Jeanette Koncikowski: ‘Shipwrecked’ by Widowed Parenting

I had such a great discussion with Jeanette Koncikowski for this episode. We first talked five years ago, when Jeanette was my guest way back in episode 10. I invited her back now because she’s out with a brand-new book, Shipwrecked: A Memoir of Widowed Parenting and Life After Loss. It’s a “teaching memoir,” in which Jeanette both shares her family’s journey and explores themes, issues, and questions common to newly widowed parents.

And like our last episode, this is a story where my guest had a complicated situation when their spouse died. Jeanette and her husband Mark had been separated for over a year; when he died, they were dating again and in couples counseling. One of the reasons Jeanette wrote this book and speaks at Camp Widow and other places is that she wants people to understand that not everyone had a perfect marriage when they were widowed.

Plus: Jeanette gives us a gift toward the end of the book, where she interviews her now-teenaged children about their experiences losing their dad and reflecting on the decade since his death.

Links & resources for this episode

• Shipwrecked: A Memoir of Widowed Parenting and Life After Loss, by Jeanette Koncikowski

• Widowed Parent Project

• Find grief support near you: Lookup programs at Dougy Center or National Alliance for Children’s Grief websites

• Episode 10 of the Widowed Parent Podcast with Jeanette

More links for listeners

• Download: Kids & Grief: What You Need to Know

• Article: I’m a Widowed Mom: Here Are My 3 Tips for COVID-19 Widows

• Book: Widowed Parents Unite: 52 Tips to Get Through the First Year, from One Widowed Parent to Another

Thank you sponsors & partners:

Help Texts - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://helptexts.com/jennylisk

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

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