Camp Widow® presenters: Jodi Carpenter & Robbie James
It is what it is - and how to navigate that
Language warning
This session aims to help attendees with mindfulness and choosing their mindset in the face of their grief.
Jodi and Robbie will:
- explore the idea of forgiving ourselves with grace and kindness when so often there is guilt about being alive
- look at journaling to document the positive glimmers, and life affirming moments that are easy to overlook in the midst of heavy grief
- encourage the active seeking of happiness in our lives post loss and examine what that happiness might look like in your world.
Jodi and Robbie are emotive and raw and will use language that may shock some.
They see this session as being most suited for people who are ready to move forward and navigate this next part of their grief journey.
About Jodi and Robbie
Robbie James and Jodi Carpenter met at Camp Widow in 2022, through their mutual friend Lindy, and share a dark sense of humor and a liberal use of colorful language.
Jodi and Robbie attribute their perspective on widowhood and their healthy attitudes to their new lives to First Light Widowed Association and the connections that they have made through this.
They have chosen to embrace this new life with an openness to all the highs and lows.
Jodi discovered First Light within seven weeks of her husband Chris’ death from GBM Brain cancer at the age of 54. She is a very passionate advocate for young widows, was the National Catch Up Coordinator for two years and has gone on to host monthly catch ups on the north side of Brisbane.
Jodi is a second-generation young widow, with her dad dying when she was 11 and her mum only 38. She is the mum of two amazing humans and soon to be grandma.
Jodi has a broad work background and has had a lot of experience in facilitating and presenting workshops. She is excited to be presenting around something that she is incredibly passionate about.
Robbie is a mum of four adult boys and Granny to her Squish.
Her world changed completely when her husband of 25 years died unexpectedly of a heart attack at home. He was 46 at the time.
She started a weekly blog about 12 months into her grief journey to try and put into words the difficulties of navigating grief and life, as well as dating and other disasters in her world. She calls it her weekly ‘word vomit’ and writes it both for herself and for the people in her circle.
Unlike Jodi, she is terrified of public speaking but feels passionate about the importance of positivity and mindfulness in navigating this new life.
Hope, community, understanding
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