Episode 6: Michelle Hensley - How This Widow And Mom Of 7 Kids Started A Nonprofit To Help Other Widow Business Owners
Michelle Hensley
Listen to the full interview here!
In 2014, Michelle Hensley lost her husband after a 2 year battle with melanoma.
She spent the next couple of years regaining her lost identity and focusing her energy on becoming a finance, grief, and life coach where she now inspires and educates other widows on emotional and financial decisions.
She has two masters degrees, has raised 7 children, and started two successful nonprofits. Her latest nonprofit “You Are Special” is a microgrant program for widows who want to become self-sufficient and do something they love and start their own businesses.
You can find Michelle at:
Michelle-Hensley.com and youarespecial.org
TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:
When Michelle’s husband died, all of her counselor training went out the window! Because “grief is very personal but loss is universal.”
To cope, she cried. A LOT. And she felt like she was a stranger to herself because she didn’t understand all of the emotions she was feeling. She was stepping into a role that was never designed for her.
Michelle says “The first year is very much a haze. You’re in a fog. In the beginning you just feel so lost. But then you begin to discover who you really are.”
She had a particular moment where she said “Enough is enough!” She made the decision and told herself “You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna have rough moments. But you can do this!”
She found her passion in coaching. Coaching is about moving us forward. Counseling is pathology. She was done with trying to figure out why people got to where they are. She wanted to help them move forward from where they are now.
Michelle is a certified financial counselor at the Sudden Money Institute where they work with people who inherit money and don’t know what to do with it on an emotional side, not the technical side. Michelle is now becoming a financial adviser for this company.
She turned her nonprofit “YouAreSpecial” into a micro-grant program for widows so they can start their own businesses and become self-sufficient and do something that they love. It helps them to get a head start. It’s a good way to get motivated to work for yourself if that’s the only option you have. Go to Youarespecial.org for more information.
She started bike riding and rode everywhere! It got her out of the house, out of her shell, and she met some incredible people in her riding groups.
Michelle waited 5 years to consider dating again. She recommends Match.com for 2 reasons:
1. reasonable cost. The other sites are pretty expensive.
2. They’ve done good job organizing their site and updating it.
Michelle is an avid reader, but one of her favorite books is called “Yes or No: The guide to making Better Decisions” by Spencer Johnson. She feels like widows need to learn to make better decisions. How can we re-learn to make good decisions as single women? She actually teaches a skills class at her local community college.
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