Widowhood and Rebuilding After Sudden Loss

When Life Splits in Two

Some moments change everything. Donna Kendrick’s life-altering shift came the day she lost her husband to suicide. One minute, she was preparing for a casual night out. The next, she was standing in a new house, realizing she would now be raising three children on her own. That kind of loss doesn’t come with a manual. But it does, sometimes, create space for something powerful.

When Donna joined me on The Life Shift Podcast, I was struck not just by the depth of her grief, but by the grit that showed up alongside it. There’s a quiet kind of strength in how she moved through the pain and chose to rebuild. Not for show. Just for survival. And eventually, for meaning.

The Vow That Sparked a New Chapter

After finding her husband had taken his life, Donna went into motion. She got the kids out of the house. She made the calls. And then, sitting by a neighbor’s fire while police handled things inside, she made a promise.

“I’m going to be okay,” she told herself. “And my kids are going to be okay.”

That moment by the fire became the starting point. It wasn’t magical. It didn’t erase the pain. But it gave her direction. It helped her find her footing when everything felt like it had fallen out from under her.

Honesty, Healing, and Helping Others

One of the most impactful parts of Donna’s story is how she showed up for her kids. She didn’t keep them in the dark. She didn’t pretend things were fine. She told them the truth in a way they could understand. That kind of honesty takes courage, especially when you’re hurting yourself.

Over time, Donna started sharing more openly. She wrote a book. She launched a podcast. And she began a new career as a financial planner, this time with a focus on widows, divorcees, and blended families. She found her purpose in the very thing that had once undone her. Her own experience became the blueprint for how she now helps others move through their own life shifts.

Her approach isn’t just about money. It’s about clarity. It’s about calming the storm. And it’s about offering space to fall apart a little while also building something new.

Blending Grief Into a New Family

Years later, Donna remarried. Her new husband had children of his own. Together, they created a blended family of six kids, each with their own stories of loss and love. Donna’s kids had lost their dad. His kids would go on to lose their mom to cancer. But what emerged from that shared grief wasn’t more sadness. It was connection.

The house they built together was more than physical. It was emotional. It was real. It was honest. They moved in, room by room, sometimes without running water or fully working plumbing. But they made it work. And they made it theirs.

Donna’s story is not about perfection. It’s about persistence. It’s about figuring it out, one moment at a time. And it’s about choosing to believe that something good can still be built, even after everything feels lost.

Donna’s full episode is available now on The Life Shift Podcast. Listen to the conversation at www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com