo Relief of Loss

About this episode

This episode features a conversation with Ashley about the complexities of grieving a parent with mental illness and addiction during COVID-19.

"I wouldn't have changed anything now looking back because the situation was what it was. It made me who I am today." Grieving a parent is never simple, but when that relationship was tangled with mental illness, chronic addiction, and boundaries that felt impossible to hold, your grief develops unique layers of complex trauma. For many daughters, the death of a challenging parent brings an unexpected, closely guarded secret: a deep sense of relief. Voicing that relief can trigger an intense, crushing wave of secondary guilt, leaving you feeling entirely isolated in your mourning. In this emotional and unpolished conversation, host Nicole Weston sits down with Ashley—grief worker and founder of Tranquil Waters Transition —to pull back the curtain on the messy reality of complex parental loss. Ashley shares her raw story of navigating the exhausting battle of trying to "fix" a parent versus learning to accept their individual journey. Together, they dive into the structural challenges of protecting your immediate family from cycles of toxicity, the traumatic isolation of saying goodbye under strict COVID-19 hospital protocols, and the taboo liberation that…

People in this episode

Host: Nicole Weston

Guest: Ashley

Topics covered

• grief
• mental illness
• addiction
• COVID-19
• family dynamics
• personal growth
• support systems

Keywords

• fatherless
• Father's Day
• loss
• grief
• COVID-19
• family boundaries
• support
• relief of loss
• mental health
• addiction

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• Grief Isolation & The Good Girl Act: Finding True Belonging with Erin Kent · August 12, 2026 · 40 min
• Maternal Addiction & Creative Alchemy: Healing the Inner Child with Karli Corandos · July 31, 2026 · 52 min
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