S2 Ep3: Grief pals

In this episode, Natalie and Katie reflect on reaching the 3-year milestone since losing their partners. They talk about how life has changed since the early days of grief, the ways grief has shifted over time, and how life looks and feels different now.

In this episode, we’re joined by Emma Gray, founder of Rainbow Hunting, to talk about all things death admin. Emma shares invaluable advice and insight into the many practical tasks that need to be tackled after someone dies, and just how overwhelming the process can feel while also trying to come to terms with widowhood.

In this episode, Natalie & Katie are joined by Rosie Moss, podcaster extraordinaire and host of Widowed AF. We talk about what motivated her to start her award-winning podcast (and write her brand new book), how her grief has changed over time, and what it’s really like sharing such a personal story so publicly.

In this episode, Katie and Natalie reflect on the challenge of finding purpose after loss. They discuss making life decisions alone, redefining priorities, and slowly learning how grief can coexist with the possibility of a new life.

In this episode, Natalie and Katie explore the complexities of dating after being widowed. Together, they open up about the emotional realities of putting yourself back out there, and the confusion, guilt, fear and hope that can come with it. This conversation aims to help normalise the experiences of widows and widowers who never expected to think about dating again — and who may have no idea where to start.

In this final episode of season two, Natalie & Katie openly discuss the coping strategies they've adopted since losing their husband's - the good and not so great habits formed while grieving. They discuss the guilt and embarrassment associated with forming bad habits, and the habits that have become integral to helping them cope since becoming widowed.

Natalie & Katie talk about the difficult process of going through and sorting a loved one’s belongings after they’ve died. They compare how they approached taking on the task, including timings, what they found the hardest, what surprised them, and how they ultimately made peace with the fact that they may never sort everything.

Last summer, Katie and Natalie invited their two widowed friends Phil & Ollie to join them on the podcast to tell their stories of the loss of their partners. They discuss how finding fellow young widows acted as a lifeline and offer advice to those who are looking to find friendships in the grief community. Trigger warning - as always, the stories covered in this episode may be distressing to listen to, but we feel it's so important that they're shared.

In this episode, Natalie & Katie discuss what it was like returning to work while grieving. They chat about how their relationship with their jobs has changed since they became widowed, what it felt like returning to work after bereavement leave, and offer advice for those facing the prospect of going back to work after loss.

Kids vs. no kids - in this episode, Natalie and Katie compare their experiences of being widowed whilst bringing up children and being widowed without children. They cover coming to terms with not having future children with your partner, what it’s like solo parenting, and facing parenting guilt whilst grieving your person.