About Brenda

Brenda Lee Sieglitz is an award-winning author and educator whose expertise is in travel, grief, and nature. Widowed in 2008 at 24 years of age, Brenda became an advocate for sarcoma cancer, the grief community, and conservation through her volunteerism with the National Park Service, Lancaster Conservancy, Pennsylvania Master Naturalist, Lancaster Against Pipelines, Hospice & Community Care, Soaring Spirits International, Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, and Angiosarcoma Awareness.

Brenda won the 2009 (former) Associated Content “Content of the Year” award for her editorial titled ‘A Widow’s View on the U.S. Healthcare Debate’, and in 2011 was named one of Wyndham (Hotel) Worldwide’s “Women on their Way” Local Nation travel writers. Her love and loss memoir, Ebb from the Shoreline, won 1st Place Editor’s Choice in Nonfiction at the 2014 North American Book Awards. She was named 'Foremust Under 40' by Pennsylvania Business Central in 2023.

Sieglitz launched a public speaking tour after her book was published and speaks to groups about her experiences as a young widow having traveled on her own, rediscovering her love of nature, and how these things helped her through her grief journey. She is a subject matter expert on solo travel, and nature and travel, having taught at Camp Widow, Pennsylvania Therapeutic Recreation Institute, the NJ Tourism Industry Association, Millersville University Institute of Lifelong Learning, Hospice & Community Care, Highmark Caring Place, Lancaster County Parks, Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, Willow Valley Communities, Masonic Village Elizabethtown, Chester County Library, and Traditions of America – Lititz. Through these speaking engagements Sieglitz encountered many solo travelers and formed a company called “Widow Voyages” which she ran from 2016-2018.

Sieglitz holds a degree in business and is continuing her studies at Western Carolina University in the Business Administration and Business Law Program where she has earned two academic scholarships. She became a certified Pennsylvania Master Naturalist in 2015. She works full-time for a regional environmental non-profit as a fundraising professional.

In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, including her two nieces and one nephew, native gardening, going on camping adventures, creating music with her husband, hanging out with her stepdaughter and son-in-law, hiking, and reading.

Sieglitz has been married to her best friend, Dave since 2013 and continues to reside in Lancaster County, PA with their two rescue dogs Fina and Fern. They have a hobby farm named 'Bark Hollow Acre' where they raise chickens.

In 2025, Sieglitz was diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Cancer Classic and Tall Cell Variant and is undergoing treatment.

“I think you do a terrific job of inspiring young newly bereaved folks to realize there is life that continues. That there are others like themselves, they are not alone and you are there for them. And of course when you get the opportunity, please explain the wide variety of ways we can support anyone grieving ANY type of death in the commmunity, they just have to call us at 717-391-24123” – Patti Anewalt – Director – Pathways Center for Grief & Loss-Hospice & Community Care

“Brenda has shared her journey as a widow — a very misunderstood, feared role for most of us — with courage and and a dedication to change our world for the better. Through her blog and other writing, she’s shown that she can be compassionate, persuasive, and intelligent on even a complex issue like U.S. health reform. Grief and loss, as well as the young adult experience fighting cancer, are emerging areas and Brenda is right on the ball with a fresh, relevant point of view and her own unique voice. Her love for her late husband, Kevin, is palpable, as is the strength and joy she brings to finding a new life.” – Robin Moore, FreshWidow

“Brenda’s sincerity and authenticity effectively peel back the layers of topics rarely spoken about: grief and death. Her youth is the unique angle, and she offers such a fresh perspective that you’ll have trouble not being changed by her story.” – Shawn Smucker ShawnSmucker.com