In Part 2 of Grief and Addiction, the conversation deepens—and so does the truth.

Yvette shares the moment her grief was fundamentally reshaped: learning that addiction played a direct role in her son Dasan’s death. With compassion and courage, she reflects on the question that changed everything—What would life have looked like if addiction had continued?—and how that reckoning opened a path toward forgiveness, faith, and self-compassion.

Joined again by licensed professional counselor and addiction specialist Jill Mackey, Dionne and Yvette explore the emotional complexity of addiction-related loss: guilt and relief existing side by side, survivor’s guilt, generational trauma, and the quiet exhaustion of waiting for “that call.” They unpack why grief can increase vulnerability to addiction, how numbing behaviors show up in everyday life, and what it means to truly let go of the “why.”

This episode is about learning to hold love and loss in the same body.
About releasing blame without erasing truth.
About forgiving yourself so you don’t lose what you still have to what you’ve already lost.

As always, this is a space for honesty, breath, and remembrance. Take your time with this one. You may want to listen more than once.

Aché.

Two Mothers, One Aché: A Grief Dialogue is produced and distributed by Merrick Studios and hosted by Yvette Dávila and Dionne C. Monsanto. Each episode offers a brave and intimate space where grief is spoken aloud, healing is shared, and love refuses to fade—listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever your journey takes you.

Join the conversation on Instagram @2mothers1achepod and learn more at wearemerrickstudios.com/two-mothers-one-ache-pod.

Original music by Dasan T. Broadnax, known artistically as O.D. Mongrel. Discover more of his work on all streaming platforms.

In Part 1 of 2 about Grief and Addiction, we open a tender, necessary conversation about the kind of grief that begins long before a goodbye.

Dionne and Yvette name the quiet losses that live inside addiction—the loss of safety, trust, time, potential, and the versions of people we hoped might still emerge. Joined by licensed professional counselor and addiction specialist Jill Mackey, the three explore how grief and addiction are deeply intertwined, not just for the person using substances, but for the families who love them.

This episode holds space for anticipatory grief, disenfranchised grief, codependency, shame, and the emotional toll of “mourning the living.” Together, they slow the pace, breathe on purpose, and invite compassion into a conversation often shaped by silence and stigma.

Part 1 is about naming what hurts—honestly, gently, and without judgment—so that healing has somewhere to land. Part 2 will drop on Thursday, December 18th.

As always, take what you need. Pause if you need to. Breathe with us.

Aché.

Two Mothers, One Aché: A Grief Dialogue is produced and distributed by Merrick Studios and hosted by Yvette Dávila and Dionne C. Monsanto. Each episode offers a brave and intimate space where grief is spoken aloud, healing is shared, and love refuses to fade—listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever your journey takes you.

Join the conversation on Instagram @2mothers1achepod and learn more at wearemerrickstudios.com/two-mothers-one-ache-pod.

Original music by Dasan T. Broadnax, known artistically as O.D. Mongrel. Discover more of his work on all streaming platforms.

In this episode, Yvette and Dionne dive into how love, faith, and spirituality shape our grief—and how they can help us find steadiness when life shakes us to the core.

They explore the role of breathwork in calming the nervous system, the rituals that ground us, and the ways signs, dreams, scripture, and nature can offer comfort. Yvette shares the spiritual messages that carried her after losing her son, while Dionne reflects on faith, anger, and the meaning she’s found after her daughter Siwe’s passing.

Together they unpack how grief can shift our belief systems, why respect across different faith traditions matters, and how small acts—lighting a candle, tending a plant, speaking a loved one’s name—can open the door to healing.

The episode closes with an Aché moment, honoring loved ones who have transitioned and inviting listeners to do the same.

A tender, honest conversation for anyone searching for connection, grounding, or guidance in the midst of loss. Aché.

Two Mothers, One Aché: A Grief Dialogue is produced and distributed by Merrick Studios and hosted by Yvette Dávila and Dionne C. Monsanto. Each episode offers a brave and intimate space where grief is spoken aloud, healing is shared, and love refuses to fade—listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever your journey takes you.

Join the conversation on Instagram @2mothers1achepod and learn more at wearemerrickstudios.com/two-mothers-one-ache-pod.

Original music by Dasan T. Broadnax, known artistically as O.D. Mongrel. Discover more of his work on all streaming platforms.