Some mornings you sit down to be productive—and instead you end up at the top of the stairs, Notes app open, heart racing, because someone on the internet just called divorce a “chaotic lifestyle” like it’s a punchline. That’s where this Friday wrap-up begins: with chocolate, a million deadlines, and Olivia Howell getting hijacked by the familiar feeling of having to say the truth out loud—not polished, not perfect, just honest.
Olivia is joined by her sister/co-founder and co-host Genevieve “Jenny” Dreizen, whose love language is systems, forms, and quietly saving the business from administrative doom while Olivia lives in audio scripts and emotional urgency. Together, they zoom out and realize the same thing they keep realizing: divorce is not niche. It’s not messy entertainment. It’s a life transition that deserves dignity—and it’s exactly why they built what they built. They celebrate the unexpected magic of Divorce 101, Olivia’s Sesame Street-meets-Schoolhouse-Rock series that breaks divorce terms down like you’re five… and they share the origin story of Divorce Guide Magazine, Jenny’s “I’ll just play with this layout for a second” project that became a full-blown national publication because, somehow, no one else had made space for this conversation.
Then the episode shifts—deeper, quieter, truer. They talk about the undercurrent so many people can’t name until it finally escalates: emotional abuse, contempt dressed up as jokes, the shame gap between “you’re not leaving for that” and “why didn’t you leave,” and the way our nervous systems keep receipts long after we’ve tried to logic our way out. It’s a conversation about reclaiming your own reality, remembering you’re allowed to go, and finding your way back to safety—plus a few bright, human details that make life feel possible again: a heavy $1.25 mug, a handmade duvet, and the reminder that you don’t have to do any of this alone.
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