How long should grief last? For some people, 12 months may still feel as fresh as the first day. For others, a month may feel like everything happened a lifetime ago. A lot of people are shocked by how different the stages of grief can look like. But what every widow learns to understand is that grief takes work. It's not something that just goes away on its own. Time might heal a broken bone, it might heal a cut on the skin, but time alone doesn't heal wounds of the hearts. In today's episode, ...
Nov 17, 2022•20 min
How soon is "normal" enough for a widow to start craving intimacy? Is it even possible to have a genuine desire for someone new after the death of a loved one? The simple answer is yes. But unfortunately, widowhood has traditionally been constructed as an asexual period. A widow may look to move forward, but not without the risk of being judged. A widow may crave intimacy from another, but not without feeling guilty. So, how can widows find space in their hearts to be intimate with somebody else...
Nov 14, 2022•13 min
As weird as it sounds, jealousy during grief is normal. It's certainly not malicious jealousy, neither is it jealousy that causes anger or outbursts. But it's real and many of us feel it after losing a loved one. The big question is, why do we feel so jealous of people who still have their loved ones? Why is jealousy such a big part of the grieving process? In today's episode, we'll talk about feeling jealous in our grief and how we can use our jealousy to appreciate the good times we had with o...
Nov 11, 2022•8 min
One of the most unsettling emotions during grief is guilt. People feel guilt for several reasons, many of which don't make sense. Unfortunately, grief has a way of manifesting toxic personal blame and shame. In today's episode, we'll tackle why we're likely to feel guilty after the loss of a loved one. We'll also explore the roots of guilt and learn how to break free from its claws. What You'll Learn: The role of guilt in grief Why guilt is a normal part of grief How to let go of your perfection...
Nov 10, 2022•16 min
Whether real, imagined, or received from interactions with people in their lives, grieving widows often feel like a burden to those around them. When internalised repeatedly, these messages can cause people to conclude that their physical and emotional needs are invalid. Yes, our grief is our responsibility. Yes, we have to take responsibility for our grief because nobody's coming to save us. But that doesn't mean we have to do it alone. In fact we can’t do it alone, we cannot heal in isolation....
Nov 09, 2022•15 min
Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Almost everyone has heard about the five stages of grief. However, these 5 stages were first proposed in 1969, which is why many people question their relevance in today's world. Plus, despite their popularity, grief researchers have continuously demonstrated that everyone handles grief in their own distinct way. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, the creator of the 5 stages of grief, herself said it was never meant to be prescriptive; it was meant to be de...
Nov 08, 2022•14 min
Grief is the human body's natural response to loss. It's the emotional pain you feel when the person you love is taken away. Although we'll all grieve at some point or another, grief is very personal. It's not neat, nor is it linear. It doesn't follow any scripts, deadlines or schedules. You may become angry, cry, withdraw or feel lost. But none of these things are abnormal or wrong; everyone reacts to loss their own way. In this episode, we'll discuss feelings and reactions to a significant los...
Nov 07, 2022•13 min
There's a lot of advice out there about grief, but most people fail to understand that grief is personal and that there's quite a mixture of feelings involved. For example, when your spouse dies, you may feel numb, confused and fearful. You may feel angry at your spouse for leaving you. You may even feel guilty for being the one who is still alive. I'm here to tell you that all these feelings are normal. And because grief is a personal experience, there is no right or wrong way to mourn. In this...
Nov 07, 2022•15 min
Regardless of age, a partner's death can be one of the most challenging events in a person's life. What saddens me most is when I see people expecting too much of themselves too soon. Navigating life without your partner is a process that takes time. And how you use that time is crucial to your ability to adapt and cope. The good news is you don't have to do it alone. My name is Karen Sutton, I’m a Widow Coach and the host of The Widow Podcast. In this podcast series, I'll support you through th...
Nov 07, 2022•13 min
When your husband dies you are thrown into a world you no longer recognise and you have no idea how you’re going to get through the next five minutes, let alone the next five days. So what do you do now? This is the big question and something I want to talk about here in this episode. There really are few things in life as painful as the death of a spouse and there will be times when you won’t know how you are going to survive this, or even if you want to some days. Grief is an umbrella term for...
Jul 15, 2022•33 min
I speak to so many people and read so many posts where people talk about the fact they hate having to call themselves a widow. It wasn’t long after Simon died that I realised I was a widow myself, at 39, but I did not feel hatred for the term, even though it meant my husband was dead. The term widow does not define who you are, it is a label that describes a part of your life, not your whole life. I am actually proud to be a widow, I feel honoured to be Simon’s widow, it is an absolute privilege...
Jul 08, 2022•27 min
You are going to love this conversation, Heather is so honest and open in this episode and shares so much wisdom you will have a few aha moments I’m sure. Heather shares her story of loss from when her husband, and childhood sweetheart, Larry died in 2018. Heather had to believe that her life could be good again after Larry died, the alternative was not an option for her. Heather believes we have to reframe our reality and redefine things now we are widows. Everything is so different after we lo...
Jul 01, 2022•1 hr 1 min
This week's episode is a conversation about blending life as a remarried widow and how it works for Jess and her husband Don. Jess’s first husband Justin died tragically in 2014 when their son Jax was just three days old. Jess moved back in with her parents and sold the family home whilst she worked through grief and being a new mum. Around sixteen months after Justin died Jess decided to dip her toe in the dating pond, which led her to meet her now husband Don, about two years after Justin died...
Jun 24, 2022•1 hr 3 min
This is honestly such a powerful and meaningful conversation, I cannot wait for you to hear it. Marie and I talk about how we discover who we are after the loss of a life partner and it is so good, Marie blows me away in parts. This conversation left me absolutely buzzing, so much wisdom, honesty and mind blowing thoughts are shared, you will walk away feeling richer and more empowered for having listened. Marie is the owner and founder of Empowered Through Grief gaining her over 30k followers o...
Jun 17, 2022•1 hr 17 min
I am so thrilled to be able to share this conversation with you, Jo is such a beautiful soul and I absolutely love talking to her, I could have carried on for hours. I feel like Jo is a kindred spirit, her energy is so warm and full of optimism. I just wish we lived closer and could be friends in real life. Jo’s husband Craig died at home in the middle of the night from an asthma attack in 2017. Jo talks very openly and honestly about how she navigated that first year of her grief, and how diffe...
Jun 10, 2022•1 hr 20 min
I am thrilled to be able to share this conversation with you as it is so inspiring. Dana is a widow, cancer survivor and founder of The Forced Joy Project, and here she shares so much from her own journey through widowhood you can’t help but feel inspired by her. Dana’s husband Brad died in January 2017 and since then it has become Dana’s mission to inspire and empower others to find joy in the midst of grief, teaching people to embrace the joy, even during times of great sadness. The Forced Joy...
May 27, 2022•59 min
May 20, 2022•26 min
When we lose a life partner there are so many secondary losses but there’s one loss that often goes unnoticed and is hard to share with others, this can leave us feeling very alone and sometimes quite ashamed. The loss of intimacy is a real loss, being touched, hugged, kissed or sexually fulfilled leaves us with a huge void. We were in a loving relationship with our person and all of a sudden they’re no longer here, but our feelings are still very much alive. We have wants, needs and desires tha...
May 13, 2022•29 min
May 06, 2022•49 min
I am so thrilled to be able to share this conversation with you as Lauren offers so much hope and wisdom from her own widow journey. I know a lot of it will resonate. Lauren has shared her story on her instagram page @imsorrywerefriends which is where I first met Lauren a couple of years ago and have continued to be inspired by her. Lauren's Husband Kevin was tragically killed whilst out cycling with friends in November 2019 and their son Lawson was only 14 months old at the time. In this conver...
Apr 29, 2022•1 hr 4 min
This week's episode is an especially poignant episode as I speak to a very brave and special lady about the reality of navigating death in life. Diane reached out to me as she has been listening to the podcast to give her the reassurance that after her own death, her husband, son and loved ones will be able to carve out a new and happy life for themselves. Diane is living with metastatic ovarian cancer and wanted to come and talk about the reality of living with cancer from her own lived experie...
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 15 min
What we expect from ourselves and what is reality are often two very different things in grief, specifically widowhood. In this episode I explore some of the more common expectations we place on ourselves Vs what’s realistic. These are things I have learnt from my own journey, but also from what i’ve seen when working with widows in my groups and on a 1:1 basis. I talk about; How we expect life to carry on as it was, Expecting ourselves to have all the answers to everything, Expecting ourselves ...
Apr 01, 2022•35 min
In this week's episode of The Widow Podcast I am honoured to be talking to special guest Kendra Rinaldi. Kendra is the host of ‘Grief, Gratitude And The Gray In Between’ podcast, which explores grief that occurs at different times in our lives and the gratitude that can come from growing through it. This is a podcast not just about death, but acknowledges all the changes and transitions that shift our life. Kendra Lives in Texas now but is originally from Columbia where she grew up as one of fou...
Mar 25, 2022•47 min
Grieving positively is often a term people don’t understand. It is not about dismissing grief, or minimising it, on the contrary, grief is hard work and has to be felt. It’s about learning how to support ourselves, mentally, physically and emotionally in the best way that we can. As a society we are not good at meeting our needs, or caring for ourselves throughout life and its challenges. We keep on pushing through, we have ridiculously high expectations, and we can be our own worst enemies. The...
Mar 18, 2022•27 min
This week I had the privilege of speaking to the lovely Shalini Bhalla- Lucas who was widowed in 2016 when her husband Jeremy died after a two year battle with cancer. This propelled Shalini into a long battle with depression which led to her considering taking her own life. It was at her fathers funeral eighteen months later that Shalini realised two very important people in her life had fought so hard for their own lives, yet here she was not making the best of her own, so she decided to turn ...
Mar 11, 2022•1 hr 12 min
In this episode we are talking about our person's possessions. I get asked a lot, ‘When should I clear out their stuff’? This is something that adds a lot of confusion, upset and pressure onto us in our grieving journeys. Others tell us we ‘should’ clear out, or move their stuff because it’s been too long. However, as with everything in grief we have to remember that we are all different, and we should never feel pressured to do things a certain way or within a certain time period. I share my ow...
Mar 04, 2022•30 min
Debbie lost her husband Paul in March 2018 when he had a heart attack whilst at the local gym, he was 53 years old and left behind Debbie and their two daughters, Kelly and Jodie who were 23 & 27. The shock and devastation catapulted them all into a life they did not know or understand, but Debbie’s incredible outlook, and sheer determination not to become a victim of this tragedy, has led Debbie to a place where she feels she can embrace her widowhood and what that brings. I have watched De...
Feb 25, 2022•1 hr 20 min
I am delighted to share with you this week's podcast guest, straight-talking, no-nonsense, self-development coach Holly Matthews 🎙️ Holly is the founder of ‘The Happy Me Project’, helping you feel less crappy and more happy, and is absolutely brilliant at what she does 😊 Holly is a TV actress, Widow, mum to two gorgeous girls, and all-round amazing human. In this podcast, we talk about how Holly entered the world of self-development, her acting career, and how everything changed when her husba...
Feb 18, 2022•1 hr 10 min
In this week’s episode of The Widow Podcast, I had the absolute pleasure and privilege of speaking with the inspirational Gary Andrews. 🎙️ 💛 We had such a heart-warming conversation filled with love, hope and Joy. ✏️ Gary is best known for his daily doodles on social media, illustrating his life after the death of his wife Joy in 2017. These wonderful drawings have amassed Gary a huge following, offering so much comfort and support to so many in their own grieving journeys 💛 They say a pictur...
Feb 11, 2022•1 hr 2 min
In this week’s episode of The Widow Podcast I am joined by John Webb, founder of Embark2 🎙️ John is the founder of Embark2, a wonderful support network for widows and widowers offering holidays and events on a not for profit basis. John’s wife Joyce sadly died in 2013 which has taken him on a journey where he now helps so many on their own grieving journeys make meaningful connections, experience new opportunities and achieve things they never dreamed possible. In this episode we talk about the...
Feb 04, 2022•50 min
