Coaching for Widows

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

— C.S. Lewis

Paisley Project has prioritized having professional coaches as part of our support team for multiple purposes:

1

Front Line Support

The first point of contact is usually a discussion with a new widow, or a widow who is new to the organization. Traditionally, this point of contact has been with Karyl McKendry, Paisley Project’s founder. Early on, Karyl learned that new widows, and sometimes more long-term widows, are often in an emotionally fragile state. They are surrounded by well-meaning people who want to help and often don’t know how. She decided she needed professional training.

Karyl earned her professional credential in coaching, withFour Streams School of Coaching, associated with theInternational Coaching Federation (ICF). She chose to train with Four Streams because of its focus on the dignity of every human being. Her training also draws from multiple disciplines to create a superior coaching experience: neuroscience, positive psychology, and the basics of life coaching. I subscribe to theICF Code of Ethics. This training has proven to be essential in providing safe and effective connections with new widows.

2

Discovering A New Identity & Developing A New Vision

After such a devastating loss, all aspects of a widow’s life has been affected—her sense of identity, her life roles, her finances, her relationships, and her vision for the future. Coaching has proven to be instrumental in helping widows developing a new identity after loss and moving on to a new vision for her future. Through coaching, a widow can identify how to move forward, where she wants to be in five years. And then reverse-engineering that is actually the easier, more enjoyable part. It can actually be invigorating for a person to begin to see the steps that she can take from her forward, and become something that really does inspire her.

Meet the Team

Cindi Betz

My husband passed in February, 2000. I was 47, my husband was 48, and I had two sons in college. When this loss happened, I had to completely redefine my identity and find a way to go back to work. I went to school to become a massage therapist and found that massage was beneficial for the body, mind, and soul in the healing process. I've now begun another new, beautiful journey as coach for Paisley Project.
Being coached is a beautiful way to receive support and encouragement; it helps confidence and resilience. Having gone through coaching myself, I can attest to its profound impact, and I look forward to helping other women on their journeys.
Sara Buxton

In 2016, when I was 31 years old, I became a widow and single mom to a 3-year-old when my husband passed away unexpectedly. I have taught elementary school for 18 years and love helping people and children to bring out the best in themselves.
On this journey I have learned to find joy and love again and hope to help others find their purpose and joy again too.
Dianne Farris

I am one of the many widows who have gone before you in the loss of our beloveds. My husband committed suicide June 2014 and years later, I am still affected. Even as our journeys continue, we are here to undergird and support you through your loss. Having someone to speak with that will be encouraging and non-judgmental is precisely what I needed when I was invited to a Paisley event many moons ago.
Giving back to Paisley Project as a Life Coach seems so natural and is an honor. I encourage each of you to keep taking steps, continue to breathe, and give yourself grace and you navigate the Paisley framework L.I.V.E. (Loss, Identity, Vision, Engagement).
Holly Leigh

I became a widow at age 51 in 2014, when my husband passed from complications of a failed mitral valve. As a mom of three adult daughters and a retired schoolteacher, I have found joy in helping others to search inwardly for strengths, and to set and reach goals.
In this season of my life, coaching allows me to continue to support others and offer encouragement and assistance to people as they set intentional plans for their life.
Karyl McKendry

I lost my husband when I was 44 years old.
While raising four children, working full-time, and moving three times, I learned that as common as widowhood is… there are very few resources available for these women.
I was determined to address the isolation of loss and the confusion of supporters. I wanted to help widows not only to survive, but to thrive. This led to founding the Paisley Project in 2014.
Suzanne Milani

My husband, Darius passed away suddenly in August 2019. He died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm at the age of 63. We had been married for 38 years, with two children, and had just moved from the East coast to Colorado to begin our new life for our retirement years. He only lived for 3 months after we moved.
The question that stood out for me as a widow over and over was, how do I do this life without him!? How do I continue in a story that ended before it was supposed to?! We lose a part of our identity when someone we love dies. I learned that the grief process is becoming who we are now and figuring out how to show up in this world, forever changed.
My goal as a coach is to help you navigate the losses associated with this new life and the challenges that often come up and to support you as you rebuild your life.
Michelle Nelson

Life as I knew it crashed around me in 2019 when my husband Dwight went hiking in Vail. With no prior symptoms or warnings he died on the mountain and never came home. If you are open, glimmers sometimes appear in the most unexpected places.
My connection with the Paisley Project helped me understand that I will always be a widow but I am so much more too. As part of my healing process, I became a Certified Coach as a way to share what I've learned and be there for other widows in their journey to L.I.V.E.

Get Coaching

We offer coaching first as an introductory package for six sessions at $300.

This package is designed for those who are new to Paisley Project coaching—for widows, by widows. Just as we know that after becoming a widow, every part of your life changes. Coaching can help address issues that come up in all areas of L.I.V.E.—dealing with LOSS, recreating your IDENTY, developing a new VISION for your life, and figuring out how to ENGAGE in the world again.

Coaching isn’t a one-time fix—it’s an ongoing process that unlocks potential and drives continuous improvement. This is why we require this package of 6 initial sessions to begin your coaching journey. our coaching packages are offered at a significantly discounted price of $50/session, or a total of $300 for the package.
Once you have completed your 6-session package, you'll gain the ability to purchase single coaching sessions as desired.
Once you purchase the package, a confirmation page will display with your unique certificate code and a link where you can select your coach and schedule your six coaching sessions. You will also receive a confirmation email with these instructions!

You don't have to schedule all of your sessions right away—feel free to just schedule your first session (or first few sessions) and use the link in your confirmation email email (or the Certificate Code listed on your confirmation email) to book the remainder of your appointments.
Yes! You can choose to schedule based on a specific coach or the time that works for you.

WE’RE BUILDING OUR TEAM

As Paisley Project has grown, we have identified a need to increase the number of professionally trained staff (who are also widows) for both our front-line support and continued coaching opportunities.

We have partnered with Four Streams Coaching to train specialized cohorts of people to work directly with Paisley Project. Our first cohort started September 2023, and consists of women who are widows themselves and feel compelled to give back. We expect to add additional cohorts every six months.

Please contact us if you would like to participate in an upcoming cohort. We will be starting an additional cohort of non-widow coaches to provide support for the supporters of widows.

Join the Cohort

Support Coaching.

Our mission is to provide essential tools and resources to support women to survive, heal, grow, and thrive after the loss of their husbands, while also mobilizing the widow’s own support network.

Learn more about our mission.

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