If mastering money is one of your 2025 goals, this episode of Heartbreak & Hope is a must-listen! Podcast host Patricia Barbarito welcomes featured guest Stacy Francis, President & CEO of Francis Financial and founder of Savvy Ladies, and, together, they explore how financial literacy can help break cycles of abuse, build confidence, and prepare for a brighter, more secure future.

Pat and Stacy’s lively conversation covers:

• how witnessing the financial abuse of her grandmother sparked Stacy’s passion to provide women with the financial knowledge, resources, and tools to build a solid foundation irrespective of romantic partnerships;
• why normalizing conversations about money could be key in improving both individual relationships and the global community; 
• how to handle the unspoken taboo around women being the primary earners in relationships, offering Farnoosh Torabi's “When She Makes More” for additional perspective;
• what the rise in women aged 18-26 actively seeking financial advice and education indicates for the future;
• the value of teaching children about money and incorporating transparency around family finances;
• how financial advisors are paid, including a snapshot of the different fee structures you’ll need to consider;
• what women should look for in a financial advisor, and how to get the best, most transparent support; and so much more.

Financial literacy is essential for women (and men!) navigating life’s toughest transitions – whether divorce, loss, or unexpected financial hardship.

BONUS: Learn more about Savvy Ladies’ unique, compassionate approach to financial advising, and its emphasis on providing wrap-around services to help women with everything from retirement planning to insurance and estate planning. 

And check out Stacy’s Kiplinger’s article “Women Who Bring Home the Bacon Are STILL the Ones Frying It Up in a Pan” for even more insight!

Be sure to follow Heartbreak & Hope with Pat Barbarito on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube, or bookmark the official podcast webpage to keep the entire library at your fingertips.

Do you wish your love life had that little something extra, but find yourself avoiding true connection like vampires sidestep garlic? Or does your dating profile showcase a version of you only Dr. Frankenstein would believe was real?

If you keep going on dates but secretly believe the dating pool is a dystopian wasteland, host Pat Barbarito and featured guest love coach Junie Moon want you to know that hope, happiness, and life-altering fulfillment can be found in the shadows – if you’re ready to face the unconscious truths lurking within your heart and soul. 

This high-energy, compelling episode explores the transformative practice of shadow work and its profoundly positive impact on navigating midlife relationships. 

Through illuminating insights and personal anecdotes, Pat and Junie explain how past experiences shape current choices in love, the importance of authentic self-expression in cultivating healthy connections, the danger of listening to that well-intentioned inner voice, and so much more. 

Conversation highlights include: 

• Understanding Shadow Work. An exploration of shadow work as a vital process for uncovering unconscious beliefs and behaviors that hinder personal growth and relationship success. Learn how unexamined fears and experiences can create blind spots that affect dating and relationship dynamics.
• The Role of the 'Risk Manager'. Insight into the internal part of ourselves that protects us from perceived dangers, often leading to people-pleasing behaviors and avoidance of real self-care. Discover how our internal self can even weaponize shame in an effort to keep us safe.
• Shifting Perspective on Past Pain. Understanding the impact of previous relationships and family dynamics on current love lives, as well as the inherent danger of not fully healing those childhood traumas. Explore the concept that we often attract partners who reflect our unhealed wounds, reinforcing the need for personal healing to break this cycle. 
• Midlife Empowerment. Embracing the fact that self-respect can be reclaimed, and love lives can be actively shaped with the benefit of life experience, leading to even better relationships. Includes a thought-provoking discussion on whether hitting rock bottom is necessary for personal growth, with insights into how many women can make positive changes without extreme circumstances
• The Value of Community. How becoming your most authentic self can lead to more genuine relationships that enrich your life and expand your possibilities. Appreciate that navigating the journey alone is not the bleak prospect it once was, and mentors, coaches, and other supportive communities are all within your reach. 

BONUS: Do you know your love avatar? Junie’s two-minute Discover Your Love Avatar quiz reveals your level of relationship readiness, identifies your Love Superpower, and recommends next steps to consider as you rewrite your own love story!

Take the quiz today for valuable insights that can help you embrace your actual desires and rewrite your own love story! 

Be sure to follow Heartbreak & Hope with Pat Barbarito on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube, or bookmark the official podcast webpage to keep the entire library at your fingertips.

Whether you’re approaching 50, or that particular birthday has been in the rearview mirror for a while, we all recognize the half-century mark as a pivotal moment in life.

Host Pat Barbarito invites featured guest Maria Leonard Olsen to share just how transformative her own milestone was and how she overcame personal struggles to begin navigating the next chapters of life with intentionality and hope.

The conversation covers: 

• the influence of one’s family of origin, and the impact of childhood trauma;
• the peace found in facing fractured relationships, alcoholism, and marital dysfunction;
• the necessity of overcoming shame and embracing change;
• how Maria’s determination to tackle 50 new-to-her challenges led to the creation and publication of 50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life; and
• what the future of being in her 60s holds for the intrepid author, attorney, public speaker and podcaster. 

BONUS INFO!

Becoming Your Best Version (Podcast)
https://www.marialeonardolsen.com/podcast

50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life (Book)
https://www.amazon.com/50-After-Reframing-Next-Chapter/dp/1538109646

Website
https://www.marialeonardolsen.com

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marialeonardolsen

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/FiftyAfter50/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Be sure to follow Heartbreak & Hope with Pat Barbarito on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube, or bookmark the official podcast webpage to keep the entire library at your fingertips.

Do you think women of a certain age are no longer interested in sex? Think again! 

Host Pat Barbarito welcomes featured guest and sexual health changemaker Dr. Anika Ackerman to share the latest data, research, and anecdotes that clearly debunk this myth, and, instead, offer information about the numerous options that promote stellar sexual health – regardless of the number of candles on this year’s birthday cake.

Conversation highlights include: 

• The importance of intimacy and its correlation to the longevity of a relationship;
• Top patient concerns, including lack of desire, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, urgency (genitourinary syndrome); vaginismus (extreme tightness of the vaginal muscles);
• Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), examining hormonal imbalance and activity of neurotransmitters in the brain;
•  Everyday libido ‘killers’;
• Libido enhancers - two FDA-approved medications and a few natural options 
•  Benefits of vaginal estrogen;
• Pelvic floor therapy – what it is and why it works;
• Use of laser, radio frequency, and high intensity focused electromagnetic energy to rejuvenate the vagina, and so much more!

If you, or a woman you love, is feeling the heartbreaking reality of perimenopause or menopause or watching the impact of a lower libido on their own self-confidence, this “all awkward questions welcome” conversation is for you! 

Special thanks to our wonderful listener (who asked to remain anonymous) for suggesting this topic and explaining how beneficial this information was in her relationship. 

Be sure to follow Heartbreak & Hope with Pat Barbarito on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube, or bookmark the official podcast webpage to keep the entire library at your fingertips.

Happy Valentine’s Day; we’re TWO!!! Host Pat Barbarito celebrates the second anniversary with her usual blend of frankness and fearlessness, offering a little no-nonsense insight into:

• the financial and emotional costs of divorce, 
• the justice delivered (or not) through the divorce court, 
• the ripple effect of your divorce on your longtime definition of family, 
• how to reinvent, redefine, and rediscover who you are after the demise of your marriage, and so much more. 

Be sure to listen to the end for a few words of support and some of Pat’s personal steps to embracing the new reality as a divorcee! 

Be sure to follow Heartbreak & Hope with Pat Barbarito on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube, or bookmark the official podcast webpage to keep the entire library at your fingertips.

Love means never having to say you’re sorry, right? Not according to our featured guest Dr. Jennifer Thomas, co-author of the critically acclaimed book, The 5 Apology Languages. Instead, she tells host Pat Barbarito, the ability to offer a heartfelt apology, using an individual’s preferred communication style, can result in an even deeper connection with those most important to you.  

In this episode, Pat and Jennifer explore those five elements of a sincere apology, and emphasize that, without the ability to acknowledge mistakes and express regret, the future of your relationships – romantic, platonic, professional, familial, etc. – could be in jeopardy. 

Conversation highlights include:

• The purpose of an apology
• Why it is so hard to apologize
• The danger of over-apologizing;
• The best lead in for any apology;
• Why words alone may not be enough;
• Phrases to avoid when asking for forgiveness;
• The power of posing the question: Will you forgive me?;
• Why apologies in the workplace are essential to creating a successful corporate culture;
• What to do when feel obligated to apologize, but you don’t think you’re in the wrong, and so much more!

BONUS: What’s YOUR apology language? Take The Apology Language™ Quiz to better understand what you need to hear or experience to accept the sincerity of an apology. Share the quiz with your partner, family, colleagues, and friends!

ADDITIONAL READING: Want to focus on increasing teamwork, resolving conflict, and building trust in the workplace? Check out Making Things Right at Work, co-authored by Gary Chapman, Jennifer Thomas, and Paul White. 

Be sure to follow Heartbreak & Hope with Pat Barbarito on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube, or bookmark the official podcast webpage to keep the entire library at your fingertips.

Is it possible for an individual to take charge of his/her own happiness at work? And, if so, where does one begin? Host Pat Barbarito, who knows a thing or two about navigating the challenging path to partnership and law firm ownership while raising a family and serving her community, welcomes Dr. Traci Cipriano to answer these questions and more. 

Using the guiding principles of workplace well-being outlined in Traci’s book, The Thriving Lawyer, the duo explores:

• The honeycomb of well-being;
• WHY we should care about well-being in the workplace;
• The importance of EQ (emotional intelligence), vulnerability, and sharing in relationship building;
•  How the very training that makes a great lawyer can be a detriment to his/her ability to self-reflect and connect;
•  The economic consequences for a workplace that prioritizes a culture of well-being;
• The dark side of ignoring personal well-being, including financial stress, burnout, suicide, and substance abuse;
•  Solutions that enable a lawyer to continue practicing AND have deep personal connections, strong social support, along with authentic meaning and purpose;
• The complexity of a multi-generational workplace and working with each generation’s attitude toward well-being;
•  Technology’s role in workplace well-being – friend or foe? – and so much more!

NOTE: Whether you are a seasoned lawyer, law student, or not even in the legal profession, there is something for you in this conversation.

Be sure to follow Heartbreak & Hope with Pat Barbarito on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube, or bookmark the official podcast webpage to keep the entire library at your fingertips.

Welcome to a special mini-episode of the show, one that features a series of soundbites just too good to leave on the cutting room floor. We hope you enjoyed the long-form conversation between Pat Barbarito and Dr. Mitchell Chasin that was released earlier this week, but if you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, don’t worry! These clips are standalone questions and answers about – as the title says – aging gracefully, serving celebrities, avoiding complications and so much more.  

You’ll also learn what Dr Chasin thinks about being too old or too young to consider cosmetic enhancements, why he admires the younger generation’s approach to body maintenance and the older generation’s attitude to small tweaks and major adjustments, and what Dr. Chasin believes every patient should know before going to their first body augmentation consultation. (And he doesn’t let doctors off the hook either!)

Whether you are currently facing or have already handled divorce, the death of a loved one, a milestone birthday, cancer treatment and other major life change, just know that you are not alone, you deserve all the good in the world, and you are entitled to lift your spirits through self-care – even if that means just making an appointment to chat about a hair color, a type of massage, or a cosmetic procedure. 

Be sure to follow Heartbreak & Hope with Pat Barbarito on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube, or bookmark the official podcast webpage to keep the entire library at your fingertips.

Divorce, the death of a loved one, milestone birthdays, cancer treatment and other major life changes can sometimes result in a drastically altered self-image – which can then undermine even the most positive person’s confidence and hopeful outlook. If that’s the case, wonders host Pat Barbarito, could simply improving one’s physical appearance with a visit to the local plastic surgery center result in a genuinely happier individual? Or is that person really just avoiding their inner turmoil? For featured guest and renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Mitchell Chasin, the answer is neither simple or one-size-fits-all.

Listen as the duo explores the relationship of beauty and confidence, discusses the intricacies of the mind-body-sprit connection through the lens of body augmentation, outlines the role that cosmetic medicine (including plastic surgery) can play in revitalizing one’s sense of hope, and debunks the myth that cosmetic procedures will remove all self-esteem issues or lack of confidence.

Additional highlights include:

• Why finding a board-certified plastic surgeon who values reputation and trust above dollars in the door is a must;
• Why doctors may avoid discussing aesthetics during a patient’s initial meeting and how that approach can result in improved recommendations;
•  How minor adjustments can improve a patient’s spirits independent of their post-treatment appearance;
• The surgeon’s dilemma of managing expectations and emphasizing improvement over perfection;
• What makes a procedure truly successful; and so much more.

BONUS: Don’t miss the end of the episode where Dr. Chasin flips the script and puts Pat in the hot seat, drawing some neat correlations between his work and her role as a practicing divorce lawyer!

Be sure to follow Heartbreak & Hope with Pat Barbarito on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube, or bookmark the official podcast webpage to keep the entire library at your fingertips.

This episode is for the dogs…and cats…and, really, any animal friend that has ever impressed you with its resiliency and capacity for love, forgiveness, and silliness. Host Pat Barbarito welcomes veterinarian oncologist, cancer survivor, wife, boy mom, pet parent, and featured guest Dr. Renee Alsarraf and invites her to share the inspiration behind Renee’s debut memoir, Sit, Stay, Heal: What Dogs Can Teach Us About Living Well.  

The story begins with the unbelievable timing of Renee and her dog Newton’s cancer diagnoses, and the inevitable comparison between how human and animal were reacting to treatment – a glaring difference that would ultimately make Renee realize her four-legged friend was far wiser than she ever expected. 

Join the conversation to explore what dogs (pets) have to teach us (humans) about: 

• The value of community connection;
• The power of the waiting room;
• The sanctity of self-care; 
• The importance of mindset and mindfulness; and so much more.

Sit, Stay, Heal: What Dogs Can Teach Us About Living Well was featured on the Kelly Clarkson Show and is available at Barnes & Nobles, Amazon.com, and Target. Please click here for more information.

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”– Josh Billings 

Be sure to follow Heartbreak & Hope with Pat Barbarito on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube, or bookmark the official podcast webpage to keep the entire library at your fingertips.