August 19, 2025

BW 164: From Grief to Fire: How Casey Rebuilt Life After Losing Her Husband with a Newborn | Widow Story

48 minutes

Casey Engles lost her husband Joel only months after giving birth to their daughter.

In this episode of The Brave Widow Show, Casey opens up about:

Meeting her soulmate at 17 and navigating his 8-year cancer battle

The heartbreaking reality of becoming a widow with a 5-month-old baby

How she balanced grief, postpartum recovery, and solo motherhood

The difference between therapy and grief coaching (and how both helped)

Why she decided to join Brave Widow, and the powerful transformation it gave her

Her next chapter: launching The Widow Fire Podcast to support other young widows with kids

👉 If you’re a widow feeling lost, lonely, or stuck, this conversation will remind you: you are not alone, and you can build a beautiful future again.

Connect with Casey:

Follow the Widow Fire Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/widow-fire/id1831395012

✨ Work with Emily: Ready to stop just surviving and start rebuilding? Book a free consult at bravewidow.com.

Timestamps:
0:00 – Introduction
2:00 – Casey’s love story with Joel
4:00 – Brain cancer diagnosis and years of treatment
7:00 – Becoming a widow with a newborn
12:00 – Therapy vs. grief coaching: what’s the difference?
20:00 – The reality of parenting in grief
26:00 – Letting light back in: home changes as healing
33:00 – Casey’s advice to widows considering coaching
37:00 – Launching the Widow Fire Podcast
46:00 – Final encouragement + Brave Widow Academy invitation

📌 Subscribe & Stay Connected

👍 Like this video if it helped you

🎧 Subscribe for more stories and strategies for life after loss.

💬 Leave a comment if this story resonates with you or if you want to share your own experience.
📩 Share it with someone who needs encouragement

Ready for more support?

Join the Brave Widow Academy: https://bravewidow.com/academy

Book a free consult here: https://calendly.com/bravewidow/widow-consult-call

Download the Brave New Widow Starter Kit: A free guide to help you navigate the first steps of widowhood. → https://bravewidow.com/start

I’m Emily Tanner. I was widowed at age 37, one month shy of our 20 year wedding anniversary. Nathan and I have four beautiful children together, and my world was turned completely upside down when I lost him.

Now, I love my life again! I’m able to experience joy, achieve goals and dreams I thought I’d lost, and rediscover this next version of me.

I did the work.

I invested in coaching for myself.

I learned what I needed to do to move forward and took the steps.

I implemented the tools and strategies that I use for my clients in my coaching program.

This is for you, if:

You want a faith-based approach to coaching

You want to move forward after loss, and aren’t sure how

You want to enjoy life without feeling weighed down by guilt, sadness, or regret

You want a guide to help navigate this journey to the next version of you

You want to rediscover who you are

Schedule a consult with Emily: https://calendly.com/bravewidow/widow-consult-call?month=2024-08

Find and take the next steps to move forward (without “moving on”).

FOLLOW me on SOCIAL:

Twitter | @brave_widow

Instagram | @brave_widow

Facebook | / bravewidow

YouTube | @bravewidow

...more

View all episodes

By Emily Tanner

1212 ratings