Brave Widow Show

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Learn more about Brave Widow Academy and current scholarship details: bravewidow.com Ready for more support? Book a free consult at bravewidow.com to see if the Academy or 1:1 coaching is a fit Grief Recovery Method with Emily Tanner: https://www.bravewidow.com/offers/EPW2EeyT/checkout If this is your first Christmas without your husband and you already feel that knot in your stomach… this episode is for you. In Episode 180 of The Brave Widow Show, Emily shares a gentle 3-step survival plan to help you get through what is often one of the hardest days in a widow’s first year: the first Christmas without him. You’ll learn how to: Protect your heart instead of powering through and pretending to be “okay” Plan your exit so you can leave events without guilt, panic, or drama Choose one meaningful moment to honor your person without trying to make the whole holiday “magical” We talk about: Why the holidays can feel like emotional whiplash when you’re newly widowed Guilt, “wearing a mask,” and feeling pressure to make it special for everyone else How to simplify traditions, set boundaries, and bow out gracefully Practical ideas for honoring your spouse in a way that doesn’t shatter you If you’re facing your first Christmas as a widow and feel fragile, numb, or like you might break at any moment… you are not alone, and there is a gentler way through this season. Get support as a widow If you’re a widow in your 40s–60s trying to rebuild a life you can love again, you don’t have to do it alone. Join the Brave Widow Academy for a proven path, live coaching, and a community of widows who truly get it: 👉 Learn more and join here: bravewidow.com/academy 💬 If this episode helped you, please: Hit Subscribe Leave a quick rating & review – it helps more widows find this support • • Share this with a friend who’s facing grief or the holidays without their person

Apply for the Brave Widow Academy scholarship before midnight, Friday, January 2nd: https://www.bravewidow.com/scholarship If you’re ready for more support, learn about Brave Widow Academy here: https://www.bravewidow.com/academy The longest night of the year can feel even darker when your person is gone. In this special 2025 Widow Winter Solstice gathering, Emily and a panel of Christian widows share honest stories about loneliness, surviving the holidays, feeling misunderstood, wrestling with God, and answering the question: “Will I always feel this way?” You’ll hear real, unpolished conversations from women in different seasons of widowhood who have walked through the same sleepless nights, empty chairs, and “I don’t know who I am anymore” moments you may be living right now. In this episode you’ll hear: -Why we honor Winter Solstice as “the longest night” for widows -Raw stories of loneliness in grief: empty houses, changing friendships, family let-downs -How faith, prayer, and Scripture show up when you’re angry, numb, or confused with God -What helped each widow move from “just surviving” to taking tiny brave steps again -Guided reflection prompts you can use tonight to process your own grief -How joy and sorrow can coexist without betraying your person’s memory -An invitation to go deeper inside Brave Widow Academy and our scholarship opportunity Next steps -Watch / listen and journal through the reflection prompts -Share your person’s name in the comments so we can honor them with you Chapters 00:00 Welcome & Why Winter Solstice matters for widows 09:00 Panel introductions & love stories 28:00 Loneliness in the new normal 1:22:00 Guided reflection time 1:35:00 “Will I always feel this way?” 2:25:00 Q&A on anger, boundaries, and kids

The holidays can feel brutal after your spouse dies. While the world is twinkling with lights and parties, you’re just trying to get through the longest nights. I’m inviting you to Widow Winter Solstice, a free online gathering on Sunday, December 21, 6–8 pm Central for widows and widowers on the longest night of the year. You’ll be able to: Cozy up at home in PJs (you’re not on camera) Hear from a panel of widows at different stages of loss Ask questions live in the chat or simply listen Join giveaways (books, gift cards, and Brave Widow surprises) Remember your person and be reminded: it will not always feel like this 👉 Register & get the replay + giveaways: https://www.bravewidow.com/winter

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Connect with Danny: * Book: Thank You, Cancer (paperback & Kindle) https://stan.store/dannylesslie/p/thank-you-cancer- * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momentumwithdanny/ * Substack (audiobook-style readings & poetry): https://dannylesslie.substack.com * Brave Widow® Academy: https://www.bravewidow.com/academy * Grief Recovery Method with Emily Tanner: https://www.bravewidow.com/offers/EPW2EeyT/checkout What do you do when you run out of options… and then God shows up? In this episode of The Brave Widow Show, Emily talks with widower and dad, Danny Lesslie, who walked through five years of a rare vulvar cancer journey with his wife Raffaella before losing her in December 2024. Danny shares the raw reality of caregiving, solo parenting two daughters, crippling financial uncertainty, and the “Jesus moments” that became anchors for their faith when there were no moves left. You’ll also hear how Danny and Raffaella’s story became the powerful book “Thank You, Cancer” – built from her own real-time journal entries, his perspective as a caregiver, and the undeniable ways God provided when everything else fell apart. In this episode, we talk about: * Getting a rare cancer diagnosis and how it upended their life overnight * The 1,592 days of pain Raffaella endured, and how she still showed up with joy * Losing jobs, housing, and stability… and the RV + home God provided the same day * What it’s really like to raise two young daughters without their mom * How to hold anger, confusion, and faith at the same time * Turning grief into a book: why “Thank You, Cancer” exists and what’s inside * Using writing and sharing their story as a way to “spend” unexpressed love * Practical encouragement for widows, widowers, and solo parents in deep grief Get support as a widow If you’re a widow in your 40s–60s trying to rebuild a life you can love again, you don’t have to do it alone. Join the Brave Widow Academy for a proven path, live coaching, and a community of widows who truly get it: 👉 Learn more and join here: bravewidow.com/academy 💬 If this episode helped you, please: * Hit Subscribe * Leave a quick rating & review – it helps more widows find this support * Share this with a friend who’s facing grief or the holidays without their person

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Brave Widow® Academy: https://www.bravewidow.com/academy Grief Recovery Method with Emily Tanner: https://www.bravewidow.com/offers/EPW2EeyT/checkout When your husband dies suddenly on Christmas Eve… while you’re standing there with your kids… how do you ever breathe again? In today’s episode, I’m talking with Allyson, a Brave Widow community member, mom of four, and woman of deep faith whose husband Chris died of a sudden heart attack just six days after their 23rd wedding anniversary. What those first days and months really felt like when grief made it hard to even breathe How her existing habits (prayer, gratitude journaling, gym, music) became lifelines after loss Organ donation, and the surprising thought that someone may have received a life-saving gift on Christmas because of Chris Mom guilt, four kids, and trying to balance their grief, her grief, and all the “to-dos” life still demands Why she says grief is some of the “hardest work you’ll ever do” – and how she chose to keep going anyway Saying yes to support: life coaching, grief recovery, Brave Widow Academy, and a “waterfalls + camping” trip totally outside her comfort zone How faith was both tested and strengthened – and why she clings to the belief that “if it’s not good, it’s not over” Practical things she does now (especially around holidays) so she isn’t alone and doesn’t wake up on a hard day with no plan If you’re in the thick of it – wondering if life will ever feel anything but shattered – Allyson’s story is a tender, honest reminder to hang on, take the next tiny step, and let people help you. 💬 If this episode helped you, please: Hit Subscribe Leave a quick rating & review – it helps more widows find this support Share this with a friend who’s facing grief or the holidays without their person