Being an Advocate For the Thing That Broke Your Heart, with Guest René Marsh

How do you go on after your most transformational experience - motherhood - turns into your worst nightmare? Emmy nominated journalist René Marsh discusses storytelling, pediatric cancer, and becoming an advocate for the cause that broke her heart.

 “I wrote this in my journal: if I survive this, it's not because I found some great tool to survive it. It’s that I figured out how to position my stance to carry this load forever.” - René Marsh

In this episode we cover:

how the experience of deep loss changes who you are as a storyteller - personally and professionally finding joy in advocacy, even though you wish you never had to be an advocate at all  what CNN correspondent Rene Marsh wants other journalists to know about grief - on the job and off and listener questions on the benefits of journaling, plus managing personal emotions as an advocate

Guest bio:

Emmy nominated CNN correspondent, René Marsh, has been writing and telling stories for nearly two decades. Her journalism covers climate change and environmental justice, along with other heavy hitting modern issues. 

Rene’s son, Blake, was diagnosed with brain cancer at only nine months old, and passed away in April of 2021 at the age of two. She’s an outspoken advocate for pediatric cancer awareness, hoping to help families just like hers get the support - and the research - they deserve. 

To watch Rene’s interviews on grief and advocacy, click here. 

To learn about Rene’s work to raise funding and awareness for pediatric cancer research, and to order her book, The Miracle Workers, visit renemarsh.com. Proceeds from the book go to fund pediatric cancer research. 

Resources

Are you a journalist? Check out this guide to reporting on death.

Looking for a welcoming, inclusive community of writers? Registration is open now for the February session of Writing Your Grief 

Learn more about Dr. Lonise Bias (mentioned in the episode) at the Bias Foundation 

Questions to Carry with you:

Emotionally devastating stories can leave you feeling helpless. This week - one action to take that helps combat that feeling of helplessness. Don’t miss it! 

Get in touch! 

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of Here After with Megan Devine. Tune in, subscribe, leave a review, send in your questions, and share the show with everyone you know. Together, we can make things better, even when they can’t be made right. 

To submit your questions by voicemail, call us at (323) 643-3768 or visit megandevine.co

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Check out Megan’s best-selling books - It’s Okay That You're Not Okay and How to Carry What Can’t Be Fixed - at refugeingrief.com/book

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