In today's episode, Danielle Kruse and I are talking about life after loss in rural America.

Danielle and her husband had built a life in northwest Iowa, raising babies and crops and building a farm alongside his parents. Like so many rural families, there was pride, responsibility, and pressure. What Danielle didn't know was that her husband was quietly battling a drinking addiction he kept hidden from nearly everyone, and he eventually took his own life.

Life after loss changes everything, but Danielle is proof that it doesn't have to erase your future. You can keep going while still grieving, and you can choose honesty over silence. You can ask for help, even when it feels foreign. And you CAN build something solid and steady for the future.

In this episode, we cover:

• Danielle’s path from healthcare to farm wife & now running the farm with her in-laws
• Her husband’s hidden drinking addiction, shame & circumstances surrounding his death
• Why asking for help feels impossible when you’re numbing or afraid of being a burden
• Danielle’s experience with grief and anger, and the reality that closure is often a myth
• How she and her in-laws strengthened their relationship while keeping the farm going
• The support system that helped her navigate life after loss
• Her kids’ resilience and the role therapy played for all of them
• The financial + operational learning curve she faced stepping into farm responsibilities
• Danielle’s commitment to honesty, hard conversations & letting go of others’ opinions
• The stability & support she finds in her part-time ultrasound career

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Find the complete show notes here: https://terryndrieling.com/life-after-loss

Connect with Danielle:

• Follow on Instagram @dlkruse
• Connect on Facebook
• Follow on TikTok @danielleleekruse

Connect with Terryn:

• Follow on Instagram @terryn.drieling
• Check out my website
• Send me an email at terryn@terryndrieling.com

Resources & Links:

• The Myth of Closure: Ambiguous Loss in a Time of Pandemic and Change
• Join the waitlist for the Good Movement Collective
• Check out my merch shop
• Good Movement music by: Aaron Espe
• Podcast produced by: Jill Carr Podcasting