Divorce Happens

There’s a particular loneliness that comes with realizing you may have to explain a divorce to your children on your own. In this episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell sits down with therapist and divorce expert Oona Metz to talk about one of the most emotionally charged moments in the divorce process: helping kids understand what’s happening when one parent refuses, avoids, or can’t show up for the conversation. It’s an episode for the parent lying awake at night, rehearsing sentences and worrying about getting it “wrong.”

Oona brings nearly 30 years of clinical experience and more than 15 years leading women through divorce support groups into this conversation, offering both professional insight and deep compassion. She shares what children actually need during divorce—not perfect language, not mutual parental agreement, but honesty, emotional steadiness, and reassurance. Through client stories and real-world examples, Oona explains how kids process divorce differently at different ages, why one regulated parent can provide enormous emotional safety, and how to answer hard questions without oversharing, blaming, or asking children to carry adult emotions.

Throughout the episode, Olivia and Oona emphasize a powerful mindset shift: you don’t need your ex’s cooperation to protect your children’s emotional wellbeing. Listeners will come away with actionable co-parenting tips, guidance on setting boundaries around what’s shared, and reassurance that doing this imperfectly is still doing it lovingly. The conversation also draws from Oona’s book, Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women, which centers the emotional realities of divorce rather than the legal ones. If you’re navigating divorce recovery, single mom life, or co-parenting without collaboration, this episode offers clarity, validation, and hope: your presence matters more than perfection.

🔗 Check out Fresh Starts Registry:

The first & only divorce registry + support platform ➡ https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/

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🎙 Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/divorcehappenspod/

📬 Magazine: https://divorceguidemagazine.com/

A broken heart doesn’t just ache—it disorients. It changes how you sleep, how you think, how you trust yourself, and how you imagine the future. In this episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell sits down with therapist and divorce recovery expert Oona Metz to talk about what heartbreak really looks like during and after divorce—and how healing actually happens. With nearly 30 years as a licensed therapist and more than 15 years leading women through divorce support groups, Oona brings rare clarity to an experience many people feel but struggle to name.

Oona explains why heartbreak after divorce isn’t just emotional pain—it’s a full nervous system response shaped by loss, identity disruption, and often emotional neglect or emotional abuse. Drawing from her clinical work and client stories, she describes how grief and relief can coexist, why healing rarely moves in a straight line, and why so many people feel “stuck” long after the paperwork is done. Together, Olivia and Oona unpack the hidden layers of divorce recovery: the quiet shame, the fear of trusting again, and the moment when people realize they’re not broken—they’re grieving a life they thought they’d have.

This episode offers both comfort and direction. Listeners will walk away with mindset shifts—like understanding that healing a broken heart doesn’t require closure from an ex—and practical takeaways, including why community support matters, how boundaries protect emotional healing (especially when co-parenting), and what actually helps rebuild emotional resilience. Oona also shares how these insights shaped her forthcoming book, Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women, which centers the emotional journey of divorce from heartbreak to renewal. If you’re navigating divorce recovery, single mom life, or starting over after a painful ending, this conversation is a reminder: heartbreak is survivable—and healing is possible.

🔗 Check out Fresh Starts Registry:

The first & only divorce registry + support platform ➡ https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry

🎙 Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/divorcehappenspod/

📬 Magazine: https://divorceguidemagazine.com/

In this Divorce 101 A to Z episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell explains one of the most essential parts of the divorce process: orders. Brought to you by the letter O and the number 4, this episode breaks down the four major types of orders — temporary orders, financial orders, custody and parenting time orders, and final orders — and explains how they guide, protect, and structure the entire divorce journey.

Listeners learn why orders matter, what happens when someone violates an order, and how these instructions create predictability and safety during a highly emotional time. Olivia also offers a grounding action step to help listeners understand which orders already exist in their case or may be coming next.

This episode is ideal for anyone newly navigating divorce, trying to understand court paperwork, or feeling overwhelmed by legal terminology.

🔗 Check out Fresh Starts Registry:

The first & only divorce registry + support platform ➡ https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry

🎙 Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/divorcehappenspod/

📬 Magazine: https://divorceguidemagazine.com/

In this episode of Divorce Happens, host Olivia Howell speaks with therapist and divorce recovery expert Oona Metz about why healing after divorce happens faster—and feels less isolating—when it’s done in community. Drawing on nearly 30 years of clinical experience and 15+ years leading women’s divorce support groups, Oona breaks down what actually happens inside a therapist-led divorce support group, how confidentiality and emotional safety work, and why shared experience helps women rebuild self-trust, boundaries, and a sense of identity after divorce.

Oona also shares the heart behind her book, Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women, which focuses on the emotional journey of divorce—including grief, relief, anger, fear, and the identity shift no one prepares you for. If you’re navigating divorce recovery, co-parenting stress, emotional abuse fallout, or starting over as a single mom, this episode offers validation, practical guidance, and a clear message of hope: divorce is hard, but healing is real—and it gets better on the other side.

🔗 Check out Fresh Starts Registry:

The first & only divorce registry + support platform ➡ https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry

🎙 Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/divorcehappenspod/

📬 Magazine: https://divorceguidemagazine.com/

In this Divorce 101 A to Z episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell explains the importance of notice in the divorce process. Brought to you by the letter N and the number 30, the episode breaks down what notice is, why legally valid service is required, what methods are accepted in most states, and how notice ensures fairness, predictability, and due process in divorce proceedings.

Listeners learn the emotional and logistical realities of giving and receiving notice, as well as the common “30-day rule” that governs many divorce deadlines and responses. Olivia also offers a grounding action step to help listeners organize their next 30 days of divorce-related tasks.

This episode is ideal for anyone beginning the divorce process, preparing for service, or navigating upcoming court deadlines.

🔗 Check out Fresh Starts Registry:

The first & only divorce registry + support platform ➡ https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry

🎙 Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/divorcehappenspod/

📬 Magazine: https://divorceguidemagazine.com/

When I went through my own divorce, I wasn’t looking for legal jargon or financial formulas—I was looking for someone who could sit with me in the emotional wreckage and say, You’re not broken. You’re becoming. In this solo episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell shares why Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women is the book she desperately needed during her own divorce—and why she believes every woman navigating this transition should have it within arm’s reach.

Olivia walks listeners through what makes Unhitched different from every other divorce book on the shelf. Written by nationally recognized therapist Oona Metz, the book centers the emotional reality of divorce—grief, identity loss, relief, fear, boundaries, co-parenting, and rebuilding—rather than just the logistics. Drawing from decades of clinical experience, Oona offers psychological insight that feels human, compassionate, and deeply grounding. Olivia reflects on how the book mirrors what so many women experience but struggle to name, especially the quiet shame, the “both/and” emotions, and the sense that life has split into before and after.

This episode is both a review and a call to action. Olivia explains why Unhitched isn’t about “bouncing back,” but about growing forward—meeting women exactly where they are, whether they’re still deciding to leave, navigating single mom life, or redefining themselves years after divorce. Listeners will walk away with a powerful mindset shift: divorce isn’t a personal failure—it’s a human transition that deserves real support. Olivia’s invitation is simple and heartfelt: preorder Unhitched for yourself, for a friend who’s quietly struggling, and for the future version of you who deserves to feel seen.

🔗 Check out Fresh Starts Registry:

The first & only divorce registry + support platform ➡ https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry

🎙 Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/divorcehappenspod/

📬 Magazine: https://divorceguidemagazine.com/

In this Divorce 101 A to Z episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell breaks down the meaning of mediation — one of the most common and collaborative ways to navigate divorce without litigation. Brought to you by the letter M and the number 3, the episode explains the three essential qualities that make mediation successful: openness, honesty, and willingness to find common ground.

Listeners learn what mediation is, how it works, when it’s appropriate, and when it’s not. Olivia explains the mediator’s role, the emotional experience of sitting across from a spouse, and why mediation offers many families a more peaceful, cost-effective path forward. A grounding action step helps listeners identify their own intentions for the process.

This episode is ideal for anyone considering mediation, entering mediation sessions, or weighing different divorce process options.

🔗 Check out Fresh Starts Registry:

The first & only divorce registry + support platform ➡ https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry

🎙 Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/divorcehappenspod/

📬 Magazine: https://divorceguidemagazine.com/

Divorce doesn’t usually arrive all at once. It creeps in through sleepless nights, quiet dread, and the feeling that the life you’re living no longer fits the person you’ve become. In this episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell sits down with therapist and Fresh Starts Expert Oona Metz, whose decades of clinical experience—and lived experience—offer rare clarity in the fog of divorce. Oona is the author of Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women, a book written for women navigating the emotional, psychological, and identity-shifting realities of divorce, not just the logistics.

Oona brings over 30 years as a therapist and more than 15 years running divorce support groups for women, alongside her own experience being divorced twice. In this conversation, she shares what she’s witnessed in hundreds of clients: the grief that mirrors death but isn’t acknowledged as such, the shame many women carry—especially those who “should have known better”—and the profound identity rupture that comes when marriage ends. Together, Olivia and Oona unpack why divorce recovery is not linear, why emotional validation matters as much as legal strategy, and how boundaries, self-trust, and support systems become survival tools during this transition.

What makes this episode transformative is its permission-giving. Permission to gather information without making immediate decisions. Permission to grieve without explanation. Permission to start over without apologizing. Listeners will walk away with practical mindset shifts—like reframing divorce as a life transition rather than a failure—and actionable insights on assembling a support team, protecting emotional safety, and honoring the slow work of healing. This episode is a steady hand on your back for anyone navigating divorce recovery, emotional abuse fallout, co-parenting transitions, or single mom life—and a reminder that divorce happens, but so does healing.

GRAB UNHITCHED HERE: https://amzn.to/4pBQvG9

🔗 Check out Fresh Starts Registry:

The first & only divorce registry + support platform ➡ https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry

🎙 Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/divorcehappenspod/

📬 Magazine: https://divorceguidemagazine.com/

In this Divorce 101 A to Z episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell explains what a legal separation is, how it works, and why some couples choose it instead of divorce. Brought to you by the letter L and the number 6, this episode outlines the six most common reasons couples choose legal separation — from health insurance considerations to religious beliefs to emotional readiness and financial protection.

Listeners learn what legal separation does (and doesn’t) accomplish, how it compares to divorce, and why it is available only in certain states. Olivia also explores the emotional complexity of choosing separation and offers a grounding action step to help listeners assess whether this option might support their needs.

This episode is perfect for anyone considering separation, evaluating divorce options, or needing clarity on legal choices during major life transitions.

🔗 Check out Fresh Starts Registry:

The first & only divorce registry + support platform ➡ https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry

🎙 Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/divorcehappenspod/

📬 Magazine: https://divorceguidemagazine.com/

In today’s Divorce 101 A to Z episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell explains what a kitchen table agreement is and how couples can use this collaborative approach to outline the terms of their divorce without high conflict or litigation. Brought to you by the letter K and the number 2, this episode highlights why kitchen table agreements work best when two people can communicate respectfully and want to shape their own future rather than leave decisions to the courts.

Listeners learn which topics are typically covered in a kitchen table agreement, why informal negotiations still need legal review, and when this approach is not appropriate — especially in situations involving abuse, imbalance of power, or limited financial transparency. Olivia also shares the emotional reality of sitting across the table from someone you’re separating from and offers a simple, grounding action step to support clarity and collaboration.

This episode is ideal for couples pursuing mediation, amicable separation, or low-conflict divorce.

🔗 Check out Fresh Starts Registry:

The first & only divorce registry + support platform ➡ https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry

🎙 Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/divorcehappenspod/

📬 Magazine: https://divorceguidemagazine.com/