Can You Make Room for Joy While You're Still Grieving? | A Conversation with Dana Frost

What if you didn't have to wait until you felt better to experience something good?

In this episode of The Widow’s Collective, I'm joined by Dana Frost, a widow, two-time cancer survivor, creative mind, and the woman behind Joy Scout Project (formerly the Forced Joy Project). She's also the co-founder of Widows in the Wild and the creator of the Book of Stories.

Together, we explore what it means to intentionally create moments of joy while still living with immense grief and pain.

Because when you're navigating the murky middle of widowhood, joy can feel complicated. You can laugh and then feel guilty. You can have a beautiful day and wonder if you're somehow moving too far away from the person you lost. You can want to experience life again while feeling uncertain about who you are becoming.

But what if joy doesn't mean you're no longer grieving? What if it doesn't erase your love or mean you're moving on?

In our conversation, Dana shares her experience with Forced Joy, what it looked like to intentionally create opportunities for joy after her husband's death, and how we can begin making room for experiences that feel good without pretending we're okay when we're not.

In this episode, we explore:

• The murky middle of widowhood and the space between surviving and knowing what's next.
• How the idea of Forced Joy evolved after the death of Dana's husband.
• The difference between forcing yourself to feel happy and intentionally creating opportunities for joy.
• Why taking action can sometimes help us feel more ready, rather than waiting until we feel ready to begin.
• The guilt that can accompany laughter, happiness, and moments of feeling good after loss.
• How to let your life get bigger without making your person's place in it smaller.
• The Book of Stories and the importance of continuing to carry your person's story with you.
• What to consider if you're not ready for joy yet, or simply don't want to force anything.

This conversation isn't about putting on a happy face, bypassing grief, or convincing yourself that everything is okay.

It's about getting curious about what else might be possible, even when grief is still very much a part of your life.

You don't have to know who you're becoming. You don't have to have a plan. And you don't have to feel joyful before you begin.

Maybe you can simply start by making a little room for something that feels good.

Because you are allowed to experience joy and still love and miss your person deeply.

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CONNECT WITH LAUREN

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.

CONNECT WITH DANA

Follow Dana and explore her work around intentionally creating room for joy after loss.

Instagram: @JoyScoutProject

The Book of Stories

Explore Dana's Book of Stories, a meaningful way to preserve your person's stories and continue carrying them with you as your own life unfolds.

Book of Stories: [Insert link to the Book of Stories]

Thank you for being here!

Xoxo,

Lauren

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