The Widowed Parent Podcast

I had such a great discussion with Michele Neff Hernandez for this episode. Michele is the founder and executive director of Soaring Spirits International, which runs Camp Widow in multiple locations each year, as well as many other programs for widowed people. Soaring Spirits uses the broadest possible definition of "widowed" to include anyone who has lost their life partner. They have a very act...

I had such a great discussion with Lane Hendricks for this episode. It was great to have her back on the show, after our initial discussion way back in episode 11. Today's topic is based on questions I've gotten from listeners who are widowed parents of infants and very young children. I knew Lane would be just the right person to talk with about this topic, based on both her professional experien...

Many thanks to social workers Arlen Gaines & Meredith Polsky for coming back on the show to discuss their new book for kids, "I Have a Question About Coronavirus." This book is available as a free download from their website, ihaveaquestion.com. This discussion was recorded on March 27, 2020.

Thank you for joining me today for another pandemic special episode. I'm doing a series of shorter episodes on parenting and grief and related topics during this time of global pandemic. Big thanks to Julie Lythcott-Haims for hopping on a call with me yesterday to record this discussion about some of the issues that are coming up right now when parenting older teens and young adults. Julie is the...

I had such a great discussion with Lindsay Joy Taylor for this episode. Lindsay Joy lost her mom when she was just a baby. This was recorded prior to the global pandemic that we're currently in, and I'm going to share it with you today because grief still goes on, and widowed parenting still has to happen, even in the midst of this crisis. I will continue to share 'regular' episodes each Wednesday...

Thank you Jana DeCristofaro of The Dougy Center in Portland, Oregon, for joining me for this special episode. We discuss creative ways to support each other during this time of 'social distancing.' Here is the question I teed up for Jana: If we have grieving teens in our families, some of us may be thinking about this: do we set up some kind of limits that keep them from their friends that might o...

Many thanks to Marny Williams-Balodis, co-founder and executive director of Hummingbird Centre for Hope, for quickly jumping on a call with me to talk about tips for widowed parenting in this time of global pandemic. Check out Hummingbird's virtual support groups for widowed parents, too, for some much needed connection with other widowed people. This discussion was recorded on March 20, 2020.

I had such a great discussion with Leslie Gray Streeter for this episode. First of all, big congratulations to Leslie on the launch this week of her new memoir, Black Widow: A Sad-Funny Journey Through Grief for People Who Normally Avoid Books with Words Like "Journey" in the Title. Leslie became a widowed parent after the sudden death of her husband, Scott, in 2015. At the time they were in the p...

ENCORE EPISODE - Originally published December 19, 2018. "You have all the tools inside you to do it. You're the perfectly imperfect parent to do this with your kiddo. Just talk about it. Just say something. Just open the door. That's all you have to do. Just start. Start anywhere, and start awkwardly, and don't feel like you have to have it perfect, because none of us do." --Therapist & parenting...

Hey everyone, it's Jenny Lisk and this is episode 56 of The Widowed Parent Podcast. It was such a pleasure to talk with Sarah Illiatovitch-Goldman, director of the Hearts to Art summer camp program at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. I always love being able to spotlight programs and resources for families in various locations. Hearts to Art runs a performing arts camp for kids ages 7-14 who hav...

I had such a great discussion with Laurie O'Neil and Marisa da Silva for this episode. Laurie is a social worker and is Marisa's great-aunt. Marisa is 10 years old, and her mom, Terri, died when Marisa was just 5. Together Laurie and Marisa are co-authors of the book Graceful Woman Warrior, which is based on the journal Terri kept while she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Topics we dis...

I had such a great discussion with Brennan Wood and Jana DeCristofaro of The Dougy Center for this episode. The Dougy Center has programs for kids and families in Portland, Oregon, and they are also a national leader in the field of childhood bereavement. They also produce a popular, and long-running, grief podcast called Grief Out Loud, which listeners can find on their favorite podcast app. Some...

I had such a great time talking with Jason Stout of Outward Bound USA for this episode. I met Jason last June at the National Alliance for Grieving Children Symposium in Snowbird, Utah, and I knew I wanted to have him on the show. Outward Bound is a unique program that uses the outdoors to inspire personal growth. Topics Jason and I discussed include: How he did a 78-day winter Outward Bound exped...

I had such a great discussion with Megan Simmons for this episode. Megan's dad died when she was just 4 years old. Later, her mom died when she was a young adult. I always feel it's such a privilege to talk with adults who lost a parent at a young age, and am so grateful when they are willing to come on the podcast and talk with me about their journey and their experiences. Some topics Megan and I...

I had such a great discussion with Bethany Gardner and Molly Hasson at the Eluna Network for this episode. Eluna is a national grief support network here in the US, and they run both Camp Erin, for grieving kids, and Camp Mariposa, for kids affected by a family member's addiction. Some of the topics we discussed include: Eluna's online resource library; Personalized support available free through...

This week's show — January 1, 2020 — is the "Best of 2019" episode. Listen for reflections on decades past and the decade ahead, as well as what I'm looking forward to for the podcast in 2020. Also join me as a share clips from six favorite episodes this year, with guests Austin Shoecraft, Claire Bidwell Smith, Allison Gilbert, Lane Pease, Jessica Maitland Mayo & Micki Burns, and Dr. Lisa Damour....

I had such a great discussion with Claire Bidwell Smith for this episode. Claire is a therapist and is the author of three books on grief, including her most recent, "Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief." Anxiety is a topic I hear about a lot from widowed parents, either in relation to themselves or their kids, so it was really great to have Claire on the show to discuss this. Some topics Claire a...

I had such a great discussion with Carmel Breathnach for this episode. Carmel is originally from Ireland and now lives in Portland, Oregon. She lost her mom at age 11, and writes primarily about early mother loss. She's working on her memoir, "Briefly I Knew My Mother." Some topics Carmel and I discussed include: Carmel reads from a letter she recently wrote to her 11-year-old self; Ways her dad s...

I had such a great discussion with Jim Santucci and Beth Keller of Kara for this episode. I've heard from a lot of listeners with questions and worry about the upcoming holidays, so in this episode we dive deep on the topic of grief and the holidays. Some topics we cover include: Kara's grief support services for kids and adults in the Palo Alto, California, area; Kara's peer support volunteer pro...

Today we wind up our special two-part discussion for the one-year anniversary of the Widowed Parent Podcast. My friend Karen Millsap returns to once again interview me on my own show. I had so much fun talking with her and reflecting on how and why I started the podcast, and also thinking about some of the main lessons I've learned from my guests. Some of the topics we discuss include: Why I decid...

We're changing things up this week, in honor of the one-year anniversary of the podcast. I've asked my friend Karen Millsap to interview me on my own show. Long time listeners will remember Karen from Episode 14. She's a widowed parent herself, and she is a Mindset Mastery Coach who is passionate about teaching individuals the tools and resources to feel better, live better, and achieve their goal...

I had such a great discussion with Keisha Blair for this episode. Keisha was 31 when her husband passed away suddenly, just eight weeks after the birth of their second child. Keisha lives in Ottawa, Canada, and she has written a brand-new book called "Holistic Wealth: 32 Life Lessons to Help You Find Purpose, Prosperity, and Happiness." Some topics Keisha and I discuss include: Being widowed with...

I had such a great discussion with Jessica Maitland Mayo and Micki Burns of Judi's House for this episode. Judi's House is in Denver, Colorado, and Jessica is the CEO and Micki is the chief clinical officer. One reason I love the work Judi's House is doing is that they put equal emphasis on both direct client services and real, critical research to advance our collective understanding of childhood...

We're back this week with a brand new show, and today I'm thrilled to welcome Vicki Jay as my guest. Vicki is the CEO of the National Alliance for Grieving Children. Some topics Vicki and I talked about include: Why it's easier to address childhood grief early in a child's life than it is to deal with the potential effects of unresolved grief when they become adults; The fact that 1 in 14 kids wil...

ENCORE EPISODE - originally published March 20, 2019 I'm so happy to bring you my discussion with Pam Garramone. Pam is a positive psychology coach who teaches people how to be happier. It's important to note that Pam is not talking about ignoring or minimizing the pain and difficulty of losing a spouse, and being a widowed parent, but rather about some ways to gradually move the needle and to wor...