The Dead Truth Podcast

When Stephanie's husband died unexpectedly, she found herself navigating grief, loss, and the complicated reality of a relationship that wasn't always easy. In this powerful conversation, Stephanie shares her journey through widowhood, the challenges of loving someone struggling with mental health issues, the importance of trusting your intuition, and the lessons she learned about standing...

I think one of the biggest shocks after loss… is realizing how lonely grief actually is. Not just physically lonely. Emotionally lonely. Because grief changes the way you experience the world. In this episode, I discuss the loneliness of grief. The invisible parts. The isolation. The disappearing people. The moments you feel emotionally abandoned. But I also talk about the unexpected people who sh...

Grief doesn’t just break your heart; it drains everything you have. And then the world looks at you like… why are you so tired? Why do you feel so exhausted in grief? And not just tired… like deep, bone-level exhaustion. The kind where even small things feel heavy. Because here’s the truth…Grief doesn’t just take your person. It takes your energy. Your focus. Your capacity to handle life the way y...

This episode of The Dead Truth is a powerful conversation with a widow who lost her husband to cancer over 15 years ago. She raised four daughters on her own, never remarried, and has built a life that now includes grandchildren — all while carrying grief that never fully leaves. This is the side of widowhood we don’t talk about enough: 👉 Long-term grief👉 Raising children through loss👉 Identity...

What if losing your spouse didn’t just break your heart emotionally… but changed your body in ways no one warned you about? What if grief in widowhood could actually kill you? Because the dead truth is… for widows, there is a real, documented increase in mortality after losing a spouse and no one is talking about it enough. The Widowhood Effect is the very real phenomenon where a surviving spouse—...

June is Pride Month - a time often associated with celebration, visibility, community, and love. But what happens when Pride arrives and the person you shared it with is gone? In this Pride Month episode of The Dead Truth, Jen explores the unique challenges LGBTQ+ individuals may face after losing a partner or spouse, including invisible grief, chosen family, end-of-life concerns religious trauma,...

What is one shift that happens when you become a widow that isn’t always talked about? In the “before” of your before and after… you didn’t have to think about everytYour spouse held part of the weight. And now? You’re the one thinking about: Safety, Finances, Emergencies, and “What if” scenarios. Before loss, safety was shared. But the part you weren't prepared for? It’s the moment you realiz...

Grief teaches you things you never signed up to learn. It changes how you flow through the world and it will change who you are. Not permanently in a bad way…but permanently in a real way. You stop pretending. You stop tolerating things that don’t matter. You stop shrinking yourself to make other people comfortable. And yes—that version of you might make some people uncomfortable. Let them be unco...

Nobody really teaches us how to honor love while we still have it. Most of us think there will always be more time… more conversations… more ordinary moments. Until suddenly, there isn’t. In this deeply personal episode of The Dead Truth, Jen talks about the painful realization many grieving people carry after loss: “Did I love them well enough?”Together, we unpack:The replay loop grief creates. W...

What happens when grief loosens its grip… even for a second? In this episode of The Dead Truth, Jen talks about one of the quietest — and most confusing — parts of widowhood and grief:The moment you realize you can still breathe. The moment you laugh…have a normal conversation…or go a few minutes without feeling like you’re drowning……and then immediately feel guilty for it. Why does feeling okay f...

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/sFeVGaOD3R8Nobody tells you that grief doesn’t just break your heart — it hijacks your brain. They don’t tell you that you’ll forget words you’ve used your entire life. That you’ll walk into rooms and forget why you’re there. That you’ll feel intelligent one moment… and completely incapable the next. And the scariest part? You’ll start wondering if you...

Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/u7nZwP46mRE The reality of widowhood and money shows up in many forms. The identity shift, the loss of the partnership, trusts, and beneficiaries. It can be mentally overwhelming and scary. Join me to sort through it all with my special guest Megan Palazzo from Granite Canyon Wealth. She will share valuable info that helps you find the truth about yo...

Do you ever have people look at you and say… “Wow… you’re doing so good…” …and you’re sitting there thinking— “If you could hear my thoughts right now… or know how empty I feel inside… you wouldn’t say that.” I’ve nodded and smiled I’ve shown up to things I’ve handled responsibilities …and still felt like I was barely surviving underneath it all. So if you’re someone who looks “okay” on the outsid...

What if grief isn't creating a new version of you? What if it's removing the layers you needed to survive before? Grief strips away the roles. The masks. The expectations. And what's left is the truest version of you — the one who knows what matters now. In this week's episode I talk about what grief reveals about love, how identity stripping happens,how creating boundaries can be...

Nobody tells you that grief doesn’t just break your heart — it hijacks your brain. They don’t tell you that you’ll forget words you’ve used your entire life. That you’ll walk into rooms and forget why you’re there. That you’ll feel intelligent one moment… and completely incapable the next. And the scariest part? You’ll start wondering if you’re losing your mind. This is widow brain. If you can rel...

What do you say to a woman who has lost her husband… and her child? What happens when grief doesn’t come one at a time… but stacks? This episode is about layered grief — the experience of losing a spouse and a child in a short period of time.” In this episode of The Dead Truth, I’m talking about how to support someone in layered grief. This is for the friends, family, coworkers, and faith communit...

Layered grief is what happens when loss stacks in a short period of time. It’s not just one bereavement. It’s multiple, compounding losses that don’t get to be processed in isolation. You lose your spouse. And then your child. Or your child first… and later your spouse. Either way — the shock and pain of both is…  Well, there are no words big enough for that kind of loss

The reality of widowhood and money shows up in many forms. The identity shift, the loss of the partnership, trusts, and beneficiaries. It can be mentally overwhelming and scary. Join me to sort through it all with my special guest Megan Palazzo from Granite Canyon Wealth. She will share valuable info that helps you find the truth about your finances and what you need to do to secure your financial...

Self care is protecting your energy like it’s the last match in a storm. Self-care in grief is not glamorous. It is sacred. It is choosing to stay. Even when everything inside you feels shattered. And if today all you did was survive — that is enough.

What is normal grief after losing a spouse?  In this episode, I break down common grief symptoms, emotional waves, and why widowhood can feel so disorienting. If you're asking, "Is this normal?" - this conversation is for you. Follow for more  @TheDeadTruthPodcast

People think grief is loud - the crying, the heartbreak, the visible pain. They are not wrong... all of that is true. But the real truth for some of us is, the hardest grief is silent. It's the quiet moments when no one is looking. It's when you can finally hear your thoughts again, and they hurt. If you're in this place right now, we see you.  Join us for this episode of The Dead Trut...

The first few weeks after loss don't feel real. In this episode, I share what those early days were like after my husband Mel died - the shock, the numbness, and the silence after everyone fades away.  No polished grief. No "stay strong" messages. Just the honest truth about surviving the beginning. If you're in the early days - or you remember them clearly - this episode is for...

Welcome to The Dead Truth Podcast - a space for the conversations most people avoid after loss. In this very first episode, I'm sharing why this podcast exists, how my life changed after losing my husband Mel, and what you can expect from this space moving forward. This is not a podcast about "moving on" or fixing grief. It's about telling the truth - the raw, complicated, uncomf...