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. 98: Under Pressure - Grief & December Holidays
Ep. 129: After The Dam Breaks - Pushing Grief Aside
Ep. 128: When The Thought Doesn't Count
Ep. 127: What God Is Honored Here? Shannon Gibney & Kao Kalia Yang
Ep. 126: When A Child Dies Of Suicide - Anne Moss Rogers
Ep. 125: Mini-Episode - Traci, Amira, & Alina
Ep. 124: A Weed In The Garden Of My Brain - Caroline Wright
Ep. 123: Mini-Episode - Ruby & Jana
Ep. 122: Meeting The Needs Of Grieving Children - New York Life Foundation
Ep. 121: The Goodbye Diaries - Marisa Bardach Ramel
Ep. 120: Mini-Episode - Megan, Michael, & Mason
Ep. 119: Grief & Parenting - Infancy & Toddlers
Ep. 118: Grief & Parenting - Age 5
Ep. 117: Mini-Episode - Josh & Sylvia
Ep. 116: Who Died? Episode 6 - A Guest Podcast Hosted by Grief Out Loud
Ep. 115: Comedy & Grief - Harry Jensen
Ep. 114: What Does Better Mean? Neil Davis
Ep. 113: Young Children & Grief: Mary Plouffe, Ph.D.
Ep. 112: A Cinematic Love Story - John & Melissa
Ep. 111: When The Love Of Your Life Dies Of An Overdose - Marie & Jonathan
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