07 | Growing Up With Grief: A Daughter's Journey After Suicide With Monica Brown

💻 WATCH THIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/NZOnp0t-o8k

 

🆘 If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out. Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or visit 988lifeline.org. You are not alone.

In this episode of A Catholic Journey, I sit down with Monica Brown to talk about what it was like to lose her father to suicide at age 11—and how that grief shaped the rest of her life.

We explore the impact of childhood trauma, the silence around mental illness, and the ways Monica has found healing through faith, therapy, art, and community. Whether you're carrying grief yourself or want to better support someone who is, this episode holds space for honesty, hope, and healing.

🎧 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• What it’s like to lose a parent to suicide at a young age

• The pressure to “be okay” and how trauma shapes identity

• How faith, creativity, and movement can help us carry grief

📖 Scripture Reflections:

• Psalm 34:18 – "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted…"

• Romans 8:18 – “Our present sufferings are not worth comparing…”

• 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 – "…so that we can comfort those in any trouble"

🛠️ Resources Mentioned:

• National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988

• Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 or text 838255

• Monica's website: https://studio314mb.wixsite.com/monicabrown

• Monica Brown's Substack – https://studio314bymb.substack.com/

• Follow Monica on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/studio314.mb/

• Check out Monica's senior thesis show photos, expressing her grief: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.531594803157&type=3

Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who might need it.

Let’s Stay Connected!

If this episode touched your heart, don’t forget to:

✔️ Subscribe to A Catholic Journey

✔️ Leave a kind review (it helps others find the podcast!)

✔️ Share this episode with someone who needs encouragement today

📱 Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mimi.and.manuel

🌐 Learn more or get on the newsletter: https://mimiandmanuel.com

💻 I would love to hear from you, email me: mimiandmanuel@gmail.com

 

🙏🏻 Remember, where Jesus leads the way, we are called to follow.🙏🏻