Widow 180 The Podcast with Jen Zwinck

The benefits of reflection are so often overlooked, especially when grieving, when we're feeling like we're just trying to stay afloat. We're so busy adjusting to our new life, our new normal, that we don't tak the time to stop and look at ourselves, not just to praise ourselves, but to see how we're managing it all.  Reflection is a process. You need to slow down. It requ...

We're starting today's podcast with a quote from Marcus Aurelius and he says "The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength." This is an important quote because today's topic on the podcast is anxiety. This podcast episode covers 3 ways you can manage anxiety during the holidays AND any time of year, for that matter.  If you take away anything from to...

Today's episode was pulled from clips of interviews I have done in the past 2 years on Widow 180: The Podcast.  I always like to ask my guests how they handle the big milestone dates and holidays. What did they do to get through it? How did they handle the first holiday season as a widow? And as always, they have some pretty incredible advice to share that I wanted to pass onto you! If you ne...

Anita Coyle's husband Jason died suddenly one night while swimming at a local rec center. Their kids were 12, 8, 5, and 2 years old at the time. Jason was only 42. Just one week later, Anita was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. In today's episode Anita shares some of her biggest struggles in dealing with loss for the past 4 years. Anita and I chat about: ~ how difficult it is to face the u...

Today we're talking about grief triggers to be aware of during the holiday season! They can happen anytime, anywhere! But sometimes, we KNOW they are a possibility so we can mentally prepare for them.  Today we break down 5 different grief triggers to be aware of! Do you have any other ones you want to add to the list? Message me at jen@widow180.com or DM me on Insta @widow_180 You can also j...

Candace Crockett lost her husband Tyler after a short battle with cancer. He was diagnosed in December of 2019 but passed away just weeks later during his first chemo treatment.  Candace and I chat about: ~ How COVID affected her healing time with her kids. ~ How she felt such a profound loss of identity  ~ Asking "How am i going to show up for myself?" changed her life ~ How she met oth...

When you are suffering the loss of someone in your life and you are genuinely and completely buried in grief, it's pretty damn hard to find anything to be grateful for. When we feel the overpower of grief, we can get into a gratitiude slump. Here's a way to uplevel your gratitude game and REALLY feel the emotion of gratitude again! Wanna talk about more important "widow" topics...

The holidays are approaching us quickly! Have you made plans yet? Do you have an idea of what you want to do and where you want to go? With all of the changes that widows are faced with, keeping holiday traditions can feel very comforting...or not!  In this episode we are talking about the 3 P's to remember this holiday season! These P's are taken from the chapters of my book, The Widow&...

Sissi's husband Mark took his own life in May 2020, just 2 months after Sissi lost her mom to cancer.  Sissi had to manage her compound grief plus raise her two young daughters on her own.  Sissi and I talk about: ~ the guilt she felt after her husband's suicide ~ How you can allow grief to be your only story...or not! ~ how becoming a certified conscious parent taught her to hold space...

Today we are talking all about HEART Convos and why they are so important in our relationships and friendships.  As widows, we find our lives ever-changing, ever-evolving, including our relationships with our friends. Sometimes we find those nearest and dearest to us suddenly backing out of our lives after we lose our husbands.  This episode focuses on the work of Kristen "KB" Newton, a...

Amanda's husband Brian was diagnosed with bulbar ALS and passed away just 3 months later. Amanda has been picking up the pieces of their broken life since losing him in September 2020. But, she is determined to live a life honoring Brian by serving others and turning her pain into purpose. Amanda and I chat about: ~ Saying the right things to your small kiddos when it comes to the subject of...

JoAnne Funch lost her husband Alan suddenly after an injury at work, leaving her to raise their daughter and run the family business. JoAnne talks to us today on the podcast about: ~ juggling parenting and running a business! ~not allowing yourself the time to grieve ~ not having anywhere to turn to for financial advice and feeling that frustration! ~ moving across the country and starting a new l...

Hands down, the NUMBER 1 side effect of grief is LONELINESS!  This is why we wanted to talk to you guys about it! So, I've collaborated with Kim Murray of Widow 411 and Melissa Pierce of Filled With Gold for a presentation called Kicking Loneliness To The Curb! It happens LIVE tonight October 12, 2022 at 7PM EST! Sign up here: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/633de8706028d4d1c71edd94 See you to...

Lindsey's husband Ronnie had been suffering mental illness and battling depression for years. On February 13, 2020, he took his own life. Lindsey and I talk about: ~ How Lindsey tried everything she could to help Ronnie. ~ How having important conversations around mental illness is crucial. ~ How she reached a turning point and realized that nothing she said or did made any difference with th...

Your voice is your story and you have a story to tell! Telling our stories transforms our lives! Here are 10 reasons why every widow should write and journal after losing their spouse! Join our 4 week Rediscovery Through Writing ! Creative Grief Writing Program for widows starting October 3 2022! Get more info and sign up here: https://www.widow180.com/rediscovery For questions, you can email me a...

Debbie lost her husband George after a 4 year battle with cancer. Debbie found herself isolated and lonely and trying to create a new life that made her feel confident and proud of the person she was becoming. In today's episode, Debbie and I chat about: ~ how she tackled the first few months after losing George ~How joining groups and meet-ups opened up new and lasting friendships for her. ~...

Are you being nice to yourself? Are you treating yourself the same way you would treat your best friend if she were in your situation? As widows, we put so much pressure on oursleves to have all of the answers right away after we lose our spouse. We are thrown into a new life of unwanted change and we expect ourselves to know exactly what to do. And then we berate ourselves when we don't have...

Do you ever notice sequences of numbers that keep appearing for you? Maybe you see 4:44 on the clock all the time. Or maybe you see 444 on the license plate in front of you. These are called angel numbers, messages of support from our loved ones! Do you ever get signs from your loved ones? Maybe you keep seeing cardinals outside your window. Or butterflies. Or rainbows. They are still with us! The...

In this week's episode, I talk to widow and author Kyomi O'Connor, who lost her husband Patrick in 2016 to metastatic melanoma. Today she shares some lessons for healing and centering yourself after trauma. Kyomi and I chat about: ~ Ironically, her husband Patrick did cancer research for a living and was later diagnosed himself. ~How turning to Buddhism was life-changing for her. ~ How d...

A couple of weeks ago I did an episode on tapping into our intuition to help guide us through life and make better decisions. Well, I thought of one more thing I wanted to add to that about making tough decisions! Hence, this BONUS Tuesday episode! This is a simple thing we can do when we're struggling in an indecisive moment! Check out these 3 examples and how applying this technique can be...

If you follow me on Instagram you've probably seen one of my highlight stories that I post where I take polls from you guys! These are always so fun because I love getting feedback from you and hearing from you! In today's episode, I've compiled all of my poll questions about dating and put them together here with the results!  Follow me on Insta: @widow_180 Join our Facebook group...

Bethany's husband Eric was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma in 2020 and passed away 11 months later. She shares her unique journey through love and loss and love again on today's episode! Bethany and I chat about: ~ how her faith got her through everything! ~ Stepping back from work situations if you can, to regroup ~ making big changes in the first year! ~ Eric's prophecies and predic...

It's an unsettling feeling after losing your spouse and having to rely on just yourself to decide EVERYTHING! We have to learn to trust ourselves again. We can learn how to rely on our own inner voice, our own intuition to help guide us through life! We show you how to do that in today's episode! We need to pay particular attention to how our intuition "speaks" to us! This is a...

I LOVE a good love story! And this is one you gotta hear! Carrie Gardache-Thompson joins us on the podcast this week to share her dating experience as a widow! Carrie also recently took another walk down the aisle and married her new honey, Scott Thompson!  Carrie and I chat about: ~ praying for love in your life ~ how to handle weird dating moments! ~ when to introduce your kiddos to your new man...

It's always best to prepared, ESPECIALLY, when it comes to dating!  In this episode we share ONE THING you must do before you go out on date! Get our comprehensive dating course for widows at www.widow180.com/courses The price is only $97 for the month of August 2022! Love the podcast? Become a Widow 180 patron and donate as little as $3 to keep the podcast going! Go to www.patreon.com/widow1...