Hope After Loss: Widowhood, COVID Grief, and Rebuilding Life with Emily Tanner | 083
What happens when your entire life changes overnight and you are left to rebuild from the rubble?
In this deeply moving episode of Resilient A.F., Blair sits down with grief coach and widow advocate Emily Tanner, founder of Brave Widow, to talk about loss, resilience, and rebuilding after the death of a spouse. Emily shares her raw and honest story of losing her husband, Nathan, to COVID-19 complications during the Delta variant in July 2021, and how that loss transformed her from a corporate executive into a grief coach supporting widows around the world.
Together, Blair and Emily explore the realities of widowhood, the invisible labour of grief, parenting through loss, anticipatory grief, end-of-life conversations, and the complicated emotions that follow sudden loss. This episode offers hope without bypassing pain, practical wisdom without platitudes, and permission to grieve while still believing life can be meaningful again.
If you are navigating widowhood, spousal loss, COVID grief, anticipatory grief, or supporting someone who is, this conversation will make you feel seen, understood, and less alone. Widowhood is often misunderstood, minimized, or wrapped in clichés. This episode cuts through all of that.
It speaks to the grief that follows sudden loss, the fear of the future, the exhaustion of learning how to do life alone, and the quiet courage it takes to believe that joy is still possible. Emily’s story reminds us that resilience is not about rushing healing. It is about staying present, telling the truth, and choosing hope one breath at a time.
If your life feels broken right now, this episode is your reminder that broken does not mean finished. You are still becoming. You are still allowed to hope. And you are far more resilient than you realize.
If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to Resilient A.F., leave a review, and share it with someone who may need this conversation today. Grief is heavy, but it does not have to be lonely.
Sponsorship opportunities: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15oZsxAigvb6e4wbAmvW_El_1_laeyK4shMY1md6zVWI/edit?usp=sharing [https://docs.google.com/document/d/15oZsxAigvb6e4wbAmvW_El_1_laeyK4shMY1md6zVWI/edit?usp=sharing]
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About the Guest:
Grief Coach Emily Tanner helps widows navigate loss with compassion, clarity, and a practical path forward. As the founder of Brave Widow, Emily has guided hundreds through her proven 4 Seasons of Grief R.I.S.E. framework—Rawness, Isolation, Self-Discovery, and Empowerment—helping them move beyond survival into rebuilding meaningful, joy-filled lives.
Emily’s journey began with her own devastating loss. Just days before their 20th anniversary, she was widowed at 37 and became a solo mom of four. What began as a desperate search for healing evolved into a mission to help others rediscover purpose after loss. Through the Brave Widow Academy, podcast, and community, Emily offers heartfelt guidance, memorable stories, and actionable tools that make hope feel possible again—and the next step unmistakably clear.
A Certified Faith-Based Life Coach and Grief Recovery Method Specialist, Emily blends compassion with execution. Her approach challenges the status quo: grief isn’t linear, and “time heals” isn’t a strategy.
Emily’s warm, grounded energy and powerful storytelling remind audiences that even after unimaginable loss, it’s possible to rebuild something strong, purposeful, and beautiful again.
Links:
https://www.tiktok.com/@bravewidow [https://www.tiktok.com/@bravewidow]
https://www.youtube.com/@bravewidow [https://www.youtube.com/@bravewidow]
https://www.facebook.com/bravewidow/ [https://www.facebook.com/bravewidow/]
https://www.instagram.com/brave_widow/ [https://www.instagram.com/brave_widow/]
https://x.com/Brave_Widow [https://x.com/Brave_Widow]
⚠️ Content Note: Some episodes may contain themes that could be distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening, and don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional if needed.
About the Hosts:
Blair Kaplan Venables is a British Columbia-based grief and resilience expert and coach, motivational speaker and the Founder of The Global Resilience Project. Her expertise has been featured on media platforms like Forbes, TEDx, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. She is named the Top Grief and Resilience Expert of the Year 2024 by IAOTP. USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders to watch and she empowers others to be resilient from stages around the world. 'MyStory,’ which is a television show available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Google Play, showcases Blair's life story. She is the host of the Radical Resilience podcast and specializes in helping people strengthen their resilience muscle using scientifically proven methods and guides grieving high performers with her Navigating Grief Framework. The Global Resilience Project’s award-winning book series are international bestsellers, and her fourth book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol 2, will be published in January 2025. In her free time, you can find Blair writing, in nature, travelling the world and helping people to strengthen their resilience muscles.
Links:
https://www.blairkaplan.ca/ [https://www.blairkaplan.ca/]
https://theglobalresilienceproject.com [https://www.iamresilient.info]
https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairdkaplan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairdkaplan]
https://www.facebook.com/blair.kaplan [https://www.facebook.com/blair.kaplan]
https://www.facebook.com/BlairKaplanCommunications [https://www.facebook.com/BlairKaplanCommunications]
https://www.instagram.com/globalresiliencecommunity [https://www.instagram.com/globalresiliencecommunity]
https://www.instagram.com/blairfromblairland/ [https://www.instagram.com/blairfromblairland/]
https://www.facebook.com/globalresiliencecommunity [https://www.facebook.com/globalresiliencecommunity]
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-global-resilience-project [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-global-resilience-project]
blair@blairkaplan.ca [blair@blairkaplan.ca]
Alana Kaplan is a compassionate mental health professional based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She works in the mental health field, and is a co-host of the Resilient A.F. podcast. Fueled by advocacy, Alana is known for standing up and speaking out for others. Passionate about de-stigmatizing and normalizing mental health, Alana brings her experience to The Global Resilience Project’s team, navigating the role one’s mental health plays in telling their story.
Engaging in self-care and growth keeps her going, and her love for reading, travel, and personal relationships helps foster that. When she’s not working, Alana can often be found on walks, working on a crossword puzzle, or playing with any animal she sees.
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