Life, Death & The Space Between: Wife, Widow, Now What? with Rachel Engstrom

Wife, Widow, Now What? with Rachel Engstrom

Oct 27, 2022

WIFE, WIDOW, NOW WHAT? with RACHEL ENGSTROM

“You can have your life blow up and be ok.”

– Rachel Engstrom, author of “Wife, Widow, Now What?”

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EPISODE SUMMARY:

How would you feel if you found yourself widowed at age 31? Talk about life giving you a whammy!

Today we talk with Rachel Engstrom - a health education specialist and widow’s advocate, who found herself widowed at age 31. She authored “Wife, Widow, Now What?” with a fresh, witty, and authentic voice. Her book is an invaluable resource for cancer spouses, and anyone navigating the process of losing a loved one, or supporting a loved one after a loss.

Listen and learn how to manage the shock of a cancer diagnosis, and how you can keep living through the unthinkable, and still come out okay on the other side.

Topics We Discuss:

[3:38] Rachel dives into her journey meeting, marrying, and later losing her husband.
[8:05] How Rachel came to write her book as a guide for someone going through the loss of a spouse, or someone who maybe doesn’t know how to support a loved one suffering a loss. It’s a love story toolbox: logistics around health insurance, disability, talking to their employer, funeral arrangements, life insurance, how to ask for help, and more.
[11:25] Rachel discusses how music helped her cope.
[15:32] In hindsight, what Rachel would have done differently.

[24:36] Amy’s new offering: a spiritual consultation, not a therapy appointment and not a medium reading, but somewhere in between.

[27:15] Rachel discusses her work with GriefCoach.com -- a new app for supporting grieving people through texts.

[29:15] Rachel talks about her life afterward and now: how she got back out in the world, started dating again, and remarried.
[32:02] Working in cancer education to ensure people have the resources they need to get the best treatment possible.

[34:16] How Rachel’s relationship to her first husband fits into her life with her new husband.

FOLLOW RACHEL ENGSTROM:

Find Rachel on her Website, Instagram, and Facebook.

Rachel’s book, “Wife, Widow, Now What?” is available on Amazon.

Life, Death and the Space Between is brought to you by:

Dr. Amy Robbins | Host, Executive Producer

PJ Duke | Executive Producer

Andrej | Podcasticize | Sound Editing

Mara Stallins | Outreach & Social Media Strategy

Claire | Clairperk.com | Podcast Cover Design