What do you do when your dreams are derailed by tragedy? As much as we like to talk about the beauty of getting older, there's no denying that this life stage sometimes comes with loss. There are all kinds of losses, and unfortunately, this week's guest, Cristina M. Ramirez—an entrepreneur, educator and author of Empowered By Discomfort—experienced one of the most tragic kinds. She recently became a widow in midlife when her husband of 19 years died of cancer. Cristina was left to mother their two boys on her own, traversing what she now refers to as "the worst year of her life." But, after coming out of that dark period, she decided to write about it, with the goal of helping others who might be going through similar experiences.
In this empowering conversation, Cristina and I talk about:
- How she and her husband shared their last moments together
- How grief literally changes your brain, how everyone's looks different, and how she processed her own
- How "her life didn't compute anymore" after her husband's death, and how she found courage to build a new one for herself and her family
- Why her children were her saving grace after the tragedy, and how she parented them when all she wanted to do was "crawl under the covers"
- Why asking for help was so important as she began traversing the world as a newly widowed mom
- What motivated her to open up about her experience, and how she hopes sharing will help others
- Why it's important to lean into the discomfort when life gets hard—and how doing so can lead to self-growth
- The way she's chosen to honor her husband's memory and the life they built together, and why dating is not—and may never be—in the cards
- How her loss forever changed her life outlook and career trajectory
- Why she believes the best is still yet to come—and why you should too
If you've ever experienced profound loss and are open to exploring what lies on the other side of tragedy, please have a listen. Full show notes available at Morebeautifulproject.com.
