8. How Do You Tell the Kids?

Getting Back Up Podcast: Finding Life After Death

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Getting Back Up: Finding Life After Death (Season 1)

Episode 8: How Do You Tell the Kids?

There’s no blueprint for this. No playbook. Just a heart that’s breaking—and a child looking to you for answers.

In this episode, Jamal and Dave revisit the most painful part of early grief: telling their kids (and family) that their wives were gone. They share the words they used, the ones they couldn’t say, and the moments that shattered them.

If you’ve ever had to deliver devastating news—or are preparing to—this episode is for you.

Getting Back Up: Finding Life After Death is a podcast that explores the raw, unfiltered reality of surviving profound personal loss—and finding a way forward. The idea for the podcast was born after David and Jamal met in 2023. Both widowers, who had lost their wives to cancer, quickly found a deep connection through multiple conversations about pain, perseverance, and parenthood. They realized that while men often bond over music, sports, or TV, they rarely speak candidly about loss or emotional recovery. Getting Back Up was created to change that narrative—blending the everyday with the existential in a format that’s as relatable as it is real.

Thank you for your support!

Hosts: David McClain & Jamal Jones

Executive Directors: Marlon Jackson & Ted Winners (Like A Gazelle Productions)

Editing: Steve Senisi (Reel Media)

Music:

• Grenada, "Treasure"
• McDonald, Otis, "Phife for Life", http://www.otismacmusic.com

Thank you for listening! Follow us on Instagram/TikTok @getbackuppodcast and on X @GBUpodcast