The Widow's Collective
The Widow’s Collective is where grief meets hope, healing, and community. Hosted by grief coach and widow, Lauren Lentz, each episode offers tender reflections, real conversations, and practical tools to help you navigate life after loss. Whether you’re in the depths of early grief or learning to reimagine your life in the “after,” you’ll find a gentle space to land here — one that honors your story, your pace, and your humanity.
Episodes
30 episodes
Episode 30: The Quiet Ways Suffering Takes Root in Widowhood
In this episode…I explore why suffering becomes such a common (and often misunderstood) part of widowhood and early grief and how it can quietly take root not just as pain, but as meaning, identity, and even connection.This...
Episode 29: When You May Look Okay… But You’re Not
Episode Description:There’s a moment in grief when the outside world begins to respond to you differently.You’re getting out of bed.You’re showing up for your kids.You’re going to work, answering messages, maybe eve...
Episode 28: If I Could Sit Beside The Version of Me That Was Newly Widowed… This Is What I Would Say
In this deeply personal episode, I slow things down and return to the earliest version of myself: the one who had just lost Kevin, the one who didn’t know how she would survive.After sharing a post that resonated deeply within the widow ...
Episode 27: When Grief Feels Like 10 Steps Forward… and 20 Steps Back
In this episode of The Widow’s Collective Podcast, Lauren explores one of the most confusing and challenging aspects of grief: the feeling of taking steps forward only to be pulled back by unexpected waves of pain.If you’ve ever...
Episode 26: Kevin's Birthday...And The Weight Milestones Still Carry
In this episode of The Widow’s Collective Podcast, I share a personal reflection on Kevin’s birthday — what would have been his 43rd — and explore why certain milestone days in grief never quite lose their weight.Grief doesn’t f...
Episode 25: The Hard Truth About Grief and Life
In today’s episode, we explore the often unspoken reality that both life and grief are not meant to feel effortless — even though we’re often told they should.This conversation gently challenges the idea that healing should feel good, ea...
Episode 24: Secondary Losses — The Death of the Life You Thought You’d Have
When a partner dies, the loss extends far beyond their physical absence.In this episode, Lauren explores secondary losses — the often invisible grief that comes from losing the future you thought you were building together....
Episode 23: “Who Am I Now That He's Gone?"
In today’s episode, we explore a question that often surfaces in widowhood, whether weeks, months, or years after loss:Who am I now that he’s gone?This isn’t a question with a quick answer. It’s not something to solve. It’s...
Episode 22: Wanting To Be Seen, Scared To Be Held
There’s a quiet tension many widows carry:We long to be seen. And we’re scared to be held.In this episode, I explore the vulnerability of being witnessed in grief — why it can feel threatening to let others see the depth ...
Episode 21: Reimagining Love and Life After Loss
Episode 21: Reimagining Love and Life After LossWhen a partner dies, it’s not only the past that breaks open — it’s the future you thought you were living toward.In this episode, Lauren gently explores what it means to reimagine l...
Episode 20: Coming Back Home To Yourself
When we lose a partner, we don’t just lose the person we loved — we lose the orientation we had to life itself.In this episode, I explore what it means to come back home to yourself after loss — not by trying to “find t...
Episode 19: Valentine’s Day in the After
Valentine’s Day can land very differently in widowhood — whether it once meant everything, or barely registered at all.In this episode, I’m sitting with the tenderness of love-centered days after loss. We talk about why days like Valenti...
Episode 18: The Love That Still Lives Here
February can bring up complicated emotions for widows — especially as love is publicly framed through romance, couple-hood, and celebration. In this episode, Lauren offers a spacious, honest conversation about the kind of love that doesn’t disa...
Episode 17: Finding the Right Kind of Support for You
In this little bonus episode of the support series, Lauren explores how to choose grief support that actually meets you where you are—without pressure, comparison, or urgency.If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by your options, unsure...
Episode 16: What Do Love Languages and Support Have in Common?
Episode 16: What Do Love Languages and Support Have in Common?(Or: Why Good Intentions Can Still Miss in Grief)Grief changes the way support is given, received, and understood. In this episode, we explore why even the most ...
Episode 15: When You Don’t Know What You Need (And Why That’s Okay)
In this episode, we’re talking about something that comes up for so many people in grief—especially early on—when others ask, “What do you need?” and your mind goes completely blank.Not knowing how to answer doesn’t mean you’re ...
Episode 14: Living In The Fog
Episode 14 — Living in the FogEarly grief often doesn’t arrive with sharp edges or clear emotions. Instead, it shows up as fog — disorientation, slowness, numbness, and a sense of moving through life slightly out of reach...
Episode 13: The Days That Bring You to Your Knees
Episode 13: The Days That Bring You to Your KneesIn this episode, we talk about shock, sudden loss, grief waves, and the ways grief can show up unexpectedly in the body.Gentle note for listeners: Some of what’s s...
Episode 12: New Year’s Resolutions — When You’re Just Trying to Survive
Episode 12: New Year’s Resolutions — When You’re Just Trying to SurviveWhen “fresh starts” miss the mark in griefJanuary often arrives with pressure — to improve, reset, optimize, and become a “better” version of yourself. ...
Episode 11: Anticipating the New Year: A Year Without Them in It
Episode 11: Anticipating the New Year — A Year Without You In ItThe days between Christmas and New Year’s can feel strangely heavy—quiet, suspended, and emotionally charged. In this episode, Lauren speaks to the often unspoken fea...
Episode 10: A Different Kind of Christmas: Grief, Gifts, and Your Limits
Episode 10 Show Notes: A Different Kind of Christmas — Grief, Gifts, and Your LimitsIn this episode, I share my first Christmas without Kevin — the “firsts,” the heartbreak, and the unexpected lessons about grief, love, and what w...
Episode 9: It’s Not You, It’s the Envelope: The Griever’s Holiday Paradox with Rio Richards
The holidays after loss can feel deeply confusing. You may want the cards, the invites, and the connection—and simultaneously feel unable to open an envelope or show up to a gathering. This internal push-and-pull is not a failure or a ...
Episode 8: When the Holidays Bring Out Jealousy, Guilt, and Other Heavy Feelings
In this episode, we’re naming the emotions many widows feel during the holidays but rarely say out loud. Jealousy. Guilt. Anger. Longing. Mixed emotions that feel contradictory and confusing. And the shame that often follows....