Single Mother Survival Guide

In this episode, I answer some more questions sent in by listeners. These questions relate to:

• When your ex wants to introduce his new partner to your 5 and 3 yr girls who he rarely sees, and what questions to ask his new girlfriend if given the opportunity.
• For someone new to the dating scene, what questions to ask (and how and when) a guy who you have been dating for a month in terms of a future relationship, marriage, and future children.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Read more, and sign up to the online program for single mothers - Don't Just Survive, THRIVE! - here.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

In 2016 Anna (not her real name) met the man who would be her future husband. It was amazing from the very start. Within a few months, she knew he was the man that she wanted to get married to, have children with, and spend the rest of her life with. She thought she had met the man of her dreams. Soon after, Anna unexpectedly fell pregnant.

They got married and everything was great until about six months into the pregnancy when things started to change. For example, her husband wouldn't allow her to watch TV and he suddenly started reading the bible (when he had never been that religious beforehand).

At 35 weeks pregnant, Anna found out about her husband's mental illness after a passing question from her mother in law. She asked Anna if her son had been taking his medication. When Anna returned home, she questioned him about the medication and he told her if she didn't stop asking he would stab her pregnant stomach. Anna then found the medication and did some research. She discovered her husband had schizophrenia.

Anna refers to the day her son was born as the day she lost her husband. He didn't hold their son, didn't bathe him, and didn't connect with him at all.

In the months that followed Anna and her husband broke up several times. She left him for good when their son was 7 months old.

In this episode, Anna shares her story.

We also discuss...

• How she managed the separation as well as becoming the primary carer for her son's father and manager of all his appointments.
• Facilitating a relationship between father and son.
• How she has coped over the last few years and how her ex became someone she didn't even know.
• Dealing with the relapses.
• Dealing with guilt.
• The worry she has that her son will grow up and blame her for not helping his father.
• The fear of dating.
• The stigma of being a single mum.
• Looking after ourselves.
• And so much more!

Anna has been through a lot over the last three years, but what is most remarkable is her positive attitude. A must listen!

Links mentioned in the episode:

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

In this episode, I answer some more questions sent in by listeners. These questions relate to:

• The anxiety when the other parent wants to take the children overseas.
• How to manage the lack of response from an ex when it comes to appointments and planning.
• Moving on with the fear of the unexpected after DV.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Thank you to this week's sponsor, Invisalign.

Bright Smile Dental Coogee.

Blog post - My Invisalign treatment begins.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

In this episode, I celebrate the third birthday of the Single Mother Survival Guide podcast. I also chat about some general life updates including my latest speed dating experience.

Links mentioned in the episode:

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Jennifer met the man who would become her husband when they were both kids in primary school. They had a long friendship growing up and when they finished school they ended up in a relationship together that lasted 20 years. They had two children.

One day, just before his 40th birthday, Jen's husband suddenly disappeared. The kids were 2 and 5 at the time he went missing. He was gone for several months and then eventually resurfaced and came out to Jen as being gay. This is Jen's story.

In this episode, along with Jen sharing her story, we chat about how her husband coming out as gay took away her permission to grieve, the shame she felt and the view to outsiders that her relationship with him had been a sham, and the advice she would give to anyone in this situation.

Jen also shares what happened next, finding her second husband, how that marriage ended, and becoming a single mum for the second time around.

Links mentioned in the episode:

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

In this episode, I chat about my recent speed dating experience, and what you need to know about speed dating...

I cover:

• What the process was like.
• What the people were like.
• Speed dating mindset.
• Costs involved.
• How many people you "date".
• How long the mini-dates lasted.
• Going solo versus with a friend.
• And lots more!

Links mentioned in the episode:

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Canna Campbell is a financial planner, YouTube personality on SugarMamma.TV and author of The $1000 Project and, soon to be released, Mindful Money.

In this episode, Canna chats with me about:

• The $1000 project and how becoming a single mum inspired her to start it.
• Savings tips.
• Shares, dividends, and passive income as a form of wealth creation.
• How to know what to do with your money - debts, emergency funds, saving for a house etc.
• Her tips for new single mums.
• Plus SO much more.

On her YouTube channel, Canna shares bite-sized tips on how to get out of debt, save money, achieve financial goals and build long-term passive income and makes money and finance more approachable, and even fun!

Canna is passionate about educating, inspiring and empowering every individual to create financial harmony, freedom and independence in their lives, and in this week's episode, we chat all about this for single mums.

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Visit Canna's website here.
• Watch Canna's YouTube channel, Sugarmamma.TV here.
• Connect with Canna on Instagram here, and on Facebook here.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

In this episode, I answer some more questions sent in by listeners. These questions relate to:

• How to deal with feelings of resentment and hostility when the father of your kids has another child with a new partner and then they also separate but your ex treats the new child better, or differently than your kids you have with him.
• Is it unreasonable to know when the father of your children gets engaged?
• How does one co-parent after betrayal and manage visiting schedules if the parents live in different states and the child is a baby?

Links mentioned in the episode:

Parenting arrangements for the 0 - 4 year age group Conference Paper by Federal Magistrate Robyn Sexton.

Helpful blog posts

• THREE COMMON CO-PARENTING STYLES.
• 5 TIPS TO DEAL WITH A DIFFICULT EX-PARTNER.

Sign up to the next FREE 30 Day Get Your Sparkle Back Challenge HERE.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

In this episode, Amy shares Part 2 of her story...

After a brief stint "birdnesting", Amy and her husband sold their houses and started living separately. Slowly slowly Amy started getting her life back together. She had a relatively good co-parenting relationship with her ex, and she had started dating. Then, her husband said he wanted to work things out. After deciding she couldn't live with the what-ifs, Amy decided to give it another go with her husband. Not long after that, he had moved in.

A few months later, out of the blue, Amy received a message from her husband's past mistress/girlfriend on Instagram who told her to pass on to her husband to stop harassing her and to ask him about all the women. Such a blow. What she then discovered ended the relationship she had with him, and the trust in him, for good.

In this episode, Amy so openly and vulnerably shares what happened. She talks about the shame she felt about her husband having affairs and not knowing, questioning her whole relationship with him and the lie, trust issues, coming to the realisation that the affairs were not her fault, and meeting her new partner.

You will need to get the tissues out for this one.

Listen to Part 1 (episode 152) HERE.

Sign up to the next FREE 30 Day Get Your Sparkle Back Challenge HERE.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Amy was with her husband (and father of her two children) for 12 years when he suddenly, and without any warning whatsoever, told her that their marriage was over. He had fallen in love with someone else.

This is part 1 of a two-part series in which Amy shares her story. In it, she talks about the life she had with her husband prior to the separation and the trusting relationship she thought they had... She tells me about how they dealt with a terminal cancer diagnosis in the family, renovating the family home and moving in with her inlaws, and the beauty of hindsight. We discuss her grief, trauma, panic attacks, and how she had a breakdown and ended up in a psych ward.

After 12 years with her partner, it turned out her entire relationship had been a lie. Her husband was not the man she thought he was.

Stay tuned for next week's episode where this story is continued...

Sign up to the next FREE 30 Day Get Your Sparkle Back Challenge HERE.

To contact Julia, email: [email protected].

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.