The Widowed Mom Podcast
Episodes
257. How to Know When You’re Done with Grief
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you believe that there’s some sort of false binary where you’re either grieving or done with grief? This is just one of the myths so many ...
256. Navigating Deathiversaries: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Wendy Alcanter
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
My client, Wendy Alcanter, is a mother of three who lost her husband to suicide three years ago. She joined Mom Goes On as a busy mom and ER doct...
255. Acceptance Is Not a Place
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most people are walking around wondering if they’ve reached acceptance in grief, as though it’s a place. This feeds right into the narrative ...
254. Your Pain Is Not Your Connection
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you worry that if you no longer felt pain about your person’s loss you’d lose your connection to them? Join me this week to hear why your pain ...
253. Prioritizing Pleasure as a Widow
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is your relationship with pleasure? My guess is that you don’t truly believe your pleasure is a priority, but grief is a phenomenal opport...
252. When Do Widows Need a Life Coach?
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When do widows need a life coach? I’ll be honest, I struggle to answer this question, not only because I don’t know what you need, but also b...
251. When It’s Okay to Give Up
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There’s nothing like spousal or partner loss to make us reassess our priorities and get back in touch with what we truly want. But what do you ...
250. You Are the Context, Not the Content: A New Perspective on Widowhood
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So much of what we’re experiencing - from the roller-coaster of emotions and what we believe is or isn’t possible for us - feels so true, doesn’...
249. Uncommon Widowhood
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The common widowhood experience often ranges from a lack of enthusiasm about life and going through the motions to apathy and waiting for the afterlif...
248. More Myths About Grief Part 2
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I don’t know that we’ll ever reach the bottom of the list when it comes to myths about grief, but I have six more to share with you today. Grief i...
247. More Myths About Grief Part 1
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are many ideas out there about what grief should look like and how we should handle it. Most of these ideas are myths, and believing them doesn’...
246. What Widows Need to Know About Grief Theory
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over the last hundred years, there have been several different grief theories developed by experts to help people understand the bereavement experienc...
245. A Valentine’s Day Take-Back for Widows
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a world where Valentine’s Day is shoved down our throats, let’s approach it consciously together this year. We get to be the boss of our e...
244. No Motivation Required
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you stopped taking action on something you said you wanted because you’re experiencing a lack of motivation? What if I told you there is n...
243. The Best Way to Create What You Want as a Widow
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
No goal makes us more worthy as humans, but it is incredibly fun to let ourselves go after the thing we want most. Learn the best way to create ...
242. If Self-Care Feels Terrible, You’re Probably Doing It Right
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If self-care feels terrible, it’s probably a sign that you’re doing it right. Self-care is not a luxury, indulgent, all about spas and vacati...
241. Game 1 vs Game 2: The Top 7 Mistakes
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Your life has taken an unexpected turn you didn’t ask for. You mastered game 1, and you’re now in uncharted territory in game 2, but you can ...
240. Game 1 vs Game 2
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Losing your person is a big deal, and it’s challenging to grapple with this new life you didn’t choose. How can we appreciate this seismic sh...
239. Make 2024 a Should-Free Year
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What would it be like if you never believed the “should” thoughts in your brain? What if, every time one appeared, you simply replied with, “No ...
238. Does Coaching Conflict with Your Faith? A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Darlene Barnett Carter
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you have lost your spouse suddenly or lived in anticipatory grief for a long time, like my client Darlene Barnett Carter, there is no easy way...
237. Stop Saying “5 Stages of Grief”
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Most people have heard of the five stages of grief, but we need to stop talking about it. The idea of the five stages of grief was first suggeste...
236. The Gratitude Trap
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Widows are constantly being told that we’re supposed to be grateful and that we should count our blessings. We’re being sold the idea that gr...
A Bonus Special Announcement
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you either a widowed mom wondering where the heck her self-confidence went or a coach (or aspiring coach) who’d like to feel confident coaching ...
235. Holiday Help for Widows
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You probably understand this intellectually, but there is no right or wrong Holiday experience. That includes your family’s traditions, what other p...
234. From Why Me to Why Not Me?: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Paula Fleming
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The loss of Paula’s husband left her deep widow fog, feeling like nothing was grounding her, only wishing she could be where he was. She was te...
233. Unapologetic Tears
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When was the last time you worried about crying? On one hand, I get it. None of us wants to cry, especially in public. But on the other, I want us to ...
232. Why Happiness Sometimes Feels Scary for Widows
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever caught yourself feeling happy and then immediately started to worry about it? What does it mean? Is it safe to feel good? Are you doing ...
231. How to Live a Life That Includes Suffering: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Dr. Lucy Kalanithi
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Lucy Kalanithi is a physician, storyteller, and widow of Paul Kalanithi, the author of the New York Times Bestseller, When Breath Becomes Air. She...
230. Feeling like a Widowhood Outcast
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does it feel like every other widow’s relationship was all roses… and yours wasn’t? The truth is there are all shapes and sizes of widowhood exp...
229. I Was Always Going to Be a Widow
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When I let go of the story that I wasn’t supposed to be a widow, it helped me create the space to choose what I wanted to make of it. Listen in to h...
228. The Fear of Forgetting Them
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The fear of forgetting our person is one of the deepest natural fears we face in grief and as widows. Hear why the fear of forgetting them isn’...
227. Why Tough Topics Are Hard to Talk About: An Interview with Anna Sale
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Anna Sale is an interviewer and the host of the award-winning podcast, Death, Sex & Money, where she has mastered the art of listening and offerin...
226. Creating More Time
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Creating more time is technically impossible, but we can use it in more intentional ways that add value to our lives. You want to treat your minutes, ...
225. Avoiding Grief on Purpose: The Dual Process Model Explained
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Grief is individual, unique, and impossible to mess up or get wrong. Contrary to what we've been taught, it also doesn't come to an end. That’s why ...
224. The Power of Investing in Yourself: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Alexis Cuthbert
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I love watching the clients who come into Mom Goes On not knowing what to expect. Alexis Cuthbert is one of those people. Hear Alexis’s journey of n...
223. When It’s Useful Not to Know
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“I don’t know” is a phrase I’ve taught many widows to avoid using in their lives. Learn whether your “I don’t know” story is servi...
222. An Interview with Eleanor and Litsa from the What’s Your Grief Podcast
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eleanor Haley and Litsa Williams are the founders of "What’s Your Grief" and professionals working in the field of grief and bereavement, supporting...
221. Making Decisions in the First Year, or When Big Decisions Have Deadlines
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One piece of advice that is often offered to widows is, “Don’t make big decisions in the first year.” While I recognize that making decisions in...
220. Advice from Other Widows
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As widows, we don’t want other widows to struggle in the way we have. I asked my community for any advice they have for other widows, and I received...
219. When There’s No Template for Widowhood: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Erica Lee
07 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Widowhood is undoubtedly a tragedy that can make us feel like our lives are over. My Mom Goes On client Erica Lee felt totally unprepared for her husb...
218. Time Doesn’t Heal Our Grief
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You know that phrase, "Time heals all wounds," right? While it's a phrase that has become commonplace, it's not that simple, and it has some unintende...
217. What You Need to Know About Regressing in Grief
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If we polled all the widows in the world, most of us would agree that we’ve experienced regressing in grief. While it’s easy to believe you’re s...
216. Secondary Losses
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It is 100% unequivocally devastating to lose a loved one. That’s your primary loss in grief. However, you might have also noticed knock-on...
215. Investing in What You Want Matters: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Cindy Arcuri
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When so many things are changing in your life, trying to gain clarity about what you want can be extremely challenging. Cindy Arcuri is a career and e...
214. Good Isn’t Great: A Love Letter for Widowed Moms
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you good? Or are you stopping at good enough, rather than dreaming big and chasing the next chapter of life that you really want? I invite you to ...
213. How to Create Everything You Want: An Interview with Corinne Crabtree
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
My guest this week is Corinne Crabtree, a brilliant example of not only someone who is an expert at teaching weight loss but also a woman who has deve...
212. Why I Rarely Recommend Journaling for Widowed Moms
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Getting everything that’s swirling around in your mind out on paper can be incredibly helpful. However, it can also be extremely problematic, specif...
211. Father’s Day Do’s and Don’ts for Widowed Moms
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many widowed moms believe there’s an inherent right or wrong way to navigate challenging days like Father’s Day. Hear my top three do’s and don’...
210. Asking for What You Need: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Dani Nyman
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Vulnerability is a term that’s thrown around a lot these days, but actually being willing to be vulnerable, authentic, and to ask for what you need ...
209. Counterfactual Thinking in Grief
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever imagined alternative scenarios that could have prevented your person from dying? Going down the path in your mind of the would’ve...
208. Grief, Patriarchy and Post-Traumatic Growth: A Conversation with Kara Loewentheil and Krista St-Germain
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kara Loewentheil is a Master Certified coach and a powerhouse feminist confidence coach, and we recently had a conversation on grief, patriarchy, and ...
207. Learning to Receive in Grief
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A few years ago, I would never have been able to give myself the opportunity to receive good things. Maybe like me, you have lots of “shoulds” and...
206. From the Depths of Despair to Finding Hope for the Future: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Cindy
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I have a unique vantage point as a coach. I get to see the entire transformation of my clients, and former Mom Goes On member Cindy’s was stark.&nbs...
205. Spot Your Grief ANTs
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have so many Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) in grief, and we can spiral downward in them very quickly. Whether it’s that you won’t ever be ...
204. How to Stop People Pleasing: An Interview with Sara Bybee Fisk
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How often do you find yourself inclined to please other people? Valuing other people’s validation more than you trust your own inner wisdom is a mis...
203. It Was Always You
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
So often, widows attribute anything good that they once felt to their person. Whether it’s your happiness, satisfaction, fulfillment, joy, or confid...
202. Navigating Grief and Widowhood: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Jess Peurakoski
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As widowed moms at different stages of grief and widowhood, we never have enough stories that show us we aren’t alone in our experience. I’m so gr...
201. When They Lied
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are there any secrets you’ve found out or uncovered after your person passed? You have unanswered questions, and perhaps you feel betrayed or lied t...
200. What I’ve Learned in 200 Episodes
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the four years that I’ve created episodes every single week and coached the women I have in this time, I’ve learned a whole lot. Hear the top 1...
199. When You Feel Stuck
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever felt like you want to make progress or solve something in your life but it feels impossible? The great news is, feeling stuck isn’t as...
198. Finding Happiness After Loss: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Cheri Metzler
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s easy to hear how difficult and challenging it is to be a widow. It’s far less common that we get to hear stories of widows who have been thro...
197. Prolonged Grief Disorder
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Grief is not a disorder, we were built to grieve. However, if at a certain point, it is persistently interfering with the quality of your life, you mi...
196. Oranges In, Orange Juice Out
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our brains only let data into our awareness that aligns with our thinking. If you think you’re incapable, if you’re looking for how someone in you...
195. Urges are Just Feelings
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re in the habit of answering your urges, not doing so feels incredibly uncomfortable. The good news is you don’t need your urges to di...
194. Sex and Widowhood: An Interview with Dr. Sonia Wright
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you’re excited about sex, or you’ve never had a great experience or made pleasure a priority for you, this is an opportunity to get to kno...
193. Less Trying, More Deciding
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Whether it’s a raise, getting better at saying no, starting a side hustle, or to date again, your goals matter. Hear how to keep your goals and drea...
192. CPR Scenes and Other Such Reminders
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you are experiencing reminders that take you back to your person’s passing, be it a CPR scene, an accident, the hospital, or anything else, tune ...
191. Work and Life Harmony: An Interview with Megan Sumrell
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Listen in this week as time management expert for women Megan Sumrell shows you how to find true peace and purpose, break out of overwhelm by building...
190. When There’s Pressure
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is it that you think is causing pressure in your life right now? Maybe you feel pressured to move to a different house or city, to date again, or...
189. Indecision Drama
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to making big decisions, most of us are used to having our person to talk them through with and bounce ideas off of. So, if you’r...
188. Blank Slate Fears
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
2023 is here, and it continues to fascinate me how scary it can sometimes feel to enter a blank slate where we’re creating from scratch and thinking...
187. The Emotional Stagnation Zone
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The emotional stagnation zone is where many of us find ourselves as widows. The very last thing we want to do in grief is handle or bring on more...
186. From Grief to Empowerment: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Annette Warmoth
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mom Goes On graduate Annette Warmoth is on the show today, and she is a stellar example of continuing to navigate challenges in life using the tools s...
185. Damn Good Mama: An Interview with Pam Howard
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Parenting expert, Master Certified Coach, and my dear friend Pam Howard is back on the show this week. Pam specializes in helping moms who are success...
184. Identifying a Grief Plateau
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When we first lose our person, most of us have an early acute grief experience that might look like struggling in our day-to-day. However, you might n...
183. Dream Stealers
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A lot of you are walking around with dream stealers and you don’t even know it. Dream stealers affect all of us, whether you’re currently in acute...
182. The Tipping Point in Grief
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There is a tipping point in grief that some widows reach quickly, while other widows never reach it. Most widows feel sad, lonely, or disheartened whe...
181. Happier Holidays for Widowed Moms Q&A
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I received so many questions after our Happier Holidays for Widowed Moms online event last week, and I’m addressing some of the most commonly asked ...
180. Money Drama: An Interview with Molly Claire
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
So many widows, including myself, struggle with money drama. Whether it’s because you have less money than you’ve ever had and are struggling to m...
179. Out of Our Heads and Into Our Bodies: An Interview with Victoria Albina
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you find yourself not trusting your own authority or constantly judging your emotional experience, the good news is it’s just science. The remedy...
178. Creating Meaning from Loss: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Pam Baker
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Pam Baker came to coaching worried she no longer had a purpose in life, only to create meaning from her loss by starting a non-profit. We can all give...
177. Why You’re Procrastinating in Grief
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you have a to-do list of grief-related items you’re procrastinating on? Maybe you haven’t ordered that headstone, closed an account belong...
176. How We Make the Holidays Harder in Grief
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Are you starting to dread the holidays, and it’s not even Halloween yet? No matter when you lost your person, this time of year can be especially ha...
175. What It’s Like to Be in Mom Goes On: Your Questions Answered
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Widowhood is so often an extremely isolating experience. We think that we’re the only ones going through something that is actually very normal and ...
174. Be Done Apologizing
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
So many widows have a difficult time loving life after their spouse dies because of all the ways they think they aren’t living up to a completely op...
173. Weight Loss and Grief: An Interview with Dr. Katrina Ubell
19 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
So much of what we struggle with in grief can be exactly what holds us back from the things we want to accomplish, including weight loss. This week, I...
172. Asking for the Support You Need: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Pam Demke
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I can’t believe I’ve created a business where I get to work with and change the lives of people like my guest today. Pam Demke is an OG Widowed Mo...
171. How You’re Supposed to Feel
05 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How often are you telling yourself that you shouldn’t feel the way you do? Are you supposed to feel some other way than you do right now? How exactl...
170. The Grieving Brain: An Interview with Mary-Frances O’Connor
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you are on a grief journey that feels never-ending, or you’re trying to figure out how to support someone who’s currently grieving, you ca...
169. It’s Not Personal
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How much time and energy do you spend taking the things other people say and do personally? Tune in to discover why other people’s choices aren’t ...
168. Tornadoes and Post-Traumatic Growth
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever felt put off by the idea of experiencing growth after the death of your spouse? Maybe someone mentioned post-traumatic growth and it fel...
167. Tapping for Widows: An Interview with Melanie Fay
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What is tapping? How does it work? Why is it even worth trying? I have tapping expert and facilitator Melanie Fay on the show today to break it all do...
166. Perfectly Hidden Depression: An Interview with Dr. Margaret Robinson Rutherford
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is for the woman who has lost a loved one to suicide, the woman who might be experiencing perfectly hidden depression herself, or parents...
165. The Gift of Goal Constraint
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you set lots of goals, but find you’re only making small advances towards each one, or you feel yourself burning out quickly when you go all-in, ...
164. Growth After Trauma: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Jenna Kelley
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jenna Kelley is a client who has truly done the work to get herself into a healthy, happy place. She’s here to share insights on her own journey of ...
163. Controlling the Controllables
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I know what it’s like to go through life feeling like things are going exactly the way they’re supposed to. And then, your spouse dies. All of a s...
162. Struggling Less as a Mom: A Conversation with Molly Claire
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Being a mom is hard. Being a widowed mom is even harder. Master Certified Coach, author, and mom to a blended family of eight children, Molly Claire i...
161. Ask Krista Anything: Free Public Coaching Call
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There is so much value in being in the same room as other widows who have many of the same questions you do. So, this week, I’m bringing you a recen...
160. Healing After Loss: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Jane Grondin
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Mom Goes On graduate Jane Grondin is on the show to share her story. From navigating the new uncharted waters of losing her husband and the...
159. Grief Support with EFT Tapping Part 2
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tapping has been an invaluable go-to resource not only in my life, but for my clients inside Mom Goes On too. This week, discover how tapping can supp...