When Rachel Faulkner Brown was 23, her first husband died. When she was 31, her second husband died. She had no one to guide her through her grief. “I didn’t have anyone showing me the way forward. I had to figure it out on my own,” she said.
So she created a way for widows to come together and help each other heal. In 2018, Brown launched Never Alone Widows in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is currently based. Now, it is the largest faith-based group for widows in the United States, with over 60 chapters across 27 states. Roughly 2,000 women meet up every month to share each other’s journeys. The group also organizes annual retreats and conferences for larger get-togethers. While it is a Christian ministry, non-Christian women can attend as well. “We want anybody who needs community and healing to come and find it in local groups,” she said.