From Alone to Supported: Building Widows Ministry in Your Church | Amy Woody | BW: 204

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If you’ve ever felt invisible at church after your spouse died, this episode is for you.

Emily talks with Amy Woody, Director of the Widows Program at Stand In The Gap Ministries in Tulsa, OK. After losing her husband suddenly at 36, Amy went from feeling totally alone to helping churches around the world build intentional widows ministries so that no widow grieves in isolation.

We talk about:

• What to do when your church doesn’t know how to support widows
• How you (yes, you) can help start a widows ministry in your church
• Practical ways churches can care for widows in the first year and beyond
• The upcoming Held in Hope widows conference (October 8–9 in the Tulsa, OK area)

If you’ve been waiting for someone to “fix” your church… this may be your invitation to stand in the gap.

Learn more about Stand In The Gap & Held in Hope:
Website: Stand in the Gap Ministries – https://www.standinthegap.org
Held in Hope Conference (Jenks, OK) October 8–9: https://www.standinthegap.org/heldinhope/

Amy’s Book: What I Wish I Could Tell Myself: My Journey Through Grief: https://a.co/d/00KBgecL

Connect with Amy & Stand in the Gap
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StandintheGapMinistries/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standinthegapministries/

CHAPTERS 

00:00 Intro: When church doesn’t know how to help widows
02:30 Amy’s sudden loss at 36 and feeling completely alone
06:45 “It won’t always feel this way” – 10 years of perspective on grief
10:20 How Stand In The Gap equips churches to care for widows
14:40 Plug‑and‑play tools for starting a widows ministry at your church
18:30 From deep hurt to leading: God using broken pieces to serve others
21:10 Why widows are some of the most generous, resilient people
22:40 Held in Hope Conference: who it’s for and what to expect
25:45 How churches, leaders, and widows can get involved
28:30 Brave Widow: next steps if you don’t want to grieve alone

Brave Widow Resources  

• Brave Widow Academy (apply or book a call): https://bravewidow.com/academy
• Learn more about Brave Widow Foundations (gentle, faith‑based support for the first seasons of grief):👉 bravewidow.com/foundations
• Join the free Brave Widow Community: https://bravewidow.com/free

Subscribe for more faith‑based, hopeful grief support for widows:
@BraveWidow on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram & Facebook

💬 If this episode helped you, please: 

• Hit Subscribe 
• Leave a quick rating & review – it helps more widows find this support
• Share this with a friend who’s facing grief or the holidays without their person

If you’re new here, my name is Emily Tanner. I’m the founder of Brave Widow and Brave Widow Academy.

I help widows move from barely surviving their loss… to rebuilding a life they can actually love again without feeling like they’re betraying their person.

By day (and for 20+ years), I’ve led large teams and complex operations in the corporate world. 

After my husband Nathan died in 2021, just shy of our 20-year anniversary, I took everything I knew about leadership, systems, and change — and started applying it to grief.

Since then, I’ve:

Shared my story publicly to make widows feel less alone.

Launched the Brave Widow podcast, now with 180+ episodes and listeners around the world.

Coached hundreds of widows 1:1 and in groups, and talked with thousands more through the podcast, communities, and events.

Built Brave Widow Academy, a 6-month coaching program with a clear framework for moving from deep grief to rebuilding a life you can love again.

I don’t teach “just think positive” grief tips.

I teach widows how to:

Heal their heart.

Stop waiting on “time” to fix everything.

Take small, brave steps toward a life that feels meaningful again.

How I Got Here…

2021: My husband Nathan dies unexpectedly. I’m 4 kids in, overwhelmed, and drowning in paperwork, decisions, and pain. Therapy helps, but I still feel stuck with no roadmap.

2021–2022: I start devouring books, interviewing widows, trying grief groups, and studying coaching — desperate to find something that actually helps me feel different.

2022: I start the Brave Widow podcast, recording episodes while terrified and crying between takes — but determined that no widow should feel as alone as I did.

Year 1: I begin coaching widows 1:1. Word spreads quietly. The same patterns and problems keep showing up, so I start building frameworks instead of one-off advice.

Year 2: I launch Brave Widow Academy — a structured, 6-month coaching program with a step-by-step path: from deep grief, to stability, to rebuilding.

Year 3: Brave Widow has listeners around the world. I’ve personally coached hundreds of widows and spoken with thousands more through consults, lives, emails, and DMs. 

Today: My work is simple:

Help widows stop surviving each day… and start rebuilding a life that makes them genuinely glad to be alive again.

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