Welcome back to The Widow’s Collective.

After taking a few months away from the podcast, I’m back - and Season 2 is going somewhere a little different.

Season 1 lived in the acute season of grief: the fog, the shock, the survival, and the overwhelming newness of losing your person.

But what happens after that?

What happens when the waves of grief begin to come farther apart...but the space between them isn't necessarily peaceful?

That’s where we’re going this season.

The murky middle.

The space between survival and whatever comes next.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The difference between acute grief and the murky middle
• The metaphor of grief as waves - and what happens when there is more space between them
• The strange experience of noticing more as the shock and numbness begin to shift
• The duality of grief and life existing at the same time
• Wanting things again - and questioning whether you're allowed to want them
• Changing relationships and the loneliness that can come with being further out from the loss
• Anxiety, nervous system disruption, and the loss of safety
• Why the years following survival can feel hard in an entirely different way
• What I mean by re-emergence
• Why this season will explore the messy, complicated space where grief and life coexist

A question to take with you:

What are you noticing right now?

Not what you should be doing.

Not where you think you should be by now.

Just...

What are you noticing?

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Stay connected

Instagram: @imsorrywerefriends
Website: laurenlentz.com

You can find information about my grief coaching, Re-Imagine group program, retreats, self-guided resources, and other ways to work with me on my website.

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to The Widow’s Collective, leave a review, or share it with another widow who might need to hear that the space between the waves can be complicated, too.

About Lauren

Lauren Lentz is a Certified Grief Coach, widow, former educator, and host of The Widow’s Collective. After losing her husband, Kevin, in 2019, Lauren found herself navigating not only the devastation of grief, but the complicated process of becoming a different version of herself.

Today, she works with women navigating life after loss, helping them make space for grief while also exploring identity, desire, purpose, relationships, and the life that is still unfolding.

Because grief and life can coexist.

One of the biggest fears many widowed parents carry after the death of a spouse is this:

"Will my child be ruined by this?"

When your child loses a parent, it's natural to worry about what this loss will mean for them long-term. Who will they become because of this experience? What will they carry forward? How do you help them navigate something so enormous while you're grieving too?

In this final episode of Season 1, I sit down with grief specialist, Certified Child Life Specialist, author, and bereaved mother Jessica Correnti to have an honest conversation about parenting through grief after the death of a spouse.

Together, they explore the fears grieving parents carry, what children actually need after loss, how grief shows up differently in children, and why parents don't need to be perfect to support their child well.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Why so many widowed parents fear their child will be permanently damaged by the loss
• The most common worries grieving parents carry after the death of a spouse
• Whether it's okay for children to see a parent cry and grieve
• The difference between healthy emotional expression and emotional overwhelm
• What emotional repair looks like when difficult moments happen
• How children regain a sense of safety after loss
• What children need most from the surviving parent
• How children grieve differently from adults and from one another
• Supporting children with different grief styles
• Common misconceptions about grief in children
• Signs a child may benefit from additional support
• Helpful grief resources and therapeutic approaches for children
• What every widowed parent deserves to know about navigating grief with their child

About Jessica Correnti

Jessica Correnti is a Certified Child Life Specialist, grief specialist, author, educator, and bereaved mother with nearly two decades of experience supporting children and families through illness, trauma, and loss.

After years working in pediatric hospital settings, Jessica founded Kids Grief Support, where she provides grief education, resources, and support to families around the world. She is the author of several children's grief books, including The ABCs of Grief series and Forever Connected. Her work has been featured in Oprah Daily, People Magazine, CNBC, and other national publications.

Connect with Jessica

Website: Kidsgriefsupport

Instagram: @kidsgriefsupport

Books: The ABCs of Grief & Forever Connected

A Final Reflection

If you're a widowed parent carrying the fear that you're somehow "messing this up," this episode is for you.

Your child does not need a perfect grieving parent.

They need a connected one.

Someone who keeps showing up.
Someone who repairs when needed.
Someone who makes space for feelings.
Someone who continues loving them through the hardest season of their lives.

And that may be far more powerful than you realize.

Thank you for being part of Season 1 of The Widow's Collective.

Big hugs and lots of love,

Lauren

After the death of a spouse, many widows don’t just lose the person they love — they also lose their sense of safety, predictability, and trust in themselves.

In this episode, we explore the invisible ways grief impacts self-trust and why loss can leave widows feeling hypervigilant, emotionally unsteady, fearful of future pain, and disconnected from their own inner voice.

We discuss:

• Why widowhood disrupts your relationship with safety and certainty
• The nervous system’s response to trauma & loss
• Hypervigilance, overthinking, and emotional preparedness after grief
• Fear of future loss, attachment, and vulnerability
• The impact grief can have on parenting fears and emotional safety
• Why grief can make it difficult to trust your emotions
• The quiet ways self-trust slowly begins rebuilding over time
• Learning to stay connected to yourself inside uncertainty

This episode is a compassionate conversation for the widow who feels exhausted from carrying fear, second-guessing herself, or wondering why she can no longer trust herself as she did before.

Big hugs, and lots of love.
-Lauren

To Connect With Me

Follow along on Instagram: @imsorrywerefriends

For More Information About Support
Head over to: LaurenLentz.com
Or
Book a free Discovery Call by emailing me: lauren@imsorrywerefriends.com