Show Notes
In this episode of The Widow Podcast, I talk with author, coach, and six-time bestselling writer Maya Dionne, also known as The Bounce Back Widow.
Maya shares the heartbreaking story of losing her husband suddenly on Easter Sunday, and the devastating impact it had on her and her two young children. She opens up about navigating guilt, trauma, and survival in the aftermath, and how she slowly began to reconnect with herself, symbolised by the hot pink shoes she wore to his funeral.
We discuss:
• Maya’s journey into widowhood at just 27 years old
• Facing grief while raising two young children alone
• The pressure of societal and family expectations around funerals and grieving
• How small acts of colour and courage helped her reclaim a sense of self
• The role of intuition, self-trust, and personal truth in healing
• Writing her bestselling book Bounce Back Better and empowering other widows
• Why she calls herself “The Bounce Back Widow” and what that really means
Maya’s energy, honesty, and wisdom are both inspiring and grounding. If you’ve ever wondered how to rebuild after devastating loss, or how to rediscover the parts of yourself that grief can bury, this episode offers strength, hope, and vibrant encouragement.
Awakening Hope
I’d love you to join me for Awakening Hope, a free five-day immersive experience for widows and surviving partners, running 22–26 September 2025. Together we’ll explore how to face feelings, cultivate self-compassion, and rediscover who we are after loss.
Find out more and sign up here: https://www.karensutton.co.uk/awakeninghope
For More Support:
The Widows Membership: karensutton.co.uk/the-widow-membership
Coaching and retreats: karensutton.co.uk
More from The Widow Podcast
In this solo episode of The Widow Podcast, I explore what it really means when our relationships change after the loss of a life partner.
In this episode of The Widow Podcast, I'm joined by Rosie Moss, host of the Widowed AF podcast and author of Widowed AF: A Guidebook for Grieving Your Partner.
It's just me again, following on from my last episode where I shared what I've learnt about grief. There was so much that I tried to cram it all into that one episode, and realised that I couldn't. And as I tried to separate it out, what came to me was that a lot of it wasn't about grief at all. It was about life. Some of the things I want to share with you might feel a little bit uncomfortable, especially if you are in the very early raw days of your grief, and I say that with so much love. You don't have to think the way I think. My way is not the right way, this is just my way, this is just where I've got to, and if yours is different, I love that for you. I talk about: • Simon died and it was horrendous. I did not. I was still alive, and I didn't want two people's lives to end because one person died • Believing at 39 that I was too old to start a new career or make anything of myself, and why I'm determined to make my 50s the best decade of my life • Nobody is coming to save us, and there is no white shining knight on a horse who is going to make everything magically better • Why having to do it for yourself does not mean that you have to do it by yourself • You have so much more within you than you could ever dream possible • Our lives will be as good as we allow them to be, and the ceiling we put on them without realising • Love is not finite, and your heart will expand to the depth that you allow it to expand • Don't compare the life that you have now with an imaginary future • The thing I find most difficult to say out loud: that I have stopped wishing my life were different
I'm so excited to be back. It has been nearly a year since I recorded an episode of The Widow Podcast and I've really missed it.
In this final episode of season four, I take some time to reflect on the journey we’ve been on together and what this season has taught me about healing after loss.