Content Note: This episode includes discussion of suicide.

Part 2 continues Jacqueline’s story, moving into what came after the loss.

She shares what those months really looked like, the anger, the grief, and the weight of unanswered questions. The parts people don’t always see or talk about.

After months of carrying that weight, she reached a breaking point.

Jacqueline opens up about the moment she prayed for the first time again, and how that moment shifted something in her. What followed was a clear sense of direction she believes God placed on her heart.

From that place, she began to rebuild, eventually creating something to help others walking through similar pain.

In Part 2, she shares:
• What those first months of grief really felt like
• The weight of anger, guilt, and unanswered questions
• The moment she turned back to faith
• How that moment began to shift her perspective
• How the foundation started
• What people often misunderstand about depression
• What she wants others to hear if they are struggling

This is a conversation about grief, but also about what can come from it.

Jacqueline is the founder of the Erick A. Garcia You Are Enough Foundation, created in honor of her son to bring awareness, support, and resources to individuals and families impacted by mental health struggles and suicide loss.

🔗 Learn more or support her work: https://www.youareenoughfoundation.org/

If you or someone you know is in immediate need of support, call or text 988 in the U.S.

Every life has a story worth telling. Follow Unspoken Lives Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation. Visit unspokenlivespodcast.com and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram.

Content Note: This episode includes discussion of suicide.

This is a heavy conversation. Jacqueline opens up about a topic that isn’t often talked about, but needs to be.

She shares about her son, Erick, who she lost to suicide in 2017. Not just what happened, but who he was, what their relationship looked like, and what it’s like to live with the kind of loss that changes everything.

There are questions that come with this kind of grief. Questions about what was missed, what could have been different, and how something like this happens. Jacqueline speaks to those openly, in a way that many people are afraid to.

In Part 1, she shares:
• Who Erick was as a son and person
• What life looked like before everything changed
• What it felt like to receive that news
• The early days of grief, shock, and disbelief
• The questions that don’t have clear answers
• What she wishes she had understood about mental health

This is not an easy conversation, but it’s an important one.

Jacqueline is the founder of the Erick A. Garcia You Are Enough Foundation, created in honor of her son to bring awareness, support, and resources to individuals and families impacted by mental health struggles and suicide loss.

🔗 Learn more or get involved: https://www.youareenoughfoundation.org/

If you or someone you know is in immediate need of support, call or text 988 in the U.S.

Every life has a story worth telling. Follow Unspoken Lives Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation. Visit unspokenlivespodcast.com and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram.

This is Part 2 of Gina Litvack’s story. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, I recommend starting there.

After years of being told no while pursuing adoption as a single woman, Gina finally stepped into the life she had been hoping for.

In this episode, Gina shares what happened next.

From the moment everything shifted, to navigating those first few days as a new mom, to bringing her son home, this part of her story captures the reality behind the moment she had waited so long for.

She opens up about the emotions, the uncertainty, the support she experienced along the way, and the deep sense of gratitude she carries today.

What you’ll hear in Part 2:
• The moments leading up to bringing her son home
• What those first days looked like as a new mom
• The unexpected support she experienced along the way
• How her perspective on life and motherhood has shifted
• The joy and meaning she carries today

At the heart of this story is a reminder that the path may not look the way you expected, but it can still lead exactly where you’re meant to be.

Every life has a story worth telling. Follow Unspoken Lives Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation. Visit unspokenlivespodcast.com and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram.

Gina Litvack always knew she wanted to be a mom.

What she didn’t expect was being told no seven different times while pursuing adoption as a single woman.

Still, she refused to give up.

In Part 1, Gina shares the years of rejection, waiting, and perseverance that came before her life changed forever. But beyond her story itself, Gina brings a perspective and joy that is impossible not to walk away inspired by.

In this episode, Gina shares:

• Why she chose to pursue adoption on her own
• What it felt like to be repeatedly turned away
• How she stayed hopeful through years of waiting
• The mindset that kept her moving forward

This is a story about resilience, persistence, and refusing to let closed doors define your future.

Part 2 shares the moment everything changed.

Every life has a story worth telling. Follow Unspoken Lives Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation. Visit unspokenlivespodcast.com and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram.

This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. If you haven’t listened to Part 1, start there.

After being told he was cancer-free, Nolan Thomas began planning what life would look like next.

Everything changed again.

His cancer returned and progressed to Stage 4.

What followed was not just another round of treatment, but a complete shift in mindset, identity, and faith.

In Part 2, Nolan shares what it looks like to keep going in the middle of uncertainty, how his perspective has changed, and why he chose to speak publicly about his experience.

In this episode, we talk about:
• Hearing that his cancer had returned
• The emotional weight of starting over again
• How he approaches life and relationships differently
• What changed in his mindset the second time
• The video where he first shared his story publicly
• Why he started his own podcast during treatment
• The importance of advocating for yourself
• The message he wants people to walk away with

Nolan’s story is honest, raw, and still unfolding.

If someone keeps coming to mind while you’re listening, share this episode with them. It could make more of an impact than you realize.

Follow Nolan and support his journey:
Instagram: @kidxnolan

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/nolans-heroes-help-him-take-on-the-villain-of-cancer/donations

Podcast: Cancer Boy by Nolan Thomas (Spotify & YouTube)
YouTube: @cancer_boy

Every life has a story worth telling. Follow Unspoken Lives Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation. Visit unspokenlivespodcast.com and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram.

At 21 years old, Nolan Thomas was active, healthy, and focused on his future.

Cancer was not even a consideration.

When symptoms started, he did what most people would do and went to the hospital. His age and overall appearance of good health led medical staff to turn him away more than once before he finally received answers.

Those answers changed everything.

In Part 1, Nolan shares what it looked like to go from a normal life to a life-altering diagnosis almost overnight, along with the physical and mental toll that followed.

In this episode, we talk about:
• The early symptoms that led him to seek help
• Being dismissed because he “looked fine”
• The moment he realized something was seriously wrong
• Receiving a cancer diagnosis at age 21
• What treatment actually looked like day to day
• The mental battle that came with it
• Reaching a point where he felt completely defeated
• The mindset shifts that helped him keep going, even in the hardest moments

This is the kind of story that shifts perspective.

If someone comes to mind while you’re listening, send this episode to them. It might be exactly what they need.

Follow Nolan and support his journey:
Instagram: @kidxnolan

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/nolans-heroes-help-him-take-on-the-villain-of-cancer/donations

Podcast: Cancer Boy by Nolan Thomas (Spotify & YouTube)
YouTube: @cancer_boy

Every life has a story worth telling. Follow Unspoken Lives Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation. Visit unspokenlivespodcast.com and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram.

This episode is part two of a two-part conversation.

After recognizing the danger she and her son were facing, Natalie made the difficult decision to step away from an abusive situation and begin rebuilding. The path forward was not simple. Legal challenges, uncertainty, and fear were still very real parts of the journey.

Natalie reflects on the moments where her faith carried her through some of the most difficult days, especially while navigating the legal process and learning how to rebuild a life that felt safe again.

Today, Natalie is working full time, raising her son, and beginning the early stages of launching a foundation designed to support women who may be facing situations similar to the one she experienced.

Her goal is simple. To create a place where women can find resources, support, and the reminder that they are not alone.

As Natalie shares in this episode, the hardest seasons do not define the whole story. They are only one chapter.

Every life has a story worth telling. Follow Unspoken Lives Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation. Visit unspokenlivespodcast.com and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram.

This episode discusses domestic abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

In this episode of Unspoken Lives, Natalie Mika shares a chapter of her life she kept hidden for years.

From the outside, life looked normal. She was raising her son, working, and showing up every day like everything was fine. But behind closed doors, Natalie was living through an abusive relationship that slowly escalated from emotional and verbal abuse into something far more dangerous. Like many women in similar situations, shame and isolation kept her silent for a long time. Even when she felt afraid, reaching out felt impossible.

In this conversation, Natalie opens up about what it was like to carry that reality while trying to maintain everyday life and protect her son. She shares the fear, the isolation, and the difficult decisions that eventually led her to recognize that something had to change.

Even in the midst of those moments, Natalie reflects on how her faith continued to shape her perspective and sustain her through the uncertainty.

Natalie’s story continues next week.

Every life has a story worth telling. Follow Unspoken Lives Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation. Visit unspokenlivespodcast.com and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram.