When you're a sober alcoholic, a divorcee, and a widow, you might know a thing or two about rebuilding your life. Jennifer Newberg joins Anita and Mel to chat about what all this looks like with honesty, humor, and zero interest in pretending healing is linear.

After the death of her husband, Jennifer eventually created widow wellness retreats through building spaces where widows can reconnect with themselves outside of survival mode. She talks about grief, recovery, community, and what happens when you stop trying to fit the “inspirational widow” mold and start figuring out what actually feels meaningful.

The conversation also takes a detour into the Salem witch trials, historical suspicion around widows, and the long history of society being uncomfortable with women who exist outside traditional roles. Turns out widows have been making people uneasy for centuries, something unfortunately still not uncommon in 2026.

If you're gonna be a widow, you might as well find others who get it - check out the retreats and offerings Jennifer has at:

http://www.itslifey.com

Find her on IG at @itslifeyco

Sponsored by:

BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn

Mint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes and more!
http://www.patreon.com/wwdn

Need some Snarky Grief merch?
http://shop.widowwedonow.com

Wanna buy us tacos?
http://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonow

Follow our YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@widowwedonow

Support the show

Christine Fader joins Anita and Mel from Canada to talk about the death of her husband, Michael, and the reality of living through not one but two cancer diagnoses. In 2018, Michael was diagnosed with the “good” kind of throat cancer. In 2020, he was diagnosed with a completely new and far more aggressive lung cancer. By November 2022, he was gone.

Michael’s terminal cancer was both aggressive and underfunded despite lung cancer being one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers there is. He held onto hope for new treatments as long as he could.

The episode also digs into the trauma that can exist underneath cancer care. Christine shares how Michael’s childhood trauma and later medical trauma shaped his experience as a patient, and why she is now advocating for trauma-informed cancer care and better education for doctors. With a background in speaking, teaching, and advocacy, she’s working to push conversations about cancer beyond survival rates and treatment plans to include the emotional and psychological realities patients and caregivers live through.

Find Christine at https://www.christinefader.com

Sponsored by:

BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn

Mint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes and more!
http://www.patreon.com/wwdn

Need some Snarky Grief merch?
http://shop.widowwedonow.com

Wanna buy us tacos?
http://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonow

Follow our YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@widowwedonow

Support the show

Dating is already complicated—add grief, trauma, and modern communication norms, and it becomes a whole new landscape. This week, Lauren Salaun helps Anita and Mel dig into what it actually looks like to date after loss: how to approach it as a widow, how trauma can show up in your body (yes, even your immune system), and how to figure out what you really want now.

They talk attraction vs. compatibility, must-haves vs. deal breakers, and what makes a relationship not just exciting—but sustainable. There’s also a candid look at the unspoken “rules” of dating today: who pays, who texts first, and how to end things in an era where everyone avoids direct communication.

For more on Lauren's offerings, such as the free guide to texting while dating, visit: http://laurensalaun.com

*Check our Patreon for AD FREE Episodes, or to submit tributes of your person to be read in an episode! *http://www.patreon.com/wwdn

Sponsored by:

BetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdn

Mint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/month https://trymintmobile.com/wwdn

Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes and more!
http://www.patreon.com/wwdn

Need some Snarky Grief merch?
http://shop.widowwedonow.com

Wanna buy us tacos?
http://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonow

Follow our YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@widowwedonow

Support the show