When someone has experienced divorce, infertility, childlessness, and widowhood by the age of 32, they might think their life is over. But not for Rosaline Orwa. Since then, she has been fighting for the rights of widows and orphans through making change in policy and education. She has been  an advocate to stop the abuse of widows in the forms of literacy, education, community, and speaking up about many African communities' tradition of inheritance and cleansing - the cleansing ritual is an extremely humiliating exercise where any villager is randomly picked and paid to sleep with a widow without any form of protection in order to 'cleanse off death'. Rosaline is founder and director of the RONA Foundation for empowerment of widows. To learn more, visit https://www.ronafoundation.co.ke/Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by:Rock House Financial & the podcast: He's Gone But The Money's Nothttps://rockhousefinancial.com/podcasts/BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Widow coaching, dating groups, widow finances....many of our fellow widows have businesses that cater to widows. What's your opinion?Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by:Rock House Financial & the podcast: He's Gone But The Money's Nothttps://rockhousefinancial.com/podcasts/BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Oh Melissa. WTF. We don't know why your life story is what it is, but the hits just keep on coming. The other thing that keeps on keepin' on is our awe of what you do with each tragedy. Listeners, gear up for part 2 of Melissa's story that none of us knew would happen when we recorded part 1, three years prior (Episode 38). Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by:Rock House Financial & the podcast: He's Gone But The Money's Nothttps://rockhousefinancial.com/podcasts/BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Join Anita and Mel as they read submissions from listeners about their paranormal experiences from their deceased partners. Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by:Rock House Financial & the podcast: He's Gone But The Money's Nothttps://rockhousefinancial.com/podcasts/BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Kittenfishing, Caspering, Fielding, Cuffing....what?! Play the "guess that term" game with Mel and Anita and learn what in the actual hell is going on with current dating terms. Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by:Rock House Financial & the podcast: He's Gone But The Money's Nothttps://rockhousefinancial.com/podcasts/BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

There is a lovely, kind, gem-of-a-human in the world who makes teddy bears from loved one's clothes, and that person is Carrie Pike. Join Anita and Mel as they learn more about her story, process, empathy, and about how that is just the jumping off point of her journey as a healer to the world. Carrie Bears:https://carriebears.com/Find Carrie's podcast, "Something To Hold Onto" on all podcast platformsHelp us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by:Rock House Financial & the podcast: He's Gone But The Money's Nothttps://rockhousefinancial.com/podcasts/BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Widower Jarie Bolander is an introvert, but you wouldn't know it.  Committed to helping others who have experienced partner loss, he is also on a mission to build better men. Jarie talks to Anita and Mel about his struggles with alcohol and grief, his love of espresso, and his book, Ride or Die.Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: Rock House Financial & the podcast: He's Gone But The Money's Nothttps://rockhousefinancial.com/podcasts/BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Always a tricky topic, it can get even more complex after losing a partner to death. Anita and Mel read listener-submitted accounts of how or if their religious beliefs have changed since the time of their person's death. Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: Rock House Financial & the podcast: He's Gone But The Money's Nothttps://rockhousefinancial.com/podcasts/BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Dr. Lenore Matthew is a doctor of social work who has worked for the UN and lived all over the world. She loves reading data sets, scholarly research, and all things evidence-based. When her husband died by suicide without warning, her intuitive and mediumship abilities came to the surface. How does a researcher based in fact and scientific theory also make room for the spiritual side of things? Anita and Mel ask all the questions to find out how Lenore helps herself and others with this unique set of skills.To learn more, check out:https://www.drlenorematthew.comHelp us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: Rock House Financial & the podcast: He's Gone But The Money's Nothttps://rockhousefinancial.com/podcasts/BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

What do you do when your kids are vehemently opposed to you even thinking about dating? What do you do when your kids were so young when their parent died that they ask you for a "new one"? What do you do if you're a parent trying to determine what's best for you and also best for your kids? Does anyone even know anyway? Anita real-time discusses this with Mel as her brain is starting to open up and process her options. Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

This episode contains good, bad, and funny stories. Listen at your own risk! Anita and Mel share summer stories, which may or may not include discussions of a tuba. Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

This episode is mind-blowing, in a protein-folding sorta way. Anita and Mel interview the amazing Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor. She is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab, which investigates the effects of grief on the brain and the body. In addition to being on the forefront of research, she's one lovely, lighthearted, and joyous lady. This is an episode you won't want to miss!Mary-Frances' website: https://maryfrancesoconnor.orgHelp us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

"Ewell" love our new friend Abby. From Virginia, this lovely human is in the middle of widowhood and shares the story of her husband's sudden-death-from-blunt-force-trauma with Anita and Mel. Check out Abby's book To check out Abby's book, WTF: Widows That Function, visit any online book store, or click below.http://www.wtf-by-abby.comAbby's IG: @wtfbyabbyHelp us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Meet Kari, a 32-widowed mom of Sloan, the cutest baby of ever who is also a medically complex child. Join Anita and Mel as they get to know more about Kari, and how she is taking it one step at a time after becoming widowed. *Content Warning: this episode contains the topic of suicide, please take care while listening if you are in a vulnerable headspace* Follow Kari and Sloan on IG @kariandsloanHelp us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Anita and Mel delve into the rarely-talked-about-in-public topic of: in-laws. The scope and spectrum of experience among young widows is wide with this one, but is a hot topic. Anita is stoked. Mel is terrified, but copes by wearing cat leggings. This is a replay of Ep. 39 from Oct. 2020Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

*this is a replay from July 4, 2022*Whether you've had a dream about your person, you didn't have a dream about your person, or your person was ignoring/speaking to/interacting with you in the dream, we often seek their meaning. Some of these are distressing, some are comforting, the results run the gamut. Dr. Joshua Black holds a MA and PhD in Psychology. He is a grief researcher, speaker, consultant, and host of the Grief Dreams Podcast. His work focuses on dreams and continuing bonds after loss.. As one of the leading academic experts in grief dreams, which can be dreams of the deceased, Joshua has directed his efforts on raising awareness about this fascinating phenomenon through media interviews, including PBS Next Avenue, CBC News, and Toronto Sun, in addition to speaking engagements and workshops.Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

"I'm sorry. There were no survivors." Nancy Saltzman tried to absorb the caller's words. Her entire family had perished in a small plane crash. The caller was wrong, though. There was a survivor—Nancy would have to go on living. She had beaten cancer twice, but how could even the most resilient spirit live through this ultimate loss? Join Anita and Mel as they get to know this resiliently radical widow.For all things Nancy, including her book "Radical Survivor", visit  http://www.nancysaltzman.comHelp us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

On April 16, 2009, Kim Hamer watched her 44-year-old husband take his last breath. During his illness and after his death, she was amazed and humbled by the creative and thoughtful ways their friends, family, and co-workers supported them. Kim started calling these kind actions “acts of love.”At work, she noticed how most managers are ill-prepared to support an employee (and their team) dealing with cancer, loss, or depression. She set out to change that. Kim now combines her personal experience with her knowledge as an HR professional and trainer and offers coaching and training programs that show managers and c-suite executives exactly what to say and what to do when a team is in crisis. Her unique strategies offer managers clear ways to provide empathy while simultaneously driving productivity.Kim is the author of 100 Acts of Love: A Girlfriend's Guide to Loving Your Friend through Cancer or Loss, a must-have guide for anyone who has a colleague, employee, or friend dealing with cancer, loss, or depression. The book is filled with 100 simple and effective ways to support a person in crisis.Kim is also a sought-after speaker and HR consultant. She lives in LA and tries not to bother her three relatively well-behaved young adult children.To get Kim's book, go to: https://www.100actsoflove.comHelp us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Join Anita and Mel for a discussion on current happenings, reflections about pre-widowhood, and the trajectories they and other widows are on. Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Tiffany Skelton's story is a lot. Her husband suffered from long-term mental illnesses as they both parented their six children. Tiffany knows what it's like to become a widow from suicide, but that's not where her story ends. After becoming a widow, Tiffany experienced sexual assault as she was trying to date post-loss. Since then, she has learned a lot about herself, grief, and things to keep in mind while staying safe as a woman on the planet. She is on a mission to share her story in the hopes that it helps prevent things like this happening to someone else. Help us keep the Widow We Do Now podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnMint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn