The Lost Love Stories
The Lost Love Stories is a sacred space for the real, raw, and remarkable stories of love—especially the ones we don’t often tell. Here, we honor the beauty and complexity of relationships, not just through the lens of romance, but in all its forms: from spouses and friends to siblings and children.
Each episode captures the full spectrum of love—its tenderness, its trials, and even its annoyances—while giving voice to the truths that are often left unsaid after loss. Because when someone dies, we tend to speak only in reverent whispers, forgetting the funny, frustrating, and deeply human moments that made them unforgettable.
This podcast is a chronicle of connection, a place to preserve memories, and a gentle guide on the journey back to joy after heartbreak. Whether you’re newly grieving or years into life after loss, The Lost Love Stories invites you to feel, to remember, and to heal—one story at a time.
The Lost Love Stories
The Lost Love Stories with Kalea & Her Mom Amy: Grief, Growth, and Learning to Keep Going
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Some love stories begin long before we’re even born.
In this episode of The Lost Love Stories, I sit down with Kalea to talk about her mom, Amy—a woman whose life, love story, and impact shaped everything around her.
From a middle school romance that turned into a lifelong partnership, to building a family rooted in closeness, connection, and showing up for each other… Amy created a life that felt like something out of a movie.
But this story, like so many, takes a turn.
What began as a stage two breast cancer diagnosis quickly became something much more complicated. And over the next two years, Kalea’s life shifted in ways she never could have prepared for—balancing college, caregiving, and the quiet pressure to hold everything together.
This conversation isn’t just about losing a mom.
It’s about what happens after.
Kalea shares what it’s like to:
- Step into roles you were never ready for
- Try to hold traditions together when everything has changed
- Navigate grief in your 20s while the world keeps moving around you
- And slowly learn that healing doesn’t mean “going back”—it means moving forward differently
One of the most powerful parts of this conversation is what Kalea is learning now—two years into her grief.
That sometimes the hardest part isn’t the moment of loss…
It’s learning how to live without the person who shaped you.
And when asked what her mom would say to her today, her answer is simple:
“Just keep going.”
This episode is about love, identity, and the kind of loss that changes you forever.
But it’s also about growth.
About perspective.
And about finding your way forward—even when you don’t feel ready.
For more information about the scholarships in Amy's honor, visit the following links:
The Amy Takayama-Perez Memorial Fund for George Mason - Supporting the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment (WYSE) and Washington Journalism and Media Conference (WJMC)
https://www.cfnova.org/donate/amy-takayama-perez-memorial-fund?fbclid=IwAR1IXAf4Tm9DUYCOXbGUpZb_IT82baFTMlwWU3BMcbZuv_STLkmalfi8l3E
The Amy Takayama-Perez Memorial Student Book Award
https://www.gmu.edu/news/2024-03/alumni-association-launches-book-scholarship-honor-esteemed-colleague-and-alumna
Keywords
grief, cancer, family dynamics, legacy, personal growth, coping mechanisms, mother-daughter relationship, loss, storytelling, emotional healing, breast cancer
Watch the video:
https://youtu.be/zuj1hfmi4EQ
Email thelostlovestories@gmail.com with comments, questions or to be considered as a guest on show.