MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Brave Widow Resources Mentioned
https://bravewidow.com/academyJoin the free Brave Widow Community + weekly calls and prayer nights - https://bravewidow.com/freeSchedule a no-pressure call with Emily to figure out your best next step - https://bravewidow.com/callGet updates on the RENEW in-person retreat and the new deep-grief space
(Retreat + program updates coming soon on the Brave Widow website.)New here? Start with the free community and let us walk with you. You don’t have to do widowhood alone.
What if death, grief, and love could all live in the same room… and it didn’t feel so terrifying?
In this powerful conversation, I sit down with death doula, transformational soul coach, and grief-literacy advocate Julie Wright Halbert to talk about walking with our loved ones at the end of life, honoring our own grief, and why we are never as alone as we feel.
Julie shares how the sudden death of her young husband shattered her old life as a national education attorney and led her into sacred work at the bedside of the dying. We talk about identity after loss, “living and dying awake,” and very practical ways to support someone who is transitioning… without losing yourself.
We also wrap up with some big Brave Widow updates: our first in-person retreat, a new space for widows in deep grief, and what’s next for the Academy.
In this episode, we cover:
💛 Ready for deeper support?
Brave Widow Academy is my 6‑month, faith‑based program to help you heal your heart and rebuild a life you can love again. Small group, step‑by‑step roadmap, and weekly support. Learn more and apply here: bravewidow.com/academy
Subscribe for more faith‑based, hopeful grief support for widows:
@BraveWidow on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram & Facebook
💬 If this episode helped you, please:
If you’re new here, my name is Emily Tanner. I’m the founder of Brave Widow and Brave Widow Academy.
I help widows move from barely surviving their loss… to rebuilding a life they can actually love again without feeling like they’re betraying their person.
By day (and for 20+ years), I’ve led large teams and complex operations in the corporate world.
After my husband Nathan died in 2021, just shy of our 20-year anniversary, I took everything I knew about leadership, systems, and change — and started applying it to grief.
Shared my story publicly to make widows feel less alone.
Launched the Brave Widow podcast, now with 180+ episodes and listeners around the world.
Coached hundreds of widows 1:1 and in groups, and talked with thousands more through the podcast, communities, and events.
Built Brave Widow Academy, a 6-month coaching program with a clear framework for moving from deep grief to rebuilding a life you can love again.
I don’t teach “just think positive” grief tips.
Stop waiting on “time” to fix everything.
Take small, brave steps toward a life that feels meaningful again.
2021: My husband Nathan dies unexpectedly. I’m 4 kids in, overwhelmed, and drowning in paperwork, decisions, and pain. Therapy helps, but I still feel stuck with no roadmap.
2021–2022: I start devouring books, interviewing widows, trying grief groups, and studying coaching — desperate to find something that actually helps me feel different.
2022: I start the Brave Widow podcast, recording episodes while terrified and crying between takes — but determined that no widow should feel as alone as I did.
Year 1: I begin coaching widows 1:1. Word spreads quietly. The same patterns and problems keep showing up, so I start building frameworks instead of one-off advice.
Year 2: I launch Brave Widow Academy — a structured, 6-month coaching program with a step-by-step path: from deep grief, to stability, to rebuilding.
Year 3: Brave Widow has listeners around the world. I’ve personally coached hundreds of widows and spoken with thousands more through consults, lives, emails, and DMs.
Today: My work is simple:
Help widows stop surviving each day… and start rebuilding a life that makes them genuinely glad to be alive again.
