So you think life is going swimmingly well... then out of the blue your partner chooses to take his life, leaving you with a one-year-old, having to deal with disgruntled family members, plus a whole host of other issues to sort through!
This is what my guest, Alexandra Wyman experienced. She shares her story with an honesty, vulnerability, and an openness, that comes from having to face the worst of life head-on - partner loss through suicide and the very messy aftermath of that. Her anchor was her young son - wanting to be the best role model she could be for him.
I would love for you to join us as we explore Alexandra's journey and her book The Suicide Club:What To Do When Someone You Love Chooses Death.
This episode may be triggering for some listeners so please exercise discretion. Please ensure you take extra good care of yourself and reach out for support from family, friends and professionals if you to 💜
Alexandra's Bio
Alexandra Wyman is an advocate and public speaker for resources in the aftermath of suicide. After she lost her husband to suicide in August of 2020, Alexandra found a need to change the language around suicide, and decided to write about it. Her memoir, The Suicide Club: What To Do When Someone You Love Chooses Death is an Amazon best seller. She has spoken at a variety of conferences and been on a variety of podcasts. Her story has also been featured on Today.com and CNN.com. Alexandra is the host of The Widows Club podcast. She practices pediatric occupational therapy and lives in Colorado with her son.
In this episode, Alexandra shares:
[00:02:48] Sharing the Shawn she knew
[00:04:13] Favourite memory
[00:05:44] What happened & the aftermath
[00:08:16] Angry - but not at Shawn
[00:09:14] Knowing
[00:10:07] The stressors
[00:13:02] Accepting the decision but not agreeing with it
[00:15:01] Beliefs and loving ourselves
[00:19:29] Growing strong kids
[00:23:13] The isolating, uncomfortable, confusing mess
[00:25:58] Challenges that surprised
[00:29:03] The resources you need (& more on her website under the Tips Guide!)
[00:34:01] The other stuff that came up
[00:38:48] Navigating this with a young child
[00:43:46] The elevator speech
[00:49:53] Finding your anchor
...And other great insights!
Quote:
"Is it the grief that changes? Or is it our healing that changes how the grief impacts us?" ~ Unknown
Resources:
Alexandra's links:
The Suicide Club Book:
https://www.amazon.com/Suicide-Club-Someone-Chooses-Death/dp/1544533799
Website: www.forwardtojoy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexandraWyman
IG: https://instagram.com/forwardtojoy
Book Recommendation: The Secret Language of Your Body - Inna Segal
Follow me on:
Email: thebeautifulsideofgrief@gmail.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/beautifulsideofgrief
Facebook: https://facebook.com/thebeautifulsideofgrief
Website: https://thebeautifulsideofgrief.com
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And heartfelt Thanks to Gabe Dovaston for the music
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