Solo Parent

This week we're discussing Dating Differently.

Dating after divorce can feel layered and heavy for solo parents. Curiosity and hope often exist right alongside fear, grief, and loneliness. Add children into the mix, and the emotional stakes rise even higher. This conversation speaks directly to the pain of wanting connection while also protecting your heart, your healing, and your kids. Dating differently matters because the choices you make now do not just shape your future relationships, they shape your sense of stability, wholeness, and emotional safety at home.

In this episode, Robert Beeson (Founder & CEO of Solo Parent) and Elizabeth Cole (single parent) are joined by Amber Fuller (counselor with a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy and single parent) and Josh Stimpson (single dad of 12 years) to explore what it looks like to date with honesty, intention, and care in this season of life.

Today, we cover three main points:

• Dating when emotions feel mixed. How hope, fear, grief, and loneliness often show up together after divorce, and why naming that tension matters before making decisions.
• What being "ready" really means. How readiness is less about time passed and more about support, self awareness, and dating from wholeness instead of loneliness.
• Why kids change everything. How moving slowly and intentionally protects children's emotional stability and helps solo parents build healthier relationships.

Together, these three points invite solo parents to approach dating with greater clarity and compassion. Rather than rushing decisions or shutting down connection, this conversation encourages slowing the pace, building strong support, and making choices that honor both personal healing and the emotional needs of children.

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This week we're discussing Approaching the New Year with Stability.

When life feels chaotic in the middle of already full days, solo parents can slip into survival mode just trying to keep everything from falling apart. That constant reactivity wears down our nervous systems, impacts how we show up for our kids, and leaves little room to breathe or think clearly. This conversation focuses on why stability matters so deeply for single parent families and how small, intentional choices can create steadiness at home, in our minds, and in our daily rhythms. Robert Beeson and Elizabeth Cole are joined by author and single parent Marissa Lee to explore practical ways stability can grow even when life feels unpredictable.

Today, we cover three main points:

• Creating stability at home starts with support.
• A stable home begins with a steady mind.
• Intentional rhythms anchor chaotic days.

Stability does not require perfection or rigid control. Small, repeatable patterns build trust over time. Presence matters more than length of time. A regulated parent creates a more regulated environment. When expectations are realistic and rhythms are clear, both parents and kids gain room to breathe.

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This week we're discussing Approaching the New Year with Confidence.

When solo parents carry relentless responsibility, face constant self doubt, and feel defined by past failures, confidence can feel fragile or out of reach. That erosion matters because it shapes how we parent, how we see ourselves, and whether we step into a new season with hope or hesitation. Robert Beeson and Elizabeth Cole are joined by Amber Fuller, licensed professional counselor, to explore how confidence can become steadier and more grounded when it is built on self compassion, supportive community, and a clear sense of worth rather than perfection or performance.

Today, we cover three main points:

• Stop carrying it all alone. Why accepting your limits, practicing self compassion, and allowing support actually strengthens confidence rather than weakens it.
• Change the way you talk to yourself. How negative inner narratives undermine confidence and practical ways to notice, challenge, and replace them with words that are more true and life giving.
• Believe in your worth even when you fail. How mistakes and losses do not diminish your value, but can become teachers that deepen self awareness, resilience, and courage moving forward.

Confidence grows when you stop measuring yourself against impossible standards. Perspective changes when you name what you are already doing well. Failure does not define you. It can refine you. Real confidence is rooted in worth, values, and the courage to show up honestly.

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When you are the only parent in the home, life often feels reactive instead of chosen. Every decision, every emotion, every consequence lands on your shoulders. That constant pressure can leave you feeling scattered, exhausted, and unsure how to move forward with clarity or hope. This conversation speaks directly to the pain of trying to parent well, grow personally, and stay grounded when mistakes feel costly and the future feels uncertain. Intentionality matters because it helps solo parents move from survival to direction, even when life feels chaotic. In this episode, Marissa Lee (author, and single parent) joins Robert and Elizabeth to explore how intentionality shapes parenting, emotional health, and long-term growth.

Today, we cover three main points:

• Starting with the end in mind. How clarifying your values and direction helps you live with purpose without trying to control outcomes.
• Why mistakes matter. How failure, repair, and humility actually strengthen growth for both parents and kids.
• Keeping the bigger picture in view. How intentional choices, even small ones, help solo parents stay steady when daily life feels overwhelming.

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This week we're discussing Approaching the New Year with Renewed Perspective. For many solo parents, a new year does not arrive with excitement but with exhaustion, uncertainty, and a quiet fear that clarity cannot be trusted anymore. When past disappointments linger and the future feels fragile, it becomes easy to live in regret, worry, or self-blame. This episode speaks to the tension of living between what was and what might be, and why staying present, releasing control, and shifting perspective opens the door to peace and renewed hope.

Today, we cover three main points:

• Staying present instead of living in the past. How ruminating on what-ifs and regrets fuels shame and keeps us from experiencing clarity and healing today.
• Finding peace in the middle of the "I don't knows." Why uncertainty triggers fear and control, and how grounding yourself in what you can do today creates stability even when answers are missing.
• Filtering life through gratitude, expectancy, and awareness. How choosing to notice what is good, expect growth, and stay aware reshapes your experience and helps you respond with steadiness instead of stress.

Renewing perspective does not mean fixing everything at once. It means choosing presence over escape, trust over fear, and small intentional steps over overwhelm. Clarity grows when we stop borrowing pain from the past or fear from the future and learn to live fully in the day in front of us.

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Solo parenting does not move in straight lines. Some days you feel steady, and other days you are pulled right back into overwhelm. That is why naming where you are matters. When you understand the phases of triage, recovery, and wellness, you can recognize your progress and offer yourself compassion. This week, Robert and Elizabeth revisit a listener favorite featuring three Solo Parent group leaders whose stories bring clarity, honesty, and hope for anyone navigating this journey.

Today, we cover three main points:

• What triage looks like and how to take the next right step when life feels impossible.
• How recovery helps you stabilize even when triggers still surface.
• What wellness feels like when confidence returns and you can begin to dream again.

Solo Parent online group leader, Cari Baker, describes triage as the season when life feels unbearable and every moment is marked by shock, secrecy, and survival. Her honesty reminds solo parents that this stage is not failure. It is the beginning of healing.

Recovery begins when the chaos settles and a new normal takes shape. Solo Parent online group leader, Andrew Diakos, shares how community became the turning point that moved him out of isolation. His goal is not perfection but shortening those triage moments by repairing quickly, apologizing when needed, and staying present with his kids. Recovery is learning how to move forward without shame.

Wellness is not about having an easy life. It is about having steadier footing. Solo Parent online group leader, Lana Craig, found wellness through small projects that rebuilt her confidence after losing her husband. With the help of trusted friends, she rediscovered desire, imagination, and possibility. Wellness is the moment you realize you can create a life you look forward to.

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We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions HERE.

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This week we're discussing Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships

Healthy connection is something many solo parents long for, but most of us weren't given a clear model of what it looks like. Between past trauma, unhealthy relational patterns, and the fear of repeating old mistakes, it can feel confusing to know when a relationship is safe, sustainable, or simply too costly for our emotional wellbeing. Today's conversation with Licensed Professional Counselor, Laurie Lokey, matters because it gives practical ways to identify real health, real safety, and real growth within ourselves and in our relationships with others.

• What a healthy relationship actually feels like and why it always begins with the relationship you have with yourself.
• How to recognize red flags and green flags when dating or navigating close relationships.
• Why modeling health for your kids matters even if you are not dating at all.

These pain points matter because many solo parents were never shown what healthy connection looks like. Without a clear blueprint, it is easy to mistrust our instincts, blame ourselves, or repeat familiar patterns that keep us stuck. By naming what feels confusing, learning how to recognize safety, and growing in self-awareness, we begin to build relationships that support healing instead of draining it.

Laurie reminds us that healthy connection begins within. When we do our own work, we show up grounded, honest, and present. We stop performing. We stop shrinking. We stop blaming. That shift changes everything: how we date, how we communicate, and how our kids learn what love looks like. Even if we are not dating, our growth becomes a living amends to our children, showing them that it only takes one healthy parent to change a family's story.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

Licensed Professional Counselor, Laurie Lokey

Additional Resources:

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This week we're discussing When Christmas Comes Through Unlikely People

Today, we cover three main points:

• How God works through unlikely beginnings • Why your story still carries worth even when life feels heavy • How the message of Christmas offers hope to weary hearts

Every solo parent knows what it feels like to wonder whether their life still has impact, especially in seasons filled with comparison, busyness, and unmet expectations. This conversation with Curtis "CZ" Zackery, author of Soul Rest and founder of Find Rest, matters because it reveals a truth many of us forget: God uses ordinary, unexpected people and moments to carry his hope into the world. Even when you feel behind or overlooked, you are not outside the story God is telling.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Soul Rest by Curtis "CZ" Zackery: This book reveals how our misaligned view of rest has its roots in an identity that is out of rhythm with God.

• Find Rest: This organization (founded by Curtis "CZ" Zackery) offers personalized coaching, spiritual care, leadership support, and Bible study guidance designed to help individuals and organizations regain balance in their lives.

• Full Show Notes
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This week we're discussing Rediscovering the Magic of Christmas

For many solo parents, the holidays stir up more ache than wonder. What once felt magical can now feel heavy with reminders of loss, changed traditions, and the pressure to hold everything together for our kids. Hosts Robert and Elizabeth are joined by Marriage and Family Therapist, Amber Fuller, and together they unpack why this season can feel so complicated and why reconnecting with moments of sweetness, shared magic, and childlike awe matters more than ever.

Today, we cover three main points:

• How to look for the sweetness in real time
• How to make magic as a family
• How to recover a sense of childlike awe

The holidays can stir up complicated emotions. Even when we show up with a smile for our kids, there can still be an ache underneath. This conversation invites you to notice small moments of sweetness as they come, to create simple pockets of magic together, and to let yourself play again.

Rediscovering Christmas starts with presence. Solo parents juggle more than most people realize, which means entire magical days may be rare. But magical moments are always within reach. Looking for them on purpose softens the heaviness and reminds us that goodness still threads its way through the hard.

Making magic as a family does not require perfection or elaborate plans. Generosity, serving others, spontaneous traditions, and small acts of kindness often matter far more than anything wrapped in a box. Kids remember being together, laughing, and breaking out of the usual routine.

Recovering childlike awe means loosening our grip on getting everything right and allowing room for lightness. When we give ourselves permission to be playful or engage in simple traditions, awe naturally resurfaces. It might be as small as watching Christmas lights, sharing a

silly moment, or reviving a tradition your kids secretly still love.

More than anything, the magic of Christmas is found in connection. Not flawless execution or perfect gifts, but being present with the people we love in the ways we can. Even in seasons of change, sweetness still exists. It often appears in the smallest moments.

Stay Connected + Get Support

We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions HERE.

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This week we're discussing Conquering Loneliness During the Holidays.

For solo parents, the holidays can magnify loneliness in surprising ways. Maybe you are watching your child leave for the other home on Christmas morning, sitting in a quiet house that used to feel full. Maybe you are surrounded by family and noise, yet painfully aware that you are the only one without a partner by your side. Maybe old traditions feel broken or impossible now, and you are not sure how to make new ones that actually feel like you.

Today, we cover three main points:

• Naming and normalizing holiday loneliness
• Moving toward connection, even when it feels awkward
• Creating and reframing traditions that fit your life now

In this episode, Marissa Lee, author and single parent, joins Robert and Elizabeth to discuss the fact that these moments matter because they press on grief, expose the ache of what has been lost, and can easily convince you that you are the odd one out in a world that seems to be celebrating.

Stay Connected + Get Support:

We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions HERE.

• Full Show Notes
• Learn more about Solo Parent
• Follow us on Instagram