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

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 treatmentThe emotional and ethical realities of caregiving through terminal illness, including assisted dying conversations and holding hope alongside hopelessnessHow Christine used her medical education background to design a student workshop on trauma-informed cancer careThe complexity of grief after losing a partner when there are no children, and how Christine built resilience through advocacy and storytellingWhy consent, slowing down, and assuming trauma may be present can radically improve medical careThe power of small rituals and personal notes during crisis, and Christine’s hope to one day shape these into a book honouring Michael’s storyContent 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 widowhoodParenting children after the death of a parent“Pure grief” and mourning without betrayalMental health, stigma, and coping behavioursPublic scrutiny and navigating loss in small communitiesRebuilding identity and life after lossChapters0:02 Introducing Betsy Ronel and Shared Widowhood Experience5:08 Love After Loss: The Beginning of a New Chapter9:52 Building Family and Life Transitions17:24 Professional Challenges and Sudden Loss27:11 The Day Daniel Died and Immediate Aftermath43:40 Facing Grief, Public Scrutiny, and Legal Battles57:43 Navigating Grief and Single Parenthood64:31 Supporting Grieving Children and Parenting Challenges69:09 Financial Struggles, Rebuilding, and New Beginnings78:20 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 partnershipSudden loss and catastrophic injuryMaking end-of-life decisionsParenting after the death of a partnerCommunity, ritual, and surviving the early days of griefLearning 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