In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Mary-Frances O’Connor, neuroscientist, psychologist, and author of The Grieving Brain and The Grieving Body.

Mary-Frances has spent her career researching what happens to our minds and bodies when we lose someone we love. Her work helps us understand why grief feels the way it does, how our brains adapt, and why love and loss are so deeply intertwined.

This conversation is full of insight, science, and compassion. We explore what happens in the brain during grief, why waves of grief come and go, and how we can continue our bond with those who have died. Mary-Frances also shares why resilience is the most common response to loss, and why grief is less about “moving on” and more about learning to live with love in a different way.

In this episode we talk about:

Explore Mary-Frances O’Connor’s books: 

The Grieving Brain by Mary-Frances O'Connor | Waterstones

The Grieving Body by Mary-Frances O'Connor | Waterstones

I’d love you to join me for Awakening Hope — a free five-day experience.

Find out more at: https://www.karensutton.co.uk/awakeninghope

For Further Support:

The Widows Membership: karensutton.co.uk/the-widow-membership

Coaching and retreats: karensutton.co.uk

Mary-Frances O’Connor – Photo credit: Eric Godoy 

In this episode of The Widow Podcast, I talk with author and campaigner Laurence Carter about his powerful journey through grief after losing his wife, Melitta, to stage 4 cervical cancer in 2015.

Laurence shares their love story, Melitta's diagnosis, and the long goodbye they faced together as a family. He opens up about his year-long walk around the coast of England and Wales, a challenge that raised awareness of cervical cancer, encouraged women to attend smear tests, and helped him navigate life after loss.

We discuss:

If you or someone you know has experienced the loss of a partner or wants to better understand grief recovery, this episode offers comfort, hope, and inspiration.

Find out more about Laurence on his site, including where to buy copies of his wonderful book.

https://laurencecarter.com

For More Support: 

The Widows Membership: karensutton.co.uk/the-widow-membership

Coaching and retreats: karensutton.co.uk

In this week's episode, I'm joined by Phillipa and Hazel, the brilliant duo behind Music to Die For, a beautiful project exploring how music connects us to those we've lost.

Phillipa lost her husband Rob suddenly four and a half years ago. What's fascinating is that music - which had been her whole life as a musician and teacher - completely disappeared after Rob died. But it came back in the most powerful ways.

Hazel, a clinical psychologist with a deep love of music, met Phillipa at a grief and music think tank. Their instant connection sparked Music to Die For, where people share stories about pieces of music that connect them to someone they've lost.

This is such a beautiful conversation about how music supports us through grief and helps us stay connected to our loved ones.

In this episode we explore:

Resources mentioned:

For More Support:

The Widows Membership: karensutton.co.uk/the-widow-membership

Coaching and retreats: karensutton.co.uk

In this week's episode, I'm joined by Becky and Matt, a couple brave enough to share their story of finding love after loss.

Becky became a widow when her husband Steve died suddenly while they were on holiday. Steve's unexpected death left Becky heartbroken but determined not to let grief define her forever. Nearly two years later, she found herself ready to explore what came next, including the possibility of love again.

This episode is a lovely, thoughtful, and open conversation about the complexities of dating as a widow, and the courage it takes to open your heart again. Becky and Matt share their journey from a dating app match to moving in together, navigating everything from children's reactions to in-laws' acceptance. It's a story about resilience, hope, and the truth that love - even after devastating loss - is always worth the risk.

In this episode we talk about: 

Resources and Links

Join the Widows Membership: karensutton.co.uk/the-widow-membership

Explore my retreats and coaching: karensutton.co.uk

What does living fully again really look like after loss? 

This week, I’m joined by someone really special. Lynne Atkin MBE is part of our community, and from the start, I was genuinely amazed by how she was navigating her grief. Not long after the first year of her widowhood, Lynne was making remarkable progress, showing up with strength, clarity and real purpose. And I remember thinking, how is she doing that?

Over time, I saw it wasn’t a fluke. Lynne kept showing up. She kept leaning into the process and doing the work, with such openness and intention. And she’s built something powerful: a life that holds both her love for Michael and her hope for what comes next.

 In this conversation, Lynne shares what helped her move through the early pain and start building something new. It’s a reminder that healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means learning how to live fully again.

In this episode, we talk about:

Whether you’re newly widowed or further along, this is a powerful story of resilience, growth and hope. It’s one I know will stay with you.

Resources and links:

Join the Widow Membership: karensutton.co.uk/the-widow-membership

Explore retreats and coaching: karensutton.co.uk

In this special episode of The Widow Podcast, I’m sharing something really close to my heart.

Earlier this year, I invited three amazing women, Nikki, Becky and Wendy, into the Remember community to share their stories. Stories of love, of loss, of navigating life after the unthinkable. They spoke with such honesty and vulnerability, and it was one of the most powerful sessions we’ve had. I knew straight away I wanted more people to hear it.

What I love about this conversation is how different each of their experiences have been. It show us how there’s no right way to grieve, and hearing those contrasts side by side really brings that home.

They talk about what helped, what didn’t, the pain of parenting through grief, the shifts in friendships, the moments that caught them off guard, and the ways they’re slowly creating a new version of life. 

In this episode, we explore:

• The very real, very messy early days of widowhood

• How grief affects identity and friendships

• The fear of forgetting and the ways we stay connected

• The little things that help, and the things that really don’t

• What it looks like to build a life around your loss

• Giving yourself permission to feel joy, without guilt

Resources and Links

Join the Widows Membership: karensutton.co.uk/the-widow-membership

Explore my retreats and coaching: karensutton.co.uk

How I’ve Found Peace, Purpose and Possibility After Loss – And How You Can Too

Welcome back to Season Four of The Widow Podcast. It feels really good to be back.

Nearly nine years since Simon died, I’ve been reflecting on everything that’s changed, not just in my own life, but in the way I support other widows. Over the past year, I’ve gone through some huge shifts. I trained as a Master Intuitive Psychology Coach, ran retreats here in the UK and in the US, and launched a new programme called Vibrant Living, which is all about what comes next.

This episode is a bit of a catch-up, but also a conversation about growth. The kind that happens quietly, over time, as we keep showing up for ourselves. I’ll talk honestly about where I’ve been, how I’ve changed, and what I’ve learned about creating a life that feels full again, not in spite of the grief, but alongside it.

In this episode, I share:

Resources and Links

Join the Widows Membership: karensutton.co.uk/the-widow-membership

Explore my retreats and coaching: karensutton.co.uk

In this week's episode I speak to an incredibly honest and inspiring lady, Stacey Macdonald. Stacey’s husband Chris died suddenly in December 2013 from a heart attack when their daughter was only 12 years old.

Stacey shares her journey of loss and how she navigated her way through her grief in her own unique way, a way in which we could all learn a lot from.

We discuss; 

This really is such a wonderful conversation and I know you’ll be able to draw so much from this.

We got unexpectedly cut off at the end (the joys of living on a small island), so there is an abrupt finish to the conversation. We contemplated arranging another time to record an ending but I actually felt that Stacey’s final words of wisdom were so beautiful, it felt like the perfect end to a wonderful conversation, so we left it as it was.

There is a powerful connection between grief and the physical response that can occur within our body.

In fact, grief can show up in a variety of ways in our body.

Our body is communicating too us and in this episode we explore the impact of grief on our immune system and how to alleviate physical symptoms through self-care practices.

Listen as I talk about:

Resources:

Join my Free Facebook Group ‘Widowed and Rising’ https://www.facebook.com/groups/widowedandrising

My website https://www.karensutton.co.uk/

This podcast is from last September. However, with more anniversaries, birthdays and holidays arising, I wanted to share it with you again.

These are often huge triggers for us in our grief leaving us unsure of what we should do to mark the occasion and how we can best support ourselves through them.

In this episode I talk about things you can do to honour your loved one, ways you can nurture your own needs and how our grief evolves over time.

It is a journey and we will all travel it at different paces and in different ways, there is no right or wrong, it's just finding the way that works best for you and being ok with that.

As hard as these days are it's important not to think of them as setbacks, but as an invitation to connect with our loved one, remember them and celebrate their life, eventually we will be able to do this with more love than pain.

Resources:

Join The Widows Membership:

https://www.karensutton.co.uk/the-widow-membership

Website: https://www.karensutton.co.uk/