Widow We Do Now?

What happens when a widowed parent starts dating again? The parent might be ready for companionship, connection, or even a new relationship—but what does that feel like for the kids?

This week, Anita and Mel dig into a survey they conducted with kids who have a widowed parent, asking them how they feel about their parent dating again. What are their biggest concerns? Does it feel different when a parent dates versus when they get serious about someone? How do kids navigate the idea of a new person entering a family that has already experienced a huge loss?

Anita and Mel explore the kids' responses and what they can teach us about dating after widowhood, balancing a parent's needs with a child's feelings, and making space for everyone's experience of grief and change.

Because when a widowed parent starts dating, it's not just the parent's life that's changing. The kids are navigating it, too.

***To submit a spooky story, go to  http://www.speakpipe.com/wwdn

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This week, Anita and Mel talk with Sandra Neperud - fellow widow and the creator of The Grief App, a resource designed to help people navigate the messy, unpredictable reality of loss. Sandra joins them from https://thegriefapp.com/om her travel van, bringing her own experience with grief into the conversation.

Sandra shares what inspired her to create The Grief App and how her experience as a widow shaped the idea behind it. They talk about the reality of grief after the initial shock wears off, the need for support that’s available when you actually need it, and how technology can provide practical tools and connection when life feels completely unfamiliar. And better yet, there is no use of AI with The Grief App!

Find The Grief App in iTunes or Google Play: https://thegriefapp.com/

Sponsored by:

BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn

Mint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

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This week, Anita and Mel sit down with Michael Reed, who experienced an unimaginable loss when his wife and two daughters died in a fire in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in 2016. His son survived, and Michael was left to navigate a grief no parent should ever have to face.

Michael shares his journey through the million stages of grief and the million stages of healing, the inspiration behind his books, The Million Stages of Grief and The Million Stages of Healing, and what it means to keep living when your entire world has changed in an instant.

It's a deeply moving conversation about devastating loss, parenting through grief, finding a way forward, and discovering that healing isn't a straight line or a destination. There isn't just one way to grieve, and there certainly aren't just five stages.

Michael's story is a powerful reminder that even after unimaginable loss, life can continue to unfold in ways we never expected.

Check out Michael's books at: https://themillionstages.com/

Sponsored by:

BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn

Mint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

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What if you had an owner’s manual for yourself? What would it have said before widowhood, and what would it say now?

Mel puts Anita in the hot seat and asks her to imagine her personal owner’s manual — how she operated, what she needed, what people should know about her, and what changed after her husband died.

From there, the questions keep coming. Some are thoughtful, some are ridiculous, and some reveal things you probably wouldn’t think to ask until someone actually does.

This is a lighthearted conversation about knowing yourself, changing after loss, and realizing that the instructions you used to live by may now be totally different.

Sponsored by:

BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn

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Anita and Mel go back to Episode 13, “Meat Me Where I Ham,” recorded when Mel was two years into widowhood and Anita was one year in.

Now, Mel is almost nine years into widowhood and Anita is coming up on eight. They listen to that early conversation and reflect on what has changed, what hasn’t, and how their perspectives on widowhood have evolved over the years.

They also talk about the concept of the messy middle — that stretch after the immediate aftermath when you’re expected to be moving forward, but you’re still figuring out what your life is supposed to look like now.

Sponsored by:

BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn

Mint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

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The Widow Complaint Department is officially open.

In this episode, Anita and Mel read listener submissions about the things that make widowhood harder, weirder, more annoying, and occasionally downright ridiculous. From clueless comments and unsolicited advice to people who just don’t know what to say to a widow, nothing is too petty, too silly, or too absurd for the complaint department. 

Got a widow complaint? Send it in. Anita and Mel are taking submissions.

Sponsored by:

BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn

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Dr. Tina Fornwald knows firsthand how quickly life can change. As a retired US Army officer and breast cancer survivor, her husband Mark died suddenly from a massive heart attack in 2017. 

After his death, Tina had to figure out how to live again. She found support through therapy, faith, family, and connecting with other widows — eventually becoming someone other widows turned to for guidance and support.

Tina talks candidly about widowhood, finding your way after a life-changing loss, and what it means to build a life you actually want to live. She also shares what happened when love found her again and she married Fred in 2022.

Tina is also the author of The Five Widows Club, a novel about five women navigating widowhood, identity, and connection after loss.

Tiktok: @drtinagriefsupport

Check out Tina's podcast and other resources: https://widowhood-realtalkwithtina.org

Sponsored by:

BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn

Mint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

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http://www.patreon.com/wwdn

You may also enjoy Krista St. Germain's podcast: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/new

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What happens to all the stories, photos, memories, and little pieces of a person after they die?

This week, Anita and Mel talk with Alex, the founder and architect of Cumulus, an online memorial platform created to give people a place to remember and celebrate the people they've lost. They talk about what memorializing someone can look like in the digital age, why the traditional obituary doesn't always tell the whole story, and how technology might help us preserve the parts of our people we never want to forget.

Alex joins Anita and Mel to talk about the idea behind Cumulus, what inspired him to create it, and the ways an online memorial can become a living collection of memories rather than simply a marker of someone's death.

Check out Cumulus for free at:  https://www.cumulus.world/

Sponsored by:

BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn

Mint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes and more!
http://www.patreon.com/wwdn

You may also enjoy Krista St. Germain's podcast: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/new

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Meet Deborah Westwood, a widow whose life was forever changed by the wrongful death of her husband, Larry, following medical malpractice.

Deborah shares the devastating reality of grieving a loss that never should have happened. She talks about the heartbreak of losing Larry, the anger and unanswered questions that come with preventable tragedy, and what it means to seek accountability while carrying unimaginable grief. 

Anita and Mel learn from Deb about how the legal process complicates mourning, why justice doesn't erase loss, and the "should you or shouldn't you" part of a wrongful death lawsuit for widows.

Find Deb, Larry's photography, and the document for those considering a wrongful death lawsuit "Widow 101" here: https://www.westwoodwanderlust.com

Sponsored by:

BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn

Mint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

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You may also enjoy Krista St. Germain's podcast: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/new

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Anita and Mel are joined by widower Aaron Simmons, who shares the story of losing his wife just six days after what was supposed to be a routine abdominoplasty, when she suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism.

Aaron describes the surreal experience of grief, saying it felt like his entire life had been turned inside out "like a sock." He talks about learning to hold gratitude alongside grief, and how that journey led to an extraordinary project: Widow, Widower, Widowest. Created from his wife's journals, artwork, and creative voice, Aaron says he wrote the book with her after she died, weaving together her words with his own experience of becoming a widower.

It's a conversation about devastating loss, enduring love, and the unexpected ways our people can continue to shape our lives after they're gone. Aaron's perspective is thoughtful, funny, and deeply moving—including his unforgettable review of grief: "Five stars. Would grieve again."

Check out Aaron's book, Widow, Widower, Widowest: A Grief Mosaic at: https://www.widowest.com

Sponsored by:

BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn

Mint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes and more!
http://www.patreon.com/wwdn

Support the show