Episode 11: Writing Through the Storm

John DeDakis has spent 45 years in storytelling, including 25 years at CNN, but his most important narratives are the ones he wrote to survive. Having lost his parents, his sister to suicide, and his son to an overdose, John uses writing as a tool for healing. We discussed the "orphan shift" that happens when the final umbilical cord is snipped, leaving you truly on your own. For John, stability isn't about an absence of sadness; it’s about being realistic regarding life’s lack of control while refusing to let it turn you into a cynic.