Two Mothers, One Aché: A Grief Dialogue

Rituals, Remembrance & Anniversaries: Carrying Our Loved Ones Forward

Content note: This episode holds open conversation about child loss, death anniversaries, and grief.
Grief doesn't end when the funeral is over — love asks us to remember, again and again. Dionne and Yvette pull up to the kitchen table to talk rituals: birthday cakes and favorite-food plates, altars and an empty seat set with love, candle lighting, Día de los Muertos, sitting shiva, the novena, and the names we keep calling. They share the hardest dates, how to give yourself grace when you're too depleted to do anything big, and how to transmute pain into art, plants, and playlists. Grief is love with no place to go — so let's make a place for it.
Join the conversation on Instagram @2Mothers1AchePod. Produced and distributed by Merrick Studios.

Grief and Afterlife (Re-release)

Content note: This episode explores grief, child loss, and the death of loved ones.
In this re-release, Dionne and Yvette open up about grief and the afterlife — the butterflies, the angel numbers, the dreams and visitations, and the quiet signs that remind us our loved ones are still close. A tender conversation about staying connected and finding your way through.
New here? Watch the full episode on YouTube and join the conversation on Instagram @2Mothers1AchePod.
Produced and distributed by Merrick Studios.

Grief and Religion with Dr. Rios (Re-release)

Content note: child loss and grief.
What happens to your faith when the prayers don't get answered the way you were promised? Dionne and Yvette welcome Rev. Dr. Liz Rios — pastor, scholar, activist, and Daniel's mother — for an unflinching conversation on grief and religion: being angry with God rather than at Him, the gap between knowing and feeling, and a theology that accompanies pain instead of explaining it away. A re-release worth sitting with more than once.
Join us on Instagram @2Mothers1AchePod. Produced and distributed by Merrick Studios.

From Blight to Beauty: A Conversation with Mama Shu (Re-release)

Content note: this episode discusses the loss of children, a fatal hit-and-run, gun violence, and suicide.
What happens when grief refuses to stay quiet — and starts demanding a reason?
Dionne and Yvette welcome Shamayim "Mama Shu" Harris — educator, activist, and founder of Avalon Village, the urban oasis she built from reclaimed land in Highland Park, Michigan. A CNN Hero finalist and USA Today Woman of the Year, Mama Shu has turned blight into gardens and homes, and profound loss into purpose.
She shares the losses that shaped her path — her mother, Mama Christine, and her sons Jacobi Ra and Chinyelu — and how she let grief build something rather than bury her. Plus the "joy virus," her mayoral run, and a moment of aché.
Follow @2Mothers1AchePod. Produced and distributed by Merrick Studios.

What Do I Say (Re-release)

What do you say to someone who is grieving? In this heartfelt and at times laugh-through-the-tears episode, Dionne and Yvette unpack the well-meaning but wounding things people actually said to them — "at least you have other children," "time heals all wounds," "how are you doing with your guilt?" — and why they land so wrong.
But this is an episode about empathy, not shame. The sisters in grief share the words and actions that truly bring comfort: a hug, a held hand, "I'm right here with you," and showing up to do the labor — fold the laundry, bring the food, wash the dishes. Because the worst thing you can do is disappear. Don't ghost a griever.
Your words don't have to be perfect. They just have to come from the heart.
Join the conversation on Instagram @2Mothers1AchePod
Two Mothers, One Aché is produced and distributed by Merrick Studios.

Ambiguous Grief and Relationship Loss

What do you do with grief when no one died?
Dionne and Yvette name something most of us have lived through but rarely have language for: ambiguous grief — the loss of relationships that didn't end in death, but ended just the same. The ghosted friendship. The decades-long bond that finally snapped. No funeral. No closure. Just a quiet, open wound.
Dionne shares the story of the silver bracelet she still wears for a friend who disappeared without a word. Yvette opens up about a decades-long relationship that recently ended — and what it taught her about boundaries, codependency, and protective loss.
Together they explore why ambiguous loss destabilizes us, why women internalize it as personal failure, and the rituals that bring closure when life doesn't — journaling, fire, mirror work, and Ho'oponopono. Because grief is love with no place to go.
Follow @2Mothers1AchePod. Produced by Merrick Studios.

Grief in the Body: A Conversation with Myra Sack

Three bereaved mothers. One aché. Dionne and Yvette welcome Myra Sack, author of 57 Fridays and founder of E-Motion. After losing her daughter Javi to Tay-Sachs disease, Myra turned to movement and ritual as a path through grief.
Together they explore how grief lives in the body, the power of the "quiet mile," and the micro-rituals that keep us tethered to life. Plus a guided breath practice you can take with you.
Two Mothers, One Aché is hosted by Dionne C. Monsanto and Yvette Dávila and produced and distributed by Merrick Studios. Catch all our episodes at https://merrickstudios.com/two-mothers-one-ache-pod and for early access, live recordings and more, join us on Merrick Studios+ at https://www.wearemerrickstudios.com/plus.

Grief & Pregnancy Loss with Adrienne Bailon-Houghton

RE-RELEASE
Grammy-winning singer, actress, and mom Adrienne Bailon-Houghton joins Dionne and Yvette for a raw, tender conversation about the quiet grief of pregnancy loss and her long road through eight rounds of IVF, a failed implantation, and a heartbreaking miscarriage.
With honesty and faith, Adrienne shares the shame, self-blame, anger, and desperation so many women carry in silence — alongside the prayers, intentionality, and love that carried her and her husband Israel Houghton through every loss. Yvette opens up about her own two miscarriages, and together the three hold space for grief that too often goes unseen.
For anyone who has whispered their loss into a pillow or wondered if their body failed them — you are not alone.
Two Mothers, One Aché is hosted by Dionne C. Monsanto and Yvette Dávila and produced and distributed by Merrick Studios. Catch all our episodes at https://merrickstudios.com/two-mothers-one-ache-pod and for early access, live recordings and more, join us on Merrick Studios+ at https://www.wearemerrickstudios.com/plus.

Grief and Joy with Grace Harry

Grace Harry joins Yvette and Dionne for a deeply honest conversation about what it really means to heal.
Together, they explore the “advanced math” of holding joy and grief at the same time—while unpacking motherhood, loss, emotional patterns, and the courage it takes to choose joy again.
This episode is a reminder that joy isn’t something you earn… it’s something you remember.
Come sit with us.
Two Mothers, One Aché is produce by Merrick Studios and hosted by Dionne C. Monsanto and Yvette Dávila. Join the conversation on Instagram ⁠@2mothers1achepod⁠. Original music by Dasan T. Broadnax, known artistically as O.D. Mongrel. Discover more of his work on all streaming platforms.

Healing in Real Time

Not polished. Not resolved. Just real.
In this intimate episode, Yvette and Dionne reconnect across distance and grief, sharing what it means to keep healing while life is still unfolding. Through breathwork, honest reflection, and lived experience, they explore how grief evolves, how joy and pain can coexist, and why listening to your body is part of the journey.
This is healing as it happens—in real time.
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