Losing a Father to Suicide and Learning to Live, with Will Castle

Mid-life Men: the mental health podcast

In this deeply personal episode, Will Castle shares his experience of losing his father to suicide and the years of silence that followed. He reflects on the complexities of his childhood, his father’s struggles, and the moment everything changed.

Will speaks openly about the grief, isolation, and self-destructive behaviour he experienced in the aftermath. He explains how he felt compelled to show no emotion even at the funeral, as well as the unspoken pressures that made it harder to ask for help. He also discusses what eventually helped him begin to heal: finding support, sharing his story, and turning his pain into action. Now a suicide prevention campaigner, a mental health advocate, and a father himself, he reflects on his life now and talks about being an executive producer for 'Heirlooms', a short film about the challenges faced by those who have been bereaved by suicide.

This conversation is not about easy answers but about what it really means to live with loss, to break the silence around suicide, and to support others who are grieving.

If you can relate to any of the issues Will discussed in this episode or you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, there are organisations you can call now, for example, the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123, and if you are in the US, you the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

If you want to learn more about Will, visit his website: https://willcastle.com/ where you can also watch ‘Heirlooms’.

To find out more about the support available from Suicide and Co, the bereavement by suicide charity, visit https://www.suicideandco.org/.