Transform Grief into a Life of Purpose and Joy
Grief, in its many forms, touches everyone, yet an extraordinary future is within your reach.
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ARE YOU IN THE RIGHT PLACE?
Yes, you are if:
- You think it's taking too long to get back to 'normal' in some areas of your life or you want to go faster
- You stuffed down your grief for months or years, waiting for a 'better' time, and now it's back, raw and new
- You have hit the tipping point between grieving the past and wanting to step into the future but don't know how
Many of my clients experience feeling lost, abandoned and misunderstood for up to 3 years. Grief moments last a lifetime but the first 2 years are the hardest. Everyone grieves their own way and in their own time so there's no 'right' way. You are not broken.
In our coaching sessions, I often hear them say things like:
- “I don’t recognize myself” or “I don’t feel like myself anymore.”
- “I thought my friends and family would be there for me but they disappeared.”
- “They said I was “too much” and my grief went on for too long.”
- “I’m sick of people telling me what to do,” and “I just want my life back.”
You are also in the right place if you love someone who is grieving and want guidance on better ways to support them.
Welcome to BadWidow.com. I'm Alison Pena.
As a widow, I've been there myself, when I lost my husband in 2016 to pancreatic cancer. As primary caregiver for my mother-in-law, over 100, I know what that grief experience feels like too.
As a grief resilience coach, I teach my clients the tools I developed to solve the common grief-driven problems many people face so they can move forward with greater confidence, clarity and purpose. We start where you are and work together at your own pace.
I have been a featured guest expert for grief topics on 100 podcasts and am co-host for the GRIEF BeLIEF podcast. I recently had an article published in Business Insider on being the primary family caregiver for my MIL, 8 years after my husband died. I am also the bestselling author of The Bad Widow Guide to Life After Loss: Moving Through Grief to Live and Love Again.
WORK WITH ME
Grief is so disorienting that people sometimes think they're doing it wrong. The good news is you can't. But it's very hard to go through it on your own.
Every person's grief journey is different. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. However you are grieving is the right way for you. Grief is not linear but I can show you how to move forward with compassion, clarity and specific customized action steps to handle any problem.
NEXT STEP:
Get your Grief Guide to find out what you can expect during the first 24 months of your grief journey, along with tips to address common issues you may be facing, plus ways to access 1-on-1 support.
PROBLEM: BEING LONELY
People you counted on disappeared.
Grief can be lonely. You may not have energy for people and those uncomfortable with your grief or their own mortality might leave.
With coaching, you will get clear about where the gaps in your existing network are and how to find old and new relationships who accept and support you, exactly as you are.
PROBLEM: HOLDING BOUNDARIES
People give you unsolicited advice.
Boundary jumping is a common issue. Family and friends insist you 'must' take a specific action, thinking they know best, trying to help you in their own way.
With coaching, you will identify your spoken and unspoken boundaries, decide what you want to do about those that were breached and how to communicate about and enforce them for healthier relationships.
PROBLEM: LOST YOUR PURPOSE
Loss breaks our trust in ourselves.
For most people, our identity is connected to who we are in relationships, at work, our health or age, our finances and our legacy or purpose, what we are here
to do.
With coaching, you will discover how to ground yourself in who you are so that you recover more quickly from grief, including the death of a loved one, and reclaim your purpose, resilience and resourcefulness.
WHAT CLIENTS AND READERS SAY
"Ms. Pena confronts the most terrible loss with her whole being. She embraces reality and fully acknowledges the catastrophe of David’s death. She learns how to mourn, how to grow, never to “move on,” and yet to continue living a life of meaning.
As a rabbi, I can say that I’ve never seen anyone straddle the poles of engaging in the present, looking to the future, and cherishing the past. Not only does she (mostly) succeed in being in those three places at once, but she is able to guide us clearly and compassionately in our own journeys."
Yosi G.
Rabbi
"Her insights and guidance have been instrumental in, not just coping, but thriving through personal, social and business challenges.
Personally, I have grown from a “private person”, developing fresh relationships with family and friends to a degree I did not think possible as well as creating a vibrant professional network. Her support has also provided the context to effectively manage my personal finances and self-care during this particularly stressful time. I found her wisdom and on-going support invaluable."
George B.
Bank Operations
"I first met you on a sidewalk in NYC and found myself wondering, “What’s she got going on? I want some of that in my life!” The next time I saw you was on stage – a presentation that made me cry because it resonated so deeply!
Our work together changed my life. I mean that, sincerely. Because of your commitment to sharing your knowledge and showing up, I have personally seen a transformation in how I care for myself, connect to others, and set (and ACHIEVE) insanely amazing goals that I never dreamed possible."
Marina D.
Healthcare IT
"Reading Alison Pena’s no-holds-barred description of the process of grieving/grief was a breath of fresh air. Although I have not lost my spouse, I identified with so much of her experience – especially around the expectations of others about how I should handle devastating events.
The book is an extraordinary and honest guide through the human experience of grieving. Beautifully designed with helpful prompts and questions, it welcomes the reader to set their own path through their own experience. A must read."
Claire M.
Retired Editor
Alison BW Pena LLC 55 West 116 Street New York NY 10026