Divorce Happens

The holidays have a way of illuminating the quiet corners of divorce—the empty seats at the table, the sudden stillness of a home, the grief that sweeps in when traditions no longer fit in the same way. In this deeply empathetic episode of Divorce Happens, host Olivia Howell sits down with psychotherapist and divorce coach Stephanie DiLorio to explore what it really feels like to move through divorce during the holiday season. Stephanie, who has both lived this experience and professionally guided countless clients through it, offers a grounded and compassionate roadmap for anyone facing this emotionally charged time of year.

Drawing from her work helping individuals rebuild after divorce, Stephanie shares strategies for reframing holiday expectations, navigating co-parenting schedules, and finding meaning in new traditions. With the gentle clarity of someone who understands both the clinical and the human side of divorce recovery, she speaks about acknowledging sadness, releasing the anger around custody schedules, and choosing small moments of comfort that bring stability during upheaval. Her client stories—like the simple ritual of warm cider simmering on the stove—remind us that even in seasons of loss, connection and joy can still emerge.

At the heart of the conversation is the message that acceptance opens the door to possibility. Listeners will walk away with practical tools for managing holiday stress, mindset shifts to reduce emotional overwhelm, and the reminder that children remember love, not dates on a calendar. Whether you’re spending the holidays alone for the first time, restructuring traditions, or learning how to co-parent with clarity, this episode offers hope, validation, and the quiet reassurance that new beginnings—like the holiday season itself—come around again.

Learn more about Stephanie DiLorio: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/resourceguide/reimagining-divorce

Check out the Holiday Support Series: https://www.reimaginingdivorce.com/events

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The moment divorce begins to whisper into your life—quietly, insistently—it becomes nearly impossible to ignore the question at the center of it all: Can I trust myself? In this deeply moving episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia sits down with Rachael Needham, writer, coach, and author of Blueprints for Divorce, who brings clarity, compassion, and profound inner steadiness to one of the most disorienting chapters a person can face. Drawing from her own divorce and her work grounded in Internal Family Systems, Rachael gently guides listeners back toward a truth that often gets buried in chaos: your instincts, your values, and your inner voice matter more than anyone else’s.

Throughout the conversation, Rachael shares the lessons she learned when her entire life was reshaped—lessons about reclaiming self-trust, navigating faith in the midst of heartbreak, and reframing divorce not as failure but as one of the bravest acts of personal growth a person can choose. She tells powerful stories from her own marriage ending, including the moment in her lawyer’s office when she realized no outside authority could give her confidence. Only she could. Her quiet reassurance that divorce can be an act of love, sacrifice, and self-respect—especially for those raised in religious communities—is a lifeline for anyone drowning in guilt, fear, or confusion.

Listeners will walk away with both grounding and hope: permission to trust their own decision-making, clarity about how to navigate manipulation or grandiosity from an ex-partner, and the reminder that the court system can’t be your compass—you must be. Whether you’re considering divorce, in the thick of it, or rebuilding your life after, this episode offers emotional validation and practical insight. Expect to leave with at least one mindset shift—like the radical idea that the healthiest choice is the one that brings you peace—and one actionable takeaway for cultivating self-confidence during divorce recovery.

🔗 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/

You can almost hear the breath women hold when they whisper the question: “Am I going to be judged for my finances?” It’s the fear that keeps so many of us silent—afraid to ask, afraid to look too closely, afraid of what it might mean. In this deeply grounding conversation, Olivia sits down with Rhonda Noordyk, a nationally recognized financial divorce advocate and founder of the Women’s Financial Wellness Center. With over a decade of experience helping women navigate divorce finances, Rhonda brings clarity, compassion, and strategy to the emotional chaos of financial anxiety, financial judgment, and the hidden layers of money shame that often surface during divorce.

Throughout the episode, Rhonda breaks down why so many women feel financially behind—even when they’ve managed households, budgets, and caregiving for years. She shares eye-opening client stories about financial disclosure, mortgage documents, tax returns, and the quiet behind-the-scenes moves partners often make before filing. Rhonda walks listeners through her transformative BRIDGE Method, a step-by-step framework that helps women gather information, understand their financial landscape, and build the confidence they’ve been taught to outsource. Her approach is not only educational—it’s emotionally stabilizing, reminding women that financial literacy isn’t a test you’ve failed, but a skill you’re allowed to learn.

At its heart, this episode is about reclaiming power without shame. Rhonda reminds listeners that seeking help is not a sign of weakness—it’s a strategic, courageous step toward financial empowerment. Whether someone is in the early stages of considering divorce, deep in the process, or rebuilding life after separation, this conversation offers hope, actionable guidance, and a profound mindset shift: you are not behind, you are not alone, and you deserve a financial future built on knowledge—not fear. Listeners walk away with practical tips, emotional validation, and a renewed belief that financial expertise belongs to them too.

Learn more about Rhonda Noordyk: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/resourceguide/financial-divorce-advocate

🔗 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, Olivia sits down with Robyn Gaillard, a mind-body connection wellness educator and clinician, to talk about what it really means to survive divorce when it’s not just a legal process, but a full-body, full-spirit earthquake. Together, they unpack the legal challenges of going back to court, the heartbreak of being misunderstood by the system, and the quiet terror of wondering if you’ll ever feel truly safe and steady again.

Drawing on her own history of illness, divorce, and profound healing, Robyn shares how she learned to become her own lighthouse in the storm—how her body literally started to break down under chronic stress, and how understanding the mind-body connection, circadian biology, and emotional baselines helped her heal without traditional medical interventions. She explains how our nervous system, sleep patterns, and everyday choices are constantly communicating with us, showing us where our emotional “thermostat” is set, and how that affects our emotional health, energy, and resilience during divorce. Through powerful metaphors, client stories, and her own lived experience, Robyn offers a radically compassionate framework for seeing divorce not as a personal failure, but as a season of life where your inner light is tested, not extinguished.

Listeners will walk away with concrete, doable practices for divorce recovery—from tiny daily actions that support the nervous system, to mindfulness tools that help you reset your emotional baseline, to questions you can ask yourself when the legal process feels dehumanizing and overwhelming. Robyn and Olivia talk openly about the financial and legal challenges of finding the right representation, the importance of strategic support from professionals, and how to keep advocating for yourself even when the system feels rigged. Most of all, this episode offers hope: a reminder that your inner light is still there, even if it’s dim, and that you can rebuild a life grounded in healing, wellness, support, personal growth, and resilience on the other side of divorce.

Learn more about My Way Om: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/resourceguide/mywayom-inc

🔗 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/

What if the most radical divorce advice you ever receive is this: stay angry—at least for a while? In this episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia sits down with Fresh Starts Expert and certified ADR pre-mediation coach Lyerly Spongberg, founder of Step Up with Lyerly, to talk about the relationship between anger, healing, emotions, and personal growth in divorce. Drawing on her training as a divorce coach and co-parenting specialist—and her own experience ending a marriage—Lyerly gently reframes anger from something to suppress into something to listen to, a secondary emotion that shows up as a warning light when boundaries are crossed, needs are ignored, or shame has taken root.

Through vivid examples from her work with clients, Lyerly Spongberg walks us through the everyday moments where anger quietly builds: the partner who belittles you in front of the kids, the “roommate” marriage where a fight about socks on the floor is really about a life that no longer fits, the divorced mom wondering, How did I let this happen to me? Together, Olivia and Lyerly explore how anger, shame, emotional abuse, people-pleasing, and guilt become intertwined in the divorce process—and how naming those patterns can change everything. Anger, they suggest, can be the bridge between your pain and your purpose, the spark that finally moves you from confusion to clarity in your divorce recovery.

Listeners will leave with both validation and direction: permission to feel furious, and practical divorce advice for what to do with that anger. Lyerly Spongberg shares accessible tools like journaling prompts, talking to anger as if it were a messenger, and working with a divorce coach to turn that energy into value-aligned decisions about mediation, co-parenting, and starting over after divorce. If you’ve ever been told to “just calm down,” this conversation offers a different path—one where your anger becomes a catalyst for self-discovery, healing, and life-changing personal growth after divorce.

Learn more about Lyerly Spongberg: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/resourceguide/step-up-with-lyerly

🔗 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 you’re in the thick of it, divorce can feel like being dropped into a maze with no map—just a stack of forms, a pounding heart, and the vague instruction to “call a lawyer.” In this episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia sits down with Meghan O’Malley, a lawyer, mediator, and divorce coach who has spent years inside the legal system…and then intentionally stepped outside of it to help people do divorce differently. Drawing from her background in law and her work as a divorce coach for women, Meghan explains why divorce isn’t just a legal transaction—it’s a massive life transition that touches your home, your children, your finances, your nervous system, and your future self.

Together, Olivia and Meghan unpack what Meghan calls “the old way of divorce”: filing first, hoping for the best, handing your power to an overwhelmed court system, and reacting to every crisis as it lands in your inbox. Meghan offers a different model—one where filing papers isn’t the first step, and where you build a support team (divorce coach, mediator, CDFA, therapist, lawyer when needed) around your goals and values. She and Olivia talk about the rise of divorce coaching, the realities of mediation vs. litigation, and the dozens of ways to structure a divorce outside the stereotype of battling it out in court. Along the way, Olivia shares her own stomach-ache season of divorce and the moment a mediator asked her, “But what do you actually want?”—a question nobody prepares you to answer.

This conversation is a gentle but powerful reframe of divorce recovery, co-parenting, and starting over after divorce. Listeners will walk away with a new mindset: you are allowed to lead your divorce instead of just surviving it. Meghan shares practical divorce tips you can act on right now—like pausing before you hire a lawyer, getting curious about your goals, and creating a simple roadmap that keeps your kids’ well-being at the center. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by conflicting advice, terrified of the court system, or unsure where to start, this episode offers both clarity and hope, plus a reminder that you are far more capable and resourced than the system wants you to believe.

Learn more about Meghan O’Malley: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/resourceguide/divorce-brave

🔗 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/

The moment you begin preparing for divorce often feels like standing in front of a mountain you never asked to climb—papers everywhere, decisions waiting for you, and a nervous system that can barely keep up. In this episode of Divorce Happens, we sit down with Rhonda Noordyk, a certified divorce financial analyst, financial divorce advocate, and longtime Fresh Starts Expert who has helped thousands of women navigate the financial side of separation with clarity, compassion, and strategy. From the very first minutes, Rhonda brings a grounding presence to a topic that often feels overwhelming, reminding listeners that divorce preparation begins with one simple, radical act: breathe.

Throughout the conversation, Rhonda unpacks her signature approach to divorce financial planning, offering deeply practical—and deeply human—guidance for anyone facing uncertainty. She explains why reviewing your financials in small, manageable time blocks can reduce emotional overwhelm, why organizing bank statements becomes a form of empowerment, and how her CIA method—Communication, Integrity, Advocacy—can help you choose the right divorce team. She also shares candid client stories: the woman who finally understood her spouse was dodging disclosure, the client who discovered hidden income only after slowing down and asking better questions, the women who found their confidence by learning how to negotiate from a place of truth rather than fear.

By the end of the episode, listeners walk away not only with tangible divorce preparation strategies—document organization tips, negotiation insights, and financial clarity tools—but with something even more important: a sense of steadiness. Rhonda emphasizes that you get one chance to get your divorce agreement right, and that knowledge becomes a powerful invitation to slow down, stay curious, and build a solid foundation. If you’re navigating divorce, co-parenting transitions, or financial overwhelm, this conversation offers hope, direction, and the reminder that you deserve support every step of the way.

Learn more about Rhonda Noordyk: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/resourceguide/financial-divorce-advocate

🔗 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/

The first step of divorce is rarely a legal one—it’s a heartbeat, a whisper, a quiet “I think I need help.” In this episode of Divorce Happens, host Olivia Howell sits down with divorce and life transition coach Lisa Lisser to unpack the overwhelm of the divorce process and why having a guide matters. Lisa shares how divorce coaching offers clarity, emotional support, and a practical map when you’re standing at the edge of a life you’re not sure how to leave. This is an honest, judgment-free conversation for anyone struggling to take that first step.

Grounded in both professional expertise and personal experience, Lisa explains how a divorce coach helps you prioritize your values, prepare for meetings with attorneys, and collaborate with financial advisors (CDFAs) to plan the life that comes next. She names the shame, the fear, and the late-night spirals—and then gently reframes them as data for strategy. Listeners hear real client moments where a clear plan shortened timelines, reduced legal fees, and transformed chaos into divorce strategies that moved cases forward.

If you’re craving steadiness and clarity in an uncertain season, this conversation delivers it with compassion. You’ll learn why “call a coach first” can save money, how to articulate your needs without re-traumatizing yourself, and what it means to become the expert of your own life again. Expect one mindset shift: divorce coaching isn’t about looking back—it’s about building forward. Expect one actionable takeaway: start a simple blueprint (values, priorities, budget) before you hire anyone, and watch your entire divorce support team work more effectively.

Learn more about Divorce Coach Lisa Lisser: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/resourceguide/lzl-coaching

🔗 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/

You don’t plan for the moment you realize the marriage is over—you arrive there, breath held, heart loud, and somehow still responsible for packing lunches and paying bills. In this intimate conversation, actress, creator, and OG blogger Eva Amurri—now a remarried mom of three and the force behind The Westport Project—joins Olivia to talk about divorce recovery as a living practice: calling it before it gets ugly, learning to communicate in therapy, and reinventing when the ground keeps moving. What follows is a story about emotional turmoil that becomes usable wisdom.

Drawing on her public divorce and collaborative co-parenting, Eva shares the choices that protected her kids and her sanity: mediate when you can, center the children in every decision, and build financial independence—even if it starts as $5 a day from a tiny side hustle. She talks candidly about losing friends during separation, the sting of holidays, and the discipline of keeping your words clean in front of the kids. It’s practical and tender: co-parenting tips, boundaries, and the mindset shifts that turn survival mode into resilience.

Listeners will leave with hope and clear next steps: explore therapy or a co-parenting coach early, treat mediation as a way to design your family’s future, and start any income stream that puts agency back in your hands. This episode is rich with divorce support, co-parenting strategies, and starting-over stories for single mom life. Keywords naturally woven throughout: divorce recovery, co-parenting tips, mediation, financial independence after divorce, emotional resilience, starting over after 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/

When you’re facing divorce, the numbers can feel scarier than the heartbreak. In this powerful episode of Divorce Happens, host Olivia Howell sits down with Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and financial advisor Donna S. Cates, a woman on a mission to make sure no one signs on the dotted line without truly understanding what they’re agreeing to. With decades of experience helping women in transition, Donna blends practical financial insight with deep compassion—because she knows firsthand that financial fear can keep women stuck in unhappy marriages. Together, they explore how money myths, misplaced trust, and emotional overwhelm shape so many divorce stories—and how knowledge can become your most empowering form of self-care.

Donna shares her signature framework for preparing financially before divorce, including the comprehensive checklist she gives her clients to uncover what they know, what they don’t, and what they need to find out. Through honest examples from her practice, she explains why hiring a CDFA before an attorney can actually save thousands of dollars—and how even in moments of chaos, small steps toward financial clarity can help women feel grounded again. The conversation moves beyond spreadsheets and settlement numbers into emotional healing, with Donna reminding listeners that understanding your finances isn’t about money—it’s about reclaiming your agency, your voice, and your future.

Listeners will walk away with a renewed sense of possibility and tangible next steps: how to begin gathering documents, when to call in experts, and how to build confidence in conversations about money. As Donna says, “You aren’t your marriage, your mistakes, or your money story—you’re the author of your next chapter.” Whether you’re considering divorce or already rebuilding, this episode offers the clarity, compassion, and courage you need to start fresh.

Learn more about Donna Cates, CDFA here: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/resourceguide/money-matters-wealth-solutions

🔗 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/