Karen Paul on the "Acts of Defiance" of Her First Year of Widowhood

I had such a great discussion with Karen Paul for this episode. Karen is a widowed mom who lives in the Washington, DC, area. Her husband, like mine, died of glioblastoma – and as we compared notes, we realized our husbands were sick at the exact same time. As I said to her, I think we could have talked all afternoon, about the similarities and differences in our experiences. Listen for Karen telling us all about her year of “defiance,” when she did all the things they say not to do in the first year of widowhood. Some topics Karen and I discuss include: Hearing about glioblastoma for the first time when Beau Biden died of it -- just before her own husband was diagnosed with the same thing; The beautiful post Sheryl Sandberg made 30 days after her husband died, which came out on the same day Karen’s husband was diagnosed; Becoming a full-time caregiver from the very beginning of her husband’s illness, and how this shifted her relationship with her husband; The acts of ‘defiance’ she embraced in her first year of widowhood; The memorial tattoos she and her kids all got; Getting a dog during that first year of grieving; Changing jobs after her husband died; Unexpectedly meeting a new partner; Learning to accept the duality so common in widowhood that two things can be true and that’s ok; Burning out in the second year of widowhood, and how she dealt with that; Getting support from a local organization, Caring Matters, and subsequently joining their Board of Trustees; and Thinking deliberately about how she wants to rebuild her life. I hope you enjoy my discussion with Karen Paul. -=-=-=-=- Thank you sponsors & partners: Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-day free trial: www.audibletrial.com/widowedparent BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent Blue Apron - Special offers for listeners of the podcast: jennylisk.com/blueapron Grief Coach - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://grief.coach/jennylisk/ Support the show: Patreon, Merch, and More -=-=-=-=-