Widowhood Real Talk with Tina

It's not about having the perfect words, but the genuine willingness to share the silence and hold the space. In this episode, Dr. Christine Kiesinger discusses how to support grieving children. She shares stories of actual children who have gone through losses of a parent or loved one. The children don't want to be treated differently because of their grief. Dr. Christine shares how there are som...

Sometimes, all you need is a good conversation over a cup of coffee. In this episode, Joi Brooks, the host of Email and Coffee, opens up about the profound journey she embarked upon following the loss of her husband, Harry, and the passing of her parents. Joi shares her insights on embracing life with renewed passion, drawing valuable lessons from the shadows of death, all while savoring the warmt...

Helping without reservation is a beautiful concept that speaks to the depths of human compassion. But that concept will only be possible for therapists if they help and serve diverse clients without making cultural offenses. In this episode, Tina Fornwald welcomes the licensed marriage and family therapist into the show to share his insights into navigating the complexities of working with diverse...

Nothing can beat a mother’s love and care. They nurture you ever since you were little and look after you even as an adult. That’s why when they pass away, they leave a huge gap in our hearts. Joining me in this conversation is Mary Parker, who opens up about her grieving journey after her mom Cynthia died. She talks about her fondest memories with her mother, whom she considers her most trusted g...

Reclaiming your life after losing a loved one is indeed a hard time to get through. What more if you lose someone dear to you in the most sudden way? Speaker and author Michelle Collins shares how mindfulness played a huge role in overcoming the suicide of her husband. She explains the right level of support and witnessing needed by grieving individuals to get around not only their grief but shame...

Guilt can sometimes show up in grief. For Jeanette Koncikowski, being a widow brought up many realizations about the challenges that are often overlooked as we grieve our partners. We tend to look back and feel guilty and ashamed, thinking we aren’t good enough. In this conversation, Jeanette joins Tina Fornwald to lay bare her experiences and realizations when she lost her husband. When did she s...

The shadows of a tragic event shall cast the beauty of love that radiates between you and your late husband. You will only feel the rhythm of life’s music until you learn to overcome the loss. In this episode, Tawana Proctor-Robinson recounts her life with her husband, Victor, and how he struggled with fentanyl, which led to an accidental overdose. As a drug dealer turned into a drug addict, Victo...

Oftentimes, people are stuck in grief and don't know how to get out of it. And that sucks because most of the time, the other parts of our lives are perfectly fine but we aren’t present enough to enjoy them. Healing from unresolved grief is an active process, not a passive one, as today’s guest explains. Ghulam Fernandes is a grief transformation coach who specializes in unresolved grief. Ghulam h...

This is the podcast’s first episode of the year, and I am here to share my plans for 2024. Join me as I look back on the amazing things that happened in 2023 and talk about the deeper support I want to provide to everyone. I also celebrate the memory of my husband who continues to serve as my inspiration in producing this podcast and guiding other people on dealing with their grief. Thank you for...

For this year’s final episode, let’s hear from a son’s perspective of his father’s life and death. Alexander Fornwald recounts his memory with his father, Mark Fornwald, and his experience after he passed. Tina explains how helpful it is to have trusting relatives and friends to help you through the grief process, and Alexander shares his perspective about asking friends to be at the funeral. He d...

Life’s precious moments emerge from the dance between joy and grief, proving that even two floors above, we’re never alone. Join us on a heartfelt journey through the pages of life, grief, and the enduring bonds that shape us. Our special guest, Kevin O’Connor, former educator and author of the book “Two Floors Above the Grief,” shares the tales of growing up above a funeral home, offering a uniqu...

Being a widow coach isn’t just a career for Maya Tyler. It’s deeply rooted in her own painful experience – an experience that she weaponized to help other widows navigate this tumultuous transition. Widowed at 27, Maya had her own share of what young widows typically experience, with all the judgment and prejudice attached to it. The fact that she is a woman of color only served to intensify it al...

What does a death doula do? Today’s guest will enlighten us on the path she walks. Stephanie Dawson is a retired nurse turned death doula turned grief coach. Stephanie takes us into her journey from a career-ending injury death of a loved one to becoming a death doula. The tragic events may have been painful, but they did not close her doors and, instead, opened her mind to believe that death beco...

In our grief journey, we need someone to meet us where we are and to love us unconditionally. But as a person transitioning into the spirit realm, we also need that spiritual and emotional support throughout the end-of-life journey. In this episode, as a Chaplain, Shenaz Halverson brings light into what a Hospice Chaplain does and how her grief helped her serve people with unconditional love. She...