Jason MacKenzie: Learning After Losing His Wife & Daughter & Coaching Thousands of Men

Joylene Jose On Losing Her Dad At 10 & Over 40 Years Of Friendship With Kaye

I couldn’t have a podcast without introducing ya’ll to my friend, Joylene Jose. We met when we were in the first grade and soon became inseparable.  Joylene’s family provided me with security and stability I wouldn’t otherwise have had. I spent more time in their home than my own. I will forever be grateful and part Filipino at heart! We were together through it all. Joylene’s dad’s death when we were in fifth grade, my tumultuous childhood, plenty of misadventures, growing up too fast. Joylene and I have a shared history that spans over four decades. I’ve lost most of my extended family over the years (to death, mental illness and addiction), making our relationship all the more precious. I loved recounting some of our funniest coming of age memories from the 90’s, in Fresno, California. May we all be so blessed by friendship that runs this deep.  Connect with Joylene Jose: * Instagram: @joy.m.jose  [http://www.instagram.com/joy.m.jose] Connect with Kaye Steinsapir:  * Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ksteinsapir] * Instagram: @teammollyofficial  [https://www.instagram.com/teammollyofficial/] * Substack: Transforming Pain Into Purpose [https://open.substack.com/pub/kayesteinsapir] * The Molly Steinsapir Foundation [https://mollysteinsapir.com/]

Jennifer Lee Snowden (Bossi) On The Evolution Of Her Artistry After Two Battles With Breast Cancer

This is one of my favorite episodes because Jennifer Lee Snowden (Bossi) is one of my favorite people. We met as young women in the fight of our lives against breast cancer. We're members of a club everyone wants to avoid at all costs, but our sisterhood is one of life's greatest gifts.  Bossi remarks that breast cancer is both the worst and best thing that ever happened to her. You have an idea of the insanely difficult marathon required to survive cancer - listen to Bossi's poignant explanation of how battling this shit (twice!) shaped her into a fearless creative force and feminist icon.  There are very few people who come into your life - especially as an adult - whose soul sings, even in the most desolate, obliterated place. In a world that feels increasingly dark, my friend, Jen, is pure light. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.  Check out Bossi's album, "Tell All The Other Girls," her "Finishing School," Substack, live performance schedule and more on her website.  Connect with Jennifer Lee Snowden aka Bossi: * Website: https://www.iambossi.com/ [https://www.iambossi.com/] * Bossi - “Stars”: https://youtu.be/bXndcdOXahs?is=6jvX9c_cDg_ZNkAe [https://youtu.be/bXndcdOXahs?is=6jvX9c_cDg_ZNkAe]  Connect with Kaye Steinsapir:  * Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ksteinsapir] * Instagram: @teammollyofficial  [https://www.instagram.com/teammollyofficial/] * Substack: Transforming Pain Into Purpose [https://open.substack.com/pub/kayesteinsapir] * The Molly Steinsapir Foundation [https://mollysteinsapir.com/]

Jason MacKenzie: Learning After Losing His Wife & Daughter & Coaching Thousands of Men

In this episode, I connect with a fellow writer whose work I deeply admire, Jason MacKenzie. Jason and I first crossed paths on Substack, where we both write about our beautiful, young daughters who left this world far too soon. Jason joins us from Canada to share his raw, unfiltered journey through an obliterated place that began long ago. For over five grueling years, Jason’s first wife, Cindy — a dedicated police officer — was plagued by severe mental health struggles and trauma until she tragically ended her life. Suddenly a single dad of two small daughters, Jason thought he could simply "love them to healing." Jason coped by “drinking himself silly,” not understanding the connection to his grief until after becoming sober. In 2023, Jason’s nineteen-year-old daughter, Chloe, passed away after her own agonizing battle with mental health. Jason opens up about his consecutive, profound losses and how his grief since losing Chloe is different from his experience after her mother’s death. On his Substack, “Man Down, “ Jason shares the exact things he learned after losing his wife and daughter, and from coaching thousands of men. Every week, he breaks down what really happens when you get knocked on your ass and how to grow through it without losing your self-respect. I highly recommend checking it out. Connect with Jason MacKenzie: * Substack: Man Down [https://mandown.tools/] Connect with Kaye Steinsapir:  * Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ksteinsapir] * Instagram: @teammollyofficial  [https://www.instagram.com/teammollyofficial/] * Substack: Transforming Pain Into Purpose [https://open.substack.com/pub/kayesteinsapir] * The Molly Steinsapir Foundation [https://mollysteinsapir.com/]

Michael Geller On The Loss Of His Brother, Mom And Hometown

In this episode, I was joined by another member of our extended Pacific Palisades family, Michael Geller. Like any family, we don’t share all the same political views. Mike and I vote differently. But it doesn’t matter. When we sat down, our superficial differences melted away. We became so immersed in conversation about life and loss that we never discussed the LA mayoral race (which we’d been debating online). Mike is an OG Palisades dude. He was born and raised in the town that our family joined in 2011. He grew up surfing, riding motorcycles and idolizing his older brother and best friend, Damon. Our audience will remember Episode 5 with Damon’s wife, Lili Geller. Mike took us back to the night when he was surfing with Damon under a full moon and suddenly couldn’t find him. When he paddled in, Damon was face down on his board, not breathing. Despite doing everything humanly possible to save his big brother, Mike said goodbye to Damon on the beach, where they’d surfed together throughout their lives. It was the first time Mike had been face-to-face with death. Two weeks later, Mike and his wife, Jaimie, held her father’s hands as he died from a rare form of leukemia. Jaimie and Mike have been together since they were teenagers. Her father was an extremely important person in Mike’s life. Mike found himself in an obliterated place because of these profound losses, which was further complicated by the ensuing Covid-19 pandemic. When light finally started to emerge through the darkness, Mike, Jaimie, and their three sons built their dream home. They’d recently moved in when the Palisades fire burned it to the ground. The Gellers also lost their business, Jaimie Geller Jewelry, in the location where Mike’s family had been in business since 1982. Mike takes us inside the fire's immediate aftermath, sharing the surreal story of recovering his business safe — full of melted gold and jewels — just days after the destruction. We talk frankly about the exhausting, ongoing battles with insurance adjusters, the false myth that our community is "just fine" and doesn't need help, and the incredible grassroots support that is allowing Jaimie Geller Jewelry to reopen this July. Last December, Mike’s mother passed away following a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. After a grueling medical trial, she utilized the California End of Life Option Act to choose her final day. Mike once again finds himself in an obliterated place, asking, “How much more can I take?” We’re all carrying more pain than most people realize. The human experience is to suffer. It’s infinitely more bearable when we lock arms and lift each other up during the long journey home. Connect with Michael Geller: * Website: https://www.thecameronboycefoundation.org/www.jaimiegellerjewelry.com [http://www.jaimiegellerjewelry.com]  [http://www.jaimiegellerjewelry.com/] Connect with Kaye Steinsapir:  * Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ksteinsapir] * Instagram: @teammollyofficial  [https://www.instagram.com/teammollyofficial/] * Substack: Transforming Pain Into Purpose [https://open.substack.com/pub/kayesteinsapir] * The Molly Steinsapir Foundation [https://mollysteinsapir.com/]

Libby Boyce On The Legacy Of Her Son, Cameron Boyce, And Understanding Epilepsy

In this episode, I am honored to sit down with my friend Libby Boyce, whose only son, actor and philanthropist Cameron Boyce, passed away suddenly in 2019 at the age of twenty from a nocturnal seizure. To my children, Cameron was a bright, joyous presence on their favorite shows like Jessie and Descendants. To Libby, he was a deeply loyal, affectionate, and philanthropic soul who loved his village fiercely. Libby and I map out the uncharted terrain of the "obliterated place" that mothers inhabit after the unthinkable happens. We talk candidly about the survival instinct that leads you to find other grieving parents who want to thrive, rather than just shrivel up. Libby shares the massive adjustments couples face in a marriage when both partners are circling the drain, emphasizing the vital importance of giving each other grace and respecting vastly different timelines and methods of processing pain. We also pull back the curtain on the medical realities of epilepsy. Libby shares the hard-won wisdom that drove her to spearhead The Cameron Boyce Foundation, discussing the hidden risks of nocturnal seizures, the hormonal vulnerabilities of the teenage years, and the crucial distinction of seeking care from an epileptologist. This is a deeply raw, life-affirming conversation about transmuting the ultimate tragedy into a legacy of medical advocacy and profound, enduring love. Connect with Libby Boyce & The Cameron Boyce Foundation: * Website: https://www.thecameronboycefoundation.org/thecameronboycefoundation.org [http://thecameronboycefoundation.org] * Instagram: @thecameronboycefoundation [www.instagram.com/thecameronboycefoundation] / @libboyce [www.instagram.com/libboyce] Connect with Kaye Steinsapir:  * Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ksteinsapir] * Instagram: @teammollyofficial  [https://www.instagram.com/teammollyofficial/] * Substack: Transforming Pain Into Purpose [https://open.substack.com/pub/kayesteinsapir] * The Molly Steinsapir Foundation [https://mollysteinsapir.com/]