Leslie Harter Berg's entire world changed in a single instant. At just 30 years old, she became a widow with two grieving toddlers.

In today's episode, Leslie shares the raw, unfiltered story of sudden loss, early widowhood, and the messy, beautiful journey of rebuilding a life.

She opens up about:

~the surreal experience of Ryan's aneurysm and stroke

~navigating solo parenthood while drowning in grief

~how denial actually helped her survive those brutal first months.

~her solo trip to New Zealand with her two toddlers

~her shifting identity as a mother and as a woman

~grieving the version of yourself that only existed with your person

~the insecurity that nobody warns you about after loss

~why the second year of widowhood can feel lonelier than the first

~how she met and married her now husband Saul

~the complexity of blending families while honoring her boys' late father

~the birth of her third son — a baby she calls "the glue of the family."!

Leslie is also the founder of Vids for Wids, a nonprofit dedicated to sharing widow stories through video. She is also the author of her new memoir You're So Strong — a title that perfectly captures the complicated, funny, and exhausting expectations placed on grieving people!

If you've ever been told you're so strong when what you really needed was someone to just say, this is awful — this episode is for you!

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