Unraveling & Redefining Strength:

Travel In Peace: Episode 10 - Life After Child Loss | Four Years of Grief, Marriage & Starting Over Abroad

In the Season 1 finale, we reflect on the four years since losing our son Patrick to suicide — and the long, uneven path from survival to rebuilding a life we never could have imagined in the immediate aftermath of grief. We talk honestly about how loss reshaped our identities, our marriage, our priorities, and our understanding of home. Looking back year by year, we explore the realities of early grief, feeling stuck, navigating change, and eventually finding the courage to reinvent our lives. We also share how travel and living abroad became an unexpected part of our healing. Not because grief disappears in a new place, but because stepping outside familiar surroundings created space to question old identities and imagine a different way of living. Spain, in particular, became a place where we could begin again — slowly creating a life that could hold both profound loss and new possibility at the same time. To comment on episode or podcast, please subscribe to our substack at https://laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/s/travel-in-peace-a-podcast And of course, please follow/like/review this podcast wherever you listen to it! Get full access to Lost & Found- Discovering Yourself After Loss at laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/subscribe [https://laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Travel In Peace: Episode 9 - Money, Spending, Spanish Taxes and the emotional cost of money

Money was one of the things we thought we understood before we moved to Spain…and one of the things that turned out to be more complicated than we expected. Now that we’ve come through another tax season, we’re talking about what it really looks like to live here financially—day-to-day expenses, Spanish taxes, and what we’re learning as we head into our first full year as tax residents in 2026. But this episode isn’t just about numbers. It’s about the emotional side of money—how spending decisions feel different now, how uncertainty shows up, and how money can quietly shape a relationship in ways you don’t always expect. We reflect on what we planned well, what surprised us, and what we would do differently if we were starting again. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to actually live abroad—not just the dream, but the financial reality—this episode is for you.To comment on episode or podcast, please subscribe to our substack at https://laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/s/travel-in-peace-a-podcast And of course, please follow/like/review this podcast wherever you listen to it! Get full access to Lost & Found- Discovering Yourself After Loss at laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/subscribe [https://laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Unraveling & Redefining Strength:

Note: Travel in Peace is a space for both outer and inner journeys. Some conversations, like this one, go into the deeper terrain of grief, loss, and meaning-making. In my second video with Esther, we explore how the loss of a child reshapes our relationships—and how, even surrounded by people, grief can feel deeply isolating. When our pain is too much for others to witness, it can leave us feeling even more alone. We share what truly helped: being seen, having our grief witnessed, and hearing others reflect the life and impact of the person we lost. We also speak honestly about what can feel painful or retraumatizing—when support lacks sensitivity or attunement. This conversation is about learning to live differently in grief—with more gentleness, compassion, and truth—and discovering that healing isn’t about fixing the pain, but about being held in it. Please share with anyone you feel might benefit from this message. With Peace & Gratitude, Laurel Get full access to Lost & Found- Discovering Yourself After Loss at laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/subscribe [https://laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Travel In Peace: Episode 8 - When the Map Changes: Travel, Grief, and Finding Meaning Again

Travel can shift how we see our lives — especially after loss. In this episode, we explore the intersection of grief and travel and why stepping outside the places where our loss occurred can sometimes help us see our pain from a new perspective. When familiar routines fall away, deeper questions often arise: Who am I now? What matters now? How do I want to live? These questions can feel disorienting at first. But they’re also the beginning of something important. They are the questions through which meaning slowly begins to rebuild itself. We discuss how new landscapes can create space for reflection, healing, and the slow rebuilding of meaning after life’s map has been rewritten. --------------------------------------------------------- At the end, we talk about our first foray into the Spanish healthcare system! --------------------------------------------------------- To comment on episode or podcast, please subscribe to our substack at https://laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/s/travel-in-peace-a-podcast And of course, please follow/like/review this podcast wherever you listen to it! Get full access to Lost & Found- Discovering Yourself After Loss at laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/subscribe [https://laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Travel In Peace: Episode 7 - Moving to Mallorca - The Places We Leave, The Homes We Carry

This episode explores what “home” really means—especially in the context of leaving Girona and arriving in our next home in Spain, Mallorca. For Tim, leaving Girona stirred something deeper than logistics; it felt like being retraumatized, similar to leaving the U.S.—a reminder that change can reopen old wounds of displacement and loss. For Laurel, the journey has been different. Over the past several years—especially through grieving Patrick—she discusses how she had to learn that home isn’t a place or even a person. It’s an inner state. We’re also holding the larger question: what happens when your country of origin no longer feels like home? If the U.S. doesn’t feel like home anymore, and each move brings both hope and grief, then where do we belong? This conversation isn’t just about Girona and Mallorca—it’s about whether home is something we find, lose, carry, or become. Mentioned in Podcast: Bar Mallorca: https://www.findmeglutenfree.com/biz/bar-mallorca/5586339249913856 To comment on episode or podcast, please subscribe to our substack at https://laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/s/travel-in-peace-a-podcast And of course, please follow/like/review this podcast wherever you listen to it! Get full access to Lost & Found- Discovering Yourself After Loss at laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/subscribe [https://laurelosullivanjd.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]