How To Carry On When The Life You Planned Disappears - Krista Hollingsworth - Ep. 145
Send us Fan Mail She Lost Her Husband. Then She Had To Decide What To Do With His Dream. What happens when the future you planned disappears — and you're left carrying a dream that was never originally yours? Krista Hollingsworth is the owner of Freedom Whiskey Company, a business founded by her late husband, Marine veteran Zach Hollingsworth. After Zach's death in 2021, Krista found herself navigating grief, motherhood, uncertainty, and an unexpected decision: whether to let his dream end or...
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PlayerFM She Lost Her Husband. Then She Had To Decide What To Do With His Dream.
What happens when the future you planned disappears — and you're left carrying a dream that was never originally yours?
Krista Hollingsworth is the owner of Freedom Whiskey Company, a business founded by her late husband, Marine veteran Zach Hollingsworth. After Zach's death in 2021, Krista found herself navigating grief, motherhood, uncertainty, and an unexpected decision: whether to let his dream end or find a way to carry it forward.
In this conversation, we talk about the difference between inheriting a company and inheriting someone's dream, learning to trust yourself instead of constantly asking what someone else would have done, and why moving forward doesn't mean leaving the people we've lost behind.
We also discuss the uncomfortable reality of suicide loss, what people get wrong about supporting someone who is grieving, recognizing when someone you love is struggling, and how tragedy can unexpectedly create connection, community, and purpose.
But this isn't simply a conversation about loss.
It's about what we choose to build from what remains.
And somehow, we also find time for Justin Timberlake, whiskey, Dayton restaurants, and the billboard Krista would love to see someday.
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Episode Timestamps:
00:00 — Carrying Forward a Dream After Tragedy
02:10 — Why Life Is Great Right Now
07:14 — Inheriting a Company vs. Inheriting Someone’s Dream
09:14 — When Your Spouse’s Dream Becomes Your Mission
11:15 — Stop Asking “What Would Zach Do?”
13:14 — Letting Go of Self-Doubt & Learning to Trust Yourself
14:40 — When Freedom Whiskey Became Bigger Than the Bottle
16:23 — Turning Whiskey Into $300,000 of Impact for Veterans
16:39 — The Unexpected Community Built Through Loss
19:26 — The Biggest Misconception About Suicide Loss
22:03 — Why We Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Talk About Grief
23:00 — What Grieving People Actually Need From Others
24:55 — What to Do When Someone You Love Seems Different
26:09 — Supporting Someone Who Is Struggling
27:53 — The Conversation Takes a Lighter Turn
28:06 — Describing Justin Timberlake as a Whiskey
29:19 — Who Is Krista Outside of Freedom Whiskey?
32:42 — Krista’s Favorite Dayton Restaurants
37:07 — The Dream Freedom Whiskey Billboard
40:00 — What Krista Wants Her Son to Remember
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Krista and Freedom Whiskey Links:
Website: https://haveashotoffreedom.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haveashotoffreedom/
Connect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartin
More Amazing Stories:
Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure
Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way
Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel
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00:00 - Taking over the company after tragedy
09:14 - Balancing career and supporting spouse
22:03 - Talking about personal loss
26:09 - Supporting a loved one's struggles
29:19 - Hobbies that have nothing to do with whiskey or running a business
32:42 - Favorite Dayton Restaurants
37:07 - Dreaming of a Freedom billboard
She Lost Her Husband. Then She Had To Decide What To Do With His Dream.
What happens when the future you planned disappears — and you're left carrying a dream that was never originally yours?
Krista Hollingsworth is the owner of Freedom Whiskey Company, a business founded by her late husband, Marine veteran Zach Hollingsworth. After Zach's death in 2021, Krista found herself navigating grief, motherhood, uncertainty, and an unexpected decision: whether to let his dream end or find a way to carry it forward.
In this conversation, we talk about the difference between inheriting a company and inheriting someone's dream, learning to trust yourself instead of constantly asking what someone else would have done, and why moving forward doesn't mean leaving the people we've lost behind.
We also discuss the uncomfortable reality of suicide loss, what people get wrong about supporting someone who is grieving, recognizing when someone you love is struggling, and how tragedy can unexpectedly create connection, community, and purpose.
But this isn't simply a conversation about loss.
It's about what we choose to build from what remains.
And somehow, we also find time for Justin Timberlake, whiskey, Dayton restaurants, and the billboard Krista would love to see someday.
-
Episode Timestamps:
00:00 — Carrying Forward a Dream After Tragedy
02:10 — Why Life Is Great Right Now
07:14 — Inheriting a Company vs. Inheriting Someone’s Dream
09:14 — When Your Spouse’s Dream Becomes Your Mission
11:15 — Stop Asking “What Would Zach Do?”
13:14 — Letting Go of Self-Doubt & Learning to Trust Yourself
14:40 — When Freedom Whiskey Became Bigger Than the Bottle
16:23 — Turning Whiskey Into $300,000 of Impact for Veterans
16:39 — The Unexpected Community Built Through Loss
19:26 — The Biggest Misconception About Suicide Loss
22:03 — Why We Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Talk About Grief
23:00 — What Grieving People Actually Need From Others
24:55 — What to Do When Someone You Love Seems Different
26:09 — Supporting Someone Who Is Struggling
27:53 — The Conversation Takes a Lighter Turn
28:06 — Describing Justin Timberlake as a Whiskey
29:19 — Who Is Krista Outside of Freedom Whiskey?
32:42 — Krista’s Favorite Dayton Restaurants
37:07 — The Dream Freedom Whiskey Billboard
40:00 — What Krista Wants Her Son to Remember