Rachel Engstrom - Author, “Wife, Widow, Now What?”

Rachel Engstrom

Rachel Engstrom is a young woman who has survived one of the toughest tragedies one can face in life, that has come out on the other side wanting to help others.

She lives in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area with her family and beloved dog Greta. By day she helps consumers get connected to mental health and substance abuse services, and on evenings and weekends she is a podcast guest, guest blog writer, and volunteer, when not spending time with family or friends.

I’m excited for you to connect with Rachel, check out her work, and follow along as she continues to help others going through illness and/or grief and loss associated with cancer, so that anyone on this journey can navigate the cancer process with much needed tools and resources.

I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.

Rachel Engstrom is a young woman who has survived one of the toughest tragedies one can face in life, that has come out on the other side wanting to help others. She lives in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area with her family and beloved dog Greta. By day she helps consumers get connected to mental health and substance abuse services, and on evenings and weekends she is a podcast guest, guest blog writer, and volunteer, when not spending time with family or friends.

How did you get started?

Rachel was thrown into the world of cancer in 2011 when she became a cancer wife at age 28, when her 35 year old husband was diagnosed with leukemia. Two days after she turned 31 in 2013, she became a widow. Based on her personal and professional experiences, she wrote “Wife, Widow, Now What?” in the hopes that this love story and toolkit guide will helps others that were, are, and will be in her shoes, feel less alone.

What Inspired the work you’re doing?

Rachel had to learn how to navigate both the cancer and grief and loss worlds, embracing it all for better or worse, and decided to write it all down for others, as there is nothing else like this out there.

What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?

Her biggest passion is to connect people to needed resources, therefore she’s thrilled that her book exists, as she so wishes she’d had something like this when she was in the thick of it all. With the increasing number of young women and men becoming widows/widowers due to not only cancer and serious illnesses, but also now Covid 19, this resource is needed more now than ever. Rachel shares her journey via real-time social media posts in a raw and honest way, while providing step by step resources to help you navigate your own journey. Never before has there been a combination of the personal grit of the healthcare journey, along with steps on how to navigate treatment, diagnosis, the ins and outs of hospital life, employment, finances, insurance, self care, grief and loss and much more.

Rachel feels like she is living out her life’s passion by discussing her journey on podcasts and sharing her book. The human connection and being able to authentically connect with someone who is going through what Rachel successfully did, is a joy blueprint for her. Getting her life story out to the world and knowing that it may help someone else feel less alone, is why she continues to have endless energy to do so.

How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?

Rachel offers practical tips and tricks on how to live with joy, positivity, adapt to tough, tragic and unfair circumstances and ways to be intentional even if your world is crumbling or being built back up. Writing and speaking has allowed her to fulfill her joy, stay grounded and continue to honor her late husband and their former life together.

What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?

She believes her younger self would never believe how far she’s get, and with such gusto and openness, being okay with so many past times of not being okay. The difficult path she has traveled has brought her to a place years later of laughter, love, memories, advocacy and desire to spread the word that happiness is possible despite catastrophic circumstances and loss.

Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?

One can choose to be bitter or better. There are times of course that Rachel had been bitter, but she has found choosing better most often springs forth more joy.

What is your biggest dream?

It’s her dream to have millions read her book, as it’s so tricky and tough to navigate the illness and grief and loss worlds, and due to that she’s actually put pen to paper on tangible ways to do it that worked so very well for her!

To learn more and connect with Rachel visit her on Instagram @wifewidownowwhat Facebook @wife.widow.now.what and you can find her book on Amazon here

Joy Corner is an interview-style blog series brought to you by Seek The Joy Podcast. Our mission continues to be a desire to share your stories, truths, joys and inspiration in your words. We invite you to join our corner, and share your joys, passions, and moments of inspiration as we continue to seek the joy, together. Join this series here