Rephonic
Artwork for Hope After Child & Sibling Loss: An Empty Chair Endeavor Podcast

Hope After Child & Sibling Loss: An Empty Chair Endeavor Podcast

Greg Buffkin/Trauma Recovery & Healing Journey Host
Grief
Miscarriage
Christian Faith
Faith
Mental Health
Hope After Child & Sibling Loss
God
Child Loss
Christianity
Suicide
Jesus Christ
Bridget's Cradles
Griefshare
Church Initiative
Depression
Paxton Fellers
Bradley Hawkins
Trisomy 13
Anne Starke
Heaven

This is a Christ-centered podcast offering hope and encouragement to parents and families who are learning to live again after the devastating death of a child or sibling.

Here, grief is allowed to be honest, faith is allowed to wrestle with hard questions, and healing doesn’t mean forgetting the empty chair.

Host Greg Buffkin, who with his wife Cathy experienced the devastating loss of their so... more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes105Founded4 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ChristianityHealth & FitnessMental HealthReligion & Spirituality

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Hope After Child & Sibling Loss: An Empty Chair Endeavor Podcast

Latest Episodes

A late-term miscarriage can feel like getting T-boned by life. One moment you’re planning names and imagining holidays with your baby, and the next you’re sitting in a hospital hearing words you never prepared to hear. I sit down with Elizabeth Tread... more

One ultrasound measurement. One word from a physician: “abnormalities.” And suddenly the future you assumed is gone. We sit down with Matthew Efird, an author, speaker, ordained pastor, and business leader to trace the moment his family’s world turne... more

YouTube

Child loss changes everything, and Chad and Ronnie Fellers describe that shift with painful clarity after the death of their son, Paxton. Their story begins long before grief, with adoption, learning disabilities, and the day to day work of parenting... more

YouTube

A four-year-old who loves songs, big laughs, and making faces on stage should be worrying about preschool, not chemotherapy. Our guest, Kimberly Crumby, tells the story of her daughter Hannah Grace, whose childhood leukemia diagnosis in 2009 turned i... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Recent Guests

Matthew Efird
Author, speaker, ordained pastor, podcaster, and business leader
Episode: A Terminal Diagnosis, Unspeakable Grief, Renewed Hope and Purpose with Matthew Efird, Noah’s Dad
Chad Fellers
Father of Paxton and pharmaceutical industry medical affairs leader.
Episode: Grieving with Hope After the Tragic Death of Their 10 Year Old Son with Chad and Ronni Fellers, Paxton’s parents
Ronni Fellers
Mother of Paxton who works with young children at a school daycare.
Episode: Grieving with Hope After the Tragic Death of Their 10 Year Old Son with Chad and Ronni Fellers, Paxton’s parents
Janette Henning
Mother of Melissa Camp, author, Umbrella Ministries leader
Umbrella Ministries (San Diego)
Episode: “I Still Believe” with Janette Henning, Melissa Camp’s Mom
Sharon Hawkins
Mother of Bradley Hawkins, adoptee from Ukraine
Grace in the Wilderness ministry
Episode: Grace in the Wilderness of Grief with Sharon Hawkins, Bradley’s Mom
Cheri Fletcher
Mother of Annie Fletcher, grief advocate and creator of Grief Cards
Cheri Fletcher (independent)
Episode: Leaning on Faith And Community After Losing Annie, with Cheri Fletcher
Linda Stirling
President of Umbrella Ministries, a nonprofit helping moms who have lost a child
Umbrella Ministries
Episode: After the Sudden Loss of a Child: Grief, Faith & Restored Hope with Linda Stirling, Jeff’s Mom
Diane Grotberg
Guest who shares her story about losing her son David and the ensuing journey of faith
Family of David Grotberg
Episode: When “The Knock” Comes with Diane Grotberg, David’s Mom
Samantha Watson
Storyteller of loss and founder of Simple Devotions for Children
Episode: When Your Darkest Loss Becomes Your Ministry, with Samantha Watson

Host

Greg Buffkin
Host of the show and co-founder of The Empty Chair Endeavor; leads compassionate, faith-driven conversations about grief and healing.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 42 ratings
  • What a wonderful ministry! Thank you for your heart for those who have lost loved ones! There is such a need for this kind of support. Your caring is evident in each episode. If you've lost a child or sibling, don't miss this special resource that can help you feel not so quite alone. May God bless you, Greg, and your ministry! You are a blessing to many!

    Podchaser
    sharon.hawkins2358
    3 months ago
  • This podcast is a wonderful gift to anyone navigating grief or loss. The guests come from a variety of Christian spiritual/theological backgrounds and from a variety of life stages/stories but all share something in common: The loss of a child or sibling. Listening will leave you feeling less alone and affirm that your grief journey makes sense.

    Podchaser
    5
    matthewcox23
    3 months ago
  • I needed space for those who grieve.

    What an amazing gift to create a space for those who grieve. These episodes will leave you feeling more understood and less alone as you listen to someone else’s grief journey.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MsullivanC
    United States3 months ago
  • Need Hope, Healing and Help?

    Didn’t know I needed this… having a place to land some tough emotions and experiences. As I listened to the stories on this Podcast, I felt seen, heard and validated the things I was personally going through, helping me as I walk out my healing journey. Thank you for being so brave to be open to this healing journey one day at a time. God

    bless!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SML_23
    United States4 months ago
  • Wrestling with God Through Loss

    The death of a child or even multiple children brings unique challenges to the grieving process. Even with more support available, many parents feel very alone. Greg Buffkin has interviewed bereaved parents from so many different walks in life to be able to bring validation of emotions and questions as well as compassion and support. He explores issues that so many people are not able to discuss which allow listeners to find that they are not alone. His quests provide many resources which have p... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Roxie Hutchison
    United States4 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

listeners praise the show for offering space to grieve and be understood
guests receive positive feedback for honesty, practical guidance, and compassionate hosting
episodes are described as hopeful, honest, and faith-filled without diminishing pain

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

A Terminal Diagnosis, Unspeakable Grief, Renewed Hope and Purpose with Matthew Efird, Noah’s Dad
Q: What do we do if we try to help others too quickly and discover we're not as prepared as we thought?
Efird says he tried to preach and begin writing a book before he was ready. He learned to wait for healing and for a sense of peace about sharing his story, rather than rushing to find purpose in the loss.
A Terminal Diagnosis, Unspeakable Grief, Renewed Hope and Purpose with Matthew Efird, Noah’s Dad
Q: What started this journey for you guys?
At a 12-week ultrasound, a physician told Matthew and Hannah that there were abnormalities. Further testing confirmed their son Noah had complete Trisomy 13, a terminal diagnosis. They chose to continue the pregnancy and rely on faith, family, and community support.
Grieving with Hope After the Tragic Death of Their 10 Year Old Son with Chad and Ronni Fellers, Paxton’s parents
Q: What do you mean by future grief, and what would you want someone to know if they are trying to help a grieving parent?
Chad explains that parents grieve the future their child will not experience, including birthdays, driving, graduations, and weddings. Both guests encourage practical help and compassionate presence, without rushing to offer explanations or religious platitudes.
Grieving with Hope After the Tragic Death of Their 10 Year Old Son with Chad and Ronni Fellers, Paxton’s parents
Q: How did you start processing and navigating everyday life after the shock wore off, especially while parenting your two other children?
Ronni describes taking life one breath at a time, writing, being honest with her family and God, and continuing to wrestle with faith. Chad discusses recalibrating what it means to be okay, taking walks, and learning to carry grief while rebuilding a sense of purpose.
Leaning on Faith And Community After Losing Annie, with Cheri Fletcher
Q: Cheri, how do you allow yourselves as husband and wife to grieve in your own individual ways, and at the same time grieve together as a couple, and allow each other that freedom that your counselor spoke about?
They emphasize counseling, grace, and recognizing that grief affects each person differently; they describe intentional date nights and shared rituals to sustain their marriage while grieving.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A compassionate, faith-centered series that shares raw, honest conversations about grief after the sudden loss of a child or sibling. The host guides bereaved parents and siblings through trauma, faith questions, and practical healing, highlighting community support, lament, and biblical perspectives on resilience. Episodes feature survivors, ministers, and caregivers who turn personal tragedy into ministry, offering tangible resources and hope without glossing over pain. A standout aspect is the clear integration of faith with mental health and healing, often exploring how faith communities can respond with presence and care as parts of the healing journey.

Where can I find podcast stats for this podcast?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to this podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does this podcast get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for this podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for this podcast?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for this podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does this podcast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers this podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 4 years ago and published 105 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact this podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for this podcast?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for this podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for this podcast?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of this podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Matthew Efird
2. Chad Fellers
3. Ronni Fellers
4. Janette Henning
5. Sharon Hawkins
6. Cheri Fletcher
7. Linda Stirling
8. Diane Grotberg

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days