Ep. 176 - Loving an Addict and Making Friends with Grief

Ethan welcomes author, meditator, entrepreneur and organic farmer Bryan Welch for a heart-opening conversation about grief, loss, and loving someone who can't be saved. In his gripping new memoir, The Gift of a Broken Heart, Bryan movingly recounts his own journey through deep grief at the loss of his 25-year-old son to addiction. The book describes, in searing detail, the pain of parents grappling with an adult child's mental illness and, finally, his death in the throes of the disease. As Bryan begins to recover from devastating parental grief, he becomes aware that his new vulnerability gives him unexpected feelings of warmth, kinship and compassion toward his fellow human beings. Check out this insightful and inspiring conversation wherever you get your podcasts. Bryan's substack is here. His book can be ordered here. (episode available here now, or wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, etc after 3pm ET on Wednesday April 29th). Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here. Show Notes and More cool resources: The piece Ethan wrote about losing his childhood friend to addiction is here. Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! A new free video course from Ethan on Metta (lovingkindness) meditation is now available at this link. Sign up for Ethans May 2nd Windhorse Meditation workshop at this link. Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc).