Dating After Loss: Finding Love Again with Donna Meador

What this episode covers

DonnA Meador is a women's dating coach, author, and speaker who helps smart, soulful women over 50 find love again without repeating old patterns or sacrificing who they are. At 66, DonnA has walked the path of love, loss, and rediscovery. She became a widow at 57 when her late husband, Pietro, passed away suddenly just 15 days after his 70th birthday. As a self-proclaimed "dating intuitive," DonnA combines her strong intuition with lived experience to see beneath the surface, sense the energy behind choices, and guide women to trust their inner knowing. Her own journey of navigating "grief brain" and learning to open her heart to love a second time—she is now happily remarried to her husband, Jeff—gives her a unique and compassionate perspective on dating after loss. DonnA is the author of the book "Dating, It's Not Personal," which she began writing in 2004 and published in 2014 as a love story dedicated to Pietro. She is also the creator of the YouTube channel Smart Dating Divas, where she and her husband Jeff share dating advice and a man's perspective. Her core mission is to help women understand and embrace their immense value in relationships, reminding them to "look for love where it is and not where it isn't". Through her coaching, book, and online presence, DonnA empowers women to reconnect with their feminine wisdom, reclaim joy, and attract love that meets them soul-to-soul. https://smartdatingdivas.com/    https://www.facebook.com/donna.s.meador https://www.linkedin.com/in/dbsmeador/   https://www.instagram.com/smartdatingdivas/ Interview Highlights • Sudden Loss & a Love Story: Donna shares her ten-year love story with her late husband, Pietro, who passed away suddenly from a heart attack and stroke while receiving cancer treatment. • The Power of Declaration: Pietro had often declared he'd be happy to make it to 70 and didn't want to suffer. He passed away 15 days after his 70th birthday, getting everything he had declared, departing with hope in his heart. • Receiving Support: A key piece of advice for the grieving: "allow people to love you the way they know how." Donna's community showed up with food and practical help because she was open to receiving it, even when she was too overwhelmed to ask. • Navigating "Grief Brain": For nearly two years, Donna experienced "grief brain," which made her unable to perform simple tasks like reading a menu. • Finding Love a Second Time: Donna discusses the challenge of opening her heart again, wondering, "How could I possibly fall in love when I'm already in love?". She explains that the heart simply grows to make room for more love and is now happily married to Jeff. • A Continued Spiritual Connection: Donna shares that she still communicates with Pietro in his non-physical form and that he has even appeared to her now-husband, Jeff, as a spirit guide, offering his blessing and support. • Donna's Core Message: Her passion is to help women understand their immense value in relationships. Her biggest tip is to "look for love where it is and not where it isn't". Contact Kendra Rinaldi [https://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com/book-online] to be a guest on the podcast. To book  a coaching discovery call email [email protected]