My First Year as a Widow - Nikki Darling: Love, Loss, and a Relationship That Continues

Nikki lost her husband Rob to cancer when she was only 46. She talks about leaving her first marriage where she was a self-described tradwife and young mom of three, meeting Rob with whom she had a profoundly close bond and a beautiful marriage, losing Rob to colon cancer, working through grief and anger, and continuing embracing love and life following Rob's passing.Nikki met Rob when they were rival Speech and Debate coaches for two of the strongest teams in Oregon. They bonded over their shared love of literature and language and fell deeply in love. Together, they raised their son, Justus, and Nikki’s three daughters from her first marriage, and taught together in Oregon, Brazil, and across the world during their 20-year relationship.In 2022, Rob learned that he had stage-four colon cancer and was given about 11 months to live. During their remaining time together, Nikki and Rob were radically honest with each other and resolved to bond as much as they could before he passed.Under Brazilian law, Nikki had eight days of bereavement leave before she had to return to work. She describes what those first few weeks felt like: supporting their 12-year-old son, finding a widowhood community through writing, learning Rob’s guitar to honor his memory, and building a new home while keeping Rob present in her daily parenting and conversations.You can find Nikki on Substack: https://nikkidarling.substack.com/ And follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikitafeminista/ Be sure to check out other episodes in the My First Year series, wherever you get your podcasts.🌐Follow the series wherever you listen to podcasts and join our growing community at sophiamedia.co.▶️ www.youtube.com/@MyFirstYearSeries❤️ Subscribe for more conversations about life's biggest transitions.Email [email protected] and share your own transformative first year with us.