Metro Atlanta widow shares grief and joy on candid Instagram account

Sometimes you don't know what you're capable of until you're faced with an extraordinary challenge, or, in Julie Thomas' case, a life-changing tragedy.

Now the metro Atlanta mother is finding strength and helping others one social media post at a time.

Julie and Charles Thompson were a match made in heaven … well, Dalton, Georgia to be exact.

"We met in high school, so we grew up together. He's been my person for a long time," Thompson said. "He was just the most thoughtful person I'd met in my whole life. He would know what I needed  before I even knew what I needed."

The Georgia Tech grad and the Auburn grad went on to tie the knot, settled in Atlanta, and welcomed their daughter Kinsey a few years later.

"We really loved being married. O feel like we had a good strong relationship. He loved being a dad," she said.

In September 2021, they added baby Charlie to the mix, a picture-perfect family of four.

"For three weeks we had this beautiful family and I told him over and over again, ‘This is all I’ve ever wanted, like, life is complete."

Then Charles left for a work trip in North Carolina.

"I texted him that night and said ‘The baby is actually asleep so I’m going to sleep.'" And he said ‘I love you, I’ll see you tomorrow,'" she said.

The next morning she got no call and no text, which was unusual for Charles. An hour or two later, she got the knock that would change her life.

A car accident claimed the life of her 29-year-old husband and father of her two children - leaving Julie a window with a 2-year-old and 3-week-old baby.

"I was just kind of doing the motions because I had a newborn, I still was nursing 24 hours a day, and he wasn't sleeping," Julie said. "It was almost like life stopped. When something that big and that traumatic happens, I think the shock takes over for a long time."

Julie, a teacher at the time, turned to writing as an outlet for her grief.

"The more I wrote about it, the more I realized that maybe this is something that's therapeutic for other people too.

So she continued and started posting videos on her Instagram account spilledmilkmama. Those videos caught go and got the attention of more than 80,000 others.

"It resonated with people because I think grief is something people don't talk about very often, and then also the fact that I have such young babies," she said.

It's the perfect mix of humor, mom tips, cute outfits, and raw, gritty grief in a way not often seen through the filters of Instagram.

Julie has now changed her career from being a teacher to a full-time social media influencer.

"I'll get hundreds of messages a day of people just thanking me for talking about it. And so slowly, more and more every day I feel like this is the path I need to be on," she said.

With brand deals now and all kinds of projects in the works, and even some help managing her account, Julie feels like this new venture is a win-win.

"It allows me to have a flexible schedule as a single mom which is the most important thing right now.

An unexpected blessing, born out of tragedy - helping others and giving herself and outlet to grieve, connect, and provide for her children.

"I want them to remember that I did this for them, and I'm hustling for them, and I can do it." she said. "I know Charles is on my side and God is on my side and my huge support system is proud of me and rooting me on."

The best way to keep up with Julie is through her spilledmilkmamma Instagram page.