What started out as an average winter morning ended up being one that would change everything in Melissa Pierce's life. She went to wake up her husband Dave for their son's basketball game and found him unresponsive. Dave had died during the night and the cause of death was never determined. Melissa jumped into figuring out logistics - planning a memorial, getting her sons to school, moving their family, working a full-time job - but eventually she had to figure out herself. It meant focusing on what she was thinking, feeling, and needing in her grief. That shift to prioritizing self-care ended up changing everything, again.
We discuss
How Melissa and Dave met and fell in love
The process of adopting their two sons
How the shock of Dave’s sudden death led to what Melissa calls “Zombie mode”
Being the person who found Dave when he died and how that impacted her grief
Grieving when the cause of death is undetermined
The financial, logistical, and emotional reality of being a solo parent
Having to tell her sons that their dad died
When Melissa started to feel her feelings in grief
The physical toll of grief
Where Melissa turned for support
How prioritizing self-care changed everything
The origin story of the Widow Squad community
Melissa is the author of Filled With Gold: A Widow’s Story, co-founder of The Widow Squad community, and co-host of The Widow Squad podcast.
Listen to The Widow Squad podcast Episode 41- Holidays and Grief: Strategies to Get Through the Holidays After Your Spouse Dies.
Ep. 167: (Trying To) Understand Suicide - Paula Fontenelle
Ep. 166: Emotions Aren't Problems - Krista St-Germain
Ep. 165: As The Shock Wore Off - Grief's Second Year (Mira Simone)
Ep. 164: Supporting Children & Teens In Grief - Kevin R. Carter, LCSW
Ep. 163: Capital L Love - Caring For A Parent With Alzheimer's (Brianne Grebil)
Ep. 162: When The Professional Becomes Personal - Alesia Alexander, LCSW
Ep. 161: Preserving Memories -Love Not Lost With Ashley Jones
Ep. 160: The Shared Room - Kao Kalia Yang
Ep. 159: Back To School With Grief & The COVID-19 Pandemic - A Tip Sheet
Ep. 158: Growing (Up) With Grief - One Teen's Story
Ep. 157: Let's Talk About Loss - Beth French
Ep. 156: Death As Resistance - Dr. Kami Fletcher
Ep. 155: Gratitude, Guilt, & Grief - Ty Alexander
Ep. 154: Memories And Legacy - CircleIt & Art Shaikh
Ep. 153: Big Emotions In Grief - Jenny Delacruz, LPC
Ep. 152: Teenage Grief Sucks - Natalie Adams
Ep. 151: Resources To Support Grieving Children & Families - An Update From The New York Life Foundation
Ep. 150: Love, Anger, & Grief - Supporting Children After A Murder
Ep. 149: Integrating Grief - Mari Gonzalez
Ep. 148: Wrongful Death - A Grieving Mother's Story (Paula Becker)
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