The Widowed Mom Podcast

The holidays bring a unique kind of heaviness when you're navigating them without your person. Your brain searches for them in every familiar tradition, every decoration, every family gathering - and when it can't find them, it sends out waves of emotion that can feel overwhelming.

I'm addressing why the holidays can stir up such intense emotions for widowed moms and why there's no right way to feel during this season. Whether you're dreading every moment, feeling surprisingly peaceful, or experiencing emotional whiplash between the two, your experience makes complete sense.

Listen in this week to learn what’s happening in your brain and body during this time, so you can offer yourself compassion instead of criticism. You'll discover why numbness, isolation, and rapid mood shifts are all natural responses to grief during the holidays. Most importantly, you'll learn that whatever you're feeling - from complete disconnection to unexpected joy - doesn't need to be fixed or justified.

Join my free, 3-day live workshop, Happier Holidays for Widowed Moms, to learn 3 simple ways to make this season easier. It’s happening November 18th-20th, 2025, and you can register here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/freeholidayevent/

Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/336

Mentioned in this episode:

A Widow’s Guide to a Happier Holiday Season

Navigating the holidays after losing your loved one doesn't have to mean just gritting your teeth and surviving. Join Happier Holidays, a free 3-day online event for widows from November 10th through 12th, to learn practical tools for managing difficult emotions, releasing guilt, and taking control of your holiday season.

Happier Holidays 2026

Do you ever feel like you're just going through the motions? Like you're functioning, but not really living?

If you're nodding your head, you're not alone. In fact, this feeling is so common among widows that I've given it a name: the grief plateau. It’s that space where you're stable enough to function, but your future feels uncertain and life doesn't quite feel like you'd like it to. You might be back at work, taking care of your family, and managing day-to-day tasks, but inside, something feels... missing.

If you're ready to take that first step, tune in this week as I share three essential keys to help you get unstuck and move beyond this plateau.

Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/335

Mentioned in this episode:

A Widow’s Guide to a Happier Holiday Season

Navigating the holidays after losing your loved one doesn't have to mean just gritting your teeth and surviving. Join Happier Holidays, a free 3-day online event for widows from November 10th through 12th, to learn practical tools for managing difficult emotions, releasing guilt, and taking control of your holiday season.

Happier Holidays 2026

Have you ever found yourself frozen, wanting to support someone who's grieving but afraid of saying the wrong thing?

Most of us weren't taught how to show up for someone who's experienced a devastating loss. We want to help, but sometimes our well-intentioned words can accidentally cause more harm than good.

Join me this week as I share practical guidance for anyone who wants to be a genuine source of support for a widow in their life. Drawing from my work with widows every day and my own experience, I break down the common myths about grief that lead to hurtful comments, explain why grief is a full-body experience that affects everything from memory to decision-making, and offer specific phrases that actually help versus those that don't.

Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/334

Mentioned in this episode:

A Widow’s Guide to a Happier Holiday Season

Navigating the holidays after losing your loved one doesn't have to mean just gritting your teeth and surviving. Join Happier Holidays, a free 3-day online event for widows from November 10th through 12th, to learn practical tools for managing difficult emotions, releasing guilt, and taking control of your holiday season.

Happier Holidays 2026

Have you been beating yourself up because you can't stop thinking about something?

Maybe it’s the last conversation you had with your person, something someone said that felt hurtful, or a decision you're questioning. You tell yourself to move on, but the thought returns like a boomerang, taking up mental space you desperately need for other things. The frustration builds as you wonder why you can't just let it go, especially when everyone says not to let things "live rent-free in your head."

Tune in this week to discover what’s really happening in your brain when you can’t stop thinking about something, and how to break the rumination cycle without forcing yourself to "just stop thinking about it."

Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/333

Mentioned in this episode:

A Widow’s Guide to a Happier Holiday Season

Navigating the holidays after losing your loved one doesn't have to mean just gritting your teeth and surviving. Join Happier Holidays, a free 3-day online event for widows from November 10th through 12th, to learn practical tools for managing difficult emotions, releasing guilt, and taking control of your holiday season.

Happier Holidays 2026

Have you ever had someone say, “You're so strong” or, “They're in a better place now” and felt... worse? These well-meaning comments, though intended to comfort, often leave us feeling misunderstood and alone in our grief journey.

Sometimes the people who love us most can hurt us without meaning to. This disconnect between what someone intends and how their actions affect us shows up everywhere in widowhood. And understanding this gap between intention and impact can transform how we navigate grief and relationships.

Tune in this week as I explore the concept of intent versus impact and how it plays out in widowhood. You'll discover how to validate your experience without having to villainize anyone's intentions, and why this distinction matters for your healing.

Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/332

Mentioned in this episode:

A Widow’s Guide to a Happier Holiday Season

Navigating the holidays after losing your loved one doesn't have to mean just gritting your teeth and surviving. Join Happier Holidays, a free 3-day online event for widows from November 10th through 12th, to learn practical tools for managing difficult emotions, releasing guilt, and taking control of your holiday season.

Happier Holidays 2026

If you’re surprised by how some friendships have changed after losing your spouse, you’re not alone.

When we lose our person, we often don't expect to also lose connections with friends who we thought would always be there. And many widows experience this unexpected secondary loss - the shifting or disappearing of friendships they thought would remain steady through their grief journey.

Understanding the dynamics of friendship changes during grief can help us process these losses and make room for new connections that align with who we're becoming. Listen in this week as I explore why these friendship changes happen and, more importantly, how to navigate them with grace and self-compassion.

Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/331

Mentioned in this episode:

A Widow’s Guide to a Happier Holiday Season

Navigating the holidays after losing your loved one doesn't have to mean just gritting your teeth and surviving. Join Happier Holidays, a free 3-day online event for widows from November 10th through 12th, to learn practical tools for managing difficult emotions, releasing guilt, and taking control of your holiday season.

Happier Holidays 2026

Are you constantly putting everyone else's needs before your own, even in your grief? When we're grieving, it's tempting to try to "keep it together" for everyone else. But managing your grief for others' comfort comes at a deep cost to our own healing.

This week, I’m joined by Bea Albina, a nurse practitioner turned master life coach, somatic expert, and author of a new book called End Emotional Outsourcing: How to Overcome Your Codependent, Perfectionist, and People-Pleasing Habits.

She’s here to discuss this pattern of handing our worth, choices, and energy over to others to feel safe, loved, and accepted, or as she calls it: emotional outsourcing.

Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/330

Mentioned in this episode:

A Widow’s Guide to a Happier Holiday Season

Navigating the holidays after losing your loved one doesn't have to mean just gritting your teeth and surviving. Join Happier Holidays, a free 3-day online event for widows from November 10th through 12th, to learn practical tools for managing difficult emotions, releasing guilt, and taking control of your holiday season.

Happier Holidays 2026

Have you ever told yourself, “I'll do it when I feel motivated?”

Maybe it's about going through your person's belongings. Maybe it's about getting back to exercise. Maybe it's about making those difficult financial decisions. Here's the truth: If you're waiting to feel motivated before taking action, you might be waiting a very long time.

Tune in this week to learn the importance of understanding the difference between motivation and commitment. You’ll hear why motivation isn't the spark that starts the fire (and what really is), and practical tools to take action even when you don't feel like it. If you've been waiting to feel "ready" or "motivated" before making changes in your life, this episode is for you.

Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/329

Mentioned in this episode:

A Widow’s Guide to a Happier Holiday Season

Navigating the holidays after losing your loved one doesn't have to mean just gritting your teeth and surviving. Join Happier Holidays, a free 3-day online event for widows from November 10th through 12th, to learn practical tools for managing difficult emotions, releasing guilt, and taking control of your holiday season.

Happier Holidays 2026

Have you ever found yourself lying awake at night, with your thoughts spinning out of control? One worried thought leads to another, and before you know it, you're imagining worst-case scenarios that feel all too real.

I call this the ‘what-if' doom spiral, and if you're experiencing it, you're not alone.

Listen in this week to learn how to recognize the what-if doom spiral, and how to calm your nervous system, ground yourself in the present moment, and ask yourself questions that actually move you forward instead of keeping you stuck in anticipatory anxiety.

Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/328

Mentioned in this episode:

A Widow’s Guide to a Happier Holiday Season

Navigating the holidays after losing your loved one doesn't have to mean just gritting your teeth and surviving. Join Happier Holidays, a free 3-day online event for widows from November 10th through 12th, to learn practical tools for managing difficult emotions, releasing guilt, and taking control of your holiday season.

Happier Holidays 2026

Standing in a crowded room after losing your spouse can feel like being invisible in plain sight. The laughter around you seems distant, the couples holding hands become all you notice, and somehow being surrounded by people makes the loneliness even sharper.

Join me today to learn simple but powerful actions and mindset shifts that will help you move from feeling like an outsider to feeling genuinely connected, even in challenging social situations.

Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/327

Mentioned in this episode:

A Widow’s Guide to a Happier Holiday Season

Navigating the holidays after losing your loved one doesn't have to mean just gritting your teeth and surviving. Join Happier Holidays, a free 3-day online event for widows from November 10th through 12th, to learn practical tools for managing difficult emotions, releasing guilt, and taking control of your holiday season.

Happier Holidays 2026