The Widowed Parent Podcast

I had such a great discussion with Lisa Valentine Clark for this episode. Lisa is a widowed mom of 5, and she lost her husband two years ago to ALS. Check out the word cloud for this episode, and then listen to our full discussion.

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Thank you sponsors & partners:

Grief Coach - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://grief.coach/jennylisk/

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

Support the show - Buy Me a Coffee

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I had such a great discussion with Zibby Owens for this episode. Zibby has a delightful podcast all about books & authors, and a thoughtful new memoir, Bookends, which dives deep into grief.

Some topics Zibby and I discuss include:

• Zibby's podcast, Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books, and some of her favorite grief memoirs;
• Her own brand-new memoir, Bookends;
• Losing her best friend on 9/11, and the trauma and impact that had on her;
• The 'grief brain' and brain fog she experienced;
• Losing people close to her who left behind young kids;
• Her family's experience with losing loved ones to covid;
• All about her grief platform & podcast, Moms Don't Have Time to Grieve;
• Her thoughts on writing a memoir, including feeling vulnerable and having newfound compassion for memoir authors;
• Zibby's tips for aspiring memoir writers; and
• Her summer reading pick in case you'd like to distract yourself with a good book.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Zibby Owens.

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Thank you sponsors & partners:

Grief Coach - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://grief.coach/jennylisk/

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

Support the show - Buy Me a Coffee

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I had such a great discussion with Kristin Meekhof for this episode. Kristin is an author, and I invited her on the show because she is both widowed herself and is someone who lost a parent at a young age. Plus, this week we have a giveaway, where one lucky winner will get signed copies of both Kristin's book, A Widow's Guide to Healing, and my own book, Future Widow. If you're listening around the time this episode is released, you can enter now through June 11, 2022, at jennylisk.com/giveaway.

Some topics Kristin and I discuss include:

• Being born in Korea and adopted by an American family as an infant;
• Growing up with her dad having cancer;
• Her dad dying when she was almost 5 years old;
• That first time her class was making Father's Day cards;
• Her mom getting remarried when she was seven, and being adopted by her step-dad;
• Having her last name change to her step-dad's name, which was her third last name as a young child;
• How disorienting and damaging it was for her as a child that her mother refused to talk her father's death;
• Getting to know her father through her uncle and grandmother;
• Being afraid as a child that her mother would die, too;
• Her own husband dying of cancer when she was 33, and how isolating this experience was;
• Why she decided to interview over 100 widowed people and write a book for newly widowed people; and
• Why sharing our stories is so important to our healing.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Kristin Meekhof.

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Thank you sponsors & partners:

Grief Coach - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://grief.coach/jennylisk/

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

Support the show - Buy Me a Coffee

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I had such a great discussion with Rebecca Soffer for this episode. Rebecca is not a widowed parent, but many widowed parents and others turn to her book and her community, Modern Loss, for support and connection. And now, Rebecca has a brand-new book: The Modern Loss Handbook. It's a beautiful, full-color book, and Rebecca calls it "an interactive guide to moving through grief and building your resilience."

Some topics Rebecca and I discuss include:

• When she and I met at an event at The Riveter in Seattle on her first book tour, back in 2018;
• How lonely and disorienting it was when both her parents died when she was in her early thirties;
• Why she founded Modern Loss eight years ago;
• Why it's important to normalize the conversation around grief and loss;
• Tips from the Modern Loss Handbook for finding support;
• Some ways that grief can impact friendships;
• Creating 'bespoke holidays' to remember our loved ones; and
• Why we should all create our own 'grief manifesto.'

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Rebecca Soffer.

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Thank you sponsors & partners:

Grief Coach - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://grief.coach/jennylisk/

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

Support the show - Buy Me a Coffee

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I had such a great discussion with Kim Murray for this episode. Kim is a widowed parent, and we have so much in common. Her husband died of glioblastoma, as did mine. Her kids were 8 and 10 when he was diagnosed; mine were those ages, too. Most importantly, though, Kim gets real with us. She talks about things people aren't willing to talk about – including her son's struggles beginning a few years after his dad died, and the stories she was telling herself about her parenting because of his struggles. She also tells us about all the terrific resources she's put together over at her website, Widow 411, which I encourage you to check out.

Some topics Kim and I discuss include:

• The shock of finding out that her husband had terminal brain cancer;
• Talking with her kids about their dad's diagnosis, and deciding when to tell them his cancer was terminal;
• Why she prefers the term 'solo parent' rather than 'single parent;'
• Taking her kids to a family grief support program;
• Her older son beginning to struggle in 8th grade, about 3 years after his dad died, including self-medicating in an attempt to handle his grief;
• Trying to find help for her son, and the doubt and shame she experienced because of his struggles;
• Why she started Widow 411; and
• The topics she tackles on Widow 411, ranging from grief, to money, to home maintenance and more.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Kim Murray.

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Thank you sponsors & partners:

Grief Coach - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://grief.coach/jennylisk/

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

Support the show - Buy Me a Coffee

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I had such a great discussion with Stacy Francis for this episode. Stacy is a certified financial planner who specializes in working with women going through transitions, including becoming widowed. I invited her on the show because this is such an important topic, and it's helpful to be able to ask an expert our questions about money, taxes, and social security.

Some topics Stacy and I discuss include:

• Thinking about the first tax return as a widowed person;
• Some differences to know about filing statuses such as Qualified Widow(er), Head of Household, and Single;
• Tax breaks for widows that are important to know about;
• Why life insurance is an important financial tool;
• The importance of planning for retirement;
• Social security benefits that widowed people with children are eligible for;
• The free guides & checklists that Stacy has available on her website;
• Her nonprofit, Savvy Ladies, which offers free financial advice and services for women who need it; and
• What is important to know and ask when choosing a financial planner.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Stacy Francis.

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Thank you sponsors & partners:

Grief Coach - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://grief.coach/jennylisk/

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

Support the show - Buy Me a Coffee

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I had such a great discussion with Karen Phelps Moyer for this episode. I first learned of Karen's work because she founded Camp Erin, which is a camp for kids ages 6-17 who are grieving the loss of a loved one, and which runs camps in many locations across the US. Now, Karen is working with widowed people and others to reimagine love after loss. I had the pleasure of talking with her initially back in episode 51, and since dating and potentially looking for a "Chapter 2" is a topic that many widowed people grapple with at some point, I thought it would be a good time to have her back on the show to give us an update.

Some topics Karen and I discuss include:

• Why it may be easier to think about "finding adult company" rather than "dating;"
• Sometimes it's helpful to "release and replace" thoughts that are not working for us;
• Why she believes that everyone can "reimagine love;"
• There's no need to take down your pictures just because you're bringing someone new into the house;
• Talking to your kids about dating;
• How zoom chats can help you get a better sense of a person that messaging online; and
• The importance of working on yourself as you begin considering reimaging love.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Karen Phelps Moyer.

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Thank you sponsors & partners:

Grief Coach - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://grief.coach/jennylisk/

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

Support the show - Buy Me a Coffee

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I had such a great discussion with Maria Vassiliou for this episode. Maria lost her mom when she was just two years old. As an adult, she's studied thanatology and started a podcast dedicated to exploring and expanding the conversation about death. Her podcast is called Philotimo Life.

Some topics Maria and I discuss include:

• Maria and her dad moving in with her dad's parents a few years after her mom died;
• Why she avoided talking about death or about her mom for many years growing up;
• How hard it was as a child to deal with other people's pity and awkwardness when they learned about her mom's death;
• How much she appreciates that her dad talked with her teachers ahead of each new school year;
• Using some of the storylines in Disney movies to start conversations with your kids;
• Her thoughts on the conventional wisdom 'kids are resilient';
• Why she decided to study thanatology and to start a podcast talking about death; and
• Why she believes we need a human-centered approach to grief and bereavement.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Maria Vassiliou.

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Thank you sponsors & partners:

Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-day free trial: www.audibletrial.com/widowedparent

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

Blue Apron - Special offers for listeners of the podcast: jennylisk.com/blueapron

Grief Coach - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://grief.coach/jennylisk/

Support the show - Buy Me a Coffee

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I had such a great discussion with Sherri Fisher for this episode. Sherri is a learning specialist who has worked both in schools and in private practice. I wanted to invite her to the show this week because she has so much wisdom and experience to share with us on the topic of support for kids who are struggling in school. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like the world of education has gotten more complicated than when I was growing up. This is one of those episodes that is not grief-specific, but rather has general parenting information and support for us as parents.

Some topics Sherri and I discuss include:

• Why the 'effort myth' is a myth;
• What are the three gifts of motivation, and why each is important;
• Why kids may struggle in school despite having at least normal intelligence;
• Why trying harder isn't necessarily the answer;
• Challenges students have with organizing their work in today's digital school environment;
• Why we should not jump to the conclusion that kids are being lazy if they are not completing their work or not turning it in;
• Suggestions for coaching your own child;
• The importance of effective communication with your child's teachers, including tips for this;
• Five types of allies for your child; and
• The companion workbook for the Effort Myth, available at Sherri's website.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Sherri Fisher.

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Thank you sponsors & partners:

Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-day free trial: www.audibletrial.com/widowedparent

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

Blue Apron - Special offers for listeners of the podcast: jennylisk.com/blueapron

Grief Coach - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://grief.coach/jennylisk/

Support the show - Buy Me a Coffee

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I had such a great discussion with Heather Stang for this episode. Heather is founder of the Mindfulness & Grief Institute, where she facilitates Awaken, a mindfulness-based online grief group, offers individual sessions, and hosts the Mindfulness & Grief Podcast. Even though we recorded this discussion some months back, I think it's a great time right now, with the new year having just started, to have a listen, and consider learning a bit about mindfulness and perhaps even adopting a mindfulness practice.

Some topics Heather and I discuss include:

• Why she created a guided journal, and why it's helpful for grieving people;
• Her eight-step mindfulness and grief process;
• The physical experiences of grief;
• Intuitive grievers and instrumental grievers;
• Why her first goal in working with grieving people is to help them be able to sleep;
• What are mindfulness and meditation, and their relationship to one another;
• How mindfulness can help you learn to respond rather than react; and
• Why guided mediation can be helpful, especially if you're not sure how to get started.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Heather Stang.

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Thank you sponsors & partners:

Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-day free trial: www.audibletrial.com/widowedparent

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

Blue Apron - Special offers for listeners of the podcast: jennylisk.com/blueapron

Grief Coach - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://grief.coach/jennylisk/

Support the show - Buy Me a Coffee

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