The most common financial question women ask after divorce isn’t about budgeting. It’s this: how do I actually support myself now?

In this episode, Mashav gets honest about the income question she gets asked more than almost any other, and why she can’t give a simple answer. Four years after her own separation, her income situation still isn’t “fixed”. And she thinks the advice most women get about earning more is missing the real problem entirely.

What she shares instead: what she got wrong in her own post-divorce income panic, how she accidentally stumbled into an income stream that changed everything, and what she thinks is actually blocking most women from earning what they’re capable of.

This episode won’t give you a five-step income plan. It will change how you think about the question.

Topics Covered

* Why the income question is really a fear question

* The moves women make from panic, and why they backfire

* Why Mashav lasted only three days in a restaurant office job

* The identity she had to grieve before anything could open up

* How she stumbled onto an income stream by following curiosity

* From pennies to $100K

* What the book “How to Overcome Underearning” reframed for her

* Why the income path probably won’t come from sitting down and figuring it out

* What’s coming next: a framework built specifically for women in this transition

Resources Mentioned

From Panic to Power Your monthly survival number, a clear financial snapshot, and a concrete next step in 15 minutes. For women navigating divorce or separation.

Overcoming Underearning by Barbara Stanny: A Five-Step Plan to a Richer Life (watch my VIDEO review)

💌 Stay Connected

* 🗞 New Me Weekly: Stay connected with reflections, stories, and rebuild tools

* Instagram: @hellonewme.official

* TikTok: @hellonew.me

* YouTube: Hello New Me Channel

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome Back Update

01:20 Divorce Money Panic

01:54 Job Hunt Reality Check

03:07 Money Means Stability

04:13 Stop Forcing Solutions

05:00 Letting Go of Chef Identity

06:12 Accidental Amazon Breakthrough

07:54 Luck, Timing, and Skills

10:40 Orientation Phase Takeaway

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmeweekly.substack.com

After divorce, money becomes very real, very fast.

But the instinct many women have to try to save as much as possible, cut everything, optimize everything. Is it really the right move?

You’re not just managing money anymore.You’re managing time, energy, stress, and a life that’s already in transition.

In this episode, Mashav breaks down a different way to think about cost-cutting after divorce, one that actually works in real life.

Instead of asking “How do I save the most?”, she introduces a more useful question:“What is actually worth saving?”

You’ll learn how to evaluate expenses based on real return on investment, across three currencies: money, time, and energy, and how to stop wasting effort on low-impact decisions that drain you.

The goal is not to become frugal; it’s to have an intentional strategy.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, restricted, or stuck in financial anxiety… this episode will help you create space, not just savings.

Topics Covered:

* The three currencies you’re actually managing

* How to evaluate whether a cost-cutting decision is worth it

* The difference between high-ROI savings vs exhausting micro-optimizations

* The biggest financial levers

* The power of secondhand and community-based resources

* Adjusting beauty, lifestyle, and personal care without losing yourself

* Why therapy is not a luxury expense

* Legal fees: how to think about it differently

* Hidden financial leaks

* The “one indulgence” principle and why it matters

* What’s worth doing yourself vs what’s worth paying for

Resources Mentioned:

“From Panic to Power” — Post-Divorce Financial ChecklistA step-by-step guide with a bare minimum calculator, financial snapshot, and 23 key actions to help you stabilize and rebuild your finances after separation

💌 Stay Connected

* 🗞 New Me Weekly:Stay connected with reflections, stories, and rebuild tools

* Instagram: @hellonewme.official

* TikTok: @hellonew.me

* YouTube: Hello New Me Channel

Chapters:

00:04 Introduction02:28 The Real Goal of Cost-Cutting03:02 The Three Currencies03:51 The ROI Test for Saving Money05:19 Big Structural Expenses06:58 Food Systems That Work08:08 Secondhand & Community Resources11:21 Beauty & Lifestyle Adjustments14:12 Therapy as a Smart Investment15:26 Legal Fees & Costly Mistakes16:49 Hidden Subscription Leaks18:20 The One Indulgence Principle20:12 Stop Over-Optimizing Small Things21:17 What to DIY vs What to Pay For22:44 Financial Baseline & Checklist23:22 Recap24:49 Final Thoughts

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmeweekly.substack.com

There’s a moment before divorce that no one really talks about.

You’re still in the marriage. Nothing has officially changed.But something inside you has.

You keep circling the same question:“Am I actually going to have to end this?”

And just as quickly, you shut it down:“It’s not that bad. Other people have it worse. Maybe I’m overreacting.”

In this episode, Mashav explores what she calls Stage 0 — the stage before separation, where you’re living your normal life on the outside, but internally questioning everything.

You won’t be told whether you should stay or leave.This episode will help you see your situation clearly, without minimising, spiralling, or rushing into a decision you’re not ready for.

You’ll walk through the real questions most women avoid asking themselves, about love, fear, resentment, self-worth, and the life you’re imagining on the other side.

If you’ve been going back and forth in your head, feeling stuck, confused, or alone in this decision… this episode will meet you exactly where you are.

Topics Covered

* What “Stage 0” of divorce actually is

* Why this stage feels so lonely and confusing

* The trap of “for better or for worse”

* Why “Do I have a good enough reason to leave?” is the wrong question

* The better question: Do I have a good enough reason to stay?

* Emotional patterns that signal deeper disconnection

* The difference between staying from love vs staying from fear

* The 10–20 year thought experiment

* The Four Horsemen

* “Staying for the kids.”

* The sunk cost trap and why it keeps you stuck

* When it’s actually wise to slow down instead of rushing

* Listening to your body as a source of truth

* What to do if you’re not ready to leave yet (Stage 0.5)

Resources Mentioned

“Is It Time to End Your Marriage?” FREE GuideA reflection-based guide with prompts from this episode to help you think through your situation without overwhelm

💌 Stay Connected

* 🗞 New Me Weekly:Stay connected with reflections, stories, and rebuild tools

* Instagram: @hellonewme.official

* TikTok: @hellonew.me

* YouTube: Hello New Me Channel

Chapters:

00:47 Welcome to Stage Zero02:18 What Stage Zero Feels Like03:53 Rethinking the Vows05:33 Bad Enough?07:34 The Emotional Labor09:36 If Fear Was Gone11:03 Future Letter Test12:19 Gottman’s Four Horsemen14:22 “Staying for the Kids”16:31 Sunk Cost Trap18:13 When to Slow Down20:05 Notice Body Signals20:57 Stage 0.5 22:27 Closing Check In

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmeweekly.substack.com

After separation or divorce, it can feel like you’re supposed to “move on” in a straight line: make the decision, sign the papers, rebuild, thrive. In reality, most women move through a series of overlapping stages: emotionally, practically, and even neurologically.

In this episode, I introduce my four-stage model of divorce recovery (plus a Stage 0 before anything is official).

Through a clear, stage-by-stage framework, this episode helps you:

* Recognize which stage you’re actually in

* Understand what your nervous system is trying to do in each phase

* Stop demanding long-term clarity from yourself when you’re still in short-term survival

* See what kind of support and focus is most realistic for this stage, not trying to tackle all at once

Chapters:

00:00 Divorce Is Not a Movie00:39 Four Stages Overview02:56 Stage Zero The Limbo04:49 Stage One Crisis Mode07:24 Stage Two Transition10:41 Stage Three Recovery13:23 Stage Four Renewal16:12 Decision Fatigue Reality17:01 Find Your Stage Next Steps

Resources Mentioned

Stage 1: Crisis

📘 From Panic to Power - Financial ChecklistA step-by-step guide to rebuild safety, clarity, and confidence with money

Stage 2: Transition

🗞 New Me Weekly:Stay connected with reflections, stories, and rebuild tools

Stage 3: Recovery

📘 Build Your Compass (Free Core Values Exercise)A 5-minute exercise to identify your top core values and use them as a foundation for decision-making.

Stage 4: Renewal

🪞 15-Day Self-Guided Roadmap Building ToolA structure for designing a bolder, more intentional life in just 5 minutes a day.

💌 Stay Connected

* Instagram: @hellonewme.official

* TikTok: @hellonew.me

* YouTube: Hello New Me Channel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmeweekly.substack.com

After separation or divorce, it can feel like everything needs to be solved immediately: your money, your work, your identity, your health, your future. This episode explores why that urgency isn’t a willpower failure, but a nervous-system and sequencing problem.

Mashav introduces the concept of “the collapse pile” — the moment when every concern collapses into one indistinguishable emergency, and shares a practical, grounding way to untangle it. Through personal experience and a clear four-step process, this episode helps you separate what’s truly urgent from what only feels urgent, regain orientation, and take the next right step without forcing clarity before you’re ready.

This is an episode about slowing down without getting stuck, creating stability before big decisions, and learning how to rebuild your life one layer at a time.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the Collapse Pile

01:27 Personal Story: Life After Divorce

02:45 Understanding the Collapse Pile

03:23 The Mistake of Cleaning Up the Pile

06:57 The Four-Step Process to Detangle the Pile

09:23 How I Actually Detangled the Pile

12:48 Conclusion and Recap

Resources Mentioned

📝 Article on Medium.com:

Why Divorce Makes Everything Feel Urgent

🗞 Weekly Newsletter:

Stay connected with reflections, stories, and rebuild tools

📘 Build Your Compass (Free Core Values Exercise)

A 5-minute exercise to identify your top core values and use them as a foundation for decision-making.→ Free Download

💌 Stay Connected

* Instagram: @hellonewme.official

* TikTok: @hellonew.me

* YouTube: Hello New Me Channel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmeweekly.substack.com

When you’re starting over after separation or divorce, you’re often caught between too much advice and too little orientation.

You’ve already reflected. You’ve journaled. You’ve asked the questions.And yet, decisions still feel murky, identity feels unstable, and self-trust hasn’t fully caught up.

In this episode, Mashav explores a less talked-about use of AI: not as a productivity tool or an answer machine, but as a thinking partner.

We talk about why many women hesitate to use AI for self-reflection, what’s actually happening beneath that resistance, and how reflective use can support self-leadership rather than replace it. This is a conversation about clarity, agency, and learning how to see yourself more clearly before the world decides who you are for you.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:21 Using AI for Self-Reflection

01:48 Challenges and Fears of Using AI

03:42 Gender Gap in AI Adoption

06:28 Practical Use of AI for Self-Reflection

11:14 Prompts and Practical Examples

13:35 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Resources Mentioned

📝 Articles on Medium.com:

Part 1: Women Are Using AI for Self-Reflection. We Just Don’t Talk About It Yet Part 2: If You’re Starting Over, Ask ChatGPT These 10 Questions

Try the FREE CustomGPT: Design Your Next Chapter Like A Main Character GPT

🗞 Weekly Newsletter:Stay connected with reflections, stories, and rebuild tools

📘 Build Your Compass (Free Core Values Exercise)A 5-minute exercise to identify your top core values and use them as a foundation for decision-making.→ Free Download

💌 Stay Connected

* Instagram: @hellonewme.official

* TikTok: @hellonew.me

* YouTube: Hello New Me Channel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmeweekly.substack.com

Once you start making decisions for yourself after divorce, a new set of challenges appears.

Your family reacts. Friends get uncomfortable. Old patterns of people-pleasing and approval-seeking resurface. And even when your choices are aligned, it can feel destabilizing to hold your ground without reassurance.

In this episode, Mashav continues the conversation on decision-making after separation and divorce, focusing on what happens after the decision is made. We explore how to release the need for validation, rebuild trust in your own judgment, navigate other people’s expectations, and use small daily choices to reclaim agency.

This is an episode about identity, self-trust, and learning how to lead your life on your own terms—without waiting for permission.

Topics Covered

* Why decision-making gets harder after you start choosing for yourself

* How approval-seeking resurfaces after divorce and why it once felt necessary

* Practical ways to stop outsourcing your decisions to others

* Shifting from external validation to inner authority

* Navigating family and social discomfort as your identity changes

* Using small, everyday choices to rebuild confidence and agency

* The fear of being “too late” and why it’s rooted in comparison and familiarity

* Why starting over is not falling behind—but stepping outside the script

Resources Mentioned

Decision Making Part 1:

🗞 Weekly Newsletter:

Stay connected with reflections, stories, and rebuild tools

📘 Build Your Compass (Free Core Values Exercise)

A 5-minute exercise to identify your top core values and use them as a foundation for decision-making.→ Free Download

🪞15-Day Self-Guided Journey:

A bite-sized roadmap to help you reconnect with who you are now and what comes next→ Who the F*ck Are You – 15-Day Self-Leadership Journey

💌 Stay Connected

* Instagram: @hellonewme.official

* TikTok: @hellonew.me

* YouTube: Hello New Me Channel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmeweekly.substack.com

After divorce or breakup, decision-making can feel terrifying. The reason is that you’re making major life choices while your nervous system is overloaded and your old decision-making structure is gone.

In this episode, Mashav breaks down the most common fears women express about making decisions post-divorce; she shares reframes that reduce pressure, explains why mistakes are inevitable (and survivable), and teaches a simple step-by-step decision-making framework rooted in core values.

This episode is Part 1; Part 2 will cover what happens after you make the decision: guilt, other people’s opinions, identity friction, and how to turn small choices into big forward momentum.

Topics Covered

* Why decision-making feels panicky after divorce, even with “small” choices

* The fear of ruining your life or your kids’ lives with one decision

* How to rebuild agency if you grew up relying on others to decide

* A simple method to rebuild self-trust through follow-through

* How to break out of overthinking and decision paralysis

* A values-focused, step-by-step decision framework you can repeat anytime

Resources Mentioned

🗞 Weekly Newsletter:Stay connected with reflections, stories, and rebuild tools

📘 Free Tool:Build Your Compass: A 5-minute clarity tool for women starting over.→ Free Download

📘 Free ChecklistPost-Divorce Financial ChecklistA step-by-step guide to rebuild safety, clarity, and confidence with money

🪞15-Day Self-Guided Journey:A bite-sized roadmap to help you reconnect with who you are now and what comes next→ Who the F*ck Are You – 15-Day Self-Leadership Journey

💌 Stay Connected

* Instagram: @hellonewme.official

* TikTok: @hellonew.me

* YouTube: Hello New Me Channel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmeweekly.substack.com

If you thought divorce was the hard part, no one really prepares you for what comes after - the Money Panic.

The fear.The uncertainty.The quiet panic of realizing you’re responsible for financial safety now, often while you’re still emotionally rebuilding.

In this episode, I talk about what money really represents after divorce. Not just numbers, but safety, nervous system regulation, and your ability to move forward with confidence instead of fear.

I share my personal experience navigating financial instability after separation, and the practical, grounded steps that helped me rebuild a sense of stability and resilience, without overwhelm and without pretending it was easy.

We talk about:

* Why money is one of the biggest fears women carry after divorce

* Why avoidance keeps your nervous system stuck in survival mode

* The first number you need to know to feel financially grounded

* How budgeting can create safety instead of restriction

* The role of emergency funds in calming anxiety

* Why seeing your worst-case scenario can actually be empowering

* How small, intentional steps create long-term financial agency

You don’t need to have everything figured out. You don’t need to be “good with money” all of a sudden to make it work.You just need the right sequence.

If you’re ready to move from financial fear into agency and stability, I created a step-by-step checklist to help you take small, doable actions, no matter where you’re starting from. And when you’re ready to go deeper, there’s a next step to help you turn stability into a clear roadmap for your next chapter.

🔗 Resources Mentioned

✨ Create a budget with the help of the Copilot app. Use my referral code R6HRD9 to get 2 months free

https://copilot.money/link/CXVSyXDNMkUDNaD89.

✨ Built an emergency fund in a high-yield cash account in Wealthfront. Use my referral link to get a 0.75% APY increase for 3 months.

https://www.wealthfront.com/c/affiliates/invited/AFFA-Q9SS-P2LG-TOU8.

🗞 New Me WeeklyReflections, stories, and rebuild tools

https://newmeweekly.substack.com/subscribe

📘 Financial ChecklistPost-Divorce Financial ChecklistA step-by-step guide to rebuild safety, clarity, and confidence with money

https://mashavshelef.gumroad.com/l/financial-checklist

🪞 15-Day Self-Guided JourneyA bite-sized roadmap to help you reconnect with who you are now and what comes next👉 Who the Fck Are You – 15-Day Self-Leadership Journey https://mashav-s.systeme.io/wtfya

💌 Stay Connected

* Instagram: @hellonewme.official

* TikTok: @hellonew.me

* YouTube: Hello New Me Channel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmeweekly.substack.com

If you thought the divorce itself was a struggle, you’ll be shocked to find out how hard it is to figure out the aftermath.The in-between.The place where the old life is gone, but the new one hasn’t taken shape yet.

In this episode, I break down the two paths women take when they’re starting over:the default reactive way that keeps you stuck…and the clever, intentional way that creates momentum, clarity, and self-trust.

We talk about:

* Why the hardest part isn’t the divorce, but everything that comes after

* The trap of waiting for life to “settle down”

* How clever women rebuild from the inside out

* The four-phase sequence to start again with intention

* Rediscover yourself

* Allow yourself to want again

* Relearn self-trust

* Turn insight into aligned action

This episode is your invitation to step out of fight-or-flight and into agency, identity, and possibility. You don’t need to have everything figured out; you just need the right sequence.

If you’re ready to shift from the default way to the clever way of rebuilding, I created a 15-day self-guided journey to help you rediscover who you are now, what you want next, and how to take your first aligned steps toward a future that feels like yours again.

🔗 Resources Mentioned

✨ My Main Links Page:👉 https://mashav-s.systeme.io/

🗞 Weekly Newsletter:Stay connected with reflections, stories, and rebuild tools

📘 Free Tool:Build Your Compass: A 5-minute clarity tool for women starting over.→ Free Download

🪞15-Day Self-Guided Journey:A bite-sized roadmap to help you reconnect with who you are now and what comes next→ Who the F*ck Are You – 15-Day Self-Leadership Journey

💌 Stay Connected

* Instagram: @hellonewme.official

* TikTok: @hellonew.me

* YouTube: Hello New Me Channel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmeweekly.substack.com