MWC MONTHLY TOPIC
Freedom to Develop Your Wings
Our July 2023 topic is found under our Fun and Creativity Pillar of Healthy Widowhood. Modern Widows Club Founder Carolyn Moor shares a preview of this month’s video:
Wings and having freedom is what July is all about.
I want to talk about singer-songwriter Paul McCartney and the band he formed in the post-Beatles era, named WINGS. I read that he decided to call it that when his wife Linda and baby almost died during childbirth. While he was praying through this trauma, an image of wings came into his mind, so he decided that was the future for his musical career.
When I think about this decision and move, I often wonder “How do you walk away from the biggest band in history?”
Click below to watch Carolyn’s video.
LEGENDARY WIDOW ROLE MODEL
Iris Apfel
Our July 2023 Legendary Widow Role Model, Iris Barrel Apfel, is a dynamic American businesswoman in the worlds of fashion, textiles, and interior design. Born in 1921 in Queens, New York, Iris celebrated her 101st birthday in August 2022.
After studying art education at the University of Wisconsin, Iris returned to New York where she wrote for Women’s Wear Daily. In 1948, Iris married Carl Apfel. In 1950, they launched the textile firm Old World Weavers, specializing in fabric reproductions from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Iris and Carl ran the firm together until they retired in 1992.
Iris and Carl traveled the world in search of textiles, and during this time Iris collected non-Western, artisanal clothes. In 2005 The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art staged Rara Avis (Rare Bird), an exhibit of her clothing and accessories.
During her career, Iris participated in a variety of design restoration projects, including working with the White House over nine U.S. presidential administrations.
In 2011, at the age of 90, Iris became a visiting professor in the Division of Textiles and Apparel at the University of Texas at Austin, and collaborated on a collection with MAC Cosmetics. In 2013, Iris was listed as one of the “Best-Dressed over 50” by The Guardian.
She stars in the documentary “Iris,” which premiered at the New York Film Festival in 2014. The movie highlights her colorful outfits, mixing high couture with thrift store chic and whimsical accessories such as beaded slippers or her signature oversized black frames glasses.
Carl Apfel died on August 1, 2015, at age 100. The couple had been married 67 years. In her biography Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon, published in 2018, Iris noted that she and Carl had a wonderful relationship, and that the long time they had together sometimes felt like a century, sometimes like a nanosecond.
In 2016, Iris performed in a television commercial for French car manufacturer Citroën and was the face of Australian clothing brand Blue Illusion. That same year, she was awarded the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) Pioneer Award for her work in fashion.
In 2018, Mattel created an Iris Apfel Barbie doll, making her the oldest person to ever have a Barbie created in her image. In 2019, at the age of 97, Iris signed a modeling contract with global agency IMG.
Today, at almost 102 years of age, Iris continues to consult and lecture about style and other fashion topics.
Read about our other Legendary Widow Role Models here.
MWC SPECIAL EVENTS
Two Great Events in St. Louis for One Special Price!
Have you heard? Modern Widows Club is headed to St. Louis, Missouri twice this year! We’re so excited for this opportunity to spend time in person with YOU!
We’ll be there July 28 for a fun family night out at Busch Stadium, when the St. Louis Cardinals meet the Chicago Cubs, and then again September 22–24 for our Widow Empowerment Event (WEE).
Click here to read more about the Cardinals vs. Cubs baseball game on July 28. Click here to read more about WEE in September.
We’d love to see you at both events! We’re currently offering a special discounted Combo Ticket, which includes one ticket for the baseball game and one general admission registration for WEE, for just $399.
To purchase your Combo Ticket for both events, click below. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!
WELLNESS WINDOW
How Grief Affects Our Health
By Tara Gidus Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, ACSM-CPT
I recently came across an article about the ways grief affects our health. As widows, we know. We know that grief has an immediate and lasting impact. Period. But I was shocked, dismayed, and upset as I read through the long list of physical issues.
Sleep problems
Fatigue
Weakened immune system
Inflammation
Anxiety
High cortisol levels
Digestive issues
Brain fog
Aches and pains
Elevated heart rate
Broken Heart Syndrome
Increased risk of heart attack
Increased risk of cancer
And I’m sure there are many more not listed here.
Then my healthcare professional brain kicked in and I thought, “But we can fight against this!”
Every single one of these symptoms has a nutrition, exercise, movement, and/or sleep component that can help reduce the severity of these impacts, or make them disappear completely. Our health does not have to suffer as we travel through the grieving process.
Click below to continue reading Tara’s article.
Tara Gidus Collingwood is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Personal Trainer, and fellow Wister. You can find her at dietdiva.net.
EMPOWERMENT QUIZ
“Where Do I Begin?”
This is an all too familiar question many widows face. We get it.
Our Widow Empowerment Quiz is for widows who want to know what’s next, and how to get there.
No matter how long it’s been since you became widowed, our tool can help you determine where you are on the Hope, Heal, Grow, Lead pathway in widowhood.
As a snapshot of the phase you’re currently in, the quiz can help you understand what you may experience going forward, identify how others can help support you, and learn new ways to care for yourself on your journey.
WOMAN OVERBOARD PODCAST
Widowhood: From Grief to Growth
Modern Widows Club Founder Carolyn Moor was recently a guest on the Woman Overboard podcast, which features testimonies of perseverance and philanthropy from interesting people with stories to tell. From the episode description:
As Carolyn Moor says, “The biggest universal law in widowhood is that widows know widows.” After losing her husband in a tragic accident, Carolyn made it her life’s mission to advocate for widows around the world. Through her compassionate listening and mentoring skills, she’s helped thousands of women grow in confidence, finding purpose and joy in their new lives.
To listen to the podcast, click the “play” icon above or the button below.
BLOGS FOR WIDOWS
Moor Thoughts Blog
Did you know that Modern Widows Club Founder Carolyn Moor has a blog? Titled Moor Thoughts, it’s where she shares unmoored musings debunking entrenched widowhood stereotypes and myths.
You’ll find Moor Thoughts on Widow Life, our content area on the Substack online publishing platform.
On Widow Life, you also have access — all in one place! — to other great content, including past issues of our Inside Look newsletter, MWC blogs, and our Healthy Widow Healthy Woman podcast.
We hope you’ll come by to read Moor Thoughts. It’s easy subscribe if you’d like to be notified each time Carolyn publishes a new blog.