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
22 episodes
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 ...
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Episode 22
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13:07
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...
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Episode 21
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16:04
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...
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14:11
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...
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Episode 19
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14:03
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...
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Episode 18
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15:37
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...
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Episode 17
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14:02
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 ...
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Episode 16
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17:11
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 ...
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15:32
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...
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26:59
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...
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17:51
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. ...
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Episode 12
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13:40
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...
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Episode 11
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17:53
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...
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Episode 10
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15:55
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 ...
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Episode 9
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35:52
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....
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30:27
Episode 7: 5 Ways To Support Yourself Through The Holidays
EPISODE 7 — 5 Ways to Support Yourself Through the Holidays Short, gentle guidance for a season that can feel overwhelming.Episode SummaryThe holidays can bring a complicated mix of emotions. I...
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18:17
Episode 6: The Empty Seat At The Table
Today’s episode arrives on Thanksgiving — a day that can hold deep tenderness for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one. While others gather around the table in gratitude and celebration, you may be feeling the weight of who isn’t there. The ...
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17:04
Episode 5: The Grief Hangover with Julia Warren
Episode 5: The Grief HangoverDescription: Have you ever made it through a milestone — a birthday, an anniversary, a holiday — feeling surprisingly okay, only to wake up the next day heavy, anxious, and undone? That’s ...
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29:23
Episode 4: 'Tis The Season To Be Thankful (When You're Not Feeling Very Thankful At All)
Episode 4: ’Tis the Season to Be Thankful (When You’re Not Feeling Very Thankful At All)Holidays. For many, they’re filled with warmth, lights, and tradition — but for those of us navigating grief, they can feel heavy, complicated, and e...
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20:20
Episode 3: Are My Best Days Behind Me?
Episode 3: Are My Best Days Behind Me?In this week’s episode, Lauren explores a tender and deeply human question many widows quietly wrestle with after loss: “Are my best days behind me?”This episode dives i...
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21:53