Marni Henderson: Health Educator, Life Reentry Practitioner, and Widowed Mom

“To newly widowed parents: be very tender, kind, with yourself and give yourself what you need in that moment to be where you are. There’s nothing to fix. So often our culture and community tries to have us bypass and to get better and to function and to do well. Give yourself some tenderness and be kind to yourself and really honor where you are.”

— Marni Henderson

I had such a great discussion with Marni Henderson for this episode. Marni is the founder of Coalesce Discovery and Sunrise Retreats, is a licensed health educator and a Life Reentry practitioner, and is a widowed mom herself.

Marni and I discussed her journey as a widowed parent, including:

  • How her husband told her before he died that it wasn’t her time to go, and this kept her going in the early months;

  • The decision to send her boys back to school after homeschooling them while her husband was sick;

  • How deciding to move became her first early step back into life;

  • How a school trip to Belize became a big “aha moment” for her and her boys;

  • Some tools in the Life Reentry Model; and

  • Developing Sunrise Retreats to create a space for widows to connect and to feel a flicker of hope – including retreats specifically for widowers and for those widowed by cancer.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Marni Henderson.

 
 
 
 

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Jenny Lisk

Jenny Lisk is the founder of the Widowed Parent Institute. She is an award-winning author and widowed mom who is dedicated to helping widowed parents increase their family's well-being. Jenny’s books, Future Widow and Widowed Parents Unite, and her show, The Widowed Parent Podcast, guide the journey of solo parenting after loss.

https://jennylisk.com/
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Riley Elliott Reflects on Losing Her Dad at Age 7

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Randah Taher’s Reflections on Losing Her Dad When She Was in College