Widowed After 29 Years: Dr. Tina’s Raw Journey Through Loss, Faith & Finding Purpose Again | BW: 199

Quick note: We had a weird static issue on this recording. We cleaned it up as much as possible, and the conversation with Dr. Tina was too powerful not to share.   Connect with Tina: Website - https://tinafornwald.com/ https://widowhood-realtalkwithtina.org/  Children’s Secret Santa - https://widowhood-realtalkwithtina.org/children-of-widowhood/  Three-Night Healing Retreat - https://widowhood-realtalkwithtina.org/real-widowhood-weekend-nextyou-experience/ Link For Free Gift Or Offer (If Any): https://tinafornwald.com/where-grief-gets-stuck/ Free Gift/Offer Description (If Any): Discover which of the Five Survival Patterns may be keeping you stuck in grief. Complete the free self-assessment and instantly receive a downloadable guide with practical insights, reflection questions, and next steps to help you reconnect with hope, purpose, and healing.   Brave Widow Resources Mentioned  Learn more about Brave Widow Foundations (gentle, faith‑based support for the first seasons of grief):👉 bravewidow.com/foundations Join us for Renew: A Brave Widow Retreat: https://bravewidow.com/retreat Join the free Brave Widow Community: https://bravewidow.com/free Brave Widow Academy (apply): https://bravewidow.com/academy Schedule a free, no-pressure call: https://bravewidow.com/call   What do you do when it feels like life just keeps hitting you with loss after loss?   In today’s episode, I’m joined by Dr. Tina Fornwald: retired Army officer, breast cancer survivor, and widow after a 29‑year marriage. We talk honestly about stacked suffering, listening to God’s promptings, surviving those first months when simply bathing feels impossible, and how she slowly rebuilt a life that now includes a nonprofit, a Secret Santa program for widowed families, a memorial garden, and her new novel The Five Widows Club.   If you’ve ever wondered, “Does this ever get better?” this conversation is for you.   Chapters 0:00 – Intro, Renew Retreat & Foundations announcements 3:00 – Dr. Tina’s story: 29‑year marriage, Army life & sudden loss 8:00 – Breast cancer, stacked suffering & surviving the first few months 14:00 – Wrestling with God, honesty in grief & when hope starts to return 21:00 – Secret Santa, memorial garden & The Five Widows Club 30:00 – Purpose, pressure & encouragement for years 1–10 of widowhood     Links & Next Steps Learn more about Brave Widow Foundations (gentle, faith‑based support for the first seasons of grief): 👉 bravewidow.com/foundations Join the free Brave Widow Community and get Momentum Monday calls: 👉 bravewidow.com/free     💛 Ready for deeper support? Brave Widow Academy is my 6‑month, faith‑based program to help you heal your heart and rebuild a life you can love again. Small group, step‑by‑step roadmap, and weekly support. Learn more and apply here: bravewidow.com/academy   Subscribe for more faith‑based, hopeful grief support for widows: @BraveWidow on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram & Facebook   💬 If this episode helped you, please:  Hit Subscribe  Leave a quick rating & review – it helps more widows find this support Share this with a friend who’s facing grief or the holidays without their person   If you’re new here, my name is Emily Tanner. I’m the founder of Brave Widow and Brave Widow Academy.   I help widows move from barely surviving their loss… to rebuilding a life they can actually love again without feeling like they’re betraying their person.   By day (and for 20+ years), I’ve led large teams and complex operations in the corporate world.    After my husband Nathan died in 2021, just shy of our 20-year anniversary, I took everything I knew about leadership, systems, and change — and started applying it to grief.   Since then, I’ve: Shared my story publicly to make widows feel less alone. Launched the Brave Widow podcast, now with 180+ episodes and listeners around the world. Coached hundreds of widows 1:1 and in groups, and talked with thousands more through the podcast, communities, and events. Built Brave Widow Academy, a 6-month coaching program with a clear framework for moving from deep grief to rebuilding a life you can love again.   I don’t teach “just think positive” grief tips.   I teach widows how to: Heal their heart. Stop waiting on “time” to fix everything. Take small, brave steps toward a life that feels meaningful again.   How I Got Here…   2021: My husband Nathan dies unexpectedly. I’m 4 kids in, overwhelmed, and drowning in paperwork, decisions, and pain. Therapy helps, but I still feel stuck with no roadmap.   2021–2022: I start devouring books, interviewing widows, trying grief groups, and studying coaching — desperate to find something that actually helps me feel different.   2022: I start the Brave Widow podcast, recording episodes while terrified and crying between takes — but determined that no widow should feel as alone as I did.   Year 1: I begin coaching widows 1:1. Word spreads quietly. The same patterns and problems keep showing up, so I start building frameworks instead of one-off advice.   Year 2: I launch Brave Widow Academy — a structured, 6-month coaching program with a step-by-step path: from deep grief, to stability, to rebuilding.   Year 3: Brave Widow has listeners around the world. I’ve personally coached hundreds of widows and spoken with thousands more through consults, lives, emails, and DMs.    Today: My work is simple:   Help widows stop surviving each day… and start rebuilding a life that makes them genuinely glad to be alive again.