About Us
Who is The Widow Collaborative?
The Widow Collaborative (TWC) is a nonprofit organization that serves as a sanctuary for widows, offering understanding, guidance, and connection through one of life’s most profound losses. Born from lived experience, our mission is to uplift, empower, and ensure widows that no one has to navigate the complexities of spousal grief alone.
TWC champions support for widows, offering access to emotional, financial, and practical resources. While we do not provide direct services, we guide widows and their families to trusted support systems and programs available in their local communities.
To meet the diverse needs of widows, TWC offers a range of compassionate, connection-focused programs:
- Widow Resource Network: A curated directory of vetted professionals—financial advisors, legal experts, home services, and more. Our personalized, zip code–based search makes it easy for widows to find reliable help nearby.
- The Widow’s Compass: An interactive checklist that walks widows through the many overwhelming post-loss tasks, helping them stay organized while avoiding common and costly mistakes.
- TWC Comfort & Care Gifts: Thoughtfully prepared packages delivered to newly widowed individuals, offering warmth and reassurance. Each gift includes items like cozy socks, lotion, a floating lantern, a $50 gift card, and a QR code linking to our online support resources.
- TWC Connect: A peer-to-peer widow connection program that includes one-on-one matches, small peer groups, and large quarterly in-person gatherings. These are designed to foster genuine friendships and combat isolation.
- TWC Volunteer Work Days: Seasonal volunteer events that provide hands-on help with yardwork and household tasks for widows in need, all led by volunteers, students, and fellow widows who want to give back.
TWC is especially committed to supporting widows in underserved and lower-income communities. Our website and tools are designed to be accessible and free of charge, offering resources and guidance to help widows organize their affairs, understand their rights, and find trusted support.
We’re here not just with tools and resources, but with real connection, understanding, and a hand to hold through every challenge life brings. You don’t have to face this journey alone; we’ll face it together, with compassion, guidance, and unwavering support.
What’s Unique About TWC?
Every loss is different, which is why we created a custom, interactive tool designed around your unique journey. This free guided experience helps widows navigate the critical first steps after the loss of a spouse or partner, without adding overwhelm. Our easy-to-use platform simplifies the unexpected realities of widowhood by walking you through what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and connecting you with trusted professionals aligned to your needs. Think of TWC as a steady compass during an unsteady time — helping you find the right resources, clarity, and support, so moving forward feels a little more manageable.
At The Widow Collaborative, we believe that together, we can create a brighter tomorrow filled with resilience, growth, and a renewed sense of purpose.
We invite you to join our collaborative community, where you’ll find solace, understanding, and a network of widows who are on this journey and moving through grief alongside you.
Co-Founder of The Widow Collaborative and Owner of Perrill Digital Agency, Amy’s dual roles harness both passion and expertise, ensuring TWC thrives in the digital realm. Witnessing TWC and Perrill join forces to make a marked impact on the lives of widows has been a heartening experience. Her personal journey, marked by the loss of her husband, Jay, in 2020, fuels her dedication to becoming a widowed community advocate and supporting others enduring similar pain. With a vision of TWC as a nationwide haven for widows, Amy dreams of a unified platform that offers solace and direction for young widows like herself. Outside of The Widow Collaborative, Amy resides in Minneapolis. She actively supports her community through various non-profit organizations and dedicates time at her children’s school health office. Amy also enjoys moments with her three children, dining out, sipping wine, socializing, and working out.
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As a Co-Founder of The Widow Collaborative, Annie blends her personal journey with her professional role as a Family Services Collaborative Specialist. In this capacity, she brings together leaders from diverse fields dedicated to supporting children and families in the community, aligning perfectly with TWC’s mission of fostering supportive networks. Annie’s commitment to helping others has deep roots, intensified by her husband’s Glioblastoma diagnosis and their shared vision to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Following Marc’s passing, Annie’s vision became clear: to establish a resource for widows akin to the supportive community she and her family leaned on during their journey. Annie’s dream for TWC is unwavering: a sanctuary for every widow, offering a trusted place for them to turn throughout their journey. Beyond TWC, Annie loves seeking adventures with her three daughters, diving into diverse cultures–especially through food, and all-things Wisconsin Badgers.
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As a Co-Founder at TWC, Carrie’s dedication stems not only from her own experience but also from her role as a school Occupational Therapy Assistant. There, she witnesses firsthand how grief impacts children and their families. A month after the loss of her husband, Jason, in 2021, Carrie realized her calling: to support widows in their hour of need, as she was once supported. Widowhood reshaped her life, leaving her to navigate new challenges alongside her two teenagers. This, coupled with her professional insights, inspired her aspiration for the TWC–a world where no widow feels isolated. She envisions TWC as their guiding beacon. Outside of The Widow Collaborative, Carrie loves music, boat rides, and taking walks–she also has a newfound interest in golf.
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TWC Co-Founder, Jody Sowieja, carries with her a wealth of experience from her leadership role in a Real Estate Photography venture in the Twin Cities. At TWC, she applies these skills in shaping the website’s vision, functionality, and design, consistently innovating to offer widows an all-encompassing resource. The tragic loss of her husband in a 2022 snowmobile accident has been the most overwhelming and challenging time of her life but created a passion in her soul to make something beautiful for other widows. Her vision for TWC is a safe, welcoming place for widows to find resources, connections, support, and hope to move forward. Outside of TWC, she keeps busy with her two teenage daughters, filled with a newfound love of traveling together and planning their next adventure. She cherishes spending time with family and friends, listening to music, working out, dancing, and organizing anything brings her great joy!
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Meet Dawn, our Director of Event Planning for The Widow Collaborative. Dawn is currently a Senior Product Manager at Target Corp. She brings her incredible organizational skills, love for people, and unmatched ability to plan a great party to this new role, and we couldn’t be more excited to have her on the team!
Dawn lost her husband in 2022 and while she is still healing, she feels ready to give back. Her desire to support widows coming up behind her marks an inspiring new chapter in her life. A proud mom of two busy kids who play lacrosse and hockey, Dawn’s calendar is always full, but she still finds time to make every gathering special! With her experience on the Target Volunteer Council and with several nonprofit organizations plus her natural energy, Dawn is already making a huge impact, bringing people together in meaningful ways.
Even from a young age Katie can remember the drive to be a “helper.” Katie has always had a passion and empathetic ear for others along with a splash of humor. It all melded together as she dedicating her career path to helping others as a Licensed K-12 School Counselor. After Katie’s husband passed in 2016 her helping spirit widened to include grief work. Starting her journey by sharing her story via blog and social media with hopes that others would not feel alone in their grief story. She found that her realness when discussing grief and ability to weave humor really helps make the topic of grief not as taboo as society makes it. Her writing catapulted her to speaking at numerous events, venues, and guest speaking on podcasts with the topics of normalizing loss and helping those in their grief journey. In 2020 Katie published a book “The Funny Thing about Grief”, in which she shares her story in hopes to educate others about grief and loss intertwining her realness and humor throughout. Katie is also a mother, remarried widow, and opens her home to widows monthly through the Modern Widows Club as an advocate.
In her free time she loves attending her kids’ activities and watching them do what they love, spending time with friends, shopping and traveling.
Ken Finsaas is a seasoned Strategic Advisor with extensive experience in leadership, technology, and social impact. From October 2020 to December 2024, he served as president of Cherith Analytics, where he was responsible for setting and executing the company’s strategic direction. His leadership helped shape the organization’s growth and focus, positioning it for success. Prior to that, Ken was the Executive Director of the Table Project, a social media platform designed to help churches create deeper connections by inviting members to pray for and support one another. Under his guidance, the platform grew to include churches in every state and users across more than 40 countries.
In addition to his leadership roles in the non-profit and social impact sectors, Ken is one of the owners of Pareo, Inc., a technology services company that works with Fortune 500 clients. His background also includes more than two decades of experience in executive management roles with various tech services organizations from 1998 to 2010. With his deep commitment to community-building and leveraging technology for good, Ken brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to supporting initiatives that empower and uplift widows and their families.
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Every widow, everywhere, deserves to find a community of understanding and support.
Rooted in Minnesota, we began our journey with a vision close to our hearts. While our origin is deeply tied to the warmth of the Minnesotan community, our aspirations stretch far beyond. Our dream is to extend our support network to widows across the nation. Advocating, supporting, and connecting–no matter the distance or boundary.
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