Widow We Do Now?

What happens when a widowed parent starts dating again? The parent might be ready for companionship, connection, or even a new relationship—but what does that feel like for the kids? This week, Anita and Mel dig into a survey they conducted with kids who have a widowed parent, asking them how they feel about their parent dating again. What are their biggest concerns? Does it feel different when a...

This week, Anita and Mel talk with Sandra Neperud - fellow widow and the creator of The Grief App, a resource designed to help people navigate the messy, unpredictable reality of loss. Sandra joins them from  https://thegriefapp.com/ om her travel van, bringing her own experience with grief into the conversation. Sandra shares what inspired her to create The Grief App and how her experience as a w...

This week, Anita and Mel sit down with Michael Reed, who experienced an unimaginable loss when his wife and two daughters died in a fire in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in 2016. His son survived, and Michael was left to navigate a grief no parent should ever have to face. Michael shares his journey through the million stages of grief and the million stages of healing, the inspiration behind his books, Th...

What if you had an owner’s manual for yourself? What would it have said before widowhood, and what would it say now? Mel puts Anita in the hot seat and asks her to imagine her personal owner’s manual — how she operated, what she needed, what people should know about her, and what changed after her husband died. From there, the questions keep coming. Some are thoughtful, some are ridiculous, and so...

Anita and Mel go back to Episode 13, “Meat Me Where I Ham,” recorded when Mel was two years into widowhood and Anita was one year in. Now, Mel is almost nine years into widowhood and Anita is coming up on eight. They listen to that early conversation and reflect on what has changed, what hasn’t, and how their perspectives on widowhood have evolved over the years. They also talk about the concept o...

The Widow Complaint Department is officially open. In this episode, Anita and Mel read listener submissions about the things that make widowhood harder, weirder, more annoying, and occasionally downright ridiculous. From clueless comments and unsolicited advice to people who just don’t know what to say to a widow, nothing is too petty, too silly, or too absurd for the complaint department.  Got a...

Dr. Tina Fornwald knows firsthand how quickly life can change. As a retired US Army officer and breast cancer survivor, her husband Mark died suddenly from a massive heart attack in 2017.  After his death, Tina had to figure out how to live again. She found support through therapy, faith, family, and connecting with other widows — eventually becoming someone other widows turned to for guidance and...

What happens to all the stories, photos, memories, and little pieces of a person after they die? This week, Anita and Mel talk with Alex, the founder and architect of Cumulus, an online memorial platform created to give people a place to remember and celebrate the people they've lost. They talk about what memorializing someone can look like in the digital age, why the traditional obituary doe...

Meet Deborah Westwood, a widow whose life was forever changed by the wrongful death of her husband, Larry, following medical malpractice. Deborah shares the devastating reality of grieving a loss that never should have happened. She talks about the heartbreak of losing Larry, the anger and unanswered questions that come with preventable tragedy, and what it means to seek accountability while carry...

Anita and Mel are joined by widower Aaron Simmons, who shares the story of losing his wife just six days after what was supposed to be a routine abdominoplasty, when she suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism. Aaron describes the surreal experience of grief, saying it felt like his entire life had been turned inside out "like a sock." He talks about learning to hold gratitude alongside grie...

Well, it hasn't quite been a relaxing summer, but Anita and Mel are back after life smacked both of them upside the head a few times (or knocked one of them right into the hospital). Check out this episode to get the scoop on what has happened - good, bad, and scammy! And speaking of scams, be sure to check out this episode for a quick update on current things to watch out for! Sponsored by:...

Anita and Mel have had some crazy things happen in the last little while, so new episodes will be back up in July!  Sponsored by: BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn Mint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn Join our Patreo...

Eileen Bellew joins Anita and Mel to talk about the sudden death of her husband, John, on January 23, 2005 also known as "Black Sunday," one of the deadliest days in FDNY history . Her husband, FDNY firefighter John Bellew, was one of six firefighters trapped in a Bronx apartment fire. The day became known as "Black Sunday" because three FDNY firefighters died in two separate f...

Anita found Jess Anderson completely by accident through a comment on Threads, and what followed was one of those instant connections that feels like it was meant to happen. Jess shares the story of loving her husband through cystic fibrosis, a double lung transplant, and the years of hope, fear, and resilience that came with chronic illness. After his death, life dealt another heartbreaking blow...

When you're a sober alcoholic, a divorcee, and a widow, you might know a thing or two about rebuilding your life. Jennifer Newberg joins Anita and Mel to chat about what all this looks like with honesty, humor, and zero interest in pretending healing is linear. After the death of her husband, Jennifer eventually created widow wellness retreats through building spaces where widows can reconnec...

Christine Fader joins Anita and Mel from Canada to talk about the death of her husband, Michael, and the reality of living through not one but two cancer diagnoses. In 2018, Michael was diagnosed with the “good” kind of throat cancer. In 2020, he was diagnosed with a completely new and far more aggressive lung cancer. By November 2022, he was gone. Michael’s terminal cancer was both aggressive and...

Dating is already complicated—add grief, trauma, and modern communication norms, and it becomes a whole new landscape. This week, Lauren Salaun helps Anita and Mel dig into what it actually looks like to date after loss: how to approach it as a widow, how trauma can show up in your body (yes, even your immune system), and how to figure out what you really want now. They talk attraction vs. compati...

Dorothy Kane is not a grandmother. She is a 36-year-old widow from Toronto who is just four months into life after loss. With a newborn at home and maternity leave underway, Dorothy shares what it’s like navigating fresh grief while caring for a brand-new life. She opens up about losing her husband to lupus, and the disorienting overlap of heartbreak, exhaustion, and responsibility—all while not y...

Anita and Mel are catching up after spring break—grief, growth, and the weird ways time keeps moving whether you’re ready or not. Anita opens up about a heavy realization about her kids: the stretch of time after their dad’s death didn’t just pass—it quietly closed doors. Some of the kids missed windows where they would’ve been starting activities, playing on sports teams, and building routines… a...

Meet our friend Dennis. Dennis was widowed from his long-time partner Michelle, who died from ampullary adenocarcinoma - a rare, malignant tumor arising from the spot where the bile and pancreatic ducts empty into the small intestine. Dennis discusses with Anita and Mel how he and Michelle were legally set up before her death so he could make decisions in her best interest before AND after her dea...

Leslie Harter Berg, known for her Vids for Wids , joins Widow We Do Now to talk about the loss of her husband, Ryan, who died from arteriovenous malformations, and what life has looked like in the years since. She shares the reality of early grief, what it meant to rebuild, and how her path eventually led to remarriage — something that can feel complicated, unexpected, and even conflicting in wido...

Sara Gregerman became a widow when her platonic life partner, Joanna, died from brain cancer. Sara is asexual. Joanna was first her best friend, then the person she built a life with—and the person she was planning to marry. Their partnership didn’t follow the usual scripts people imagine when they hear the word “widow,” but it was loving, deeply committed, and built out of years of choosing each...

When your husband was a deeply kind and loving person who brought joy and warmth into the lives of the people around him, it goes without saying that this is the kind of person everyone needs. Katie Goetz shares with Anita and Mel how the complications of addiction came as a shock, because she didn’t know he had been struggling until he became seriously ill. The addiction had been hidden, largely...

Julia Robinson is not here to fit in a box — and she’s definitely not here to let widowhood be reduced to a single storyline. As an AuDHD widow, mom to a non-binary child, and someone who was in an open marriage before her husband’s death, Julia brings sharp wit, self-awareness, and zero interest in changing herself to make other people comfortable. In this episode, she talks about navigating loss...

It's not an uncommon phrase: "I felt like I got hit by a truck." But Jessica Medlin, school principal, avid runner, and recent widow actually DID get hit by a truck. Join Jessica, Anita, and Mel as they discuss widowhood, kids, work, what it's like to wake up in the hospital with crushed body parts, the criminal justice system, and whether or not you'd want a gold or plati...