Meet Carolyn Moor

We were lucky to catch up with Carolyn Moor recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Carolyn , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I’ve come to understand that purpose often reveals itself as we search for meaning in life.

This realization came to me in the aftermath of a profound personal tragedy. Returning home from a romantic Valentine’s Day date, my husband and I were involved in a car crash caused by a hit-and-run driver, resulting in his death and my survival.

Until that moment, my purpose was intertwined with our shared life—running a business together, co-parenting our children, and cherishing each other as best friends. His death marked the end of those shared dreams.

In the wake of this loss, I found a new purpose through a vow I made to my late husband, Chad. I promised to always prioritize our daughters in my decisions, to uphold our family’s honor, and to find a path to genuine happiness and love once more.

Embarking on a journey to fulfill these three critical promises became my new mission, ultimately guiding me to my future endeavor: empowering other widows to thrive, beginning with myself.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
As the Founder and Development Director at Modern Widows Club, a nonprofit and public charity organization that serves to empower women in widowhood to lean into life, build resilience and release their potential to make a positive difference in society, I leverage my skills in social networking, creative direction, and dyslexic thinking to raise awareness, funds, and partnerships for our cause of great social significance. With over 14 years of experience in leading and mentoring widows, I am passionate about transforming my personal tragedy into a global movement of empowerment and advocacy.

Modern Widows Club is at the forefront of championing a comprehensive and well-rounded movement aimed at promoting holistic well-being among widows. Through our initiatives, we are advancing crucial support systems, innovative solutions, and pioneering research tailored specifically to empower widows.

I am also a TEDx speaker, an author, and a podcast host, sharing my insights and stories on how to support and comfort someone going through grief, how to inspire, connect, and lead as a widow, and how to honor the legacies of legendary widows throughout history. My TEDx talk has been featured on TED.com, reaching international viewers and sparking conversations on this often overlooked topic. My books and podcast have received rave reviews and accolades, inspiring and empowering widow mentors, leaders and advocates to thrive. I aim to reshape the narrative of widowhood, increase social awareness, and foster a deeper understanding of this aspect of life.

My books, Inspire, Connect, Lead: Empowering Your Widow Mentoring & Leadership Gifts and Legendary Widows: Stories of Legacy are revolutionizing widow leadership and highlight how to best advance the need for widows to be seen as women who have renewed themselves as rays of light, waymakers, pioneers, trailblazers, compassionate leaders, honorable philanthropists, vow keepers, and pillars of womanhood. “Promise made, promise kept, promise honored.”

Featured on Psychology Today, NPR, CBS Sunday Morning, Oprah Winfrey Show, Wall Street Journal, and Mt. Sinai Road To Resilience Podcast.

At Modern Widows Club, we envision and work toward a time when widows are seen as a vital part of their family, their work, and their community. My remarkable journey is a testament to the transformative power of resilience, compassion, and determination.

Learn more at modernwidowsclub.org or opinion column Moor Thoughts on Widow Life Substack app at https://modernwidowsclub.substack.com/s/moor-thoughts.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I believe that nurturing curiosity, compassion, and commitment are the three pillars essential for fostering purpose in one’s life.

My empathy for those enduring hardship, combined with an exploration of our inherent resilience, sparked my curiosity about the uniqueness of my own coping mechanisms compared to others. This exploration broadened my perspective, enabling me to become both an advocate and a subject matter expert.

Having the privilege of hearing the stories of thousands of widows and witnessing the subsequent chapters of their lives has afforded me a wisdom that is rare. It was my engagement with their experiences and my desire to enhance my role as a mentor—creating space for others—that fueled my commitment to establish a nonprofit platform. This platform offers more women the chance to express themselves in their own words, presenting viewpoints that were previously absent in the world.

Recently, I’ve embraced a fourth essential skill: humor. By finding ways to inject humor into discussions of even the heaviest subjects, I aim to introduce a sense of lightness into my life and navigate the unpredictability of widowhood with a lighter heart. A genuine “stand-up for widows” comedy performance dedicated to the many experiences of a life in transition, which not only received enthusiastic acclaim on its debut but also succeeded in raising both funds and awareness in a novel manner.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
In 2015, I was spotlighted in The Wall Street Journal as an exemplar of learned resilience, a concept detailed in the first edition of “Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges” by Dr. Charney and Dr. Southwick. Surprisingly, I hadn’t read the book at that time, yet somehow, both I and the Modern Widows Club were being cited as embodiments of the ten resilience principles outlined in this highly regarded work on resilience research.

Prompted by this unexpected recognition, I reached out to Dr. Steve Southwick, a leading expert in resilience building and post-traumatic growth, leading to an enriching friendship. I delved into the book, actively incorporating its principles more profoundly into my life. This engagement profoundly altered my life’s course, enhancing my roles as a leader, mother, friend, woman, and human being.

Dr. Southwick’s acknowledgment of my journey and that of the Modern Widows Club was so impactful that he ensured our stories were included in the third edition of the book. This honor came before his passing, leaving me without the chance to express my gratitude. His influence and the integration of his life’s work into mine bestowed upon me invaluable insights — wisdom that I am honored to share with widows and others navigating through life’s challenges.

He imparted to me the understanding that love is the most powerful motivator behind our actions. It lays the foundation for experiences that foster the growth of resilience. Though gaining this resilience is a challenging journey, it is undeniably worthwhile.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
All photos owned by Modern Widows Club or Carolyn Moor.

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