Widowhood is Not Your Final Chapter, with Liz Fiedler Mergen

PODCAST INTRO:
I enjoyed my time with guest, Liz Fiedler Mergen. She’s a remarried widow, mother of 2 daughters and has a multi-layered business strategy that encompasses several businesses. To me, it is all rooted and balanced with her fearless entrepreneurial creativity.

Liz and I agree that grief changes you in countless ways and as much as we may want things to go back to the way they were, they never will. How can they? We’ve lost a significant portion of our life.

Liz and her first husband, Ryan met when she was 22, fell in love and married in 2014. They wanted a family and were blessed with their first daughter. But sadly, they would only have 6 1/2 years together. Ryan, at 39 years of age unexpectedly passed away at home, alone on his treadmill.

To add more trauma to her shattered heart, Liz discovers that she’s pregnant one day after Ryan’s funeral. Not traumatized over being pregnant, but heartbroken that Ryan will never meet his daughter, nor will she meet her daddy and being a single parent was never in her life plans.

One of the significant motivators of transformation for Liz was the realization that she could stay bitter or get better. She chose, get better. She engaged the hard questions, evaluated the cost of living angry and despite the pain, she pushed forward to discover that she isn’t afraid to draw new boundaries, set new standards and start new businesses. She’s exploring life, options, opportunities and breaking ground (personally/professionally) in countless ways.

Liz has an encouraging perspective on finding her way through the pain, embracing new revelations of who she is as she grows through the various challenges and pain points with personal discoveries in all the many facets of her life.

Listen in to find out that widowhood is not the final chapter in her story, my your story and even your story.

Liz’s example gives us the courage to discover that there is even more to life because God is the author of our stories. He always has a plan and fulfilling your purpose has only begun.

You’ve heard me say many times before…keep your eyes on God because He’s writing a much bigger love story, an overarching love story with you as the unique person He created you to be and Liz, with the life she is choosing to cultivate is a beautiful example of that.

Let’s listen in and be encouraged today!

Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Sherrie Pilk

Here are some additional podcast episodes and/or blogs that pertain to finding God in our pain:
Widows, Grief and Finding Hope, with Anne-Marie Lockyer: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/02/14/widows-grief-and-finding-hope-with-anne-marie-lockmyer/
Widower, Daniel Doolan Shares His Story of Love and Loss: https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/12/21/widower-daniel-doolan-shares-his-story-on-love-and-loss/
Widows and Financial Preparedness - Gayle O’Brien Blachura, CFP: https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/09/28/widows-and-financial-preparedness-gayle-blachura-cfp/

CONNECT WITH LIZ:
Website: https://www.lizfiedlermergen.com/
Podcast w/Apple link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/flower-farmer-forum/id1674239699
Book Coming in March of 2026 - Learn more here: https://www.lizfiedlermergen.com/author
IG: lizfiedlermergen
FB: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.weber.545

BIO:
After six years of marriage, two days after our only daughter’s birthday, I lost my husband. The day after his funeral, I found out I was pregnant again. 

Widowed and pregnant at 31 years old, I spent the first six months in a state of rage and anger, continuously growing more upset when people treated me like either a fragile flower or a bomb about to explode. After months of therapy, I learned to focus on the intention behind people’s words rather than get upset when they didn’t approach a situation how I wanted them to. Grief can be isolating, but we grievers can’t shut out everyone who says or does the “wrong thing”. One day, I decided to focus on the intention behind the sometimes poorly delivered sentiments because I realized if I ended every relationship when someone said the wrong thing, I would not have any friends left. I was glad they did not know what I was going through.

Every day I wake up and say to myself, "I'm not going to waste the day being angry. That's not fair to Josh." It takes so much work. I know that anger is a normal part of grief. I can't control the way the world treats grievers, but I can control how I respond.

My podcast, instagram account, book club, and other resources are all devoted to helping it be easier for others to grow through grief.