Widow 180 The Podcast with Jen Zwinck

Jenna Lebron's husband Arturo lost his life in a tragic helicopter accident in May 2012. Their two boys were only 20 months and and 6 weeks old at the time.  Jenna recounts her struggles as a new widow, learning to compartmentalize her grief and balancing being present with her two boys. She emphasizes the importance of self-care and making time to do the things you love.  She describes a spi...

Today's episode is partially inspired by a book I started reading called Limitless by Jim Kwik. Jim Kwik is a brain coach and he teaches people how to live an unstoppable life.  This episode is also partially inspired by the astounding group of ladies in our Widow's Holiday Club. We've been meeting twice weekly since Thanksgiving. Some topics come up and then other amazing conversat...

I've done some incredible interviews these past few months! I asked some of our guests to share some advice on how to get through Christmas after losing their spouse. What helped them? What new traditions did they start? Hear their stories and experience in these excerpts from their interviews. Find more resources at www.widow180.com I want to wish everyone the most love and peace and hope an...

Desiree and her husband Logan were celebrating with family Easter weekend 2019 after finding out they were pregnant with a baby girl. Logan unexpectedly took his own life early Easter morning.  Desiree, 15 months pregnant, had to focus on remaining healthy for the remainder of her pregnancy, despite the mounting stress and anxiety she was experiencing. In October 2019, she gave birth to a beautifu...

Astarie Dennis lost her husband Steven at the young age of 36 due to complications from Diabetes. Astarie spent most of their marriage as Steven's caretaker, putting her needs and wants aside. But she found a creative outlet and passion producing skincare products, lotions, and soaps. She dove into learning the math and science behind creating quality skincare products. She then opened her bu...

Let's make it a goal this year to buy from other widow-owned businesses! My Christmas wish is to see all of you succeed! Pay it forward! Let's support each other! Resources from this episode: 1. www.widow411.com -Kim Murray 2. Tracy Deshone - Norwex products - www.tracydeshone.norwex.biz 3. www.sagacitylegal.com - Randi Karpinia 4. 2 Blondes and a Babe - FB, IG, Etsy and www.2blondesanda...

Christine Jameson's husband Kyle fought a hard fight against cancer before passing away in 2015.  Christine and Kyle had a baby boy Liam at the time of Kyle's passing, but their dream was to have a larger family. Christine wanted to continue Kyle's legacy by bringing another baby of his into the world. Christine chose to do fertility treatments in the Fall of 2019. Shortly thereafte...

Kristin Kirk lost her fiance Nathan when their son Eli was only 5 months old. Kristin found herself alone with only $300 in her bank account to support herself and her baby son.  It was then that she told herself "This is make it or break it time and not making it is not an option." Kristin did a complete 180 with her life. She found her strength and began to trust herself and her choice...

Autumn Toelle-Jackson became a young widow when her husband, Joe passed away unexpectedly while out on a run one night. Autumn had to learn to pick up the pieces of what was left of her life with her two young sons. She candidly talks to us today about what her grieving process was like, how her family and community rallied around to support her. She found new love with a co-worker, Kyle, and the...

This is the FIRST WidowBiz Weekend Edition for the 2020 holiday season!   Each Sunday we will hear from different widows who have a business, service, side hustle, or product that they adore. They will tell us all about themselves and the things they sell or do and give us the info on where we can find them to purchase!   We all have to shop for Christmas anyway, so why not support other widows an...

Valentine's Day 2013 was the pivotal turning point in Marks and Kim's life. Mark was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and given a year to live.  Mark passed away February 2, 2014 leaving Kim to run the family business and care for their two boys. She tried to cope by keeping herself distracted with work and by travelling nonstop for two years. She found that running from her grief wa...

Stephanie Mosley's husband Rob went for a late afternoon run on August 20, 2017. He was struck by a speeding pick-up truck going 55 mph in a 25 mph zone and died instantly. Through the grace of God, Stephanie knew immediately that she would not carry a burden of hatred or anger towards the person who killed her husband. She chose to forgive. And it's this forgiveness that brings peace to...

On June 24, 2016, Dawn Noahubi's husband Lem died tragically when the Polaris he was driving flipped over and killed him instantly. Their children were 7 and 2 at the time. Dawn spent several months in a blur of grief. A timely renovation gave her the opportunity to demo a wall for the first time. And she was hooked! She started with a bathroom renovation, that led to a kids' clubhouse r...

On July 7, 2019 Tricia Shyver lost her husband Nate in a tragic car accident. In a matter of months she went from being a stay at home mom to owner of several businesses. She had always dreamed of owning her own business, being her own boss, and having that flexibility to be with her kids anytime.  She opened Naturaleigh Baby Boutique and Toy Shoppe, a natural parenting store and recently bought a...

Dana was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma at the young age of 28. Four years later her husband Brad was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer. He died 100 days later. During his few short months of treatment, Bard and Dana documented their cancer journey through a series of podcast discussions on a website called DefendingYourLife.us.  Dana then started the Forced Joy Project to document the small...

Petra Gordon was only 38 years old when she became a widow. Faced with financial struggles and legal paperwork burdens, Petra turned to her faith in God after her husband Ian passed away. She poured her heart and soul into her inspirational book, Faith In The Fire. She then answered a calling that kept coming to her and asking her "What about the widow?" She became a widow life coach to...

Briana Dolbear can tell you that her life is anything but normal. She and her husband Owen were living small town life in rural Montana, enjoying life with their 7 daughters when tragedy struck. Owen was killed in a horrible farming accident in front of Briana and their 5 year old daughter. Briana found herself a 33 year old widow, solo-mom to 7 girls, and sole owner of a 5,000 acre ranch in Monta...

Nikki Mitropoulas never imagined losing her young husband in a horrific motorcycle accident. Being 8 months pregnant at the time, she faced the reality that her son would never know his father. Her son Danny was born just days after his father, Daniel passed away.  Nikki spent the next several years raising her son. By chance one night while having drinks with friends, Nikki saw an ad for appearin...

When her husband Kevin was diagnosed with ALS in May 2015, Laurice Duffy decided she was going to be his number 1 cheerleader for hope. As his health started to decline, she knew in her heart the reality of the situation they were facing. She enrolled in a life coach course while her husband was sick and while she was raising 4 boys! She needed something of her own to carry her through the tough t...

Mark Rivera, NYPD police officer and father, lost his life at the young age of 37 after having a sudden heart attack in March of 2015. Abby Rivera became a young widow in an instant. In the interview this week we discuss Abby's first weeks of widowhood, how she became interested in weight loss and used that as a distraction from her grief.  But as she started seeing amazing weight loss result...

Rick Gardache was only 44 years old when he passed away suddenly on October 9, 2017 from an unknown heart condition. His wife Carrie was left to raise their two teenage children. Carrie opens up about some self destructive behavior that she had to overcome. She was able to course correct and make a plan to get her life back under control.  Being a registered dietitian, she knows the importance of...

In July 2018, Randi Karpinia lost her husband David suddenly from a heart attack, leaving her to raise their 13 year old daughter and run David's new law firm.  Randi talks about her struggles with PTSD and the challenges she faced as a solo mom.  She took a coaching class that changed her outlook on her future. She found her new passion in helping others through her new legal business, Sagac...

In 2014, Michelle Hensley lost her husband after a two year battle with melanoma. She spent the next couple of years regaining her lost identity and focusing her energy on becoming a finance, grief, and life coach.  She now inspires and educates other widows on emotional and financial decisions. She has two master's degrees, has raised seven children, and has started two successful nonprofits...

Tina Murphy had been happily married to her husband Jamie for 10 years, on a path to living a content life with their two boys Parker and Brady. In October 2013, Jamie collapsed while playing ball with their boys in their front yard. Tina talks to us about how she made some poor money choices, turning to shopping in order to numb her pain. She took a coaching class that taught her how to process h...

Crystalyn Aucoin started her brand Crystalyn Aucoin Jewelry in 2018, two years after her husband Ryan passed away from cancer. She has taken her love of jewelry design and combined it with Ryan's love of charity to form her company.  She shares with us her story of finding out she was pregnant one month before Ryan's cancer diagnosis, how she became a caregiver and a mom all in the same...