Life After Loss Archives - Widowhood Real Talk with Dr. Tina

From Widower to Hope Again: Jack Church on Surviving Grief, Healing After Loss & Finding Love Again

Podcast / August 20, 2026

Widowhood Real Talk with Tina | Jack Church | Healing After Loss

Dr. Tina Fornwald welcomes author and broadcaster Jack Church for an honest conversation about finding healing after loss following the passing of his wife. Jack shares how writing daily letters became the foundation for his book, Year One of Grief, and offers honest insight into navigating sorrow, stepping out of isolation, and opening your heart to new possibilities. Whether you’re newly widowed, years into your grief journey, or supporting someone who has experienced profound loss, this conversation offers compassion, practical encouragement, and hope that healing is possible. They address common misunderstandings about how men grieve, the physical release found in tears, and why taking simple steps outdoors can help rebuild daily life. Together, Dr. Tina and Jack explore faith, resilience, and the courage to embrace a new chapter while honoring the past. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here Listen to the podcast here From Widower To Hope Again: Jack Church On Surviving Grief, Healing After Loss & Finding Love Again Our conversation is with Jack Church from K-Love. Jack is a widower. Jack has 30 years of experience walking on this journey. What Jack also has is showing us how to hope again, how to walk back into the light, and entertain the possibility of love. Let’s get into this conversation now. Jack, welcome to the Widowhood. Thank you so much. It’s a pleasure to join you. It really is. For somebody that’s tuning in and they’re going, “Pleasure to join you to the Widowhood,” what would make you say that? What would be the backstory to say that’s welcoming? The backstory. See, the front story was you’re warm and inviting. We’ll stick with the front story. As far as the backstory, I know a lot has happened in your life. Take us back to how the moment in your life shifted in the path that you’re on now. Understanding The Sudden Weight Of Spousal Loss As you know, I lost my first wife of over 30 years. It was October of 2019. For those of us who have experienced loss like that, it’s incomprehensible the amount of grief that you will experience. It was hard. I was working in local television as a TV weather guy in Oregon at the time. I was her full-time caregiver as well for about eight months leading up to her passing. I’m doing that in the day and the evening and doing the weather at night and praying and praying that she’s going to be fine. It didn’t work out that way. I lost her. I’m like, “This hurts way more than I ever thought it could. I will never forget, Tina. I do not know why this popped into my head. She and I used to talk about which one of us would go first. I now realize I would say, “Hopefully I’ll go first. I want you to live a full life.” Now, knowing the pain of the loss, it’s like that’s an unfair statement. It really is because it is so hard. I would never wish that upon anyone to go through this, but for any of us that have been married for any length of time, it’s inevitable. It’s going to happen. I mean, it really is, unless you go down in a plane crash, a car crash, something like that, one of us in a relationship will experience that loss. Thank you for sharing that, Jack. Let’s go back a little bit further. First of all, what is her name? Her name is Pam. What was life like meeting Pam and before her passing? I met her in high school. We went to two different high schools, two different counties. My dad had an industrial supply company. Her dad was a bivocational preacher, but he was also a purchasing agent for a local factory. My dad called on him, and they mentioned that my parents had a son. Reverend Prince, Claude Prince, said, “I’ve got a daughter.” The parents went out to dinner, and they said maybe they should meet. An arranged relationship, basically. The thing is, my parents gave me her number and I waited like six months to ever call her. I was very shy. I was getting ready to be a senior in high school, and I finally called her. Our first date, I still remember. We went to Jackson, Tennessee. We saw the movie Star Wars, and we ate at a restaurant called Skeeter’s. It was magical. She was great. We just had a lot of fun. We laughed a lot. We had fun, and we dated. Roll forward, though. Senior year high school, senior prom night. I’m getting ready to go off to college in Jackson, where we would go on our dates, which is like 40 miles from the town we lived in, which to high school kids, that seems like an eternity. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do. I suggested on our prom night, said, “We probably should break up since I’m going to be going to Jackson.” I know we broke up. What was her response? It’s funny. I could probably cry thinking about it. She was shattered. She was like, “Really?” I went, “Yeah. I’m going to be in Jackson. You do not know where you’re going to be. We probably should do this.” Roll forward, though. The other thing is different. She was a Christian. I was not a practicing Christian at the time. Not really a true believer. I think God had his hand in that as well because sometimes I felt a little pressure because her dad was

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Healing Traumatic Loss And Death Scenes With Kelly Daugherty

Podcast / August 6, 2026

Widowhood Real Talk with Tina | Kelly Daugherty | Traumatic Grief Recovery

Navigating spousal loss often exposes deep emotional wounds that require practical tools and a genuine community. Dr. Tina Fornwald connects with licensed clinical social worker, grief specialist, and one of the hosts of GRIEF Ladies, Kelly Daugherty, to discuss traumatic grief recovery and effective healing modalities. Many grieving individuals find themselves stuck on the painful death scene of their loved one, which prevents them from accessing fond memories. Processing trauma first allows you to clear the emotional roadblocks that keep you trapped in survival mode. Kelly shares her personal story of losing her mother at fourteen, navigating life with an alcoholic parent, and finding her calling as a grief therapist. Together, they explore how modalities like EMDR and progressive counting help reframe painful memories so you can move forward with love rather than pain. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here Listen to the podcast here Healing Traumatic Loss And Death Scenes With Kelly Daugherty Welcome back to the show. Our conversation with Kelly is going to open your mind to the idea you don’t have to stay stuck at the moment the person you love died. Hear me again. Sometimes your memories, sometimes what you’re thinking has kept you in the place in the moment in which they died. The memories of the love and the experience and everything you have are so hard to reach. This conversation with Kelly is going to empower you to think beyond that moment in what is possible for you. Let’s get into this discussion now. Kelly, welcome to widowhood. Thank you so much for having me. “Thank you for having me to the widowhood.” What’s the backstory when you think about it deeply? What comes to mind? A lot of my clients. That’s what I think about. I think about what I’ve witnessed with them, what I’ve seen them go through, but also the transformations that I’ve seen with them. The ups and downs of grief are not linear and predictable. It’s a bit of a hot mess. That’s true. Going from there, let’s start with your story and your personal experience as it relates to grief. Overcoming Early Loss and Unspoken Family Struggles My mom died when I was fourteen. She died from breast cancer and I was struggling a great deal after that. My sisters moved out shortly after my mom died, so it was just my dad and I. My dad was an alcoholic at the time, so things were not good at home. My mom did it all and my dad just worked. I didn’t have a relationship with my dad to be completely honest. The good news is, my dad recognized I was having a hard time. He basically forced me to go to a hospice grief group for teens. The way he got me there was, I went to an all-girls Catholic High School and fifteen years old, being a little boy crazy. All it took was him saying there would be boys in the group. That’s what got me to go, but I walked into that room and my life changed. I met an amazing social worker. I knew I wasn’t alone in my grief anymore, and that’s how I had felt up into that point. Doing work with the hospice social worker and then also doing a lot of family with my dad. My dad did get sober. I threatened to run away and told him if he didn’t get sober, that’s what I was going to do. I was very determined to do that and he did. He didn’t get into AA for about two years after that, but he did. My dad died a few years ago. At the time of his death, he had been sober for almost 30 years and in AA for almost 28 years. Because of that, and because of his push, I’m talking to you. If he hadn’t had me go to that group and hadn’t had me meet Renee, the social worker, I would have never even known what to expect, and what to understand about grief. Renee, after a while, asked me to start volunteering with the Children’s Program. Slow down. We need to circle back a little bit. Growing up with a father, your mom passed. Was your dad an alcoholic before your mom died? Yes, for my entire childhood. That’s something to grieve along with everything else. Absolutely. When I talked with my sisters about it, they were 7 and 9 years older. The oldest has the most memories. My mom sheltered me a lot. I was still young enough that I didn’t realize what it was all. There were some memories that I’ve worked on in therapy. I’m grateful I have because they were difficult and hard. Especially the last Christmas with my mom. My dad was drunk. There was a situation with the Christmas tree. It was something that always eat and bothered me. When I got trained to EMDR, I was like, “I’m going to work on this memory,” and I did. I’m grateful I did that work because I was able to have a very different relationship with my dad because of doing that. Thank you. You mentioned EMDR. Can you share a little bit? I don’t want to make an assumption that everyone reading knows different acronyms, modalities and things. I want to always make sure we slow down and unpack. Reprocessing Traumatic Death Scenes With Clinical Modalities EMDR is eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. It’s like the gold standard of trauma therapy. It’s been around since the early 1990s. Francine Shapiro developed it. It uses bilateral

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How To Give Yourself The Permission To Live After Loss With Kelley Raleigh

Podcast / April 16, 2026

Widowhood Real Talk with Tina | Kelley Raleigh | Permission To Live

Giving yourself permission to live again after loss can feel unfamiliar and even uncomfortable, and in this conversation with Kelley Raleigh, that tension is explored with honesty, depth, and care. Kelley reflects on becoming a widow at 46 and the disorienting experience of grieving a life that changed in an instant while still choosing to move forward. Her story moves through identity shifts, evolving relationships, and the deeply personal choices that come with rebuilding, including moments that felt messy, unexpected, and real. What unfolds is a thoughtful reflection on grief that makes space for both sorrow and growth, gently challenging the belief that there is only one way to mourn. Through her lived experience, Kelley offers a grounded reminder that even in the midst of profound loss, it is possible to reconnect with yourself and begin shaping a life that still feels meaningful. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here Listen to the podcast here How To Give Yourself The Permission To Live After Loss With Kelley Raleigh Thank you for every episode that you’ve tuned into over the years. I want to tell you that I am inviting you personally to join me for Hope Grows Here on May 16, 2026, in Norfolk, Virginia. We are celebrating my 60th birthday, and we’re celebrating Widowhood. This is an opportunity for us all to get together and celebrate. Dancing, comedians, photo booths, and so much more fun. Did I mention it’s a ‘60s costume? I hope to see you there. For details, email me at WidowhoodRealTalk@gmail.com. ‐‐‐ Have you ever wondered what life would look like if you gave yourself permission to make change, or if you gave yourself permission to grieve and also laugh? This conversation with Kelley is going to challenge you and probably give you permission to live a life that you enjoy. Let’s get into this conversation. Kelley, welcome to the Widowhood. Thank you so much for having me. I’m so happy to be here. A Clean Slate At Forty-Six If I were to look at the ticker tape in your head, which is like, “Thank you. Welcome to the Widowhood,” what’s the backdrop when you think of that? I go to the label of a widow. I still feel like I’m 30. Old people are widows in their 80s. Not people our age. It makes me chuckle a little bit. It makes me like, “I guess that’s me.” That’s what I think. That’s fair. Age is relevant in this community. Do you mind sharing when you entered into the Widowhood? I was 46. It’ll be 5 years in May 2026. I was 46, and he was about to turn 52. He was two weeks away from turning 52. What is his name? Can you share with us? His name was Eric. A lot of things I hear people talk about in this experience is that they’re not the same person. When you hear that, what do you think now compared to that moment when Eric left this world? I said this not long ago to somebody. It feels like it was a week ago and 100 years ago. It’s still a bit discombobulating sometimes. I’m a vastly different person, and I’ve been a vastly different person probably three different times in the last couple of years. I was a stay-at-home mom when he died. That was a completely different project for me because I’ve always worked. I’ve always been the go-getter. I’ve always been the type A, and then I was a stay-at-home mom with my kid. That shifted me. I wanted to shift when we were towards the last year of our marriage, and then he died. It dawned on me that I can be however I want. It was almost like a clean slate in a lot of ways. I’d been doing personal growth work for many years. It wasn’t new to me to be like, “I know I need to date and rise from the Phoenix,” as much as I didn’t want to. I feel like I’ve been a handful of different people. I’ve tried things. I’m going to say my dark side, but my dark side is not a dark side. I even embraced some things that I thought I would never do. I got to leave it at that. We’re not. This is called real talk. You don’t get to go, “I did some things.” We’re going to need 2 or 3 of those things. We need to know if it was a little fire. Let me go get my tea cup because you need to talk. Come on. Widow Fire And Social Permission It was taking risks with money, number one, which is not that juicy. Number two was with men. It was dating men that I would never date before. Even taking a lover and not having any expectations, and doing that. I have been in a relationship since I was fourteen. Relationship, then relationship, then marriage, and then I got a divorce, which was amicable. I was with Eric for seventeen years. She’s over here blushing. She’s like, “I didn’t know we were going to go this way.” For the women who are reading this and are going, “The widow fire is real.” Some people feel shame. Some people feel like, “I was a good wife, and I loved my husband.” Can they both exist? Can you talk to them about that? Yes. To give context, every single relationship I was in, I was completely faithful. I never once had that like, “I need to go have an affair.” Nothing like that. I embraced

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From The Pit To Purpose: Unmasking Resilience And Redemption With Tami Franklin

Podcast / April 9, 2026

Widowhood Real Talk with Tina | Tami Franklin | Resilient Faith

In this episode, host Tina sits down with Tami Franklin, author of Un-Masked, Un-Broken, Healed & Set Free. Tami shares her raw and honest “lived experience” of surviving the loss of her daughter, Brittany, and her stepson, Christian. After 14 years of trauma therapy and writing, Tami explains why she believes grief is “holy ground” and how resilient faith allowed her to move from a three-year pit of despair to a life of liberation. This conversation is a roadmap for anyone wearing a mask of “fine” while feeling broken, offering a powerful reminder that while we don’t always get what we “ordered” from life, healing is an intentional daily choice. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here Listen to the podcast here From The Pit To Purpose: Unmasking Resilience And Redemption With Tami Franklin Grief oftentimes can leave you feeling broken, wearing a mask, hiding your true feelings, and questioning, “Why is this happening to me?” Our guest Tami Franklin shares her personal lived experience of trauma, grief and heartache. Not wanting to be here anymore, but pulling up from all of that in her faith and her strength-encouraging God to know her life has purpose. That healing is possible, and resilience is not just a word. It’s an intentional choice that she chose daily. Three years in a pit, a pastor praying, being by her side and being in resilience have kept her through. Let’s get into this conversation with Tami because resilience and hope are what you need. Tami, welcome to the Widowhood. Thanks for having me. I’m honored to be here. When you hear widowhood and welcome, what’s the ticker tape message? If someone could open up your mind, what would come across? The Meaning of the “Hood” The first word that comes to mind is sisterhood, community, and grief community. Welcome is that arms are open. It may not be the same, but you have a story too, and you’re welcome. You nailed that because that is exactly what I want to convey in something that is very difficult. I’m from Chicago. The word hood is family. It’s that collective. It’s that group of people. It may be the widow, but there are surrounding losses. As you mentioned, those losses may be different, but they have similar components. I believe experiencing a profound loss makes life different if you’re willing to lean into the process. It’s not just what happened to me. It’s what I have done in this process. When I reached out to you to have this conversation, I knew you were a bit hesitant. It’s like, “Not my story,” but we had a conversation and realized the similarity of it. I’m glad we had that conversation to talk through what your goals were. It did help me understand that the stories are aligned in different ways. Tami, you flipped through multiple losses and still found the courage to write about it. What made the right time to tell your story and write your book? The 13-Year Journey to the Page I’ve been writing the book for nearly thirteen and a half years. That within itself has been a journey. When I got to a point in late 2025 where I had written out all the chapters, read them over and over a million times. I had nothing else left to write. I knew that I was empty, and it was time to get the book published. Given the way the world is now. Every day, we’re more and more in need. People are in need of hearing stories of survival. Life is hard. We all grieve something. Whether it’s a person that we’ve lost, a job, or something that was significant. It’s important to hear stories of survival and faith more and more. I believe now is the time. The appointed time is now. Your book title is? Un-Masked, Un-Broken, Healed & Set Free: A Journey of Healing, Liberation, and Redemption. When you selected this title, what did it represent for your personal experience? What did you want to convey to the reader? Unmasking the Core Self It’s because of the losses I’ve been through and trauma. I have placed a different mask on and showed up in different ways where I thought I would be accepted. There were different masks that I wore. At this point in my life, after so many losses and compounded grief, it became painful to wear all those masks because it wasn’t the person that I truly was at the core. To become unmasked, to unveil the real me or who I am, and to be unbroken. Throughout that journey of writing, I also completed fourteen years of trauma therapy, deliverance, and getting set free. It’s unmasked, unbroken, and healed. I am walking through healing, thinking from a healed place, having my mind be renewed, and learning coping strategies and mechanisms. Being set free was the deliverance from the things that plagued me for so many years I carried that didn’t belong to me. That is for you. When someone is skimming through Barnes and Noble or Amazon and they see this book. What are you hoping that they see? I hope that they see a story from a woman who was resilient and has gone through so many things. If you can see the cover, I’m on the cover. I don’t look like what I’ve been through. I hope that they see hope. I hope that they see courage. Most importantly, I hope they see a resilient type of faith. The type of faith that can move mountains. That

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Love That Stayed

Podcast / March 26, 2026

This episode closes out a month of conversations dedicated to love, loss, and remembrance. Recorded nine years after the death of my husband, Mark, this final March reflection is not about closure or moving on. It is about what endured. What relocated. What stayed. In this conversation, I speak to both Mark and you, the listener, exploring the idea of continuing bonds and the quiet ways love endures long after loss. I share how grief has changed shape over time, how connection can persist without denial, and how meaning can be made not by letting go, but by carrying love forward. This episode offers gentle permission to remember, to speak love aloud, and to honor the relationships that continue to shape us even in their absence. March is ending. Love is not. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here Listen to the podcast here Love That Stayed Before we begin this episode, I want to name where we are in this month. This is the final episode in a series I’ve dedicated to my late husband, Mark Fornwald. During the month of March 11th, 2017, he left this world. Throughout March 2026, I’ve chosen to honor him in my grief and my love out loud one conversation at a time. If you’re joining me now, you have missed anything you need. The conversations weren’t meant to be consumed in order or completed like a program. They were meant to be entered gently wherever you found them. This episode isn’t about wrapping up anything or offering conclusions. It’s about gathering what remains and what stayed would endure and what continues to live on after my loss. As with other conversations, some of what I’ll say is spoken directly to Mark, some is spoken to you and some simply exists in the space between love and memory. Mark, as we close out March 2026, I want to talk with you again. Not to say goodbye but to acknowledge what has never left. Mark, years later, you’re still here. You are still what matters. Do you know how love changes shape? I would have never thought of that years ago when my girlfriend Kim gave Mark and I that statuette. It just seemed like love would last forever. I never thought about our love changing. The flag is my flag from leaving the United States military and the little statuette of praying. Enduring Love & Continuing Bonds With Mark My love for Mark has changed because I don’t get to touch him. I don’t get to embrace him when I say I love him and what that looks like, but it still exists. I still love him now. That will never change. I haven’t been able to build on top of that love. We’ve not had new experiences that make me feel like I love him in a different way or more than I did before because that interaction that personal connection that I have with you is stopped the moment you start breathing but I love you. I think about how I love you when I see our children. I think about how I love you now when different things happen that we may have spoken about doing and I’ve been able to do them. It has reshaped because the direct intimacy doesn’t exist with you anymore, Mark, but it still exists. Do you know where you show up now in my life? My last name is still Fornwald. I cannot consider my last name being anything else but your last name. That connection is important for our family and our children to know that they have a parent in this world with the same last name. I did get remarried like you suggested and gave me permission to, but I’m glad that the reality of loving you is still something that shows up every day in my life. When I moved to Virginia, I was talking to you on the drive here saying, “I’m moving,” as we said that we would, when I made it to the place where I was living and I took a bath. I had a glass of wine and I said to you out loud, “I did it babe. I made it here. I made this trip and I relocated.” When there are things in my life that are happening when I go on a trip and used to text you when I come home that I’ve made it there safely. The thought is there. I may not be texting you because you’re no longer in this world but mentally, I am checking in with you and telling you that I made it safely. Do you know you were never erased? Some people thought that once you stop breathing that some way or another, I would forget about you. It’s not possible. I spent 32 years of my life with you and that was from like the age of eighteen straight up into just about hitting 50. I cannot talk about anything about who I am as a person without mentioning you to some extent. There is no way possible that you could be erased from my life. You are ever present and ever real. The part that was the most difficult for me is trying to come to terms with that. Other people may get uncomfortable, because I’m talking about you. You’re no longer here, but my life and who I am has been shaped every way possible because of who I am with you. People got a buckle up because I’m going to talk about you. I’m going to mention you in my

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Who I Became Because I Loved You

Podcast / March 19, 2026

Widowhood Real Talk with Tina | Becoming

Love changes us—but sometimes in ways we don’t fully realize until we look back. In this heartfelt reflection, we explore the transformative power of loving someone deeply and how that love shaped the person I became. From lessons in vulnerability to the growth sparked by connection, this story dives into the ways love challenges us, teaches us, and ultimately helps us evolve. Discover how love isn’t just about the other person—it’s about who you become in the process. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here Listen to the podcast here Who I Became Because I Loved You Dedication, Purpose, & Intentionality Welcome to who I became because I loved you. Throughout March, I am dedicating this show to my late husband, Mark Fornwald. He left this world on March 11th. In each episode, it is part of an intentional space of remembrance, reflection, and honesty. These conversations may feel a little different than a typical show. Some moments are spoken directly to Mark, some are communicated to you, and some are simply love continued out loud. If you’re joining mid-month, you haven’t missed anything. You need to be here. This is not a series that requires catching up on. Only presence. Mark, I am speaking to you again and letting others listen in. The first question. Mark, would you recognize me now? I think the answer is yes and that’s based on a show that I’ve done with my daughter and my son. Both of them have articulated in their own way that I’m showing up in Tina brand. That if something happens, I give myself to it. I challenged myself with it. I address it and I keep going. Mark would say, “You did this pretty much as I thought you would.” Personal Transformation & Boundaries I have grieved him probably every day since he has been gone for years and yet I still keep living. I keep showing up and living my life intentionally. That is done intentionally with this show. It’s done intentionally with the work that I do, with this nonprofit Widowhood Real Talk with Tina, with every retreat that I host, the event that we are hosting on May 16th on Norfolk called Hope Grows Here. Mark would probably look at say, “That’s what I thought that you would do.” I am glad that I have continued being who I am under different circumstances but yet being the woman that I am. Do you know which parts of me were born after you left? Absolutely. I had experienced breast cancer before Mark passed. In that process, my no game was starting to develop. Where I could say no for something without question, don’t ask me about it because no was in complete answer. After Mark’s death, my no game became even stronger because I don’t know my moment, my hour or my second when I will no longer be in this world. I can say no to something that I don’t want to do. That was birthed out of him. This nonprofit that I run, this whole show that we’re having was birthed out of Mark leaving this world. Looking at life differently, he would be surprised about my ability to be a little bit sloppier, ability to not care about things being cleaned up as much as they were. He also would be surprised about my ability to be late sometimes. It was so important for me to always be on time. Part of that is that I am a retired army officer, but now there are some things that’s like, “If I get there on time, it’s fine.” Grief & Emotional Reality He would also be surprised because my daughter does not stress me out. I go, “Nobody died then it’ll be okay. It will work itself out.” He would be surprised about that. Do you know what grief demanded of me? When I read that question, I had no idea the amount of phone calls I had to make in that first year to say, “My husband died.” I needed to change the electricity out of his name into my name because my husband died. To call his employer and tell them, “My husband died and he will not be returning to work.” All of those conversations. We had a plan mentally what the other person would do in the absence but had no concept of the emotional weight of caring about life, all the paperwork, waking up every day and being like, “Sam, Tina, Mark died. Don’t expect him to be here.” To intentionally have to tell myself to practice saying Tina instead of Mark and Tina. The weight of not being able to sleep at night, laying in bed and looking at the pillow that he would not sleep on. That weight, that stress, I certainly didn’t expect it, and I don’t think that he could have expected what grief would demand of me. I was struggling with going back to work, to wonder if I could think and have conscious thoughts that would allow me to perform a job. The mental fall and the forgetfulness. All of that. I don’t think he realized the grief, his absence, his death would demand that of me. Do you know how loving you prepared me for becoming someone new? What comes to mind is Mark’s family. I had a lot of people that died at an early age, and because of that, we had several conversations about him leaving this world and the life that he wanted me to have in his absence. What kind of love? What kind of amazing

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Widowed AF: Widowhood, Grief, And Rebuilding Life After Loss With Rosie Gill-Moss

Podcast / January 22, 2026

Widowhood Real Talk with Tina | Rosie Gill-Moss | Life After Loss

The holiday season—a time often painted with perfect, joyful strokes—can feel like an impossible climb when you’re navigating life after loss. For young widows especially, the grief is compounded by societal silence, financial strain, and the sheer force of balancing personal sorrow with the need to create magic for their children. In this incredibly honest and raw conversation, award-winning podcaster Rosie Gill-Moss (host of Widowed AF) brings the heat, discussing everything from finding new traditions amidst the chaos of parenting, to the surprising and often shamed phenomenon known as widow’s fire. Get ready for real talk on how one young widow reclaimed her identity, built a thriving community, and learned to live—and laugh—again, even during the toughest time of the year. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here Listen to the podcast here Widowed AF: Widowhood, Grief, And Rebuilding Life After Loss With Rosie Gill-Moss Voices Of Widowhood Healing Through The Holidays Welcome to Voices of Widowhood Healing through the Holidays. This is our mini series, going from November 2025 into January ‘26. Our guest, Rosie, is going to bring the fire of Widowhood into this conversation. She’s an award-winning podcaster. She took time out to speak with us. Let’s get into this conversation with the widow who was very young and what she’s learned, and how it can help you. Rosie, welcome to the Widowhood. Thank you so much for having me. It’s great to be here. When you hear, “Welcome to the Widowhood,” what’s the ticker-tape in your mind when you hear that? What does that mean to you? Introduction To Widowed AF & Personal Identity Now, it has a very different meaning. I now hear that as a, “Welcome to my tribe. Welcome to my community. I get you. I understand you.” Early on, if you’d asked me six months or a year into my widowhood, “Welcome to the Widowhood,” you’d probably have a black eye. Tell us about your podcast, what you do, and why your voice is so relevant, Miss Award Winner, in this conversation. Thank you so much. I did ask you to refer to me by Award Winner at every opportunity, so I’m glad you listened. Thank you very much. I host a podcast called Widowed AF. It does stand for what you think it might. What does it stand for? We need to know. I told the BBC it stands for As Friends. It stands for As Fuck. It has been the greatest joy that’s come out of my grief. I created it in my bedroom with an iPad and a sound reverb. I said to people, “Do you want to come and tell your story about being widowed?” and people did. You build it, and they will come, as they say. It turned into this resource that people are turning to. When you are part of the club, the club that nobody wants to be a member of, you feel incredibly alone. You get it, right? To have the ability to listen in your ears while you’re on the school run, in the car, or whatever you may be doing, and listen to somebody talk about their experience, it won’t be the same, because no two stories are, but there’ll be so many similarities. There’ll be so many moments, and it’s a bit of a trite expression, but of a feeling seen. That is so important. I am so grateful, Miss Award Winner, for you confirming to be part of Voices of Widowhood Healing through the Holidays because the holidays bring a different concept to grief that’s already complicated. How did you come up with this name, though? I do want to know that, as far as your podcast. Years ago, I was quite freshly widowed, and I got the Instagram handle @Widowed_AF. I’ve done nothing with it. I do now, but at that point, I did nothing with it. I’m a writer. I did my degree in journalism. I love to write. I thought, “There’s a book in this. Somebody needs to talk about what the reality of being widowed is like.” I also have procrastination issues, so this book never happened. It has since. I said to my friend, “Let’s do this podcast instead.” The name felt integral to what we do because it is tongue-in-cheek. It’s a little bit naughty. They say your vibe attracts your tribe. I’m a bit sweary and a bit naughty. For somebody to come on who was in a very different point in their grief or was dealing with it differently, it wouldn’t be the right place, but for the majority of people in or around my age group, it is what they’re looking for. Your age group is, if we’re able to say? I’m 44. You became widowed very young. 37. You were thinking, “What has happened here?” I was like, “Help. I’m widowed as fuck.” Being able to be in a space to freely talk without limitations, like, “This is hard. If I don’t have a space to have this real conversation, especially in the company of other people, where am I going to learn how to deal with this? Where am I going to find my tribe?’ Thank you for being part of this conversation. I didn’t do AF, but Real Talk was my version of that. We’ll go with that. You probably passed all the screening things. Someone said to me, “You need to take swearing out because you’re getting blacklisted.” You do what you have to do and express that. This is the real talk. I am not holding you back. What year did you

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Widowhood Coffee And Chat: Reflections From Another Year Of Life After Loss With Joi Brooks

Podcast / October 23, 2025

Widowhood Real Talk with Tina | Joi Brooks | Life After Loss

Every year, Tina Fornwald welcomes back Joi Brooks for an honest and heartfelt check-in on life after loss. In this year’s conversation, Joi shares candid reflections on moving forward after years of caregiving, navigating the complexities of travel and social life without her late husband, and redefining what happiness looks like at this stage of her journey. Together, Tina and Joi discuss guilt, grief, self-discovery, and the importance of staying true to oneself while remaining open to new opportunities. This annual conversation offers comfort, insight, and solidarity for anyone learning to live fully in the aftermath of widowhood. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here Listen to the podcast here Widowhood Coffee And Chat: Reflections From Another Year Of Life After Loss With Joi Brooks Hello, Widowhood. Our conversation with Joi Brooks is my annual guest. I am looking forward to sharing this discussion with you. Joi is going to talk about life after being a caregiver, how to find yourself afterwards, and doing things after your spouse has passed. Let us get into this conversation now. Annual Check-In With Joi Brooks: Gala Event & Travel Challenges Joi, welcome back to the Widowhood. I have not left. I am still here. That is good. You are the only person that I have back every year. Really? Yes. Isn’t that sweet? You should be my neighbor. Would you be mine? We could go for walks together. We are recording, but I am really hoping that you get to come to our event next year, May 2026, here in Northern Virginia. We are having a gala, our first official big event, celebrating the widowhood, celebrating my 60th birthday, and a fundraiser. It is a 60s theme party. Excited about that. More details to follow. I would love to finally get to meet you in person, instead of so far in New York. I am such a homebody. It really takes dogs to get me out of this. You can bring the dog with you. You do not have to leave them at home. Did you hear him? You want to go? No. You just stayed there. I am saying this also for the widowhood. I know traveling can be a challenge after our loved one is no longer here. That is why a lot of times you will see galas during the holidays, but those can be super triggering, thinking about the last time you went to a holiday party with your loved one. It is not during the holidays. I intentionally did not want a formal dress up because often we remember the last time we dressed up with our spouse. We are not doing that. It is in May. There is really not a lot going on May 16th in the middle of the month. It is a 60s theme party. Your psychedelic or your colors, it is fun stuff. We intentionally tried to hit every mark to make it more appealing. Also, giving people time to think because this may be some people’s first time traveling since their spouse passed. Why not be for something fun? The Virginia Beach area is super nice. There are a lot of things to check out in the area. We already have hotels booked. If you go to our website, I will send you a link. Widowhood Real Talk with Tina Events is called Hope Grows Here. You can purchase your ticket now. You can reserve your hotel room and start budgeting and planning for everything. There are a few stories behind what you just said about traveling. Let us talk about it. When I was younger, I traveled a lot on my own before I got married. I had lots of things happen to me that I will not mention here. Not good things that could have been a showstopper had I not been a positive thinker. When I look back, I think, “That was not good.” I am surprised I made it through that. It happened like I traveled by myself three times out of the country. Every time I traveled, something happened. As you know, now that Harry is gone, my friends, my family, and everybody are telling me, “You should travel.” I am like, “No.” First, there are a lot of places I would love to go. I would love to go enjoy them with someone who can enjoy them with me on the same level. That is the difference. Somebody who can either compliment me, I do not mean, “You look lovely today,” talking about. They will be my better, I will be their better, it will be a benefit to both of us as opposed to going and just going with a group of people that would annoy the heck out of me in any case. I am like, I would love to go to Greece and Italy, but I would want to go there, and I would want to see specific things that most people would not want to see. They might want to sightsee, but I would want to sightsee specific things. Archaeological things. Like, “Let us go to this open field with one column in it.” “Why?” “It’s because it used to be blah, blah. It is in the middle of nowhere. I do not care. Let us go.” That is why I said, “They would be dragging me to the Coliseum,” which would not be bad. Why would they drag me to the Acropolis, which would not be bad? I would also want to do other things that they might consider. Life After Loss: Redefining “Hard” And Finding Your

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How To Navigate Widowhood And All The Extra Responsibilities With Donna Kendrick

Podcast / September 4, 2025

What do you say to your children when their father dies by suicide? How do you get through the days when even taking a shower feels impossible? In this powerful episode, our guest Donna Kendrick opens up about what it really means to navigate widowhood—from surviving the early months of unbearable grief to finding meaning, community, and even love again twelve years later. She shares the raw truth about the what-ifs, how to talk to children about suicide, and why it’s okay to laugh, cry, and even get annoyed by that old gym bag. This conversation is a lifeline for anyone facing profound loss—and a reminder that healing doesn’t mean forgetting. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here Listen to the podcast here How To Navigate Widowhood And All The Extra Responsibilities With Donna Kendrick My guest Donna is going to share with you details on about how to manage when your spouse has lost his life by his own hand, how to have that conversation with your children and the importance of community and so much more. Let’s get into this conversation now. Donna, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for having me, Tina. Much appreciated. Let me ask you this. When you hear, welcome to the widowhood, what comes to your mind? If someone just read the ticker tape embedded inside your brain, what would that look like? I’m twelve years out now, so when I hear someone say, welcome to the widowhood. I’ll be like, “I’m rocking that.” I’m alright with it. it’s okay. It’s very different than what it felt like many years ago. Navigating Early Widowhood To that person that’s in month one, and they hear someone say, “Twelve years, you’re rocking that,” and they cannot even see how to take a shower regularly. What would you say to them? I’d say that if you shower every three days, that’s good enough. You are okay slow the roll. There is no timeline on this. I’m not saying that every day I feel like I’m rocking it. Some days, I wake up and feel like I just lost my Greg. It’s just part of the journey. We learned to live with it. We don’t go beyond it. When we’ve can walk alongside the widowhood, we’re in great shape. Take your time. Slow your roll. There is no guidebook and definition. Take care of you, especially in those early months, year one, and year two. Take care of you and two feet on the ground standing up. You did it. The Enduring Impact Of Loss & Milestones That sums it up. When you think for you to say twelve years later, if you still can wake up moments and like, “Greg is not here.” It can hit you like that. Are there any particular timelines that make it more impactful than other or benchmarks in your life? When we lost my Greg, my kids were 8, 11 and 12 and I was 40. They’re full-fledged adults now. We’re hitting those milestones, high school graduations, college graduations, first houses and new jobs. Those are the things I always thought we would partner together. That has been impactful. What’s impactful and what makes me miss him most is my oldest looks just like him. We see him walk down the hall and he has his dad’s gate. Is that the word? He was twelve when he lost his dad. He was two feet shorter. It’s like almost shocking because he’s the age that I met his dad. As he walks down the hallway, I see a man that looks like my late husband and take me off my feet. I’m like, “That happened.” Those are big ones. Smells do it for me. Dirty gym bags. That’s my husband. I’ll tell you, to all the readers out there, it is A-okay even though you lost someone that you love very much to smell that dirty gym bag. I got immediately annoyed. I don’t mean just take the clothes out so we can wash them. It’s okay. I’m allowed out the feeling of we used to pee me off at that moment in time. That’s a lot. Let yourself do it. You’re not a bad person for doing that. When you say that, I can relate to that. My son has a lot of clothing items of his dad and he doesn’t live with me but I’ll pick him up sometimes. We’re hanging out and he has on his dad’s sweater. His shoulders looked like his dad or if I see him from behind and wearing something. It’s just like it’s love sucker punch and everything all embodied in one thing. Coping With “What If” Thoughts & Finding Agency I’m like, “You just knocked me out of hello doing that.” You said something about the gym bag about if that were great gym bag. You would have said this and that. It made me think about in this journey, a lot of times people spend a deep amount of sorrow in the what ifs. “If I would have had my time back. If I could have done this over.” Have you ever encountered the what if season? If so, what has helped you with that? The what if season was huge in year one. My husband had taken his life. I always thought like, “What if I didn’t spend that extra half hour at lunch with the kids? I could have been there. What if I would have told his employer that I worried about him and they would have taken his gun.”

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Finding Strength In Widowhood: 14 Lessons On Healing & Hope

Podcast / May 29, 2025

Widowhood Real Talk with Tina | Widowhood Journey

Grief can feel isolating, but the truth is, you’re not alone. In this episode, Tina Fornwald shares her widowhood journey, opening up about the 14 lessons she learned across struggles and surprising moments of healing after loss. From the power of community to embracing new purpose, Tina explores the realities of life after losing a spouse. She reflects on the emotions, memories, and unexpected challenges, offering heartfelt insights for those walking a similar path. Whether you’re grieving, supporting a loved one, or searching for hope, this conversation provides comfort and understanding. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World — Watch the episode here Listen to the podcast here Finding Strength In Widowhood: 14 Lessons On Healing & Hope This is a conversation that I’m having with you. Many of you have asked me what are some things that I have learned along this journey of widowhood. I have a list right here and I’ll go over them one by one. Also, please email me at WidowhoodRealTalk@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you. I would love to hear the things that you have learned on this widow’s journey or your grief journey in particular. If you’re supporting someone who is grieving, please share the things that you have learned about them, because it will be able to help others. #1: I Am Not Alone Number one, I am not alone. The thing about this grief journey is the head chatter, the things that will come into your head that, “No one else could be in this much pain. No one else could have this much suffering. No one else could be living this difficult life.” That is not true. I learned I was not alone. I learned that there are thousands more widows and widowers daily. #2: Community Knowing that wasn’t a trauma bonding type of situation, but it told me, “Tina, you are not the first person to endure this nor will you be the last,” which means it is something that I can live through, move forward, and I will at one point in time be okay. When I learned that, it changed my mindset from, “I don’t know if I can do this. This will never work out,” to, “Though it is painful, I have the capacity inside of me to be able to keep living.” It was important for me to know I was not alone. That circled into the idea of how powerful number two is, which is community. When I realized I was not alone, I reached out to every widow and widower that I knew. I made time to be in their presence, whether it was in person or on the phone. I had so many questions and they were so willing to answer. That community created for me was so important. It gave me the ability to be able to keep living, to know that I was not alone, and that other people would encourage me. They would share their journey with me. They would let me know that this is something that they experienced. They shared their version of it. It allowed me to take their pieces of this journey and create my own. #3: Memories, Good & Bad Number three, memories are good and memories are bad. What that looked like for me is I had to take my time when I wanted to see the memories. Sometimes, it was all at once, and then it was that I didn’t want to see them at all. I had to be honest with myself about what that looked like. I remember one time when I was looking at pictures of Mark and listening to voice messages in particular because hearing his voice made it feel so good. I fell asleep with my phone in hand. When I woke up, all the messages were gone. I was devastated. I went to the phone store, standing there crying profusely and unhinged. I feel so sorry for whoever was at that Verizon store and had to help me that day. I probably left them shaken, but I was devastated. There was nothing they could do to get those phone messages back, and that was bad. I reached out to my children and I asked them to share with me the messages that they had with their dad’s voice and they sent them to me. It is a precious thing to have. I encourage you, if possible, to please take the pictures. Please create the memories. Please cement them with audio and videos because one day, you won’t be able to. The good part is there are tons of pictures of Mark and tons of memories with him and the children that I will cherish as long as I can breathe. #4: Music And Smells Number four, music and smells. I remember the songs that we danced to and the songs that Mark played. Mark was a hard-rock kind of guy. I learned the Eagles and so much music that I never thought of before by being with him and being married to him. I remember the smell of chili. Mark used to make chili from scratch at home. He’d have a big pot in putting it together. When I’m having chili and rice, I think of him. The smell of a bonfire, because our family had a bonfire every year, and the smell of wood burning brings back so many memories of him. Also, his cologne. He wore a gray flannel. When he passed away and I was moving from Pennsylvania to Virginia, I packed up so much stuff. Some things I got rid of,

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