HEARTY (formerly Writing Threads)

If you or someone you know has been divorced, is going through a divorce or even thinking about one, please give a listen to Heather and Steph's conversation with Jessica Ashley and her signature powerful insights. Steph, Heather, and Jessica keep it very real and go deep in this episode about finding our way through divorce, including personal stories of what happened, and what it's like now and fears we can reframe. With class and grace, Jessica reminds us that we have been working a muscle that we will need, and all we have to do when the next heavy thing comes is remember to use it. She also gives us some powerful tools for communicating how it's going with our kids, and stands firm in the truth that "ultimately, for some us, it (divorce) is about saving our own lives." You don't want to miss this one!

Sidenote: this episode is only marked "explicit" due to our ability to cuss.

Jessica Ashley is rewriting the narrative of divorce. She is the Divorce Coach for Moms, a CDC Certified Divorce Coach®, and helps women thrive through transitions with grace, creativity, and maybe some cussing. On TikTok and Instagram (@divorcecoachformoms), Jessica is a mom's best girlfriend in divorce, posting two videos daily to a rapidly growing audience of women seeking community and clarity. She's the author of The Blended Family Q&A: 400 Questions to Spark Fun and Thought-Provoking Conversations (Rockridge Press, 2021) and three self-published books for divorcing women. Jessica is an award-winning content creator and writer, and teaches a graduate communication class at Northwestern. Tune in to her as a speaker and guest expert on TV, radio and podcasts, including Oprah's Super Soul Sunday Life Class, Martha Stewart Radio, Listen to Your Mother, and Northern Trust. Jessica wears inappropriately high heels to cheer from the sidelines at her children's track meets, soccer matches and gymnastics competitions. She (reluctantly and instinctively) responds to both Jessica and Ashley.

Show notes:

Jessica Ashley

⁠Divorce Coach For Moms⁠

⁠Stefania Pomponi⁠

Join Steph and Heather for a candid conversation celebrating ONE YEAR of podcasting, including 47 shows and 10 fantastic talented lovely guests! What have we learned? What do we love about this? Is it proof of growth as humans, the way we can document it here? Yes, that's a big part of it. We've been doing this bare bones project and we're happy with our process (or lack of a process) . P.S. This episode includes Heather's favorite Steph quotes, too!

Ann Imig ⁠Listen Life Coaching⁠

Maggie Ginsberg ⁠Still True⁠

Deb Rogers - ⁠Florida Woman⁠

⁠Casey Coombs ⁠

⁠Taya Dunn Johnson⁠

Pamela Dayton

⁠Adrienne Jones⁠

⁠Kristen Mei Chase⁠

⁠Laura Tremaine⁠

⁠pre-order⁠ BONUS Secret Episodes especially ⁠Amber Haines⁠

⁠The Life Council ⁠ 10 Friends Every Woman Needs

⁠We Can Do Hard Things with Dr. Becky ⁠

Mayam Bialik's Breakdown with ⁠Cory Feldman⁠

and the one with ⁠Amber Tamblyn⁠

⁠Listening in the Dark⁠ (book of essays)

⁠Laurie White⁠

⁠Stephanie's Instagram⁠ - Questions for Luna

⁠Enlightened⁠ on HBO Max

Dave Grohl's ⁠Storyteller ⁠

⁠Our Missing Hearts⁠ by Celeste Ng

This week on the Hearty Podcast, Steph records her thoughts from a walk with her dog in the bitter cold and Heather responds from outside a recovery meeting.  What parts of your story do you want to share? What are chapters that don't need writing? How do you get inspired when there's so little clarity? This and more, including what Steph is watching that you need to watch, too. 

Mentioned in this show: 

Enlightened on HBO Max

Find the Hearty podcast on Instagram and Facebook

Stephanie shares her heart and thoughts after a long couple of weeks, and then shares about a return to a way of joy, through minestrone. How does this happen? This is what resilience means, maybe. That we struggle so hard and joy and peace still enters. Grace, even in small ways or in seconds. Heather responds to Steph about how it feels for her to struggle so hard and still receive these moments of calm and peace. And of course, both Steph and Heather share what they're reading, watching, or listening to this week. Thank you for being here! 

#mindfulness #struggle #joy 

Still Missing Morgan on Hulu: 

Internal Family Systems Therapy by Richard C Schwartz

I’ll Show Myself Out by Jessi Klein

Listen to Your Mother on YouTube

Depresh Mode Episode with KC Davis on Struggle Care

Heather sends Steph another voice letter in this episode because Steph is down for the count with the stomach flu of all ungodly things. Listen as Heather updates Steph about the memory care situation (or non-memory care situation) with her mom, talks about escaping from home for a one night stay in a hotel alone and how that feels, and fills you (and Steph) in on what good stuff she's been watching, reading, and listening to lately. Thank you for being here. 

#Alzheimers #motherhood #Cults #MemoryCare #DaveGrohl #PokerFace 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Poker Face on Peacock 

Russian Doll on Netflix 

The Storyteller by Dave Grohl 

Stolen Youth on Hulu 

Places to find us: 

Instagram 

Facebook 

Facebook Group

Heather's writing 

Steph's writing

Trigger Warning: If you are in an extra vulnerable place, especially as a caregiver or if you are grieving, please skip this one. We want to be careful with your heart. 

In this episode, Heather talks to Steph like she's reading her a letter, updating her on moving her mom to a memory care facility. It's raw, friends. If you or someone you know is walking the Alzheimer's/dementia road (boy it's long), please know you are not alone. If you know someone that is a caregiver or family member or loved one of a person with dementia, please pass this on to them. That is not a request for more listeners, but a request to help people feel less alone. Thank you for being here. 

#dementia #alzheimers #caregiver #memorycare #grief

As it turns out, this episode has a lot of crying in it. It is being left just as it is. It's real and raw and true, all the things the Hearty podcast is about. Steph and Heather are hurting and their recordings to each other are all about the insides; the pain and struggle in the midst of it all. To say it out loud to each other is healing and powerful and an example of breaking free from darkness through connection. May this episode be just as healing for you. 

Mentioned: 

Tig and Cheryl - True Story Podcast 

Netflix - The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker 

Stephanie sits down for a conversation with well-known influencer and writer Kristen Chase to cover all things from Kristen's online career and upcoming debut novel, A Thousand Miles To Graceland, to divorce and how endings and new beginnings sometimes come out of nowhere. (Even when the endings have been a long time coming.) Listen as Steph and Kristen revisit the old blogging days and talk about how Kristen learned American Sign Language and wrote a book, as a single mom. Get your copy of Kristen's debut novel; it's out next week! 

Links From This Episode

Mentioned in the show:

Jenny Lawson

#podcast #divorce #amwriting #novel #newbook #kristenmeichase 

*Trigger Warning* (This episode includes conversation about the depths of depression & suicide/suicidal ideation. Please skip it if you feel vulnerable to the topics, or listen with a trusted loved one. Take care of yourself. We love you.) In this episode we dive deep into a hearty conversation about depression, living through the darkness, and even accepting it. If you or someone you know struggles with their mental health, we sincerely hope this episode is cathartic & helps you more clearly understand yourselves and others. We are not experts, other than in our lived experiences. We are simply telling our stories and reflection on our experiences. Thank you for bearing witness. You are not alone. We love you. 

Find Steph on Instagram or Facebook

Find Heather on Instagram or Facebook

Find the Hearty podcast on Instagram or Facebook 

#depression #ADHD #sobriety #acceptance #surrender #menopause

Mentioned in this show: 

tWitch

One Mississippi

Tig Notaro

My Lady ADHD on Instagram

My Lady ADHD Podcast

Ann Imig

We Can Do Hard Things Podcast

Pride & Prejudice

Sense & Sensibility

Emma

Fleishman is in Trouble 

Modern Family

In Episode 39, Heather and Steph discuss handling the holidays, letting go and what it's like for an ADHD mom (Heather) and kids. And since both Steph and Heather are forever fascinated by cult stories (especially breaking free) they discuss the The Vow on HBO Max. Oh and let's not forget White Lotus which leads to a conversation about what Heather and Steph need in order to have a good night sleep. (Spoiler: It is not like movies and TV, where everyone seems to sleep with lights on and too many pillows.)

#ADHD #TheVow #WCDHT #Anxiety #Holidays 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Heather’s stickers on etsy (Created by Cole) 

Steph’s 11:11 bracelets from BodhiNyx on Etsy

Design Mom Holiday Gift Guides

White Lotus Season 2 on HBO Max

Depresh Mode podcast with Maggie Smith on Despair, Hope, Divorce, & Poetry

We Can Do Hard Things Episodes 157 & 158 Cults: How NXIVM Controlled Women

The Vow on HBO Max

Ann Imig