When Gail Petrowsky lost her husband Joe, she found herself submerged in a grief so heavy it nearly overtook her. But as she recounts today, with her daughters Jill and Dava by her side, that loss became the soil from which deep resilience and new purpose would grow.
“My name is Gail Petrowsky. I’m a transformational life coach,” she began, her voice steady but warm. “I think you need to be able to be honest with yourself… knowing that the sun is going to come up the next day. You have to grieve, but you also have to find pieces of sunshine to put in your life whenever you can.”
That mindset of embracing both sorrow and strength defines not only Gail’s journey but also the paths her daughters have forged in the wake of heartbreak.
Jill Petrowsky, a mortgage loan originator, never expected to step so fully into her father’s shoes.
“I dragged my feet for so long and decided I really wanted to help my father, so I took the test, and I passed, and he was thrilled,” Jill shared. But just months later, Joe passed away unexpectedly, and Jill faced her grief in the middle of her professional journey.
“I almost had to put my grief aside… but I needed to full steam ahead in this business, and I wanted to make my father proud,” she explained.
She stayed, answering the phone when her father’s clients called and needed her guidance. Slowly, Jill built her reputation on the very values her father modeled: integrity, compassion, and service to those often overlooked.
Jill’s sister, Dava Seidman, took a different but equally courageous path. She switched from fashion to construction after a previous clothing venture. It was Joe who first suggested house renovations.
“He said, ‘Well, is it really that different than fashion?’” Dava remembered. “And the truth is, it’s really not. It’s texture, color, and user all the way.”
Today, Dava runs her own successful general contracting business and draws strength from unlikely places, such as powerlifting.
“If there were challenges on the job site, I would go to the gym… I grabbed power from one and brought it to the other,” Dava shared.
Both sisters often reflect on the depth of the loss they endured. “When I lost my dad, I lost my best friend,” Jill said. “I don’t know if I would have gotten back up had it not been for my kids.”
Their mother, Gail, also expressed the struggle necessary to move forward after loss.
“You’re almost at a place called doing the best you can,” she said. “Even if you have to move [your foot] yourself to get to the next step.”
Through transformation, trial, and the act of simply continuing forward, Gail, Jill, and Dava show what it means to be great American women rooted in family, purpose, and love that endures beyond loss.
You can view Gail’s website at https://www.gailpetrowsky.com.
Video link:
“My name is Gail Petrowsky. I’m a transformational life coach,” she began, her voice steady but warm. “I think you need to be able to be honest with yourself… knowing that the sun is going to come up the next day. You have to grieve, but you also have to find pieces of sunshine to put in your life whenever you can.”
That mindset of embracing both sorrow and strength defines not only Gail’s journey but also the paths her daughters have forged in the wake of heartbreak.
Jill Petrowsky, a mortgage loan originator, never expected to step so fully into her father’s shoes.
“I dragged my feet for so long and decided I really wanted to help my father, so I took the test, and I passed, and he was thrilled,” Jill shared. But just months later, Joe passed away unexpectedly, and Jill faced her grief in the middle of her professional journey.
“I almost had to put my grief aside… but I needed to full steam ahead in this business, and I wanted to make my father proud,” she explained.
She stayed, answering the phone when her father’s clients called and needed her guidance. Slowly, Jill built her reputation on the very values her father modeled: integrity, compassion, and service to those often overlooked.
Jill’s sister, Dava Seidman, took a different but equally courageous path. She switched from fashion to construction after a previous clothing venture. It was Joe who first suggested house renovations.
“He said, ‘Well, is it really that different than fashion?’” Dava remembered. “And the truth is, it’s really not. It’s texture, color, and user all the way.”
Today, Dava runs her own successful general contracting business and draws strength from unlikely places, such as powerlifting.
“If there were challenges on the job site, I would go to the gym… I grabbed power from one and brought it to the other,” Dava shared.
Both sisters often reflect on the depth of the loss they endured. “When I lost my dad, I lost my best friend,” Jill said. “I don’t know if I would have gotten back up had it not been for my kids.”
Their mother, Gail, also expressed the struggle necessary to move forward after loss.
“You’re almost at a place called doing the best you can,” she said. “Even if you have to move [your foot] yourself to get to the next step.”
Through transformation, trial, and the act of simply continuing forward, Gail, Jill, and Dava show what it means to be great American women rooted in family, purpose, and love that endures beyond loss.
You can view Gail’s website at https://www.gailpetrowsky.com.
Video link:
