Are We OK? — A Beginning

The first year after a loss is about survival. Nobody tells you what comes after that.In this deeply personal solo episode of Are We Okay?, released on the second anniversary of Giorgios' death, host Kate Cervini reflects on how the second year of grief hits differently. If year one was about getting through each day, year two has been about slowly accepting that this is her life now. Nobody tells you what comes next, and she emphasizes the everyday step of building a life without the person she planned to build with by her side.The past year has taught her valuable lessons: learning to be alone without being lonely, opening up to new people, trusting herself enough for a big move, and discovering that while grief may get quieter, it's still painful. She also opens up about dating again and why bringing the love she shared with Giorgios into a new relationship feels like carrying it forward, not leaving it behind.Grief isn’t neat, and as she explains, it's far from linear. Dealing with it is never easy, but in this safe place, talking about it is becoming easier.Whether you're in your first months of grief or years past it, this episode is a reminder that missing someone and loving your life can coexist, and that being happy is not a betrayal of the person you lost.What You’ll Learn(01:11) The first year  vs. the second, and what "acceptance" actually means (04:19) Lesson 1: Learning to be alone, and the difference between being alone and being lonely (08:08) Lesson 2: Opening up to new people and new love without leaving your person behind (12:43) Lesson 3: Trusting yourself, moving from London to New York, and the letter Kate wrote the night before (15:28) Lesson 4: Accepting that this is your life, and choosing how to live it (17:48) Lesson 5: Time doesn't heal, but it changes things (23:00) Lesson 6: Grief gets quieter, until it doesn't (22:12) Lesson 7: Losing the person you shared everything with (23:47) Lesson 8: Dating after loss, and why having "nothing to lose" can be empowering (28:27) Lesson 9: You don't have to have grief figured out (32:06) A letter to Giorgios, two years later (39:56) Kate's final thoughts for anyone in year one, year two, and beyond

Ten years ago, Alexis was 41 weeks pregnant and counting contractions in her living room when her husband Seth stopped counting mid-sentence. He was having a heart attack. Alexis pulled her 6'7" husband out of his chair, started CPR until the paramedics arrived, and then spent the next hours in the ICU at his bedside, still in labor, while every nurse and doctor worried she'd deliver right there. Seth died on a Wednesday. Their son Charlie was born that Saturday.In this episode of Are We Okay?, Kate sits down with Alexis in her commercial kitchen, and for the first time in the show's history, a guest answers the big question with "I'm thriving." Alexis shares the love story of a man who waited ten years for her, the faith that carried her through the hardest moment of her life, and the sheer, almost unbelievable determination it took to plan a funeral, give birth, and make it to that funeral days later with an ice pack on the pew.Kate and Alexis also talk about what happens after: shutting down a loved one's business, the friends who show up in ways you never expected, and how one small Easter tradition, the parish Greek Feast, grew from five people cooking for 200 into a community potluck that feeds more than 700. It's a conversation about grief and faith, about building a business doing what you were made to do, and about what it means to show your child what grit looks like.A decade out, Alexis offers something Kate, now approaching year two, and every listener can hold onto: grief is hard, but you can still thrive in it.What you'll learn…(01:06) A once-in-a-lifetime love story: the man who waited ten years for her.(03:51) The night Seth had a heart attack, and finding the strength to perform CPR while in labor.(06:58) "Thy will be done": a moment of surrender in the ICU.(08:42) Kate's parallel experience: giving CPR, searching for a sign, and feeling Yorgos' spirit leave the room.(13:06) Planning a funeral at 41 weeks pregnant, and why hiring a doula was the best decision she made.(19:31) Refusing a C-section so she wouldn't miss her husband's funeral.(24:10) Different kinds of love: meeting her son days after losing her husband.(24:49) Grieving in waves, and sitting through a funeral mass three days postpartum.(27:33) The five mechanics who cleared 50 cars in a single day.(29:42) Shutting down a loved one's life and business, and why there's no choice but to keep going.(37:36) How the parish Greek Feast grew from five cooks to a 700-person community tradition.(40:59) From COVID meal prep to a commercial kitchen: leaving teaching to show her son what grit looks like.(48:39) Can grief and joy coexist? Why the depth of our grief reflects the depth of our love.(50:49) Hope from a decade out, and how a son grieves a father he never knew.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and a memory will last a lifetime. But when you’re dealing with grief, it can be difficult to revisit either. In this mini episode of Are We Okay?, host Kate Cervini opens up about visiting the places in Greece that she and her late husband cherished most.With her two best friends, she explores the places they used to love—ultimately finding that peace can arise from acceptance. Instead of running away from grief, she faced one of her biggest fears and allowed herself to feel the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with it.So in her words: “This is a short episode to give you encouragement.” In it, she shares how visiting the places you once went with the person you lost can bring warmth, joy, and love, even though they are no longer with you. Despite its short length, the episode tackles a big topic for those dealing with grief and creates space to face their fears and heal.If you’ve felt the weight of grief when stepping into a beloved coffee shop or have let it keep you from visiting your favorite places, let this episode remind you to get back out there.What you’ll learn…(0:24) How going to the places you once visited with your lost loved one can be healing(0:38) Kate faces her fears and checks off boxes on her journey with grief(1:32) The benefits of allowing yourself to feel the ups and downs of grief(2:03) Finding joy in even the smallest memories(2:27) A note of encouragement: Kate’s final thoughts on facing your fears

Almost two years ago, Kate's sister Alexandra ("Ali") got a text that read: something's wrong with George, he's purple and on the ground. Within hours, Kate's partner Yorgos had died suddenly, and Ali was booking a flight before she even knew for certain he was gone.In this episode of Are We Okay?, Kate sits down with her sister Ali,  her best friend, her biggest advocate, and, as Ali puts it, "70% best friend, 30% daughter", to talk about grief from the other side of it. Just a year before Yorgos passed, Ali's own husband Christian nearly died after being intubated with multiple organ failure, giving Ali an unexpected, terrifying preview of what Kate would soon face for real. This conversation is about what it means to support someone through the worst thing that's ever happened to them: the helplessness of being on a different continent, the guilt of surviving when someone else didn't, the unhinged Christmas trip to Liberty London, and the years-long work of learning that there's no timeline, no right way, and no finish line to grief.It's also a conversation about sisterhood, about the kind of bond that gets forged when two people go through unimaginable loss back-to-back, and what it looks like to keep showing up for someone even when you can't fix anything.What you'll learn...(00:44) Who Ali is and her role in Kate's life: best friend, sister, and sometimes surrogate parent.(01:58) The day everything changed, and the surreal helplessness of being an ocean away.(06:20) The moment Ali realized Kate's life, and their relationship, would never be the same.(08:20) What it's like to watch someone you love grieve.(22:11) What Ali learned about grief's complexity and why it's never something you "grow out of”.(24:54) Kate's "stained glass window" metaphor: how grief shatters a life, and how you rebuild it with old and new pieces alike.(31:02) Survivor's guilt, emotional exhaustion, and what it really means to be someone's safe space during their grief.(33:11) Grief, guilt, and getting back out there: why dating after loss comes with its own complicated grief, and a PSA for single men everywhere.(36:07) How surviving two traumatic losses back-to-back changed Kate and Ali's relationship forever.(38:33) What Ali learned about herself, and her own vulnerabilities, through supporting Kate.(41:18) Ali's advice for anyone supporting a grieving friend or family member.(43:37) Kate's advice back to Ali and permission to just lie in bed in the same pajamas for a week if that's what you need.

Sabrina never imagined she'd be planning her husband's funeral six days before her 30th birthday. Or that two years later, she'd be packing up the home she and Tony built together and moving alone to New York—a city they’d dreamt of living in someday.In this episode of Are We Okay? host Kate Cervini sits down with Sabrina, a 33-year-old widow who lost her husband Tony suddenly while the two were building their life together in Atlanta. Sabrina found Kate on Instagram in the early days of Kate's own grief, and this episode marks the first time the two have been able to truly connect as two women grieving their partners. This is a conversation that doesn't shy away from the messy, complicated reality of early grief: the blur of logistics, the anger, the strange warping of time that loss creates, and the bone-deep loneliness even when surrounded by people who love you. But it's also a conversation about expansion and about what happens when you stop letting life tell you what to do and start asking yourself what you actually want.Sabrina's story of leaving Atlanta, moving to New York, and finding Tony's spirit in city sunsets is a testament to the fact that grief doesn't get smaller—you just grow around it.What you'll learn...(01:09) Who Sabrina is and who Tony was to her: a life built together in Atlanta, cut short far too soon.(03:32) What those first days and weeks of grief actually felt like.(09:09) How grief warps your concept of time and why Sabrina now thinks of her life in two distinct stages: before and after Tony.(16:46) The particular loneliness of losing a partner and why even the most supportive friends couldn't fill that void.(30:29) How Sabrina began posting about grief on social media, talking into the air, and why it became an unexpected lifeline.(35:53) What finally pushed Sabrina to make the leap to New York.(41:08) Channeling Tony's spirit and courage to take a risk she never would have taken before losing him.(50:58) What grief has taught Sabrina about herself.(54:08) Why Sabrina’s love for Tony has only continued to grow

In this first solo episode, Kate introduces Are We OK? and shares the story behind why this podcast exists.She opens up about grief, where she is in her own healing journey, and what it’s been like to navigate life after loss—without pretending to have answers or a polished takeaway. This episode isn’t about fixing anything. It’s about naming what’s real, sitting in it, and starting the conversation.In this episode, we talk about:Why Are We OK? needed to existKate’s personal experience with griefWhat grief actually looks like day-to-day (not the Instagram version)Letting go of timelines, expectations, and “shoulds”What listeners can expect from future episodes and guestsThis podcast is for anyone grieving, healing, supporting someone through loss—or simply trying to understand themselves a little better.You’re not late. You’re not behind. And you don’t have to have it figured out.New episodes coming soon.