Solo Parent

This week we're discussing the 5 Daily Practices to Move Out of Survival Mode

Life as a single parent often feels like a relentless cycle of responsibilities with no margin to catch your breath. The demands pile up, and it can seem impossible to find peace, let alone joy. That's why today's conversation with Will Acuff, co-founder of Corner to Corner and author of No Elevator to Everest, is so important. Will shares from his own story of despair, healing, and renewal—reminding us that even in the hardest seasons, there are small steps we can take toward wholeness.

Today, we cover three main points:

• How to face despair and grief without pretending everything is fine.
• The role of daily practices in helping us stay grounded and present.
• Practical ways to reframe sacrifice so it becomes life-giving instead of depleting.

These pain points matter because surviving alone can leave us feeling powerless and stuck. But by naming what's hard, embracing rhythms of care, and reframing sacrifice, we rediscover hope. As Will reminds us, healing often starts with small, intentional steps—breathing, journaling, or simply noticing what sparks joy.

When we allow ourselves to lament, practice radical responsibility for our own well-being, and cultivate rhythms that connect us with ourselves and with God, we begin to see that life is not just something to endure. It can be rebuilt, reshaped, and infused with joy again.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• No Elevator to Everest by Will Acuff: A resource offering spiritual practices and perspectives that integrate emotional health, self-awareness, and a deeper connection with God's heart.
• Corner to Corner: Nashville nonprofit (co-founded by Will Acuff) helping entrepreneurs launch from historically low-income communities

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This week we're discussing How to Not Take Everything Personally.

As single parents, life can feel like one long invitation to take things personally. A sideways comment from a coworker, a critical word from your ex, or even silence from a friend can spiral into self-doubt. Without a partner to help ground us, it's easy to internalize everything and slip into a victim mindset. This matters because if we don't learn how to stop carrying other people's words and actions as proof of our inadequacy, we stay stuck, weighed down by shame and resentment.

Today, we cover three main points:

• What's really happening when you take things personally
• How victim mindsets keep us trapped
• Practical steps to take before assuming it's about you

Robert Beeson, Elizabeth Cole, and Marissa Lee share how taking things personally often starts with assigning intention we can't actually know. They describe how our deepest insecurities, like competence, worth, or belonging, color the way we interpret others. Together they unpack the three common victim mindsets: believing bad things always happen to you, blaming others, and feeling powerless to change your situation.

Finally, they offer tangible ways to break free: noticing the difference between fault and responsibility, considering the source before internalizing a comment, and remembering that conflict or feedback doesn't define your identity. These shifts allow you to step out of reactivity and into healthier connection with yourself and others.

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This week we're discussing the One Thing That Gets in the Way of Resilience

As single parents, survival mode can feel like our default setting. The constant responsibility, the weight of trauma, and the sheer demand of daily life often leave us operating in a state of heightened stress. But survival mode doesn't just impact us, it impacts our kids, our decisions, and even our ability to feel joy.

Today, we cover three main points:

• What survival mode really is and how it affects our bodies
• How to recognize the signs that you're in survival mode
• Steps to move beyond survival and into resilience

Survival mode happens when our nervous system is dysregulated. It's not just "feeling stressed"—it's our body locked into fight, flight, or freeze, whether the threat is real or simply triggered by past pain. This is why you may feel on edge, numb, or disconnected even when nothing obvious is happening.

The signs show up differently for each of us. Some notice brain fog, an inability to make decisions, or a constant sense of panic. Others shut down, feel unmotivated, or want to escape. Recognizing these signals matters because naming them helps remove the shame, we begin to see them as normal responses to abnormal situations.

The good news: resilience is possible. With self-awareness, grace, and support, we can rewire how we respond. Simple practices, like reminding ourselves, "I'm safe right now", taking breaks without guilt, or reaching out to a safe person, help move us from merely surviving to actually adapting and growing stronger. And when we remember we don't have to carry it all alone, we give ourselves permission to heal.

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This week we're discussing what Real Courage Looks Like

When you've been through divorce, betrayal, or repeated heartbreak, the thought of starting over again can feel impossible. It takes more than sheer willpower to stand back up, it takes tenacity, deep-rooted hope, and the kind of community that can carry you when you're too weary to carry yourself. Toni Collier, founder of Broken Crayons Still Color and author of Don't Try This Alone, joins us to share her journey through two divorces, raising two children as a single mom, and finding the courage to step into deep, confessional relationships instead of hiding in shame. Her story offers both a raw look at pain and a roadmap toward healing.

Today, we cover three main points:

• Tenacity is built, not inherited.
• Hiding keeps us from healing.
• Safe community starts with becoming a safe person.

Through raw honesty and practical wisdom, Toni reminds us that we aren't designed to do life alone, no matter our personality, history, or fear of being hurt again.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Broken Crayons Still Color: Toni Collier's global women's organization helping women process brokenness and find healing and hope.
• Don't Try This Alone by Toni Collier: A book on building deep community when you want to hide from your pain.
• Still Coloring Podcast: Hosted by Toni Collier.

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This week we're discussing how to have the Courage to be Angry

Anger is one of the most misunderstood emotions, especially for single parents trying to keep everything together. Many of us were taught to fear it, repress it, or feel shame when it shows up. But what if anger isn't destructive at all? What if it's actually the part of us that wants to live, connect, and keep showing up for the things that matter?

To help us navigate this emotional terrain, we're joined by Dr. Chip Dodd, author, counselor, and founder of The Voice of the Heart Center. With decades of experience helping people move from emotional disconnection to deeper purpose, Chip unpacks how anger, when understood and expressed in healthy ways, can become a powerful force for healing and hope.

Today, we cover three main points:

• Anger is not the problem, rage is.
• Suppressed anger leads to shame, anxiety, and isolation.
• Reclaiming anger can reignite our purpose and bring us back to each other.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• The Voice of the Heart by Dr. Chip Dodd: A foundational resource for understanding and expressing core emotions, including anger, in a healthy and life-giving way.
• Living with Heart: From Birth to Death co-hosted by Dr. Chip Dodd: Explores emotional and spiritual health through the lens of vulnerability and connection.

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This week we're discussing how to Find Courage to Take Risks as a Solo Parent

As solo parents, we're faced with choices every day that feel weightier than they used to because we're often the only one carrying the consequences. Whether it's stepping into a new relationship, starting a new job, or just sitting still long enough to feel discomfort, risk doesn't come easy anymore. This episode explores how to take intentional, healthy risks when the stakes feel high, and why doing so matters more than we think.

Today, we cover three main points:

• The types of risk solo parents face
• The weight of being the only parent
• Where to start when everything feels risky

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This week we're discussing how to have the Courage to Accept a Different Reality

For solo parents, change is more than a season, it's a total life shift. And while we often focus on the big transitions, it's the small, everyday reminders that hit hardest: taking out the trash, folding the laundry alone, navigating milestones without a partner. The grief of a life that no longer exists can sneak up in the mundane and the meaningful. That's why today's episode is focused on one of the most essential and difficult truths we face as solo parents, accepting that life is different now and learning to live in that truth without losing hope.

Today, we cover three main points:

• Acceptance is a process, not a one-time event.
• Our kids will experience milestones differently, and we must have the courage to notice.
• Embracing the new normal is key to healing but it doesn't mean we have to like it.

This conversation is a tender reminder that none of us are meant to navigate this road alone. From solo parent groups to sacred stillness in your own bathtub, the healing comes when we stop pretending we're okay and let ourselves be exactly where we are.

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This week we're discussing How to Thrive in High-Pressure Situations

When emotions are high, whether with a co-parent, a child mid-meltdown, or a demanding coworker, how we communicate can either escalate the tension or bring clarity and peace. For solo parents, those pressure points are daily. To help us unpack how to stay grounded and respond with wisdom, we're joined by Dr. Anthony Scroggins. He's not only a performance psychologist who's worked with the US Army and NASA astronauts, but also a dad of four young kids. That mix of clinical expertise and real-life parenting experience makes his insight incredibly practical for the day-to-day challenges we face.

Today, we cover three main points:

• How to communicate effectively with a difficult co-parent

• How to stay calm when emotions run high, with kids and with yourself

• How to build resilience in the workplace and at home

Whether you're parenting toddlers or teens, navigating silence from a co-parent, or carrying the weight of decision-making alone, this episode reminds us: we don't have to be perfect. We just have to keep showing up, and with the right tools, we can show up as the version of ourselves we actually want to be.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Delta Summit: Learn more about Dr. Anthony Scroggins' work in performance psychology, resilience, and decision-making under pressure: https://www.linkedin.com/company/deltasummitconsulting/

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This week we're discussing how to Navigate a World Where People Judge You.

We live in a world that's quick to judge and even quicker to make single parents feel like they don't measure up. But not all judgment is external. Often, the harshest voices come from inside. If you've ever walked into a room and immediately assumed you were unwelcome, or replayed a small moment for weeks afterward, you're not alone. This week's episode dives into the judgment we receive, imagine, and place on ourselves, and why it matters to recognize the difference.

Today, we cover three main points:

• Navigating judgment from others
• Recognizing and reframing distorted thinking
• Identifying internal judgment and letting go of shame

Throughout the episode, the conversation invites listeners to:

• Set boundaries around judgment and ground themselves in what's true
• Stop chasing approval and start acknowledging the strength they already carry
• Reclaim their voice from the narratives handed to them by others

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This week we're discussing The One Relationship That Could Be Key to Your Healing.

Too many of us were taught that trusting ourselves was dangerous. We were told our emotions couldn't be trusted, our hearts were deceitful, and our instincts were too "fleshly" to follow. Especially for solo parents who have lived through trauma or spiritual manipulation, this message gets internalized early and reinforced often. We stop listening to our gut and outsource decisions to experts, church leaders, or even social media. But ignoring your inner voice only deepens confusion and disconnection. Therapist and podcast host Adam Young joins us this week to help unpack how we unlearn those harmful messages, rebuild trust in our bodies, and begin listening to the voice within.

Today, we cover three main points:

• Why you've learned not to trust yourself, and how to gently unlearn it.

• How to tell the difference between your true inner voice and trauma-driven urges.

• Practices to rebuild trust in your body and story.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Make Sense of Your Story: Why Engaging Your Story With Kindness Changes Everything by Adam Young
• The Place We Find Ourselves hosted by Adam Young: A podcast focused on trauma, healing, attachment, and story work. Specifically mentioned is a two-part series on our relationship with our bodies.
• adamyoungcounseling.com: Find more about Adam's work, resources, and podcast episodes.

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

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