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 p...

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 w...

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 whe...

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 lighth...

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...