Widowed AF: Real stories of love, grief and beyond - With Rosie Moss

What do you say when “How are you?” feels impossible to answer?This week I’m joined by Erin Clark, whose husband Greg died suddenly from a heart attack in 2021 after more than 30 years of marriage. One moment they were enjoying a simple family dinner with their children, and the next Erin found herself performing CPR on the man she’d loved since she was 19.In this deeply moving conversation, Erin shares the reality of losing her person overnight, the guilt she carried after falling asleep in a different room for the first time in three decades, and the crushing loneliness of learning to navigate a world that no longer made sense.We talk about the strange business of grief, the impossible task of telling your children their father has died, and why the second year can sometimes feel even harder than the first.Erin also shares the story behind How’s the Weather?, a simple but powerful question she created when she realised she no longer knew how to answer “How are you?”. Together we explore the idea that grief, like the weather, is constantly changing. Storms give way to sunshine, only for clouds to roll back in again.This is a conversation about enduring love, surviving the unsurvivable, and finding your way back to life one tiny step at a time.If you’re currently in the thick of grief, consider this your reminder that surviving today is enough.🎧 Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of sudden death, CPR, grief, trauma and bereavement.

When Charlotte’s husband Josh died suddenly from SADS (Sudden Adult Death Syndrome), she was just 32 years old.One ordinary Monday morning, Josh went for a run, came home, started work and then, without warning, collapsed and died. Hours later, Charlotte found him at home while their two-year-old daughter waited downstairs.In this deeply moving episode, Charlotte shares the reality of navigating life just nine months after losing the love of her life. We talk about the trauma of finding Josh, the crushing guilt that followed, and the endless questions that come when someone young and healthy dies without explanation.Charlotte speaks candidly about raising a toddler who is beginning to ask questions about her dad, the fear of living with uncertainty after a sudden death, and the challenge of rebuilding a life that no longer resembles the one she planned.We also discuss EMDR, grief therapy, widowhood in your thirties, learning to parent alone, and why connecting with other widowed people can make all the difference.This is a conversation about devastating loss, but also about love, resilience and finding hope when life has been turned completely upside down.If you’ve ever wondered how someone survives the unimaginable, this episode is for you.

In this episode of Widowed AF, Rosie is joined by Josie Jakub, CEO of Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS).Josie shares the story of her fiancé Olivier, a kind, spiritual French lorry driver who was loved by everyone around him. Together they were building a life, planning their wedding and creating a future in rural France. Then, just weeks before they were due to marry, Olivier died by suicide.Josie talks openly about the mental health struggles that Olivier had hidden for years, the shocking way she received the news of his death, and the impossible task of making sense of a loss that seemed to come out of nowhere.She also shares one of the most extraordinary stories ever told on Widowed AF: her attempt to marry Olivier after his death through a little-known French law that allows posthumous marriage with presidential approval. What followed was a four-year journey involving handwritten letters, evidence of their love story and a dossier that eventually reached the desk of President Emmanuel Macron.Rosie and Josie discuss suicide bereavement, stigma, mental illness, survivor guilt, finding community through SOBS and the life-changing power of peer support.This is a conversation about grief, love, resilience and what happens when the future you planned disappears overnight.

In this episode of Widowed AF, Rosie Moss is joined by Betsy Ronel, a widow of 15 years, mother, New York real estate agent, and host of the podcast Heavens to Betsy.Betsy shares the story of her marriage to Daniel, a gifted plastic surgeon known for his integrity and deep ethical conviction. From early online dating to raising young children within a small-town medical community, their life together was shaped by love, ambition, and complexity. Daniel’s sudden death in a car accident shattered that world overnight, leaving Betsy to navigate shock, public scrutiny, parenting through trauma, and the long, slow work of survival.With striking honesty, Betsy reflects on the realities of widowhood that rarely get spoken about: the corrosive myths around “moving on,” the stigma attached to grief-related coping behaviours, and the way loss reshapes identity over years rather than months. She speaks candidly about mental health, financial instability, therapy, and rebuilding a life that still makes room for love and memory.Rosie and Betsy also explore the concept of what they call “pure grief”, mourning without betrayal or anger.Threaded throughout the conversation is humour, tenderness, and a deep respect for the person who died, alongside the hard truth that grief does not disappear. As Betsy puts it, “There’s no way around the grief, it will be waiting for you when you come back to Earth.”This is an episode about enduring love, dignity in grief, and finding ways to keep going without pretending the pain ever fully leaves.Key themes:Sudden loss and long-term widowhoodParenting children after the death of a parent“Pure grief” and mourning without betrayalMental health, stigma, and coping behavioursPublic scrutiny and navigating loss in small communitiesRebuilding identity and life after lossChapters0:02 Introducing Betsy Ronel and Shared Widowhood Experience5:08 Love After Loss: The Beginning of a New Chapter9:52 Building Family and Life Transitions17:24 Professional Challenges and Sudden Loss27:11 The Day Daniel Died and Immediate Aftermath43:40 Facing Grief, Public Scrutiny, and Legal Battles57:43 Navigating Grief and Single Parenthood64:31 Supporting Grieving Children and Parenting Challenges69:09 Financial Struggles, Rebuilding, and New Beginnings78:20 Reflections on Healing, Self-Compassion, and Endurance#widowhoodjourney #griefsupport #emotionalresilience #childbereavement #suddenloss #mentalhealthafterloss #parentingthroughgrief #careeraftertragedy #griefandhealing #traumaticloss

Rachel Hart-Phillips is back.You might remember her from season three, when she told the story of losing her husband to suicide while she was pregnant. Six years on, she’s raising their little boy, navigating the bits of grief that don’t come with a map, and building a life that holds both love and loss without trying to cancel either out.We talk about the strange reality of parenting a child who never met their dad, and the constant question of when to tell the full truth, and how. Rachel shares what helped her survive those first darkest months, why pregnancy became an anchor rather than an extra weight, and what it’s like to carry joy while still carrying grief.Since we last spoke, Rachel’s remarried, created a brilliantly bold card brand called Love Loss Disco Balls (because not everyone wants feathers and doves), and trained as a grief coach. We chat about the difference between counselling and coaching, the practical tools that can help when you feel stuck, and why talking about the hard stuff can take the sting out of it.It’s honest, funny in places, tender in others, and one of those episodes that leaves you feeling a little less alone.Links to Rachel’s work: https://www.instagram.com/afterglowthroughgrief/https://www.lovelossdiscoballs.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOoq5Vh5X_klW7AIYi32G22-bJ2QF_DNLLQ2WSpIIBNZp2fZNn3DQ#suicideloss #griefjourney #widowedparent #mentalhealthawareness #griefcoaching #blendedfamilies #grievingwhilepregnant #onlinedatingafterloss #smallbusinesssupport #holidaysafterloss

In this episode, Rosie Moss speaks with teacher and young widow Amy Brunt, whose life changed overnight when her husband Max died suddenly from meningococcal septicemia in December 2023. Amy shares their story with candour and affection, beginning with the playful first date where they unknowingly arrived in matching outfits, through marriage, motherhood, and the everyday quirks that made Max unforgettable.She recounts the joy of their life together, home renovation chaos, and a sunrise proposal, before guiding us through the unbearable shock of Max’s rapid illness. Amy describes navigating emergency care while holding their newborn son, the guilt, the fear, and the moment she held Max’s hand through his final hours. She takes us into the early days of grief with a baby in her arms and a toddler beside her, naming the numbness, the survival, and the night time ritual she still keeps for Lane: “Mommy loves you, Daddy loves you. Daddy is always watching.”This is an episode about sudden loss, but also about endurance, ritual and community. Amy reflects on solo parenting, loneliness, the unlikely friendships that have buoyed her, and the brutal tension of Christmas after bereavement. It sits with the pain while honouring the love that remains.Episode Highlights / Show Notes• Meeting Max after giving up on online dating• Their first date, matching outfits and immediate connection• Eccentric quirks and everyday love• A wedding, pregnancy and a dream trip to Australia• Max’s sudden illness and rapid decline• Amy’s caregiving experience and his final hours• Parenting young children through loss• Rituals that keep Max close• New friendships, support and surviving Christmas#youngwidow #suddenloss #meningococcalsepticemia #soloparenting #widowedmothers #AmyBrunt #MaxBrunt #bereavement #lifeafterloss #WidowedAF #RosieMoss #griefandmotherhood #healingthroughcommunity #Christmasgrief #widowsupport #griefrituals