The Solo Dad Podcast

“I’m worth whatever I think I’m worth,” says Ken, describing the mindset he adopted while beginning to date after losing his wife. Rather than thinking of their widower status as baggage, solo dads who are preparing to date again should remember that if their amazing wives once loved them, then another amazing person will, too. They also agree that knowing what they might have done differently in their first marriage gives them the...

“I’m still on a kind of mixed-grief journey, I guess,” says John Smith, father of two, who lost his wife Kathy to colon cancer nearly two years ago. She was diagnosed just as the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 an official emergency. They were living with her parents at the time, and John discusses the challenges he faced with his in-laws in the immediate period following Kathy’s death. Their approach to grief was compl...

“You’re never done with grief,” says Jim T., who has the rare distinction of being twice widowed. His first wife Melinda was killed in a car accident shortly after they moved to Knoxville Tennessee to found an Eastern Orthodox Church there. Melinda’s death brought the new congregation together, who were still relative strangers, as they rallied around Jim in support. He describes the beautiful rituals and traditions of that sect of...

Content warning: this episode talks about suicide and parental/spouse death.

“It's not the loss that causes your pain. It's your thoughts and feelings about it,” says Jay Deutsch, who joins the podcast, serendipitously, on the birthday of his late wife, Larissa. Her battles with depression ultimately lead to her taking her own life, leaving Jay a widower with two young children. He discusses the effects and consequences th...

“You’re not only experimenting with dating, you’re experimenting with your new self,” says Ken Brown as he joins The Solo Dad Podcast along with Ben Janoski to discuss what it means to return to the dating world as young widowers with children. Some of what’s discussed, such as ghosting, how soon to meet in person and getting catfished, will be familiar to anyone navigating the contemporary dating world. More unique is what they du...

Mathew talks to his mother Jo Ann, who became a widow at the age of 37, after Mathew’s father died of a massive heart attack while on a business trip. Jo Ann soon moved Mathew, then 11, and his 6-year-old brother Jonathan from Southern California to Northern California to begin a whole new life. Throughout what was an overwhelming time, Jo Ann encountered many acts of kindness and connection that showed her that the Universe was lo...

Solo But Not Alone - Mathew Bradley

When he lost his wife, Marci, to cancer in 2018, Matt was left to navigate raising his one-year-old daughter, Blair, on his own. Matt reached out to other dads dealing with loss, and in 2021 he launched Solo Dad Podcast. 

Check out the rest of the interview and all things great about being a father to daughter at 

https://www.audible.com/pd/Girl-Dad-Nation-Podcast/B09PK...

Ben is partaking in - https://drinkspindrift.com/

Matt is enjoying - https://oldforgedistillery.com/spirits/moonshine/oatmeal-cookie-moonshine/

Anger management ideas:

https://www.fatherly.com/anger-management/


EMDR - https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/emdr-what-is-it#:~:text=Eye%20movement%20desensitization%20and%20reprocessing%20(EMDR)%20is%20a%20fairly%20new,%2C%20rape%2C%20or%20car%20ac...

Widow Wednesday - Meet Adam, young father of 3 daughters, made a widower after his wife journey with breast cancer come to an end. He shares is long relationship with loss in his life, early struggles with addiction, all preparing him for the most difficult journey yet. Finding support and community is ways he never imagined.

Follow Adam on Tiktok at  BeEazyVegito https://www.tiktok.com/@beeazyvegito?is_copy_url=1&is_...

Matt, Ben and Ken catch up, talk end of summer trips, beginning of school planning, and how being flexible is paramount in this Solo Dad journey. Talking about how to outsource things we can't do and when NOT to measure yourself against an impossible standard.

Find us where ever your ears roam
-Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/4juZNMsIh5EK5k1QS7pet4?si=5281795548894903
-iTunes:  https://podcasts.apple....

Matt, Ben and Ken catch up, talk end of summer trips, beginning of school planning, and how being flexible is paramount in this Solo Dad journey. Talking about how to outsource things we can't do and when NOT to measure yourself against an impossible standard. 

Find us where ever your ears roam
-Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/4juZNMsIh5EK5k1QS7pet4?si=5281795548894903
-iTunes:  https://podcasts.apple...

Matt and Ben talk about end of summer, and preparing for back to school as the solo parent.  Making decisions in a relationship vacuum.  Tools such as password keepers, "mom calendars", and other tools to help. 

Find us where ever your ears roam
-Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/4juZNMsIh5EK5k1QS7pet4?si=5281795548894903
-iTunes:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-solo-dad-podcast/id1573131...

Matt and Ben catch up after attending a friend and fellow widows wedding. Listen as they talk about the feelings and emotions that come up with going to a wedding, watching a friend find love again, and so much more.

Find us where ever your ears roam
-Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/4juZNMsIh5EK5k1QS7pet4?si=5281795548894903
-iTunes:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-solo-dad-podcast/id1573131421