Today we’d like to introduce you to Jody Lavoie

Hi Jody, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

Wow. My story has many chapters. Long gone are the days when you start working at one company, get promoted along the way, and then retire.

My career began in corporate small business sales, where I moved up the ladder, increasing the size of customers I served and expanding to international services. I was then recruited by one of my customers into nonprofit management for trade associations. In that role, I faced significant challenges with a particular client, leading to a difficult decision to quit my job without having another lined up. This decision was not handled well on my part, and it’s one of the few conversations I regret in my marriage since I did not engage in this conversation with my husband, I just told him that I was quitting.

Afterward, I managed and renovated our apartment properties, trained for and ran my first marathon, and started a family. My husband then had a revolutionary idea for a business to transform the supply chain for the restaurant industry, and I fully supported him in leaving his job to pursue this dream. The business became our “fourth child,” and I took on various roles, from HR to bookkeeping.

As our family grew, we moved to the suburbs for additional support and to manage our finances better. I continued working part-time in the business while caring for our daughters and eventually became a full-time stay-at-home mom. A decision that I am grateful I was able to experience.

Our lives took a dramatic turn on July 31, 2014. That day, I received a knock on the door from a police officer informing me that my husband had been gravely injured. Shortly after, I learned from the press that he had been shot at work by a former employee who then took his own life. Overnight, I transitioned from being a full-time mom to running our $50M supply chain technology business. Despite the emotional and practical challenges, the team and I turned the business around and sold it to private equity three years later.

After selling the business, I took a year to heal and reflect on my next steps. Recognizing the unique challenges women, especially widows, face in leadership and the workplace, I decided to support this community. I returned to school to become a certified coach and grief educator. In 2020, I launched Widows in the Workplace, offering tailored coaching services to help widows rediscover joy and find fulfillment again.

In 2024, I expanded my mission by creating the Grief Company. Our goal is to revolutionize how companies support employees through the grieving process. We modernize bereavement policies and provide organizations with tools to navigate grief with compassion and professionalism.

We are not a grief-literate society. We don’t like to talk about our feelings, and we don’t know how to support those who are grieving. I hope to change that.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

Is there such a thing as a smooth road? When we’re young, we imagine life will follow a neat, linear path: go to school, meet someone special, get a job, get married, buy a house, have kids, work, send the kids off to college, retire somewhere warm, have grandkids, and live a long, fulfilled life. If only it were that simple.

Some of my struggles have included learning how to communicate effectively with my spouse, navigating a toxic work environment, returning to the workforce after being a full-time mom, grieving the loss of my husband, becoming a solo parent, acquiring new skills, gaining confidence in myself, advancing as a public speaker and thought leader, dating again in my 50s, and figuring out what the future holds.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I specialize in supporting those who are grieving. When I bring this up in social situations, I often joke, “but I promise I’m fun too!” It usually takes people by surprise. Despite the serious nature of my work, I am deeply proud of the businesses I’ve built, the clients I’ve helped, and the positive impact I’ve made on their lives.

With over 20 years of business experience, including running a large company, I bring a unique perspective to my work. As a woman who has held top leadership roles, I’ve seen firsthand the struggles women face in the workplace. Adding grief into the mix makes it even more complex. I also experienced taking over and running the business my husband founded after his sudden death, a situation many widows find themselves in. Additionally, many widows need or want to re-enter the workforce after their partner dies, which is a challenging transition from being at home full-time.

My individual coaching business, Widows in the Workplace, focuses on women who have careers or are considering re-entering the workforce. Through transformative, personalized coaching sessions via Zoom, I empower these women to rediscover joy and fall in love with life again. As a trained professional, I’ve designed services to support widows no matter where they are on their journey.

I also founded The Grief Company, which serves corporate clients by refining their bereavement policies and training managers on how to best support grieving employees. We also provide grief literacy training for employees to help them support each other. Our society doesn’t fully understand the impact of grief, nor do we know what to say or how to offer the best support.

In addition to my coaching and consulting work, I am an international keynote speaker and frequent podcast guest.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?

Something surprising that most people don’t know about me is that I’m a total Francophile. It started early with a high school exchange program that connected me with a French family I still remain close to. Later, I spent my junior year of college studying abroad in Paris. Already in love with France, that year deepened my affection for the country—its culture, people, and of course, its cuisine.

After my husband passed away, returning to Paris for a healing writing workshop was incredibly therapeutic. Paris holds a special place in my heart, not just for its charm and elegance, but for the memories I shared there with my late husband and our daughters.

Even now, I’m always on the lookout for fabulous French bistros here in the US. There’s something about enjoying a perfectly cooked coq au vin or a delicate crème brûlée that brings back wonderful memories and a sense of comfort. My love for all things French is a big part of who I am, and it’s something I cherish deeply.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.widowsintheworkplace.com/ and https://www.thegriefcompany.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/widowsintheworkplace/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/widowsintheworkplace
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCALvm4-nwPaPIT1STQwPScw