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The Solo Dad Podcast

The Solo Dad Podcast

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Your Wife is Gone. You’re Still Dad. Now What?

SoloDad is a podcast created for widowed fathers navigating the unthinkable—raising children while grieving the loss of a partner. Each episode dives into the raw, unfiltered reality of solo fatherhood, offering honest conversations, practical advice, and stories from dads who’ve been there. Whether you're searching for guidance, connection, or simply reassurance that you're not alone, SoloDad is here to help you rebuild your life, one day at a time. Together, we find strength, purpose, and hope in fatherhood.


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Episodi
  • S5 E13 Ric With In Hours Dad to Solo Dad

    S5 E13 Ric With In Hours Dad to Solo Dad
    Oct 24 2026
    What happens when one of the happiest moments of your life and the worst moment of your life happen within hours of each other?Ric Hart became a father and a widower almost at the same time.His wife, Jade, gave birth to their son, Hugo, in July 2018. Hours later, after a catastrophic series of medical events, Jade died.Two days later, Ric returned home with a newborn.No partner.Very little sleep.A shattered nervous system.And absolutely no idea how he was supposed to grieve while feeding a baby every few hours.Eight years later, Ric can talk about those days differently.Not because grief disappeared.Not because time magically healed everything.But because, as Ric puts it, he became stronger at carrying it.One of the most powerful moments in this conversation is Ric’s analogy of grief as a stone.At first, the stone felt as big as the world.He didn’t know how to hold it.He didn’t know how to move around it.It pulled him emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.Today, that stone is still there.But Ric knows how to carry it.That distinction sits at the heart of this conversation.Grief didn’t get smaller.Ric became stronger.In this episode of The Solo Dad Podcast, Matt Bradley and Ric talk honestly about what it means to become a solo parent from the very beginning, the physical toll of grief, isolation, judgment, rebuilding identity, and the things Ric found that actually helped.For Ric, one of those things was movement.Running became a place where grief came out physically.He describes running exhausted, sleep-deprived and completely broken—sometimes literally falling to the ground sobbing before getting back up and continuing.Eventually, that movement became part of something bigger.Ric ran races in Jade’s memory.He completed a marathon.He began writing.During COVID, ideas that had been living in his head started turning into books.Ric has now published seven books—including five children’s books and two adult books—with royalties from his books supporting charity.He also created his own podcast, Real With Ric, as another way to create honest conversations around grief, growth and life after loss.The conversation also dives into something Ric now uses as another form of reset: ice baths.What began as an intensely uncomfortable experience became a place where Ric says he learned to find calm inside discomfort.That theme runs throughout his story.Running.Cold water.Writing.Parenting.Creativity.Building boundaries.Letting go of people, expectations and parts of his old life that no longer served him.None of it erased Jade.None of it meant leaving her behind.It meant learning how to live while continuing to carry her.Matt and Ric also talk about the judgment that can come with widowhood—especially when you begin rebuilding, changing, succeeding or making choices other people don’t understand.Ric’s response is direct:He is still here.Hugo is still here.And he intends to live.Not in spite of Jade.In part because of the life they shared.And because he believes Jade would want him to “smash the shit out of life.”This episode is ultimately about what happens when grief becomes part of you—but no longer gets to make every decision for you.It’s about movement.Creativity.Boundaries.Purpose.Fatherhood.And learning that moving forward does not mean leaving the person you love behind.It means carrying them differently.In this episode:Becoming a father and a widower within hoursBringing a newborn home while in shock and griefSolo parenting from birthWhy Ric rejects the idea that “time heals”Grief as a stone you learn to carryRunning as a physical outlet for griefFinding strength through discomfortCreativity after lossWriting seven books and giving back through charityBuilding Ric’s podcast and grief platformIce baths, solitude and finding calmThe judgment widowed people experience when rebuildingSetting boundaries after lossLetting go without forgettingHow purpose can grow alongside griefWhat Ric hopes his son Hugo understands about everything he has builtWhy carrying grief and living fully can exist at the same timeRic’s story is a reminder that moving forward isn’t the same thing as moving on.Sometimes the weight doesn’t change.We do.Ready for more than just listening? Explore the CLIMB framework and support options at https://solodad.life/
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    1 ora e 19 min
  • S5E12 Michael Widowed With Three Boys—and 60 Days to Leave the Country

    S5E12 Michael Widowed With Three Boys—and 60 Days to Leave the Country
    Oct 16 2026

    What happens when your wife dies, you're raising three grieving boys, and you have 60 days to leave the country you've called home?

    Michael “Mike” Frampton lived that reality.

    Before becoming a widowed solo dad, Mike was already managing a marriage marked by serious challenges. His wife, Kim, was a successful doctor and entrepreneur, but behind the scenes, their family was struggling with mental health concerns, relationship instability, and difficult decisions about their children's future.

    Then Kim died unexpectedly.

    Mike was left raising three young boys in California, facing financial and immigration challenges, and trying to figure out how to get his family back to New Zealand during COVID travel restrictions.

    The move home was only the beginning.

    Mike shares what those first months looked like: angry children, nightmares, school struggles, exhaustion, and his own need to find a way to function.

    Through therapy, parenting education, routines, exercise, and the support of others, Mike began building stability for his family.

    And he kept returning to one message for his boys:

    You're safe and you're loved.

    Matt and Mike have a candid conversation about complicated grief, the parts of a relationship that don't fit neatly into a beautiful love story, and the daily work of raising kids after losing their other parent.

    In this episode:

    • When grief begins before someone dies
    • Raising children through anger, fear, and major life changes
    • Why a surviving parent's well-being matters
    • How routines helped Mike's boys regain stability
    • The parenting lessons Mike learned from The Incredible Years
    • Movement, sports, and the role they played in his recovery
    • Breathing practices Mike explored after his wife's death
    • Finding support when asking for help feels difficult
    • Setting boundaries around screens and technology
    • What Mike wants his three boys to know about their dad

    This is a difficult story, but it is also a conversation about showing up, getting help, and doing the work of parenting when the life you planned no longer exists.

    Resources mentioned

    • Surf Mastery Podcast — https://surfmastery.com/podcast
    • The Incredible Years parenting programs — https://www.incredibleyears.com/early-intervention-programs/parents
    • Calm Parenting Podcast — https://celebratecalm.com/
    • Safe Surfer — https://safesurfer.io/
    • Wim Hof Method — https://www.wimhofmethod.com/breathing-exercises

    Connect with Solo Dad Life

    More episodes, community support, and resources for widowed parents: https://solodad.life/

    If this conversation helps you, follow The Solo Dad Podcast and share it with another parent who might need to hear it.

    Content note: This conversation includes discussion of mental health challenges, substance use, relationship conflict, child safety, sudden death, and traumatic grief. Mike shares his personal experiences and interpretations. The discussion is not medical, mental health, or legal advice.

    Ready for more than just listening? Explore the CLIMB framework and support options at https://solodad.life/
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    2 ore e 29 min
  • S5E10 Tom Widowed Dad Raising 3 Kids After Sudden Loss

    S5E10 Tom Widowed Dad Raising 3 Kids After Sudden Loss
    Oct 2 2026
    Four days before Christmas, everything changed.

    On Saturday, Sarah was bowling with her family. On Sunday, she was making gingerbread houses with her children and watching Santa ride through their neighborhood. By Wednesday morning, she was gone.

    In this episode of the Solo Dad Podcast, Matt sits down with Tom, a Philadelphia musician and widowed father of three, to discuss the sudden death of his wife from bacterial meningitis and the extraordinary community that helped him keep going.

    Tom and Sarah's love story began in Spain, where they were performing at an international music festival. A shared love of music became a relationship, a marriage, countless adventures, and eventually a family of five.

    In December 2022, their lives changed almost overnight.

    Suddenly, Tom was trying to understand what had happened, explain death to his young children, plan Sarah's funeral, and somehow create Christmas for a family that had just lost its center.

    That's when his community stepped in.

    His friends from the Philadelphia Mummers' Quaker City String Band came to his house and wrapped every Christmas present. Later, members of that same community converted his garage into a bedroom so he could welcome an au pair and get the childcare support his family needed.

    This conversation explores something every widowed parent deserves to experience: the difference between people offering help and people actually showing up.

    What you'll learn

    • How Tom explained his wife's death honestly to his young children without using confusing euphemisms.
    • Why maintaining familiar routines helped him create stability after sudden loss.
    • How friends, family, coworkers, and fellow musicians provided practical support during an overwhelming time.
    • Why an au pair helped Tom spend more meaningful time parenting rather than simply managing three children's schedules.
    • How finding other widowed fathers provided understanding, friendship, and support beyond traditional grief groups.
    • How to prepare for unexpected grief triggers at school, including events like "Muffins with Mom."
    • Why taking care of yourself matters when you're responsible for everyone else.
    • What Tom learned about his own strength and becoming a different father after Sarah's death.

    The CLIMB connection

    Courage: Telling his children the truth about their mother's death and accepting the responsibility of raising them without her.

    Learning: Discovering new parenting systems, childcare solutions, and ways of navigating grief that fit his family's circumstances.

    Integration: Keeping Sarah's memory alive through family photographs, stories, music, and familiar traditions while accepting the reality of her absence.

    Movement: Returning to routines, addressing practical problems, creating a childcare support system, and continuing to participate in family life.

    Building and Belonging: Leaning on friends, family, the Mummers community, and relationships with other widowed fathers.

    Tom's experience is a reminder that rebuilding doesn't mean forgetting. It means discovering how to carry your love, care for your family, and accept support as you build a life you never expected to live.

    You may feel lonely in your grief, but you don't have to navigate it alone.

    Listen. Connect. Share. Keep on CLIMBing.


    Ready for more than just listening? Explore the CLIMB framework and support options at https://solodad.life/
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    1 ora e 40 min
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