The Widowed Parent Podcast

I had such a great discussion with Marny Williams-Balodis for this episode. Marny is a widowed parent, and is the cofounder and executive director of Hummingbird Centre for Hope in the Toronto, Canada, area.

Some topics Marny and I discuss include:

• Getting through the first year as a widowed parent of a 3-year-old and 3-month-old;
• Needing to explain to her 3-year-old over and over that his dad died, and what that meant;
• Kids needing to grieve again and again as they move through developmental milestones;
• How kids' understanding of loss grows and changes over the years;
• Taking her daughter on a "trip to meet her dead dad;"
• Why she didn't take both kids on the same trip;
• Why she started Hummingbird Centre for Hope; and
• Hummingbird's programs for widowed parents.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Marny Williams-Balodis.

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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

Support the show: Patreon, Merch, and More

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LIVE with Paul Rubin of Camp Good Mourning! (Long Island, New York) for Children's Grief Awareness Month.

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Find all episodes of the Widowed Parent Podcast & widowed parenting resources: https://widowedparentpodcast.com

Tips for widowed parents: https://jennylisk.com/top10

Tips for allies of grieving people: https://www.jennylisk.com/allies

LIVE with Viki Brown of Dustin's Place (Plymouth, Indiana) for Children's Grief Awareness Month.

More info: https://dustinsplace.org/

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Find all episodes of the Widowed Parent Podcast & widowed parenting resources: https://widowedparentpodcast.com

Tips for widowed parents: https://jennylisk.com/top10

Tips for allies of grieving people: https://www.jennylisk.com/allies

LIVE with Julianne Green of The Den for Grieving Kids (Fairfield County, CT) for Children's Grief Awareness Month.

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Find all episodes of the Widowed Parent Podcast & widowed parenting resources: https://widowedparentpodcast.com

Tips for widowed parents: https://jennylisk.com/top10

Tips for allies of grieving people: https://www.jennylisk.com/allies

LIVE with Ryan Loiselle of FRIENDS WAY (Warwick, RI) for Children's Grief Awareness Month.

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Find all episodes of the Widowed Parent Podcast & widowed parenting resources: https://widowedparentpodcast.com

Tips for widowed parents: https://jennylisk.com/top10

Tips for allies of grieving people: https://www.jennylisk.com/allies

LIVE with Corrie Sirota of Myra's Kids Foundation (Montreal, Quebec) for Children's Grief Awareness Month.

More info: https://myraskids.ca/

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Find all episodes of the Widowed Parent Podcast & widowed parenting resources:

https://widowedparentpodcast.com

Tips for widowed parents:

https://jennylisk.com/top10

Tips for allies of grieving people:

https://www.jennylisk.com/allies

I had such a great discussion with Natalie Adams for this episode. Natalie is the teenage founder of the website Teenage Grief Sucks.

Some topics Natalie and I discuss include:

• Losing her dad when she was a freshman in high school;
• Why she started Teenage Grief Sucks;
• Topics that she tackles on the site;
• Tips for talking with teachers about your loss;
• Things she wishes people knew about teen grief;
• Coping tips for grieving teens;
• Her favorite online grief resources; and
• How other teens can submit their grief-related stories and other creative expression.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Natalie Adams.

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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

Support the show: Patreon, Merch, and More

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I had such a great discussion with Sherrie Dunlevy for this episode. Sherrie is the author of "How Can I Help? Your Go-To Guide for Helping Loved Ones Through Life's Difficulties." It was great to talk with her about how friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors can help the grieving people in their lives.

Some topics Sherrie and I discuss include:

• The number one thing that people she interviewed said their friends did that was helpful to them in their grief;
• Common reasons people don't reach out to a grieving friend;
• Why you shouldn't base your decision to attend the funeral on how well you knew the deceased person;
• Her thoughts on what to say if you really don't know what to say;
• Practical ideas for supporting grieving friends; and
• Her new podcast and Facebook group, Graduating Grief.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Sherrie Dunlevy.

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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

Support the show: Patreon, Merch, and More

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I had such a great discussion with Karen Phelps Moyer for this episode. Karen is the co-founder of the Eluna Network and Camp Erin, both of which are terrific resources for widowed parents and have been serving grieving families for many years now.

More recently, Karen is the founder of Elite TLC, which specializes in dating support for widowed people, and others who may be thinking of dating after death or devastating loss. I've had listener requests to do an episode on dating as a widowed parent, and I'm so glad Karen was able to join us for this.

Some topics Karen and I discuss include:

• What has changed in the dating world in the last decade or two;
• Common concerns and complications for widowed parents dating;
• How working with a dating coach can be helpful;
• Dating during the pandemic;
• Safety considerations when meeting new people;
• Thoughts on navigating dating concerns kids may have; and
• Reimagining love in midlife.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Karen Phelps Moyer.

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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

Support the show: Patreon, Merch, and More

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I had such a great discussion with Hope Edelman for this episode. You may be familiar with Hope's work, as she wrote the groudbreaking book "Motherless Daughters" back in the 1990s, and has been writing, speaking, and leading workshops on grief ever since. She has a brand-new book out, and it's called "The AfterGrief: Finding Your Way Along the Long Arc of Loss." It's for all grieving people—not just those who experienced early mother loss—and it dives deep on the impact of grief across the lifespan. I learned so much from reading The AfterGrief. In fact, I'll probably read it again, to let it sink in a bit more. I hope you'll check it out, too.

Some topics Hope and I discuss include:

• Her desire to debunk the myth that one should be "over" their grief if it occurred many years ago;
• What she learned by interviewing 80+ people on their long-term experiences with grief;
• How long-term bereavement different is from the grief that people experience immediately after a death;
• The "Grief Trinity" -- New Grief, Old Grief, and New Old Grief;
• Hope's Three Rings of Grief;
• What is complicated grief, and how it is different from AfterGrief;
• The Dual Process Model of bereavement;
• How sometimes we reframe our stories of loss many years later; and
• Resources and events that Hope has available on her website.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Hope Edelman.

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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

Support the show: Patreon, Merch, and More

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