Dating after divorce can feel like learning a new language while you’re still grieving the old one—especially when you’re a single parent trying to protect your kids and your own heart at the same time. In this episode of Divorce Happens, host Olivia Howell sits down with relationship coach and former clinical psychologist Dr. Susan Trotter to talk honestly about what it really looks like to date after divorce when you have children, shared custody, and a nervous system that’s been through it. Together, they explore how to rebuild trust in relationships, navigate new love after divorce, and honor the emotional needs of your kids while also honoring your own longing for connection.

Drawing on over 20 years as a therapist and more than a decade as a relationship coach, Dr. Trotter brings grounded, practical relationship coaching to the messy reality of dating, divorce, and family dynamics. She explains why self-reflection is essential before jumping back into dating after divorce, how to balance dating with parenting responsibilities, and why children of all ages—toddlers, teens, and even adult children and grandchildren—need time to process changes in the family. With warmth and clarity, she walks listeners through when (and when not) to introduce a new partner to children, how casual introductions can ease pressure, and why trust in relationships is built slowly, through behavior over time rather than love-bomb-y first dates.

At the heart of this conversation is a deeply hopeful message: it is never too late to find love after divorce, and you can build a full, joyful life as a single parent while you do it. Listeners will walk away with concrete dating-after-divorce tips, including how long to wait before introducing a new partner to kids, how to handle co-parenting dynamics around dating, and how to protect your children from a revolving door of relationships. Dr. Trotter also offers powerful mindset shifts around self-worth, boundaries, and self-discovery so that dating becomes an extension of your healing—not a distraction from it. If you’ve ever wondered whether “starting over” means “starting from scratch,” this episode will remind you that life after divorce can be better than you imagined, at any age—even in your 80s.

Learn more about Dr. Susan Trotter: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/resourceguide/susan-trotter

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