From Wife To Widow: How Life Changed For Vanessa Bryant

Football, Basketball, Baseball Widow — a wife whose husband spends the majority of his free time totally absorbed in football, basketball, or baseball during the sport’s season. I’ve heard this term often used over the years; however, I never thought it would take on a whole different meaning for me one day. My husband died suddenly Super Bowl Sunday, 2002, and I ...

When People Are Experiencing Grief, Say This, Not That

Everyone wants to come to the aid of those who are grieving. In their attempts to offer assistance or to show compassion, some people end up doing more harm than good. I know this from personal experience having experienced the loss of a spouse. I was an executive at a major healthcare IT firm and I was a ...

Suddenly Single: 7 Inspiring Stories of Women Thriving After a Loss

  Original article appeared in Huffington Post November 2015.   On Super Bowl Sunday 2002, my husband didn’t wake up. He died of a heart attack in his sleep. I was devastated. I became a suddenly single mom, left to raise my six-year-old and eleven-year-old sons, while managing a demanding career. Life as we knew it was shattered, and I ...