MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Connect with Julie Website & contact: risingphoenixlife.com Email: Julie@risingphoenixlife.com Substack: “Live Awake” by Julie Wright Halbert Free meditation & book updates: link in the description Brave Widow Resources Mentioned Apply for Brave Widow Academy (next group starts July) https://bravewidow.com/academy Join the free Brave Widow Community + weekly calls and prayer nights - https://bravewidow.com/free Schedule a no-pressure call with Emily to figure out your best next step - https://bravewidow.com/call Get updates on the RENEW in-person retreat and the new deep-grief space (Retreat + program updates coming soon on the Brave Widow website.) New here? Start with the free community and let us walk with you. You don’t have to do widowhood alone. What if death, grief, and love could all live in the same room… and it didn’t feel so terrifying? In this powerful conversation, I sit down with death doula, transformational soul coach, and grief-literacy advocate Julie Wright Halbert to talk about walking with our loved ones at the end of life, honoring our own grief, and why we are never as alone as we feel. Julie shares how the sudden death of her young husband shattered her old life as a national education attorney and led her into sacred work at the bedside of the dying. We talk about identity after loss, “living and dying awake,” and very practical ways to support someone who is transitioning… without losing yourself. We also wrap up with some big Brave Widow updates: our first in-person retreat, a new space for widows in deep grief, and what’s next for the Academy. In this episode, we cover: Julie’s story: from national education attorney and young wife to sudden widow What a death doula actually does (and why this role matters for widows) How to sit with someone who is dying without trying to “fix” anything The difference between taking on someone’s grief vs. holding sacred space Why we avoid talking about death… and how that makes widowhood even lonelier How Julie talks to her own children about their dad’s death and legacy Simple practices to bring more presence, love, and peace into the room Practical Brave Widow updates: retreat, deep-grief space, Academy, and free support Time Stamps 00:00 – Welcome + Brave Widow updates teaser 01:00 – Meet Julie: attorney, wife, widow, and now death doula 03:00 – Jim’s sudden illness, rapid decline, and death at home 05:00 – From “serious law career” to transformational soul coach 07:30 – What is a death doula and how do they help families? 10:00 – Planning for end of life: senses, setting, and spiritual support 12:00 – How Julie doesn’t “take on” every family’s grief 15:00 – Love at birth, love at death: a powerful bedside story 18:00 – Julie’s book Divine Ashes Ascending and how it guides your own healing 22:00 – Helping children say goodbye and capture legacy 24:00 – How to connect with Julie + her free meditation 25:00 – Brave Widow Retreat “RENEW” in southern Oregon (June 28–July 1) 27:00 – New space for widows in deep grief (no timelines, no pressure) 28:30 – Next Brave Widow Academy cohort (starting July – applications open) 32:00 – Always-free Brave Widow community + weekly calls 34:00 – How investing in yourself also blesses other widows 💛 Ready for deeper support? Brave Widow Academy is my 6‑month, faith‑based program to help you heal your heart and rebuild a life you can love again. Small group, step‑by‑step roadmap, and weekly support. Learn more and apply here: bravewidow.com/academy Subscribe for more faith‑based, hopeful grief support for widows: @BraveWidow on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram & Facebook 💬 If this episode helped you, please: Hit Subscribe Leave a quick rating & review – it helps more widows find this support Share this with a friend who’s facing grief or the holidays without their person If you’re new here, my name is Emily Tanner. I’m the founder of Brave Widow and Brave Widow Academy. I help widows move from barely surviving their loss… to rebuilding a life they can actually love again without feeling like they’re betraying their person. By day (and for 20+ years), I’ve led large teams and complex operations in the corporate world. After my husband Nathan died in 2021, just shy of our 20-year anniversary, I took everything I knew about leadership, systems, and change — and started applying it to grief. Since then, I’ve: Shared my story publicly to make widows feel less alone. Launched the Brave Widow podcast, now with 180+ episodes and listeners around the world. Coached hundreds of widows 1:1 and in groups, and talked with thousands more through the podcast, communities, and events. Built Brave Widow Academy, a 6-month coaching program with a clear framework for moving from deep grief to rebuilding a life you can love again. I don’t teach “just think positive” grief tips. I teach widows how to: Heal their heart. Stop waiting on “time” to fix everything. Take small, brave steps toward a life that feels meaningful again. How I Got Here… 2021: My husband Nathan dies unexpectedly. I’m 4 kids in, overwhelmed, and drowning in paperwork, decisions, and pain. Therapy helps, but I still feel stuck with no roadmap. 2021–2022: I start devouring books, interviewing widows, trying grief groups, and studying coaching — desperate to find something that actually helps me feel different. 2022: I start the Brave Widow podcast, recording episodes while terrified and crying between takes — but determined that no widow should feel as alone as I did. Year 1: I begin coaching widows 1:1. Word spreads quietly. The same patterns and problems keep showing up, so I start building frameworks instead of one-off advice. Year 2: I launch Brave Widow Academy — a structured, 6-month coaching program with a step-by-step path: from deep grief, to stability, to rebuilding. Year 3: Brave Widow has listeners around the world. I’ve personally coached hundreds of widows and spoken with thousands more through consults, lives, emails, and DMs. Today: My work is simple: Help widows stop surviving each day… and start rebuilding a life that makes them genuinely glad to be alive again.
