280. Finding Joy Again: A Widows Unfiltered Interview with Jenny Douglas

I have something brand new I want to invite you to. It’s a free live class called The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually Works.If you’ve read the books, listened to the podcasts, tried therapy or a grief group, stayed busy, given it time, and you still feel stuck, this class is for you.So much of what we’ve been taught about grief is outdated or incomplete, and when it doesn’t work, widows often assume they’re the problem. You might wonder if you’re grieving wrong, if you should be further along, or if this is simply what life is going to feel like now.In this class, I’ll show you why some of the most common grief advice can keep you spinning, what the five stages of grief never taught us, and the difference between a grief problem and a you problem. Most importantly, I’ll teach you what actually helps you move forward and start feeling like yourself again.The Thriving Widow Blueprint is completely free and live. Save your seat here: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/freeclass

If therapy or a grief group has helped you but you still find yourself wondering, “Is this as good as it gets?” this episode is for you. This week, I’m talking about what grief coaching can add when you’ve told the story, understand your grief better, and are functioning again, but you still don’t feel like you’re really living. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/377 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifecoachkrista/Mentioned in this episode: Check Out Widow We Do Now? Wherever You Get Your Podcasts!Join my free live class, The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually WorksWant to understand why you still feel stuck even after doing everything you're “supposed” to do in grief? The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually Works, is where I'll show you what actually helps widows move forward and start feeling like themselves again. Save your seat at: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/freeclassThe Thriving Widow Blueprint

Can grief make perimenopause and menopause feel even harder to navigate? In this episode, I sit down with my friend and women's health nurse practitioner, Jill Crotty, to explore what happens when the emotional and physical effects of grief overlap with hormonal changes. If you've been wondering whether what you're experiencing is grief, perimenopause and menopause, or both, this conversation will help you better understand what's happening in your body. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/376 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifecoachkrista/ Check out Jill's work here: https://myglow365.com/Mentioned in this episode: Check Out Widow We Do Now? Wherever You Get Your Podcasts!Join my free live class, The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually WorksWant to understand why you still feel stuck even after doing everything you're “supposed” to do in grief? The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually Works, is where I'll show you what actually helps widows move forward and start feeling like themselves again. Save your seat at: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/freeclassThe Thriving Widow Blueprint

As I mark 10 years since Hugo’s death, I'm reflecting on the biggest lessons widowhood has taught me and sharing the insights I wish someone had given me in those early days. My hope is that these lessons help you approach your own grief with more compassion and a little less self-judgment. Tune in this week to learn 10 lessons from a decade of widowhood, including how to stop fighting your emotions, why support matters, how to rebuild confidence, and why post-traumatic growth is available to every widow who wants to create a life they genuinely love.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/375 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifecoachkrista/Mentioned in this episode: Check Out Widow We Do Now? Wherever You Get Your Podcasts!Join my free live class, The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually WorksWant to understand why you still feel stuck even after doing everything you're “supposed” to do in grief? The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually Works, is where I'll show you what actually helps widows move forward and start feeling like themselves again. Save your seat at: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/freeclassThe Thriving Widow Blueprint

What do you do when grief doesn't just break your heart, but completely overwhelms your nervous system? In this episode, I sit down with Mom Goes On member Heather Rosser to talk about what happened after the death of her husband and how learning to regulate her nervous system became one of the biggest turning points in her healing. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/374 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifecoachkrista/Mentioned in this episode:Join my free live class, The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually WorksWant to understand why you still feel stuck even after doing everything you're “supposed” to do in grief? The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually Works, is where I'll show you what actually helps widows move forward and start feeling like themselves again. Save your seat at: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/freeclassThe Thriving Widow Blueprint Check Out Widow We Do Now? Wherever You Get Your Podcasts!

What actually helps when you're in the middle of acute grief and every day feels impossible? In this episode, I continue my two-part series on acute grief by sharing 10 practical strategies that supported me and the thousands of widows I've coached. My goal isn't to help you avoid grief, but to make the early days feel a little less overwhelming and a little more manageable. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/373 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifecoachkrista/Mentioned in this episode:Join my free live class, The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually WorksWant to understand why you still feel stuck even after doing everything you're “supposed” to do in grief? The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually Works, is where I'll show you what actually helps widows move forward and start feeling like themselves again. Save your seat at: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/freeclassThe Thriving Widow Blueprint Check Out Widow We Do Now? Wherever You Get Your Podcasts!

What if some of the most frightening parts of acute grief are actually completely normal? In this episode, I begin a two-part series on acute grief by sharing ten things I wish someone had told me after my husband died. My goal isn't to make acute grief hurt less, but to help you stop wondering if you're grieving "wrong" when your mind and body respond in ways you never expected. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/372 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifecoachkrista/Mentioned in this episode: Check Out Widow We Do Now? Wherever You Get Your Podcasts!Join my free live class, The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually WorksWant to understand why you still feel stuck even after doing everything you're “supposed” to do in grief? The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually Works, is where I'll show you what actually helps widows move forward and start feeling like themselves again. Save your seat at: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/freeclassThe Thriving Widow Blueprint

Have you heard the term widow fire and wondered what it actually means or whether something is wrong with you if you've experienced it? In this episode, I unpack one of the most misunderstood experiences in widowhood and explain why widow fire is far more common than many widows realize. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/371 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifecoachkrista/Mentioned in this episode:Join my free live class, The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually WorksWant to understand why you still feel stuck even after doing everything you're “supposed” to do in grief? The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually Works, is where I'll show you what actually helps widows move forward and start feeling like themselves again. Save your seat at: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/freeclassThe Thriving Widow Blueprint Check Out Widow We Do Now? Wherever You Get Your Podcasts!

What if loneliness isn't caused by being alone? In this episode, I explore one of the most common experiences in widowhood: loneliness. I share why loneliness can feel so overwhelming after losing a spouse, why you can feel lonely even in a room full of people, and how understanding what loneliness really is can completely change the way you respond to it. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/370 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifecoachkrista/Mentioned in this episode:Join my free live class, The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually WorksWant to understand why you still feel stuck even after doing everything you're “supposed” to do in grief? The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually Works, is where I'll show you what actually helps widows move forward and start feeling like themselves again. Save your seat at: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/freeclassThe Thriving Widow Blueprint Check Out Widow We Do Now? Wherever You Get Your Podcasts!

How do you keep living after a traumatic loss changes everything in an instant?In this episode, I sit down with Mom Goes On member Kaydee Castricone, who shares the heartbreaking story of losing both her husband and daughter in a devastating car accident that also left her youngest son critically injured. Kaydee shares what helped her most, including somatic tools, coaching, community support, and learning to hold both joy and pain at the same time.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/369 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifecoachkrista/Mentioned in this episode:Join my free live class, The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually WorksWant to understand why you still feel stuck even after doing everything you're “supposed” to do in grief? The Thriving Widow Blueprint: Why Conventional Grief Advice Fails and What Actually Works, is where I'll show you what actually helps widows move forward and start feeling like themselves again. Save your seat at: https://the-widowed-mom-podcast.captivate.fm/freeclassThe Thriving Widow Blueprint Check Out Widow We Do Now? Wherever You Get Your Podcasts!