The Widowed Mom Podcast

When you've lost your person, the question of whether you're ready to love again can stir up so many emotions all at once. In this episode, I explore this tender question that might be quietly lingering in your mind, whether you've said it out loud or not. Join me this week to discover why feeling sad about your person's death doesn't mean you're not ready for another relationship, and how wanting...

What if being single isn't something to fix or change, but actually a valid life choice worth celebrating? Maybe you're feeling pressure from family and friends to start dating. Or perhaps you're wondering if it's even possible to truly thrive on your own. Here's what I know: the narrative that we need to be coupled to be happy is just that: a narrative. And it's one we can rewrite . This week, I’...

After 343 episodes of The Widowed Mom Podcast, my team and I decided to do something special for the holidays. We pulled together the moments that have resonated most deeply with my community: the insights that have helped thousands of widowed moms navigate their grief journey. This episode is a powerful reminder that grief doesn't follow a timeline, that post-traumatic growth is possible for ALL...

Does grief feel like you're missing a limb? Like phantom pain that won't go away? When someone dies, we experience what's called a "social amputation." We literally lose a piece of ourselves, and our brain keeps searching for that missing connection. The good news? There's a powerful healing tool you already use every day - music. This week, I'm joined by board-certified music therapist Tim Ringgo...

Are the holidays feeling heavy this year? Maybe you're dreading the traditions that used to bring joy. Maybe you're wondering how to navigate celebrations that feel incomplete without your person. Here's what I want you to know: You're allowed to do things differently. Listen in this week as I share five ideas for creating new traditions after loss, not because we need to replace what we had, but...

Do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, angry, or deeply tired as you navigate solo parenting after loss ? Maybe you judge yourself for those feelings. Maybe you worry that you're barely holding it together. Here's what I need you to hear: You are not doing it wrong. You are not failing. You are simply a human doing something that is incredibly hard. Listen in this week to hear five key insights...

When it comes to talking to children about death , most of us freeze. We worry we'll say the wrong thing. We want to protect them from pain. We fear making it worse. The truth is, talking to children about death doesn't have to feel overwhelming. In this episode, I'm sharing a simple framework that you can return to again and again . Whether you're a new widow navigating this territory or someone...

Have you noticed how evenings and weekends hit differently as a widow ? You're moving through your day, managing work, errands, maybe even feeling okay… then you get home, the house quiets down, and suddenly the loneliness gets louder. If you've been wondering whether that’s normal, the answer is yes. In fact, there are many difficult parts of widowhood that we don't talk about enough. So join me...

Have you ever noticed how grief changes the conversations you want to have? Maybe it's with a family member who's disappointed you since your loss. Maybe it's with a friend whose surface-level check-ins no longer feel like enough. Or maybe it's with yourself - about what you really want now that everything has changed. This week, I sit down with my dear friend and coach Sara Fisk to talk about som...

Are you bracing yourself for the holidays ? The holidays after loss can feel like navigating an emotional minefield . One minute you might laugh at a memory, the next you're crying over a Christmas card. And that exhausting voice in your head keeps saying you should be doing more, feeling different, or holding it all together better. Here's what I want you to know: You don't have to love the holid...

The holidays bring a unique kind of heaviness when you're navigating them without your person. Your brain searches for them in every familiar tradition, every decoration, every family gathering - and when it can't find them, it sends out waves of emotion that can feel overwhelming. I'm addressing why the holidays can stir up such intense emotions for widowed moms and why there's no right way to fe...

Do you ever feel like you're just going through the motions? Like you're functioning, but not really living? If you're nodding your head, you're not alone. In fact, this feeling is so common among widows that I've given it a name: the grief plateau. It’s that space where you're stable enough to function, but your future feels uncertain and life doesn't quite feel like you'd like it to. You might b...

Have you ever found yourself frozen, wanting to support someone who's grieving but afraid of saying the wrong thing? Most of us weren't taught how to show up for someone who's experienced a devastating loss . We want to help, but sometimes our well-intentioned words can accidentally cause more harm than good.  Join me this week as I share practical guidance for anyone who wants to be a genuin...

Have you been beating yourself up because you can't stop thinking about something? Maybe it’s the last conversation you had with your person, something someone said that felt hurtful, or a decision you're questioning. You tell yourself to move on, but the thought returns like a boomerang, taking up mental space you desperately need for other things. The frustration builds as you wonder why you can...

Have you ever had someone say, “ You're so strong” or, “They're in a better place now” and felt... worse? These well-meaning comments, though intended to comfort, often leave us feeling misunderstood and alone in our grief journey. Sometimes the people who love us most can hurt us without meaning to. This disconnect between what someone intends and how their actions affect us shows up everywhere i...

If you’re surprised by how some friendships have changed after losing your spouse, you’re not alone. When we lose our person, we often don't expect to also lose connections with friends who we thought would always be there. And many widows experience this unexpected secondary loss - the shifting or disappearing of friendships they thought would remain steady through their grief journey. Understand...

Are you constantly putting everyone else's needs before your own, even in your grief? When we're grieving, it's tempting to try to "keep it together" for everyone else. But managing your grief for others' comfort comes at a deep cost to our own healing. This week, I’m joined by Bea Albina, a nurse practitioner turned master life coach, somatic expert, and author of a new book called End Emotional...

Have you ever told yourself, “ I'll do it when I feel motivated?” Maybe it's about going through your person's belongings. Maybe it's about getting back to exercise. Maybe it's about making those difficult financial decisions. Here's the truth: If you're waiting to feel motivated before taking action, you might be waiting a very long time. Tune in this week to learn the importance of understanding...

Have you ever found yourself lying awake at night, with your thoughts spinning out of control? One worried thought leads to another, and before you know it, you're imagining worst-case scenarios that feel all too real. I call this the ‘what-if' doom spiral, and if you're experiencing it, you're not alone.  Listen in this week to learn how to recognize the what-if doom spiral, and how to calm...

Standing in a crowded room after losing your spouse can feel like being invisible in plain sight. The laughter around you seems distant, the couples holding hands become all you notice, and somehow being surrounded by people makes the loneliness even sharper. Join me today to learn simple but powerful actions and mindset shifts that will help you move from feeling like an outsider to feeling genui...

The human brain has a remarkable ability to adapt to both positive and negative life changes, eventually returning us to a baseline level of happiness.  When your person dies, it can feel like your happiness baseline has been permanently lowered. Many widows worry they'll never experience the same level of joy or fulfillment they once knew. But here's what modern science tells us: your h...

Grief doesn't follow a straight line. It spirals. When intense emotions resurface months or even years later, when you circle back to feelings you thought you'd already processed, it's not a sign of failure or regression.  The Healing Grief Spiral is a framework I created that reflects how grief actually works: as an upward expansion cycle where we revisit three core steps over and over, each...

Community isn't just about having people around you - it's about finding those who truly understand the weight of what you're carrying.  When Jennifer Schroeder lost her husband Jerry after 40 years together, she discovered that the isolation of grief was almost as crushing as the loss itself. Join us this week as Jennifer shares how joining a community of widows transformed her relationship...

Life after loss can feel heavy. Not just in the early days of grief, but years later when you're managing moves, anniversaries, and unexpected challenges all at once. When your brain gets stuck in "everything is hard mode," it becomes a pattern-seeking machine that filters every experience through that lens. The to-do lists multiply, the emotions intensify, and suddenly you're living in what feels...

Do you find yourself second-guessing every decision since your loss? When grief hits, the ground beneath your feet doesn't just shift - it disappears entirely. The person who helped you think through decisions, who was your emotional anchor and nervous system co-regulator, is gone. Now you're trying to navigate life with a brain on high alert and a body that's exhausted, wondering why every decisi...