Unparented

What can surfing teach us about grief, resilience, and learning to live in the present?
In this episode of Unparented: A Dead Parents Club Podcast, I sit down with Angie Hawkins, author of Running in Slippers and a coach helping high-achieving women let go of external validation. Angie lost her dad in 2017, a loss that sent her into the deepest grief she’d ever known and ultimately into a journey of healing, transformation, and connection with her father on the other side.
Angie shares how surfing became more than a daily practice in Hawaii, it became a metaphor for life and grief. From the “surfer’s mindset” of savoring the ride without fearing the end, to the slow work of rebuilding identity after loss, Angie’s story is raw, vulnerable, and deeply human. We talk about growing up with emotionally unavailable parents, the weight of guilt after an estranged relationship, the darkness of isolation and even a suicide attempt, and how she slowly found her way back to light, purpose, and joy.
Her story is a reminder that grief has no timeline, that healing can come in unexpected waves, and that our relationships with those we’ve lost don’t have to end, they simply change.
If this episode resonated with you, Robert works one-on-one with people navigating loss. Find out more at robertdelfave.com.
🌐 Learn more about Angie’s work and book: runninginslippers.com
📸 Follow Angie on Instagram: @angiehawkinscoaching
🎥 Watch on YouTube: Unparented Podcast
📩 Want to share your story on Unparented? Email me: hello@unparented.me
📸 Follow on Instagram: @theunparentedpodcast

Show Notes

What can surfing teach us about grief, resilience, and learning to live in the present?

In this episode of Unparented: A Dead Parents Club Podcast, I sit down with Angie Hawkins, author of Running in Slippers and a coach helping high-achieving women let go of external validation. Angie lost her dad in 2017, a loss that sent her into the deepest grief she’d ever known and ultimately into a journey of healing, transformation, and connection with her father on the other side.

Angie shares how surfing became more than a daily practice in Hawaii, it became a metaphor for life and grief. From the “surfer’s mindset” of savoring the ride without fearing the end, to the slow work of rebuilding identity after loss, Angie’s story is raw, vulnerable, and deeply human. We talk about growing up with emotionally unavailable parents, the weight of guilt after an estranged relationship, the darkness of isolation and even a suicide attempt, and how she slowly found her way back to light, purpose, and joy.

Her story is a reminder that grief has no timeline, that healing can come in unexpected waves, and that our relationships with those we’ve lost don’t have to end, they simply change.

If this episode resonated with you, Robert works one-on-one with people navigating loss. Find out more at robertdelfave.com.

🌐 Learn more about Angie’s work and book: runninginslippers.com
📸 Follow Angie on Instagram: @angiehawkinscoaching
🎥 Watch on YouTube: Unparented Podcast
📩 Want to share your story on Unparented? Email me: hello@unparented.me
📸 Follow on Instagram: @theunparentedpodcast

What is Unparented?

I’m Robert. I lost my dad at 15 and my mom at 26. I had to figure out how to build a life when the people who shaped it were gone.

Unparented is about the real side of grief. Not the funeral or breakdowns, but the everyday moments when loss shows up. The missed calls, the milestones, the rewiring that happens.

I talk with people living this: parents, therapists, entrepreneurs, and others carrying loss while building a life.

No scripts. No tidy endings. Conversations about grief and growth.

If you’ve lost a parent or love someone who has, you’re in right place.

robertdelfave.com/podcast