E07 — When Life Won’t Give You a Break: Grief, Faith and the Fear of the Unknown

Content Warning: This episode discusses grief, bereavement, emotional distress, anxiety and the uncertainty associated with having to move home. These topics may be difficult for some listeners. Please take care of yourself while listening, and pause or stop whenever you need to.

In this short, personal episode of Oh Mel!, I’m opening up about another unexpected challenge in a season of life that already feels incredibly heavy.

As I continue to navigate life after losing my son, Wesley, I’ve now been told that I need to move house. Alongside the grief, I’m facing the overwhelming reality of decluttering, preparing to leave my home and trying to work out where I’m going to go next.

Having never owned my own property, I find myself reflecting on the desire for stability, security and somewhere I can truly call home. When I moved into my current home, I believed the Holy Spirit had directed me there, so being faced with leaving brings its own questions, emotions and uncertainties.

I’m sharing my honest thoughts about feeling overwhelmed, feeling hard done by and trying to hold on to my faith when I cannot see what lies ahead.

I also want to explain that if there is a pause between episodes, or it takes me longer than usual to release the next one, this is why. I’m navigating another significant life change while carrying the weight of grief, and I need to give myself the time and space to work through it.

Thank you for your patience, understanding and continued support as I take things one step at a time. Sometimes life brings more than we feel equipped to carry, and it’s okay to acknowledge that.

Get in Touch with Oh Mel!

Whether you have a question, a suggestion for a future episode, would like to share your story, are interested in being a guest, or simply want to reach out and touch base, I’d love to hear from you.

📧 Email: ohmelpodcast@gmail.com

Thank you for being here, for bearing with me and for allowing me the grace to navigate this weighty season of life.

This is Oh Mel! — real people, real moments, real life.

E06 — The Phone Call That Changed My Life: The Day Wesley Died

Content Warning: This episode discusses the sudden death of my son, Wesley, following a fatal road traffic accident. It includes themes of traumatic bereavement, death, grief, panic, anxiety and emotional distress. I share my personal experience of receiving the phone call, desperately trying to find out what had happened, driving to the scene and being confronted with the devastating reality of losing my son. Some of the content may be distressing, particularly for anyone who has experienced the loss of a child or a loved one. Please take care of yourself while listening. You can pause, stop or return to the episode whenever you need to.

In this deeply personal episode of Oh Mel!, I take you back to 12 August 2025 — the day my world changed forever.

It began with a phone call from Wesley’s best friend’s dad, telling me that my son had been involved in an accident. What followed was a terrifying period of uncertainty, panic and desperation as I tried to get answers, reach the people who had been with Wesley and understand what was happening.

I share the events that unfolded that day, from the calls I made and the instructions I received from the police to the 45-minute drive to Blithfield Reservoir, near Lichfield. I was driving towards a reality no mother could ever prepare for.

I talk about arriving at the scene, the devastating news, being told that I would have to identify Wesley, and the emotional turmoil of those moments. I reflect on the calls to family and friends, the shock, the tears, the prayers and the moment when everything felt like a film — except it was real. It was my life. It was my son.

As a mother, a woman of faith and a Reverend, I share what it was like to cry out to God in the middle of unimaginable pain. This is an honest account of the day I lost my son, the trauma of those first moments and the beginning of a journey I never wanted to take.

Wesley was more than the circumstances of his death. He was my son, he was loved, and his life will always matter.

This is my story. This is my truth. And this is a day I will never forget.

Thank you for listening to Oh Mel! — real people, real moments, real life.

Get in Touch with Oh Mel!

I’d love to hear from you! Whether you have a question, a suggestion for a future episode, a story you’d like to share, or you’re interested in joining me as a guest on Oh Mel!, I’d love to hear from you. If there’s a topic you’d like me to discuss or you simply want to reach out, please get in touch. Your thoughts, stories and experiences matter, and I’d love to connect with you.

📧 Email: ohmelpodcast@gmail.com

OH MEL!!

E05— Same Mel. New Chapter: The Things We Don’t Talk About

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions about suicide, suicidal thoughts, grief, bereavement, death, mental health, trauma, abuse and the impact of difficult life experiences. Some of the topics discussed may be distressing or triggering for some listeners. Please take care of yourself while listening. You can pause, stop or return to the episode whenever you need to.

In this episode of Oh Mel!, we’re having some of the conversations that aren’t always easy to have.

We’re talking about mental health, grief, death, suicide, abuse, trauma and the experiences that can affect us emotionally, mentally and spiritually. These are difficult subjects, but they are also subjects that need to be talked about honestly, responsibly and without shame.

I’ll be sharing reflections from my own life and experiences, but this isn’t about pretending that there is one simple answer to complicated situations. Mental health is complex. Grief is complex. Trauma is complex. And when we’re talking about suicide, there is rarely one single explanation for why someone reaches a point of suicidal crisis or dies by suicide.

We’ll also talk about what happens to us when we’ve experienced abuse, loss or trauma, and how those experiences can affect the way we think, feel, relate to other people and understand ourselves.

This episode is about having the conversation.

It’s about bringing things that are often kept in silence into the light, while remembering that behind every statistic, diagnosis, experience or difficult story is a real person.

If you have lived through some of these experiences, I hope you hear something that reminds you that you are not alone. And if you haven’t experienced them personally, perhaps this conversation will help you understand someone else a little better.

As always, Oh Mel! is about honest conversations, real experiences and brighter tomorrows.

If you’d like to contact me, share your experience, ask a question or simply let me know what you took from the episode, you can email me at:

Email:ohmelpodcast@gmail.com

Please listen with care, look after yourself, and remember that you don’t have to finish an episode that becomes too much for you.