Shame & the Pill-Popping Culture: What Parents Don't Know and What That Silence Is Costing Our Kids with Michelle Kullman

Please note: this episode covers substance use, fentanyl poisoning, child loss, and grief. Take care while listening. If you're struggling, you can call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or reach SAMHSA at 1-800-662-4357. Michelle Kullmann was sure it would never be her kid. Then her 18-year-old son Cade took one pill at college, a fake Percocet that was 100% fentanyl, and he never came home. In this episode, Michelle tells Cade's full story: who he was, the night he died in his UW-Milwaukee dorm, the warning signs nobody in the room recognized, and the judgment she faced afterward. Strangers called her son a junkie. This conversation is about the grief, and the second wound that stigma piles on top of it. Michelle refuses to call what happened an overdose. It was a fentanyl poisoning. It only takes two milligrams of fentanyl to kill you, enough to fit on the tip of a pencil. Today she fights to put Narcan on every college campus and to tell young people the truth about what the fentanyl crisis really looks like. In this conversation: Why "fentanyl poisoning" is not the same as "overdose" The warning signs of an opioid emergency that could save a life How fake pills are pressed to look like Percocet, Adderall, and Xanax How stigma keeps families silent and keeps this crisis hidden How Michelle turned her loss into advocacy through Cade's Light Please note: this episode covers substance use, child loss, and grief. Take care while listening. Connect with Michelle Kullmann Cade's Light: cadeslight.org LinkedIn: Michelle Kullmann Resources 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 Ready to take the next step? Download the free handout, 5 Things Shame Resilient People Do Every Day, and start breaking the shame cycle that keeps you stuck. Book a free 25-minute discovery call to find the support that fits your needs. Stay connected Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a review to let us know your thoughts on this episode.