381. The Widowhood Effect: Can You Die of a Broken Heart?

Can you really die of a broken heart? In this episode, I’m looking at the science behind that question, including the widowhood effect and the real medical condition known as broken heart syndrome, or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/381 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

If you knew your person was going to die, you may have expected the loss to feel different because you had time to prepare. In this episode, I’m talking about anticipatory grief: the grief that can begin before a death fully occurs. We’ll look at the losses that happen during illness, decline, and caregiving, from changing roles and intimacy to the future you thought you would share. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/380 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

In this episode, I’m talking about survivor's guilt and why it can show up in widowhood, sometimes when you least expect it. You might wonder why you get to keep living, laughing, traveling, watching your kids grow, or creating a future when your person can’t. And sometimes, those thoughts get even louder when life starts feeling better.I’ll explain why guilt can create an illusion of control, how counterfactual thinking keeps us stuck in the woulda, shoulda, couldas, and why enjoying your life does not mean you’re leaving your person behind. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/379 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

In this episode, I sit down with Anne Chillman, a widowed mom whose husband, Chili, died suddenly of a heart attack in 2022. Anne shares what the first years after sudden loss looked like for her and her two daughters, including the shock, the secondary losses, the pressure to hold everything together, and the challenge of making decisions without her partner. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/378 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

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: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: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: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

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