Tag: widowhood

EOLPodcast

Ep. 408 Soaring Spirits: Support for Widowed People with Michele Neff Hernandez

kwyattmd

Learn about a valuable organization that provides peer support and resources for people grieving widowhood.

My guest Michele Neff Hernandez is the founder and CEO of Soaring Spirits International, a non-profit organization providing peer support programming for widowed people worldwide. Michele has received local, state, and national recognition for her work in founding Soaring Spirits. She is also the author of Different After You: Rediscovering Yourself and Healing After Grief or Trauma. She shares why it’s important for grieving people to be able to connect with others who have experienced a similar type of loss and how the programs offered by Soaring Spirits meet that need. Learn more at these websites:

www.micheleneffhernandez.com

www.soaringspirits.org

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What inspired Michele to start Soaring Spirits
  • Why Soaring Spirits uses a broad definition of the word “widowed”
  • How widowhood may differ from other types of loss and grief
  • The timeframe of widowhood and how the needs of grieving people can vary at each juncture
  • Tips for those who are newly widowed
  • How grieving people benefit from being connected to others who have experienced similar losses
  • Programs Soaring Spirits has created to support people experiencing widowhood
  • Michele’s book and how it benefits readers

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 378 Surviving Grief with Humor with Laurie Burrows Grad

kwyattmd

Learn how this television chef and blogger used humor to help her navigate life as a widow.

My guest Laurie Burrows Grad is a cookbook author and television chef who began blogging about grief, widowhood, and survival after the death of her husband Peter. She shares how she used humor to help her navigate life as a widow and offers some practical tips for others facing widowhood. Laurie is the author of the book The Joke’s Over, You Can Come Back Now: How this Widow Plowed Through Grief and Survived. Learn more about her work at her website:

www.lauriegrad.com

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Laurie felt demoted socially after the death of her husband
  • How writing blogs helped Laurie get through her grief
  • Why you have to get through the pain of grief in order to come out on the other side
  • Laurie’s experiences with grief counselors and with Our House Grief Support Center
  • How finding meaning within loss can help you feel better
  • How Laurie has used humor in her writing and throughout her grief process
  • The challenges of trying to date as a widow in later life
  • The trauma of experiencing a loved one’s death while traveling in an unfamiliar place and how the Neptune Society helped
  • Top ten things not to say to someone grieving and what to say instead
  • How cooking for others was also helpful for Laurie in her grief
  • How to get through the holidays and anniversaries by preparing in advance
  • The most important things Laurie has learned on her grief journey

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who have made a donation through Paypal or bought me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.