Show notes
If you’re functioning on the outside but barely surviving on the inside, this episode is for you. Brave Widow Resources Free, Live “Four Seasons of Grief” Training + Quiz: bravewidow.com/liveRebuild a Life You Can Love Again in the Brave Widow Academy (join the waitlist or book a call): https://bravewidow.com/academyCreate Calm from Chaos and Heal Your Heart inside Brave Widow Foundations:👉 bravewidow.com/foundationsJoin the free Brave Widow Community: https://bravewidow.com/freeBook a call with me to see if Academy is right for you: https://www.bravewidow.com/callEmily’s amazing public speaking coach, Jen Gould: https://jengouldcoaching.com After my husband died, I thought healing meant eventually returning to the person I used to be and the life I used to have. But grief does not work that way. Our old life is gone, and rebuilding requires a different kind of roadmap. In this episode, I walk through the three phases many widows experience:Stabilize: Moving through the storm and creating a foundation for healing.Explore: Discovering who you are now and what kind of life you want to build.Rebuild: Creating a life you can love again while still carrying grief. You’ll also learn why staying busy cannot help you outrun grief, how to grow your capacity for both grief and joy, and why being surrounded by the right people can change the direction of your life. Chapters00:00 When you look fine but are barely surviving 01:00 Phase One: Stabilize 03:00 Why staying busy does not heal grief 06:00 The Chaos to Calm blueprint 09:00 Building a foundation 10:30 Phase Two: Explore 12:00 Who am I now? 16:00 Experimenting with your new life 20:00 Grief, guilt, and learning to hold both 26:00 Phase Three: Rebuild 30:00 The “and” life 34:00 Why community helps you move forward 41:00 The three-phase roadmap and next steps 💬 If this episode helped you, please: Hit Subscribe Leave a quick rating & review – it helps more widows find this supportShare this with a friend who’s facing grief or the holidays without their person If you’re new here, my name is Emily Tanner. I’m the founder of Brave Widow and Brave Widow Academy. I help widows move from barely surviving their loss… to rebuilding a life they can actually love again without feeling like they’re betraying their person. By day (and for 20+ years), I’ve led large teams and complex operations in the corporate world. After my husband Nathan died in 2021, just shy of our 20-year anniversary, I took everything I knew about leadership, systems, and change — and started applying it to grief. Since then, I’ve:Shared my story publicly to make widows feel less alone.Launched the Brave Widow podcast, now with 180+ episodes and listeners around the world.Coached hundreds of widows Built Brave Widow Academy, a 6-month coaching program with a clear framework for moving from deep grief to rebuilding a life you can love again. I don’t teach “just think positive” grief tips. I teach widows how to:Heal their heart.Stop waiting on “time” to fix everything.Take small, brave steps toward a life that feels meaningful again. How I Got Here… 2021: My husband Nathan dies unexpectedly. I’m 4 kids in, overwhelmed, and drowning in paperwork, decisions, and pain. Therapy helps, but I still feel stuck with no roadmap. 2021–2022: I start devouring books, interviewing widows, trying grief groups, and studying coaching — desperate to find something that actually helps me feel different. 2022: I start the Brave Widow podcast, recording episodes while terrified and crying between takes — but determined that no widow should feel as alone as I did. Year 1: I begin coaching widows Year 2: I launch Brave Widow Academy — a structured, 6-month coaching program with a step-by-step path: from deep grief, to stability, to rebuilding. Year 3: Brave Widow has listeners around the world. I’ve personally coached hundreds of widows and spoken with thousands more through consults, lives, emails, and DMs. Today: My work is simple: Help widows stop surviving each day… and start rebuilding a life that makes them genuinely glad to be alive again.