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

In this episode I’m joined by Oriagh Reynolds, whose husband Fraser died from motor neurone disease. Their story starts the way so many of the best ones do. A chance meeting in Dublin, a bit of boldness, and a gut feeling that turned into a life. Together they built something full. Australia, travel, work, marriage, and their daughter, Una. And then another gut feeling. This one telling Oriagh they needed to go home to Ireland. Not long after, Fraser was diagnosed with MND. What follows is a conversation about what happens when you are told, in no uncertain terms, that the person you love is going to die, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Oriagh talks about what the disease took from Fraser, slowly and relentlessly, and how they made a conscious decision to focus on what remained. Their home became a place of care, honesty, humour, and, perhaps most strikingly, gratitude. Not forced positivity, but a daily practice that carried them through the worst of it. We talk about parenting through terminal illness. How you explain something like this to a child. How you include them without overwhelming them. And what it looks like to raise a child in the middle of something most adults would struggle to survive. We talk about Fraser’s creativity in the face of unimaginable loss. The art he created using only his eyes. The legacy he built while his body failed him. And the letter he left behind for his wife and daughter, waiting until the moment it was needed. And we talk about what comes after. Solo parenting. The empty house at night. The decisions that are yours and yours alone. And the relentless reality of continuing on. This one is devastating in places. But it’s also full of love, strength, and a kind of perspective that stays with you.

Rosie is joined by Fran Milne, whose husband Matt died suddenly after collapsing on a flight home from Singapore. What begins as a familiar story of work travel, school runs and family life shifts in an instant into something unthinkable. A knock at the door. A police officer standing on the driveway. And the kind of shock that splits your life into before and after. In this deeply honest conversation, Fran talks Rosie through the moment everything changed. From the surreal wait in her living room, to the phone call from the air ambulance, to the long drive to the hospital knowing something was very wrong. And then the moment no one can prepare you for. They talk about the practical and emotional chaos that follows sudden loss. Telling the children. The decisions you never thought you’d have to make. The strange, jarring details that stay with you. And the small moments of humanity that carry you through the worst day of your life. There is heartbreak here, but also warmth, humour, and the kind of clarity that only comes from living through it. This episode covers: Sudden death and medical trauma The reality of a police knock at the door Deep vein thrombosis and missed symptoms The experience of hospital after a sudden loss Telling children their parent has died Early grief, shock, and survival

Jess Herrick was 28 when her partner Max was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer. What followed was a year of brutal treatment, long hospital stays, and a kind of life that no one in their twenties expects to be living. Against the odds, Max went into remission and they tried to rebuild. But just a year later, the cancer came back, this time terminal. In this episode, Jess talks about loving someone through illness, becoming a carer in your mid-twenties, and the quiet, devastating losses that come with young widowhood, not just the person, but the future you were meant to have together. They got married in a hospice just days before Max died. Jess also shares what it’s actually like to be widowed at 28, the messy reality of grief in your twenties, and why she’s now helping other young widows find each other through peer support. This one is raw, honest, and devastating, but also full of love.

Rosie is joined by Leslie Harter-Berg, author of You Are So Strong, to talk about sudden loss, solo parenting, and rebuilding a life you never asked for. Leslie’s husband Ryan died unexpectedly in 2019 after suffering an aneurysm and stroke while they were on a family holiday. He was 34. They had two very young children. One moment they were by the pool, the next, everything had changed. They talk about the reality of those early days. Telling your children their dad has died. Coming home without him. The strange, relentless practicalities of grief. And why being told “you are so strong” can feel completely off the mark. They also talk about what comes next. Finding love again. Building a blended family. Raising children who grieve in very different ways. And holding both joy and devastation at the same time. Leslie shares how her book came to be, and how writing it felt less like revisiting trauma and more like spending time with Ryan again. About Leslie's Book Title: You Are So Strong: On Grief and Letting Go of My Favourite Compliment Available: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Kindle, and Audible (narrated by Leslie herself) Where to Find Leslie Instagram: @lesliehartberg Nonprofit: Bids for Wids (sharing widows' stories) Where to Find Rosie Podcast: Widowed AF Book: Rosie's memoir (published on the anniversary of Ben's death) Content Note This episode discusses sudden bereavement, young widowhood, children's grief, and the death of a spouse. If you have been affected by any of the topics discussed, you can reach out to Rosie or Leslie directly via their social channels.

In this episode, Rosie Moss speaks with Stuart J Green, author of The Regenerative Leap, whose story of love, loss and survival is almost impossible to comprehend, and yet deeply human. Stuart takes us back to a life built in the Philippines, where he met his wife Maya, a brilliant lawyer, mother, and woman deeply committed to justice. Their love story is rich with humour, culture and connection. And then, in a moment of unimaginable violence, everything changes. Maya is murdered in broad daylight, ambushed in her car while picking up their children from school. What follows is a story that will stop you in your tracks. A mother’s final act of protection. Children who survive against all odds. And a father who must hold it all together while his world collapses. Together, Rosie and Stuart explore what happens next. The immediate aftermath. The fear. The decision to flee the country within days. And the reality of arriving back in the UK as a suddenly single parent to three traumatised children. They talk about: Survivor’s guilt and what it means to be “the one left behind” Raising children after extreme trauma and telling them the truth over time The anger children feel, and where it lands The strange isolation of being a widowed parent, especially as a dad The power of routine, even when everything feels impossible And the idea that grief doesn’t just break you, it can also rebuild you Stuart shares how he deliberately chose not to look back at his grief until his children were stable, and what happened when he finally opened those journals years later. From that came his book, and a framework for navigating life after devastation. At the heart of this conversation is a powerful reframe. Not resilience. Not “getting back to who you were”. But regeneration. The idea that after the fire, something new can grow. This is an episode about the worst thing happening… and what comes after. About raising children through grief. About love that protects, even in the final moment. And about finding a way forward when there is no map. If this episode resonates, sharing it or leaving a review helps other widows find it. https://www.regenerateleap.com/

In this episode Rosie Moss is joined by writer and lifelong music obsessive Cath Holland. Cath brings her husband Andy vividly to life, a thoughtful, principled “music buff” whose love of records, gigs and humour carried them through 25 years together and somehow held on right until the end. The conversation begins in the life before. Liverpool gig scenes, record shops, and a shared vinyl collection built over decades. Cath still laughs remembering the moment Andy first asked her out, by ringing her landline like it was 1987. Then comes the rupture. Cath walks Rosie through the brutal speed of Andy’s bowel cancer diagnosis. The failed prep. The endless hospital wait. Being told there was an “84% chance” of cancer just days before Christmas. Early reassurances quickly turned into the reality of stage four disease. Together they talk about the parts people rarely say out loud. Stomas, infections, DNAR conversations, and the relentlessness of becoming a carer while watching the person you love slip away. Cath also speaks about the strange intimacy of keeping someone at home after they die. From there the conversation moves into the long tail of grief. Funerals. Ashes sitting on a shelf surrounded by Beatles books. The support cliff that arrives after everyone goes home. And the exhausting work of rebuilding a future that was never meant to be yours. This is a conversation about love, music, caregiving, class, and the quiet endurance required to keep going when the soundtrack of your life suddenly stops. In this episode: • How Cath and Andy’s relationship was built through music, Liverpool gigs, record collecting and the rituals that still anchor her now. • The diagnostic timeline that still feels unreal: repeat endoscopies, a dread filled wait, and being told there was an “84% likelihood” of cancer days before Christmas. • Medical whiplash and systemic failure when tumours initially shrank but surgery was later ruled out because hospital teams weren’t communicating properly. • What “dying at home” can actually look like, from hospice at home support and syringe drivers to district nurses and the decision to stay out of hospital in the final week. • Small moments of joy when there is no bucket list, including record shopping, Saturday lunches and comfort music from The Beatles and Creedence. • After death: the funeral as a rare moment of collective support, a Beatles shrine for the ashes, and the quiet bubble before telling the world. • The secondary losses people rarely talk about including work, identity, grief brain and the physical impact of prolonged stress and caregiving. • The kind of support that actually helps bereaved people and the things well meaning friends often get wrong. A beautiful, honest conversation about music, love, caregiving and the long echo of loss. Chapters 0:07 Welcome + Kath and Andy: a life built on music 6:50 From first symptoms to diagnosis: the long, frightening wait 9:54 Treatment twists: radiotherapy, chemo hope, then stage four 12:44 Palliative care, hospice, and choosing home 18:59 Living inside terminal illness: day-to-day love, fear, and admin 26:07 The last weeks and days: care at home, music, and the moment of death 37:04 What happens next: overnight at home, funeral, ashes, and keeping love close 42:59 The fallout: isolation, practical help, money, class, and work after loss 64:29 Rebuilding a life: identity, exhaustion, joy, and messages for the newly widowed #widowedaf #widowhood #griefpodcast #bereavement #hospicecare #palliativecare #cancerjourney #endoflifeplanning #griefandmoney #workingclassvoices

This week on Widowed AF, Rosie is joined by LA-based comedian Sam Morrison, whose life changed forever when his partner Jonathan died from Covid in 2021. Sam is currently in London performing his critically acclaimed show Sugar Daddy, a wildly funny, deeply personal comedy about love, loss and everything that comes after. What started as grief eventually found its way onto the stage, proving that sometimes you can’t make sense of tragedy… but you can make jokes about it. Rosie and Sam talk about meeting their partners, navigating loss at a young age, and the strange club nobody wants to join. They also get into dark humour, grief counselling, dating after loss, audience reactions to comedy about death, and why sometimes laughter is the only way through. Expect conversations about gay bear festivals, cruise ship comedy gigs, grief guilt, autoimmune diagnoses after trauma, and the awkward reality of trying to explain “my partner who died” in everyday conversation. It’s a thoughtful, funny and refreshingly honest chat about grief, resilience and carrying the people we love forward with us. Sam’s show Sugar Daddy is running at the Underbelly in Soho, London from 5 March to 4 April. Find tickets and tour dates at samuelhmorrison.com @samuelhmorrison If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate and review the podcast. It really helps other widowed people find us. You can also find Rosie on Instagram @widowedaf or at widowedaf.com. As always… take care of yourselves, and each other. 0:02 Meet Sam Morrison + ‘Sugar Daddy’ arrives in London 3:04 The love story: meeting Jonathan and falling in fast 7:17 The rupture: losing Jonathan to COVID (and surviving the pandemic) 9:57 Finding language, finding help: support networks + queer widowhood 18:22 Building ‘Sugar Daddy’: turning grief into a show (and taking the hits) 28:03 Grief in the body + love after loss 35:37 Living with the long tail: time, milestones, sobriety, success-guilt 41:41 Spirituality, signs, and the wish for one more conversation 45:50 Final plugs + goodbye: dates, links, community #widowedaf #griefandloss #covidgrief #queergrief #griefhumor #darkhumor #bereavement #griefsupport #sugardaddyshow #standupcomedy

In this episode, Rosie Moss speaks with Natalie Dodds. Natalie is a mum of two who lost her partner, Dave, following a workplace crane collapse. She speaks with clear eyed honesty about parenting through shock, bureaucracy and the long tail of grief, while still finding ways to keep Dave’s humour and presence alive at the family dinner table. We begin with life before. How Natalie and Dave met, built a home and became parents. Alongside that joy came an earlier rupture, the stillbirth of their daughter, Emily Daisy, at just over 38 weeks. Natalie shares the visceral reality of delivering on a main ward while hearing other babies cry, and the complex coexistence of grief and love that followed. In time, she volunteered with SANDS and welcomed two more children, carrying both loss and hope. At the heart of this conversation is the day of the accident. The unexpected paramedic call. The 126 mile drive. The 7pm news report confirming a crane collapse in Crewe. The moment “alive” became the only word that mattered. What followed was five weeks of ICU limbo. Sedation, ventilation, internal bleeding and sepsis. Dark humour. Small kindnesses from staff. Impossible choices about protecting children from trauma. Then the call no one survives hearing. There is absolutely nothing we can do. The kindest thing is to switch the machines off and let him die. Natalie speaks about what comes after the headline moment. The secondary losses that keep arriving. Mortgage threats. Next of kin complications. Institutions insisting on speaking to the person who has died. An 8.5 year wait for an inquest. The exhaustion of fighting systems that do not bend. She shares how she chose not to take her children into ICU, how she refused false promises, and how she found the words to tell them their dad was not coming home, while still getting them up for school the next morning. Eight and a half years later, the inquest brought answers about training failures and a wrong method statement, followed by the additional blow of hearing “not guilty.” Natalie reflects on the strange mixture of validation and devastation that comes with official findings that change nothing. This is a conversation about compounded grief. About loving someone who has died without freezing them in sainthood. About keeping Dave the man present through stories, laughter and everyday references. About maintaining a close bond with his family. About integrating a new partner into a home where Dave is still spoken about with love. It is also about resilience that does not look shiny. About coping strategies that sound small but keep you upright. Work routines. Blood pressure bingo. Cherries to stay awake on the motorway. Above all, it is about a woman doing the unthinkable and still showing up for her children. A powerful, unfiltered episode about loss, responsibility, anger, love and the long road towards something that resembles stability.

In this episode the host Rosie Moss speaks with Caroline Booth. Caroline is a widowed mother of two and the driving force behind a powerful grassroots campaign to reform bereavement support in the UK, born from her own experience of sudden loss and systemic failure. Caroline’s story begins with the unexpected loss of her husband Steve to aggressive bowel cancer. As she navigated the raw terrain of grief while raising two teenage sons, she quickly found herself caught in a bureaucratic maze—unable to access funds, unaware of her entitlements, and confronted by the limitations of a system that seemed designed to overlook her. Through candid reflection and honest frustration, Caroline details her journey from devastation to advocacy, sharing the real-life impacts of outdated policies, insufficient support, and public misperceptions. This conversation sheds light on how bereaved families are consistently let down, how contributory systems ignore lived complexity, and how a campaign powered by grief and solidarity is shifting the narrative. As Rosie notes, Caroline’s strength is not just in surviving, but in using her voice so others don’t face the same silence. “You look at your kids and you think, shit, actually, would I—how long could I pay my mortgage for if my husband died?”—a reflection many will carry forward.

In this deeply moving episode, host Rosie Moss speaks with Christine Fader, an educator and advocate who became the primary caregiver to her husband, Michael, through his cancer journey. Christine and Michael met in 1997, an instant yet thoughtful connection that led to marriage within months. Long before cancer entered their lives, they were already navigating complexity, including Christine’s own chronic health condition. When Michael was diagnosed with cancer, the illness arrived layered with trauma. Treatment did not just cause physical pain. It resurfaced deep childhood wounds. Radiation masks triggered memories of abuse. Medical environments felt unsafe. Pain became inseparable from memory. Drawing on her background in medical education, Christine stepped into the dual role of caregiver and advocate, working to ensure Michael’s trauma was recognised and accommodated in a system that often overlooks it. Their story is not linear or neat. It moves through extraordinary love, startling pain, fierce advocacy, and profound tenderness. In his final days, Michael remained lucid and in excruciating pain, choosing to stay as long as he could. As he once told Christine, giving in to the cancer felt like giving in to the bad guys. Christine speaks openly about complex grief, including what it means to lose a long-term partner without children, and how she now channels that pain into education, advocacy, and storytelling. This is a conversation about love under pressure, trauma-informed care, and the quiet bravery of staying. In this episode, we explore: How Michael’s childhood trauma shaped his pain tolerance and mistrust of medical systems, and how Christine advocated for trauma-informed accommodations during treatment The emotional and ethical realities of caregiving through terminal illness, including assisted dying conversations and holding hope alongside hopelessness How Christine used her medical education background to design a student workshop on trauma-informed cancer care The complexity of grief after losing a partner when there are no children, and how Christine built resilience through advocacy and storytelling Why consent, slowing down, and assuming trauma may be present can radically improve medical care The power of small rituals and personal notes during crisis, and Christine’s hope to one day shape these into a book honouring Michael’s story Content warning: terminal illness, trauma, death #griefjourney #traumainformedcare #chronicillnesssupport #cancerstories #endoflifecare #caregiverlife #medicalconsent #partnerloss #mentalhealthawareness #resilientrelationships

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 widowhood Parenting children after the death of a parent “Pure grief” and mourning without betrayal Mental health, stigma, and coping behaviours Public scrutiny and navigating loss in small communities Rebuilding identity and life after loss Chapters 0:02 Introducing Betsy Ronel and Shared Widowhood Experience 5:08 Love After Loss: The Beginning of a New Chapter 9:52 Building Family and Life Transitions 17:24 Professional Challenges and Sudden Loss 27:11 The Day Daniel Died and Immediate Aftermath 43:40 Facing Grief, Public Scrutiny, and Legal Battles 57:43 Navigating Grief and Single Parenthood 64:31 Supporting Grieving Children and Parenting Challenges 69:09 Financial Struggles, Rebuilding, and New Beginnings 78:20 Reflections on Healing, Self-Compassion, and Endurance #widowhoodjourney #griefsupport #emotionalresilience #childbereavement #suddenloss #mentalhealthafterloss #parentingthroughgrief #careeraftertragedy #griefandhealing #traumaticloss

In this episode of Widowed AF, Rosie Moss sits down with Hannah Ramsey to tell a love story that began in childhood and ended far too soon. Hannah and her husband, Blue, met in primary school and spent 35 years building a life together. They raised four children, ran a business from home, renovated houses, travelled, laughed, and lived with a deep sense of partnership and mutual respect. Blue was thoughtful, practical, endlessly capable, and deeply present as both a husband and a father. Everything changed after a cycling accident on what should have been an ordinary ride. Hannah takes us into the disorienting world that followed: hospital corridors, neurological terminology, impossible waiting, and the unbearable moment of being told that survival would mean a life without consciousness. With honesty and quiet strength, she shares what it was like to sit with those realities, to honour long-held conversations about quality of life, and to say goodbye while still holding his hand. This conversation doesn’t shy away from the hardest parts of loss. Hannah speaks openly about the withdrawal of life support, the strange rituals of the hospital, the logistics that follow death, and the emotional weight of decisions no one ever expects to make. She also reflects on what helped her survive those early days: community, routine, gardening, friendship, and the permission to simply be “good enough” when perfection was impossible. Together, Rosie and Hannah explore the long tail of grief, the complexities of anger and compassion, the limits of traditional support spaces, and the quiet comfort found in shared stories and connection. It’s a tender, devastating, and deeply human episode about love, loss, and learning how to keep living when the person you built your world with is gone. Key themes: Childhood sweethearts and lifelong partnership Sudden loss and catastrophic injury Making end-of-life decisions Parenting after the death of a partner Community, ritual, and surviving the early days of grief Learning to be “good enough” after loss

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, it’s just me. I recorded this on Christmas Eve to mark the end of season three and to say thank you. There’s no script and no guest. Just a chance to talk honestly about the year that’s been. I reflect on winning Gold at the podcast awards and why it still feels surreal. I talk about my marriage ending, going back to solo parenting, and supporting my neurodivergent daughter through school burnout and anxiety. I share how close I came to burning out myself, and what it’s really like trying to hold everything together as the only parent. I also talk about the Soul Sisters retreat I hosted at my home and how unexpectedly joyful and healing it was. There’s an update on the book, losing a publisher, starting again, and why launching it on the anniversary of Ben’s death feels right. There’s some laughter, some honesty, and a bit about Christmas and the pressure we put on ourselves to get it right. If you’ve listened this season, shared an episode, or sent a message, thank you. This podcast exists because of you. Season four starts in January. #widowedparent #neurodivergentkids #griefcommunity #healingafterloss #homeschoolinglife #selfpublishingjourney #christmasgrief #podcastawardwinner #griefandresilience #widowedaf

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

In this episode, Rosie Moss speaks with Derek Tweedie about the kind of love that spans continents and decades, and the kind of loss that reshapes what it means to live well. Derek shares the story of meeting his wife Judy in Edinburgh by chance, falling in love across cassette tapes and long distance phone calls, and building a full life between Scotland and Canada. Their partnership carried them through parenthood, careers and intimate quiet moments before a sudden glioblastoma diagnosis changed everything. Derek speaks with quiet honesty about Judy’s decline, the eighteen weeks he cared for her at home, and why he sees those days as his greatest achievement. He recalls the community effort that completed Judy’s PhD in her name while she was still able to hear the news, and the beauty threaded through unbearable days. This is not an episode that offers answers, but presence. Derek reflects on loneliness, the shock of grief, the tentative world of dating again, signs and symbolism, and how literature and landscape help him keep Judy close. Together, he and Rosie explore what it means to give someone a good death, and then to try to live fully afterwards. Episode Highlights / Show Notes • A chance meeting in Edinburgh becomes a life partnership • Long distance love before technology made it easy • Judy’s abrupt glioblastoma diagnosis and decline • Derek’s caregiving journey at home • Community effort to complete Judy’s PhD • Parenting adult grief and navigating holidays • Dating again and seeking connection • Quiet reflections on death, memory and meaning #widowhood #caregiving #glioblastoma #griefjourney #bereavementpodcast #widowedpartner #lovestory #endoflifecare #gooddeath #parentingthroughloss #lifeaftercaregiving #DerekTweedie #JudyTweedie #RosieMoss #WidowedAF #healingstories #meaningafterloss #findingconnectionagain

In this special episode, Rosie Moss sits down with entrepreneur, widow and community builder Nicky Wake to explore the power of widow led spaces. Nicky is best known for founding Chapter Two Dating and Widows Fire, two platforms that reshape how widows re enter intimacy and connection. Her newest venture, The Widow Collective, goes even deeper, creating a free, grassroots home for widowed people to meet, talk and feel understood. Together, Rosie and Nicky unpack why widowhood needs its own spaces, how unmet needs sparked these projects, and what happens when grief meets humour, friendship and real world support. Nicky talks candidly about her own loss, parenting and recovery, and why she believes solidarity is life saving. This episode is an invitation to join the conversation and a glimpse into what The Widow Collective is building next. Episode Highlights / Talking Points • Why Nicky created Chapter Two Dating and Widows Fire • The launch of The Widow Collective and how it already serves thousands • Peer led support through Zoom chats, forums and local meetups • Tackling taboo topics openly • Why grief literacy matters for society • Nicky’s personal journey, motherhood and recovery #widowhood #griefsupport #bereavementcommunity #widoweddating #ChapterTwoDating #WidowsFire #TheWidowCollective #RosieMoss #NickyWake #WidowedAF #peersupport #lifeafterloss #griefliteracy #widowsintheUK #healingincommunity

In this deeply honest episode, Rosie Moss sits down with author, coach and mental health advocate Tabby Kerwin to talk about the kind of love that shifts you, the kind of loss that breaks you, and the slow, unexpected freedom that can grow from grief. Tabby takes us inside her story with Simon, her late husband. First they were musicians side by side, then partners wrapped in intimacy, humour and shared purpose. They weathered an untypical cancer journey together, marked by delayed diagnosis, brutal treatment, remission, and a devastating infection that cut their time short. This is a conversation about love, but it is equally about survival. Tabby opens up about parenting through bereavement, allowing her son Ollie autonomy in his grief, and the hidden pain of carrying the truth alone until she finally let family in before goodbye. We talk about mental health, inherited expectations, and the teenage grief that shaped her early adulthood. Tabby reflects on the moment widowhood became permission rather than punishment, letting her live truthfully, speak publicly, and refuse shame. She shares the solace she found in tiny rituals, prawn dumplings, Grey’s Anatomy, community, and fierce honesty. And she names the bittersweet peace of being content in her own company post loss, no longer running but coming home to herself. If you have ever loved deeply, lost painfully, or rebuilt quietly, this episode will meet you where you are. Episode Highlights / Show Notes • Love and connection through music • A complex cancer journey and sudden loss • Parenting and autonomy in grief • Mental health, teenage bereavement and identity • Choosing authenticity and advocacy over silence • Widowhood as a turning point into selfhood • Finding peace in singleness, community and purpose #widowhood #griefsupport #bereavementpodcast #widowedparents #griefjourney #mentalhealth #cancerloss #lifeafterloss #singleparenting #identityaftergrief #TabbyKerwin #SimonKerwin #lovestory #resilience #healingafterloss #womensstories #RosieMoss #WidowedAF #griefcommunity

In this episode, Rosie Moss speaks with Becky Shepherd, a mother of two and the widow of Paul, her husband of more than twenty years. What begins as a warm and funny look back at their early romance in Birmingham unfolds into a raw, deeply human account of sudden loss and the impossible steps that follow. Becky talks about meeting Paul in her early twenties and the ease of falling in love with someone who felt like home from the start. Together they built a loud, music-filled family life where their sons, Jake and Archie, grew up knowing a present and devoted dad. “We were his hobby,” Becky says, remembering nights spent dancing in the kitchen and the ordinary joy of being together. Everything changed on a family holiday in Turkey when Paul, a healthy forty six year old, suffered a cardiac arrest in the hotel gym. Becky describes the desperate search for a defibrillator that did not exist, the kindness of strangers who stepped in to help her boys, and the moment in the hospital when her world shattered. In the days that followed, she navigated repatriation, post-mortem paperwork, and the unbearable task of telling her sons that their dad had died. She also shares glimmers of light: the boys choosing Paul’s sunglasses and drumsticks for his coffin, music from their family life echoing through the funeral, and the quiet gratitude that life insurance allowed them to keep their home. With honesty, humour, and a remarkable steadiness, Becky reflects on grief, anger, love, and rebuilding. Together, she and Rosie explore how widowhood reshapes a life and why remembering the good years matters just as much as surviving the hard ones. #widowhood#grief #suddenloss #soloparenting #bereavement #cardiacarrest #familyholidaytragedy #rebuildingafterloss#widowedparents #griefpodcast #WidowedAF #loveandloss #parentingthroughgrief #youngwidowhood #survivingtheunimaginable

In this deeply human and beautifully raw episode, Rosie Moss sits down with Aimie Strachan, a widow and mother of two whose husband John died suddenly from an undiagnosed aortic dissection. What unfolds is a conversation full of love, shock, courage, and the fierce tenderness of solo parenting after loss. Aimie traces their story from meeting as young teachers in Dubai to the ease and joy of their marriage, and then to the night everything changed. With heartbreaking clarity she describes the medical crisis that unfolded, the impossible decisions she faced, and the moment she had to tell her children that their dad had died. Rosie and Aimie explore the messy truth of grief. The anger. The bitterness. The lonely practicalities. The way it lands differently on children. And the exhaustion of trying to access the right support. Amid the devastation there is also movement. Aimie talks about how community, creativity, the outdoors, and connection with other widows helped her find her footing again. She has since launched a Whitley Bay brand in John’s honour and is determined to live with more urgency and intention. Life is so short. Just do the thing. This conversation offers space for heartbreak, softness, rage, growth, and the small quiet moments of hope that show up when you least expect them. Show Notes In this episode Rosie and Aimie talk about • How Aimie met her husband John in Dubai and how quickly and naturally their relationship grew • Building a life together, marrying, and welcoming their two children • The sudden onset of John’s symptoms and the unfolding of a rare aortic dissection • The confusion, urgency and helplessness of those final hours in hospital • The emotional and practical reality of end of life decisions • The moment Aimie told her children their dad had died and the ongoing impact on them • How grief shows up in children in unexpected ways and why childhood bereavement needs more awareness and support • The anger, bitterness and sheer exhaustion of grieving inside a broken mental health system • Finding comfort in nature, forest school sessions and small grounding routines • The power of community and widowed friendship in the early stages of loss • Launching a heartfelt Whitley Bay brand in John’s honour and rediscovering purpose • Why Aimie now leans into life’s brevity and pushes herself to do the things she once hesitated over • Navigating difficult seasons like Christmas with honesty and gentleness