Dr. Lynn Banis – Guiding Widows to Healing and New Purpose

A Picturesque Beginning

In the quiet town where her story began, Dr. Lynn Banis grew up beneath skies that seemed always to welcome adventure. Her hometown in southwestern Michigan was the kind of place where everyone knew your name, where front porches held stories and sidewalks echoed the laughter of children.

Lynn, with her insatiable curiosity and a deep-rooted love of learning, thrived in that world. She found music early, letting it guide her to the University of Michigan. But even as melodies filled her days, something inside her called out for more. That calling would take her to Beloit College, then on to Regent University and Old Dominion, where she would shape herself not just into a scholar, but a seeker—of wisdom, of purpose, of human transformation.

A Career of Transformation

Her early career unfolded in the corporate towers of Anderson Worldwide and Accenture, where she carved out a reputation for developing leaders and fostering organizational change. But the titles and strategies, the travel and accolades, couldn’t prepare her for what came next.

A Cascade of Loss

In the span of three short years, Lynn lost three anchors of her life: her 106-year-old mother, her younger brother, and the man who had walked beside her as husband and partner. Grief swept in like a tidal wave—relentless, unforgiving. It left her not only mourning but untethered, a woman unrecognizable to herself.

The world, unsure how to engage with her pain, stepped back in silence. The loneliness was louder than the grief.

Widows Rising Together: A New Beginning

She could have stopped there. She could have retreated, closed herself off, waited out the years. But Lynn is not one to yield to darkness without looking for the stars. Instead, she asked herself the hardest question: Now what?

From that question emerged Widows Rising Together, a place where pain meets possibility. Drawing from her academic and professional roots in psychology and coaching, Lynn crafted a sanctuary that wasn’t about surviving grief, but about rising from it.

She didn’t want to stop at support groups that focused solely on sorrow. She envisioned something greater: a transformation. Her programs gently guide women through the storm, offering them not just empathy, but a path.

The Four Pillars of Healing

With each step, her clients begin to heal—to breathe again, to recognize themselves in the mirror, to remember who they are.

• Healing and Acceptance: Helping widows process their emotions and move beyond the early stages of grief.

• Rebuilding Identity: Working through self-limiting beliefs and redefining personal values and goals.

• Creating a Vision for the Future: Helping widows establish new purposes, whether through career changes, hobbies, or personal development.

• Developing a Support System: Encouraging connection and community as powerful tools for recovery.

Transformational Travel and Breakthrough Moments

For those ready to dive even deeper, Lynn created the Transformational Travel experience. In intimate, sacred settings across the globe, widows gather not just to escape, but to reflect, to be witnessed, to heal in the presence of others who understand.

These retreats, filled with conversation, coaching, and silence alike, become turning points—spaces where the pain is honored and the future begins.

Living Forward

Lynn’s work reminds us that grief does not mean the end of joy. That loss, while unimaginable, can also be a beginning. She teaches that it’s not about “moving on,” but about moving forward—with courage, with clarity, and with grace.

In her quiet strength, Lynn Banis has become a guide for those navigating life’s cruelest detour. Through Widows Rising Together, she offers more than help—she offers hope.

Key Takeaways

• Grief reshapes identity: The loss of a spouse often alters one’s sense of self, making intentional self-reinvention essential.

• Community matters: Genuine healing requires support, shared understanding, and connection.

• Grief has no set timeline: Every widow’s journey unfolds in its own way and pace.

• New chapters await: Reinvention—through career, travel, or passion—is possible at any age.

• Guidance is transformative: Structured coaching can make navigating loss less daunting and more purposeful.