This week on Dear Nina I have a guest with a personal and inspiring story to share about starting a new life with new friends and a new outlook after a horrific tragedy. This is unlike any I’ve heard firsthand, and I’m grateful for Jen’s candor and honesty.
Jen Zwinck wrote to me:
After my husband was killed, I moved with my daughter to a small island in the Caribbean where I didn’t know a single person. I went there to heal. What surprised me was the friendships that I formed while I was there, these women who came into my life, divinely, I believe, became my angels and my ‘stand-in’ family. We shared the bond of being expats and I’m still close with them to this day.
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Meet Jen Zwinck
Jen Zwinck is a co-founder of the Widow Squad online community, a widow advocate, and an author. She has interviewed over 100 widows and coached hundreds of widows through her courses and online programs. She lives outside of New Orleans.
Find Jen on Instagram @widow_180
Part of Jen’s story:
From Jen’s site, and she shares more of her story on our episode:
Jen Zwinck will never forget the moment that changed her life. In 2011, her husband was walking home from a bachelor party when he was attacked, robbed, and killed. Jen instantly became a young widow, left to raise their two year old daughter alone.
Overcome with grief and anxiety over the loss, Jen chose her own unique path to heal. She packed 4 suitcases and moved with her daughter to a tiny island in the Caribbean where she knew no one.
The years she spent on the island gave her the time to process the loss and rebuild her own strength and courage to move forward.
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