Bent Not Broken: Starting Over After Divorce | Post Divorce Life

After divorce, letting someone close again can bring up questions you never expected: Can I trust my judgment? Will I feel comfortable in my body? How do I ask for what I need without feeling guilty?

In this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce, Coach Deborah welcomes licensed counselor and certified sex therapist Hannah Smith for an honest conversation about rediscovering yourself and rebuilding emotional and physical intimacy after divorce.

Hannah shares how her own experience as a neurodivergent person shaped her interest in understanding people and helping clients embrace who they are. Together, we explore how silencing your needs in a marriage can leave you disconnected from your identity, your body, and even your sense of joy.

From questioning what makes a “good wife” to recognizing whether you’re dating out of loneliness or self-love, this conversation offers a compassionate starting point for women ready to build relationships that honor their needs.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Rediscovering yourself after divorce: Exploring your preferences, interests, and sources of joy when you’ve spent years putting yourself last.
• Reconnecting with your body: How mindfulness and a sensory practice called sensate focus can help you notice physical sensations without pressure to perform.
• Understanding discomfort in new relationships: Why familiar survival patterns can follow you into dating—and why discomfort deserves attention without automatically being a red flag.
• Building body confidence in midlife: Taking small steps toward self-expression, whether that means dancing, wearing bright colors, or trying something you’ve held yourself back from.
• Releasing old expectations: Separating your own values from the roles and rules other people placed on you.
• Dating from self-love: Considering whether you want to share a fulfilling life with someone or are seeking a relationship primarily to escape fear and loneliness.
• Setting healthy boundaries: Understanding the difference between a request, a boundary, and an attempt to control someone else.
• Recognizing respect: Noticing how a potential partner responds when you express a need or say no.

A Thought to Carry With You

Hannah invites us to replace “Am I being good enough?” with a more useful question: “Is this choice helping me move toward the life and relationship I want?”

One Small Step This Week

Choose one activity that helps you feel more connected to your body. Take a comfortable walk, listen to music you love, or notice the warmth of sunshine on your skin. Give yourself room to discover what feels enjoyable, without making it another task to get right.

Connect with Hannah Smith

Learn more about Hannah’s counseling and sex therapy services at https://www.hannahsmithcounseling.com/.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Starting Over After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

If you're parenting after divorce, have you ever wondered:

Am I doing enough? Are my kids really okay? Did my divorce damage them?

Those questions can create an enormous amount of parenting guilt after divorce—especially when you're trying to manage two households, different parenting styles, changing finances, busy schedules, and your own emotional recovery.

In this bonus episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce, Coach Deborah continues the conversation inspired by parenting expert Elisabeth Stitt and shares an important reminder:

Your children don't need a perfect parent. They need a present one.

In This Bonus Episode

Coach Deborah explores how parents can stop trying to compensate for divorce and instead focus on what children really need to feel safe, connected, and loved.

You'll discover:

• Why parental guilt can become especially powerful after divorce
• How to stop putting pressure on yourself to be the "perfect parent"
• Why children can adapt to different rules in Mom's and Dad's homes
• How to focus on what you can control in your own household
• Why connection before correction can change difficult parenting moments
• What may be underneath anger, defiance, or acting out after divorce
• Why moving between two homes can be stressful even when both homes are loving
• How guilt can cause parents to overcompensate
• Why saying "yes" to everything isn't necessarily what your children need
• How simple family routines and traditions can create security
• Why children need belonging more than perfection
• How parents can help children build resilience after divorce
• Why divorce may change your family without destroying it

When Parenting Guilt Takes Over

Divorce can leave parents feeling responsible for making sure their children never experience another disappointment.

You may find yourself spending money you don't have, keeping your children involved in every activity, avoiding boundaries, or saying yes when you really want to say no.

But trying to make up for the divorce can leave you physically and emotionally exhausted.

Your children don't need you to recreate the life they had before.

They need connection, consistency, boundaries, love, laughter, and your presence.

Connection Before Correction

When a child starts acting out after divorce, it's easy to focus on the behavior.

But what if you asked a different question?

Instead of:

"Why are you behaving like this?"

Try asking:

"What might my child be feeling right now?"

Children moving between two homes may regularly have to pack, leave one parent, adjust to another household, and then make the transition all over again. Even when both homes are safe and loving, those transitions can be stressful.

Sometimes anger isn't just anger.

Sometimes the child pushing you away may actually need you to come a little closer.

That doesn't mean abandoning boundaries or consequences. It means remembering that the relationship is often more important than the immediate issue.

You Can't Control the Other Household

One of the hardest parts of co-parenting after divorce can be accepting that your former spouse may parent very differently.

But your children don't necessarily need two identical households.

They can learn:

"At Mom's house, we do things this way. At Dad's house, we do things another way."

What matters is creating clarity, consistency, calm, and emotional safety in your own home without criticizing the other parent.

Instead of spending your energy trying to control what happens somewhere else, ask:

What kind of home do I want to create here?

Create a New Sense of Family

Divorce changes the structure of a family, but it doesn't mean your family stops being a family.

Small rituals can give children a powerful sense of stability and belonging.

Maybe it's Friday-night pizza.

Sunday-morning pancakes.

A family walk after dinner.

Sharing something you're grateful for before bed.

A special saying when your children return home.

These moments don't need to be expensive or elaborate. Their power comes from repetition.

They quietly tell your children:

You belong here. You're safe here. This is our family.

Simple family rituals can provide children with grounding, stability, and connection as they adjust to family life after divorce.

Coach Deborah's Challenge

This week, ask yourself three questions:

1. What am I doing because it's truly important to my family?

2. What am I doing because I feel guilty about the divorce?

3. What is one simple ritual I can create that tells my children, "This is our family, and you belong here"?

You don't have to get everything right.

You don't have to erase everything your children have experienced.

And you don't have to be perfect.

Be present.

Because resilience doesn't mean something difficult never happened.

It means that difficult thing doesn't get to write the ending.

And that's true for your children—and for you.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

Divorce changes the family—but it doesn’t have to destroy a child’s sense of safety, belonging, or connection.

In this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce, Coach Deborah sits down with parenting expert and coach Elisabeth Stitt of Joyful Parenting Coaching for an important conversation about parenting after divorce, co-parenting, single parenting, and helping children adjust to life between two homes.

For divorced and single parents, there can be enormous pressure to get everything right. You may worry about how divorce is affecting your children, whether the other household has completely different rules, or whether you're spending enough quality time together.

Elisabeth offers a different perspective: your children don't need a perfect parent. They need a parent who is present, calm, clear, and consistent.

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

• Why children can adapt to different parenting styles in two different homes
• How to create consistency and emotional security after divorce
• Why parents don't have to compete with their ex's household
• How overscheduling can take away precious family connection
• Why family time becomes especially valuable after divorce
• How routines and rituals create a sense of safety and belonging
• What children may really be communicating when they act out
• Why connection before correction can change difficult parenting moments
• Simple emotional regulation techniques parents can teach their children
• How divorced parents can stop chasing perfection
• Why children need present parents—not perfect parents
• How to create meaningful family traditions after divorce
• Why divorced parents can create three family identities: Mom's home, Dad's home, and the shared family space
• How children can develop resilience and even thrive after divorce

When Your Child Acts Out After Divorce

Anger, defiance, meltdowns, or pushing a parent away may be about much more than bad behavior.

Moving between two homes, adapting to different routines, and processing the emotions surrounding divorce can be stressful for children—even when both parents have created loving homes.

Instead of immediately focusing on consequences, Elisabeth encourages parents to ask:

What might my child be feeling underneath this behavior?

Sometimes slowing down, connecting physically and emotionally, and helping a child regulate their emotions can accomplish far more than immediately trying to correct the behavior.

As Elisabeth explains, the relationship is more important than the issue—with safety always being the exception.

Two Homes Don't Have to Have the Same Rules

One of the biggest concerns after divorce is consistency.

What happens when Mom and Dad have completely different parenting styles?

Elisabeth reminds parents that children already learn to function under different expectations every day. They behave differently with different teachers, coaches, grandparents, and other adults.

They can also learn:

"At Mom's house we do things this way, and at Dad's house we do things another way."

The key isn't making both homes identical. It's creating clarity, consistency, connection, and emotional safety within your own home without criticizing or undermining the other parent.

Protecting Your Most Valuable Resource: Time

After divorce, time with your children may suddenly be cut dramatically.

That makes it even more important to intentionally protect family time.

Sports, dance, clubs, lessons, birthday parties, and activities can all be wonderful—but overscheduling can also consume the limited time parents and children have together.

Elisabeth encourages parents to become the architect of their family by deciding what truly matters and building routines around those values.

Sometimes saying no to another activity means saying yes to connection.

Create Rituals That Say: "This Is Our Family"

Family traditions don't have to be elaborate.

Lighting a candle at dinner and sharing something you're grateful for, protecting one afternoon each week for family time, or creating a special ritual when everyone comes home can help children feel grounded.

After divorce, those seemingly small moments can send a powerful message:

You belong here. This is home. We are still a family.

Can Children Thrive After Divorce?

Yes.

Elisabeth shares a touching story about her own daughter and how she eventually came to see her expanded family—not simply through the lens of divorce and loss, but as part of the rich story of her life.

Divorce may change the structure of a family, but parents still have the opportunity to create a home filled with safety, connection, consistency, love, and belonging.

If you're a divorced or single parent wondering whether you're doing enough, remember Elisabeth's powerful reminder:

Perfection is neither required nor desired.

Your kids don't need perfection.

They need you to be present.

About Elisabeth Stitt

Elisabeth Stitt is a parenting coach, educator, and the founder of Joyful Parenting Coaching. She helps parents create calmer, more connected families by focusing on clear expectations, emotional regulation, strong family values, and practical parenting strategies.

Her work encourages parents to become intentional architects of their families rather than allowing outside pressure, overscheduling, or unrealistic expectations to determine how family life should look.

Elisabeth's website: https://www.elisabethstitt.com

People may also ask:

How can I help my child adjust after divorce?
How do you create stability for children after divorce?
Can children handle different rules at Mom and Dad's houses?
How do divorced parents create consistency between two homes?
Why is my child acting out after divorce?
How can a single parent reduce parenting guilt?
How do I reconnect with my children after divorce?
Can children become resilient after their parents divorce?
What routines help children after divorce?
How can divorced parents create a healthy family environment?

Episode Takeaway

Divorce may change what your family looks like, but it doesn't take away your ability to build a loving, secure home.

You don't have to control what happens in the other household. You don't have to fill every minute with activities. And you don't have to be a perfect parent.

Focus on what you can create: consistency, rituals, boundaries, emotional safety, meaningful time together, and connection.

Because being Bent Not Broken isn't about pretending divorce didn't change your family.

It's about intentionally creating what comes next.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What if everyone around you thinks you’re successful, confident, and strong—but inside, you’re still wondering if you’re enough?

In this bonus coaching episode of Bent Not Broken, Coach Deborah reflects on her conversation with singer, songwriter, and author Machan Taylor and one of the most powerful lessons from Machan’s story: success doesn’t automatically heal the wounds we carry.

Machan performed on some of the biggest stages in the world with legendary artists, yet she shared that she could stand in front of hundreds of thousands of people and still experience imposter syndrome and wonder whether she truly belonged.

And you don’t have to be standing on a stage to understand that feeling.

Sometimes we hide behind our careers, accomplishments, relationships, perfectionism, or simply saying, “I’m fine.”

We become so good at surviving and taking care of everyone else that we lose sight of ourselves.

In This Bonus Episode:

Coach Deborah explores:

• Why success doesn't always create self-worth
• How childhood trauma can affect our adult relationships
• Why we sometimes repeat unhealthy relationship patterns
• The difference between choosing what is healthy and choosing what is familiar
• How emotional abuse can slowly change the way you see yourself
• Why high-achieving women can still struggle with imposter syndrome
• What it means to lose yourself in a relationship
• How to stop trying to prove that you're enough
• Rebuilding your confidence after divorce or emotional abuse
• Finding your voice and trusting yourself again
• Starting over and reinventing yourself later in life
• Why your age does not determine what comes next

Ask Yourself These Three Questions

Where in my life am I still trying to prove that I'm enough?

What old story about myself am I carrying that may no longer be true?

If I truly believed I was already enough, what would I do differently?

You don't have to change everything today.

Sometimes rebuilding begins by simply recognizing the patterns, beliefs, and old stories that are keeping you stuck.

It Is Never Too Late to Start Over

Whether you're 40, 50, 60, 70, or beyond, there is no expiration date on becoming the woman you want to be.

Your past may explain parts of your story, but it doesn't have to write the ending.

You don't have to become the woman you were before everything happened.

Maybe you're meant to become someone even stronger, wiser, and more authentic.

If you haven't heard Coach Deborah's full conversation with Machan Taylor, be sure to listen to “She Sang with Pink Floyd—but Still Felt She Wasn't Enough.”

And remember—you may have been bent by what happened to you, but you get to decide what happens next.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What happens when the world sees your success—but never sees the struggles happening behind the scenes?

In this powerful episode of Bent Not Broken, Coach Deborah sits down with singer, songwriter, author, and educator Machan Taylor, whose extraordinary career has included performing with legendary artists including Pink Floyd, Sting, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, and Aretha Franklin.

But behind the applause was a woman struggling to understand where she belonged.

Born in Japan to a Japanese mother and American military father, Machan moved to the United States at just four and a half years old. Growing up in New Jersey in the years following World War II, she experienced discrimination and struggled with identity, belonging, and the emotional impact of leaving her extended family and culture behind.

Those early experiences were only one layer of what Machan calls her “layer cake of trauma.”

She later grew up in a dysfunctional home with an alcoholic father and carried many of those childhood wounds into adulthood—even while building a successful career and performing in front of enormous audiences.

Machan shares something particularly powerful: you can appear confident and successful on the outside while questioning your worth on the inside.

At the height of her career, she sometimes stood in front of hundreds of thousands of people while battling imposter syndrome and wondering whether she truly belonged.

Her personal life eventually brought another painful chapter. Machan opens up about leaving an abusive and controlling marriage, hitting what she describes as rock bottom, and spending years rebuilding her life and rediscovering herself.

Today, at 70, Machan's perspective couldn't be more different.

Rather than believing her best years are behind her, she's writing, creating, exploring speaking opportunities, working on a possible screenplay, and looking forward to what's next.

Her message is simple and powerful:

Whatever your goals are, whatever your dreams are—go after them. It doesn't matter what anybody else thinks.

In This Episode, You'll Hear About:

• Moving from Japan to America as a young child and struggling to belong
• The lasting effects of childhood trauma and family dysfunction
• Building an extraordinary music career despite deep insecurity
• Performing with Pink Floyd and other legendary artists
• Experiencing imposter syndrome even at the height of success
• How our childhood experiences can influence our adult relationships
• Leaving an abusive and controlling marriage
• Hitting rock bottom and rebuilding your life
• Breaking unhealthy relationship patterns
• The role of forgiveness and acceptance in healing
• Why writing her memoir, Naked Out Loud, became part of Machan's healing journey
• Finding your voice personally—not just professionally
• Reinventing yourself and starting over later in life
• Why turning 70 has left Machan feeling energized, hopeful, and ready for more

A Powerful Reminder

Machan's story reminds us that healing doesn't require erasing our past. We can understand where our wounds came from, learn from them, and choose what happens next.

Sometimes becoming who we were meant to be means finally believing something very simple:

You are enough.

And whether you're 40, 50, 60, 70, or beyond, it's never too late to reclaim your voice, rebuild your life, and begin your next chapter.

Learn more about Machan, her music, her story, and her memoir Naked Out Loud at MachanTaylor.com.

Her book is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with an audiobook also in development

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast.

Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

How to move from financial overwhelm to clarity—one small step at a time.

After divorce, money can become one of your biggest sources of fear.

Can I afford to live on my own?
Should I keep the house?
Will I have enough for retirement?
What if I don't understand our finances?
Am I going to be okay?

In this bonus coaching episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce, Coach Deborah continues the conversation inspired by her interview with financial professional Donna Kendrick and explores the emotional side of rebuilding your financial life after divorce.

When everything feels urgent, it's easy to believe you need to figure out your entire future right now.

You don't.

Instead, start with what you know today and identify one action you can take to create greater clarity and control.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why financial fear after divorce is about more than money
• How to separate immediate decisions from those that can wait
• Why knowledge can begin replacing fear with clarity
• What to consider before deciding to keep the marital home
• How to start understanding your accounts, credit, expenses and financial picture
• Why asking for help doesn't mean you've failed
• The power of focusing on your “next best minute”
• One simple financial challenge you can take this week

You don't need to rebuild your entire life today.

Maybe your next step is checking your credit report. Maybe it's finding your retirement statement, calculating your essential monthly expenses, starting an emergency fund or finally opening that financial document you've been avoiding.

Choose one thing.

Because rebuilding after divorce happens decision by decision, step by step and sometimes minute by minute.

🎧 And if you haven't heard my full conversation with Donna Kendrick, CFP® and CDFA®, listen to that episode for more practical strategies for taking control of your finances during divorce, widowhood and other major life transitions.

Remember: You don't have to know exactly what your next chapter looks like before you begin writing it. Start with your next best step.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast.

Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What happens when the life you planned suddenly disappears—and you're left wondering, “Am I going to be okay?”

Whether you're facing divorce, widowhood, or another major life transition, starting over can feel overwhelming. You're grieving the life you thought you would have while simultaneously being asked to make some of the biggest financial decisions of your life.

In this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce, Coach Deborah sits down with Donna Jean Kendrick, CFP® and CDFA®, founder of Sephton Financial and author of The Divorce Money Map: Taking Control of Your Finances Before, During, and After Divorce.

Donna knows what it means to have life change without warning. At just 40 years old, she unexpectedly lost her husband and found herself raising three children while trying to figure out what came next. At the time, she was earning just $17,000 a year working part-time and suddenly had to face questions about income, credit, savings, raising her children, and her family's financial future.

That devastating loss eventually inspired Donna to reinvent her career and become the kind of financial professional she needed during her own darkest season.

Today, she helps people navigate the financial realities of divorce, widowhood, remarriage, blended families, and starting over.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why major financial decisions shouldn't all be made in the middle of emotional overwhelm
• The difference between immediate, transitional, and long-term financial decisions
• Why Donna recommends building a six-month emergency cash reserve
• What “sudden money” is—and why receiving a divorce settlement, life insurance proceeds, or money from selling a home can lead to emotional spending
• Why checking your credit report is so important before, during, and after divorce
• How joint credit card debt can continue affecting your credit after divorce
• Why you need to understand exactly what you own and owe
• How to begin establishing financial independence if your spouse traditionally handled the money
• Why keeping the marital home isn't always the best financial decision
• The importance of updating beneficiaries, wills, healthcare directives, powers of attorney, and other financial documents after divorce
• How Donna rebuilt her career after becoming a widow at 40
• Why she created The Divorce Money Map to help people organize their finances before meeting with an attorney
• How setting 30-day, 90-day, one-year, three-year, five-year, and ten-year goals can help you begin moving forward
• The power of resilience, forgiveness, and learning to live the “next best minute”

Three Steps You Can Take Right Now

If you're newly separated, divorced, widowed, or simply afraid of your financial future, Donna recommends beginning with three practical steps:

1. Start building your cash reserve.
Work toward having approximately six months of basic living expenses available—not necessarily your current lifestyle expenses, but what you truly need to keep your household functioning.

2. Get your financial house in order.
Gather account information, statements, passwords, insurance documents, and other important financial records. Know what accounts exist and make sure you have access to your own financial information.

3. Review your credit.
Pull your credit report and understand which accounts are in your name, which are joint, what balances exist, and whether there are accounts you may have forgotten about or didn't realize were open.

A Powerful Reminder About Starting Over

One of my favorite moments in our conversation came when I asked Donna what Bent Not Broken means to her.

Her answer was a reminder that after divorce, loss, or another life-changing experience, we shouldn't expect to be exactly the person we were before.

Like a tree bending in the wind, we may lose some things along the way. We may lose relationships, financial security, dreams, or pieces of the life we once knew.

But bent doesn't mean broken.

We can stand tall again—perhaps differently than before—and that's okay.

If you're wondering whether you can rebuild financially after divorce or loss, this episode offers both practical steps and something equally important: hope that your next chapter can still be a good one.

About Donna Jean Kendrick

Donna Jean Kendrick is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® and the founder of Sefton Financial. After unexpectedly becoming a widow at age 40 with three children, Donna transformed her personal experience with grief and financial uncertainty into a new career helping others navigate major life transitions.

She is also the host of Widow, Wisdom & Wealth and the author of financial guides addressing widowhood, blended families, and divorce, including The Divorce Money Map: Taking Control of Your Finances Before, During, and After Divorce.

Donna's Website where you can purchase her books and obtain resources: https://donnajeankendrick.com/

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast.

Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What happens when the life you thought would last forever comes to an end—and you have to figure out who you are all over again?

In this special episode of Bent Not Broken: Starting Over After Divorce, Coach Deborah shares a powerful conversation originally featured on the Get Obsessed podcast with Janelle Brown of TLC’s Sister Wives.

For years, viewers watched Janelle navigate plural marriage, motherhood, family dynamics, jealousy, public scrutiny, and the challenges of living much of her personal life in front of television cameras. But behind the headlines is a woman who eventually found herself asking a question so many women face after divorce:

Who am I now—and what do I want for the rest of my life?

Janelle opens up about the realities of plural marriage, learning to recognize her own value, and why understanding that she didn't have to compare herself to other women helped strengthen her self-esteem.

She also talks candidly about the breakdown of her marriage, the difficult realization that she was ready to leave, and why starting over can feel frightening—even when you know something in your life needs to change.

The conversation takes an especially heartfelt turn as Janelle discusses the loss of her son Garrison, her family's grief, and the importance of having honest conversations about mental health.

Today, Janelle is building an entirely different life—one filled with independence, family, coaching, her farm in North Carolina, and the freedom to discover what she wants this next chapter to become.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• Life behind the scenes of Sister Wives and plural marriage
• How comparison and jealousy can affect self-worth
• Learning to separate other people's opinions from your identity
• Recognizing when a marriage has changed
• Finding the courage to consider leaving and starting over
• Grief, mental health, and Garrison's lasting legacy
• Rediscovering yourself after decades of marriage and motherhood
• Why Janelle isn't rushing to find another relationship
• Rebuilding confidence and independence after divorce
• Creating a fulfilling second chapter later in life
• Why you don't need to have your entire future figured out before taking the first step

One of the most powerful messages from Janelle's story is that starting over doesn't mean you failed.

Sometimes starting over means finally giving yourself permission to ask:

What do I want now?

After divorce or the end of a long-term relationship, it's easy to feel lost when so much of your identity has been wrapped up in being a wife, mother, caregiver, or the person everyone depends on.

But your story isn't finished.

You can rebuild your confidence.
You can rediscover who you are.
You can create new dreams.
And you can write a completely different next chapter—even if you can't see exactly what that chapter looks like yet.

As Janelle reminds us, change can be scary because it's unfamiliar. But sometimes simply allowing yourself to imagine a different life is where transformation begins.

A special thank you to the Get Obsessed podcast for allowing Bent Not Broken to share this conversation with Janelle Brown.

A Question to Take With You

If you stopped worrying about who you used to be—or who everyone else expected you to be—what would you want the next version of your life to look like?

Maybe it's time to find out.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What happens when life changes on a dime—and suddenly the future you planned looks nothing like the life you're living?

In this personal solo coaching episode of Bent Not Broken, Coach Deborah opens up about returning to the workforce at 67 and the unexpected challenges of trying to balance work, podcasting, personal goals, responsibilities, and everything else life brings.

If you're starting over after divorce, navigating a midlife transition, returning to work later in life, rebuilding after loss, facing financial changes, or simply feeling overwhelmed trying to do it all, this conversation is for you.

Coach Deborah knows firsthand that starting over doesn't always happen once. Sometimes, just when you think you've figured out your next chapter, life hands you another blank page.

But a change in circumstances doesn't mean you've failed.

It may simply mean it's time to redefine what success looks like in this season of your life.

In this episode, Coach Deborah explores why women often put enormous pressure on themselves to keep doing everything—even when their lives and circumstances have changed. She challenges you to stop measuring yourself against the life you thought you would have and instead ask:

What does this season of my life need from me?

You'll discover how to:

• Navigate unexpected life changes without losing yourself
• Let go of the pressure to “do it all”
• Reevaluate your priorities when life changes
• Give yourself permission to put some things down
• Recognize the difference between giving up and adjusting
• Rebuild confidence when you're starting over
• Navigate returning to work later in life
• Redefine success during a midlife or later-life transition
• Take your next step without having your entire future figured out

Whether you're starting over after divorce, rebuilding your life after emotional abuse, returning to the workforce, changing careers after 50 or 60, dealing with an empty nest, experiencing financial uncertainty, or wondering what's next, remember this:

You don't have to figure out the entire next chapter today.

Sometimes you just need enough courage to turn the page.

One decision. One priority. One day at a time.

Because whether you're 47, 57, 67, or beyond, it's never too late to start over, rediscover yourself, rebuild your confidence, and write your next chapter.

Your story isn't over.

You still get to write your next chapter.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What happens when the marriage you thought would last forever ends after 20, 30, or even 40 years?

Gray divorce—divorce after 50 or later—can turn your entire world upside down. Beyond the end of the marriage, you may be grieving the future you expected, questioning who you are without your spouse, navigating changing friendships and family relationships, and wondering whether it's really possible to start over at this stage of life.

In this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce, Deborah Griffiths sits down with psychotherapist Oona Metz for an important conversation about the unique emotional challenges women face during gray divorce and divorce later in life.

Oona brings insight into what happens emotionally when a long-term marriage ends and why healing from divorce isn't simply about "moving on." It's about grieving what was lost while slowly rediscovering who you are and creating a life that belongs to you.

In This Episode

Deborah and Oona discuss:

• What gray divorce is and why divorce after 50 can feel so different
• The emotional impact of ending a long-term marriage
• Grieving the marriage—and the future you thought you would have
• Why women can feel lost after divorce
• Rebuilding your identity when you've spent decades as part of a couple
• Loneliness after divorce and adjusting to a new social life
• How friendships and relationships may change after a gray divorce
• Learning to trust yourself again
• Finding purpose and confidence in the next chapter of your life
• Why starting over after divorce at 50, 60, or beyond is absolutely possible

Is It Too Late to Start Over After Divorce?

One of the biggest fears surrounding gray divorce is the belief that you've run out of time.

You haven't.

At 67, Deborah understands the importance of challenging the idea that your best years have to be behind you. Your life may not look the way you once imagined it would, but that doesn't mean it can't become meaningful, joyful, and fulfilling again.

Divorce later in life isn't the end of your story.

Healing after divorce takes time. Rebuilding your confidence takes time. Rediscovering yourself after years—or decades—of marriage takes time.

But there is no expiration date on becoming the woman you want to be.

Whether you're contemplating divorce after 50, newly separated, going through a gray divorce, recovering from a long-term marriage, or rebuilding your life years after divorce, this conversation with Oona Metz offers encouragement and perspective for navigating what comes next.

You don't have to have your entire future figured out today.

Sometimes the next chapter begins by simply asking:

Who am I now—and who do I want to become?

Listen to this episode and discover why it's never too late to heal, rebuild, rediscover yourself, and start over after divorce.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

Dating after divorce can feel like stepping into an entirely different world. You may be wondering: Am I ready to date again? Can I trust my instincts? How do I recognize red flags? And is it really possible to find healthy love after divorce?

In this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce, I’m revisiting my conversation with Kerry Brett about dating, relationships, confidence, and finding love again after your marriage ends.

Dating after divorce—especially dating over 40 or dating over 50—isn’t simply about meeting someone new. It can also be about rediscovering who you are after divorce, rebuilding your self-worth, setting healthier boundaries, and getting clear about what you want in your next relationship.

Kerry shares insights about approaching dating with greater confidence and intention, recognizing relationship red flags, and refusing to settle simply because you’re afraid of being alone.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Dating after divorce and navigating the dating world again
• Rebuilding confidence and self-worth after divorce
• Recognizing dating and relationship red flags
• Learning to trust yourself again
• Why knowing what you want matters before entering a new relationship
• Dating over 40 and dating over 50
• Creating healthier boundaries in relationships
• Letting go of the fear of starting over
• Finding love without losing yourself in the process
• Why life—and love—after divorce can become an opportunity for a completely new beginning

If your divorce left you feeling lost, rejected, brokenhearted, or unsure of who you are, dating again can bring those insecurities back to the surface. But starting over after divorce doesn't have to mean repeating your past.

This chapter can be about making different choices, recognizing your worth, creating healthy relationships, and becoming more intentional about the people you allow into your life.

Whether you're newly divorced, single after a long marriage, cautiously considering dating again, or already navigating online dating, this conversation with Kerry Brett offers encouragement for rebuilding your confidence and moving forward.

You don't have to rush to find someone new. You can take the time to rediscover yourself, rebuild your confidence, and decide what you truly want your next chapter—and your next relationship—to look like.

🎙️ Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce is about what happens after life doesn't go according to plan. Through honest conversations about divorce recovery, emotional healing, rebuilding confidence, relationships, starting over, and finding purpose, we explore how to move beyond simply surviving and begin creating a life that feels like your own again.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What happens when the life you thought you were building suddenly changes?

In this special re-release of the very first episode of Bent Not Broken, I’m revisiting my conversation with Dr. JC Doornick—a friend, mentor, entrepreneur, health transformation coach, and founder of Make Sense Academy.

This episode has always held a special place in my heart because JC took a chance on me when Bent Not Broken was just beginning. He gave me his time, encouragement, wisdom, and support when I was still finding my voice as a podcast host.

Today, this conversation has an even deeper meaning.

JC is currently facing stage 4 renal cancer, a heartbreaking reminder that life can change in an instant. We make plans, build careers, raise families, and assume there will always be more time. Sometimes life has other plans.

I’m sharing this episode again to honor JC, thank him for the role he played in helping me launch this podcast, and give listeners another opportunity to hear a conversation filled with lessons that remain just as relevant today.

Rebuilding Your Life After Divorce

In our conversation, JC opens up about his own divorce and the beliefs about marriage he carried from childhood after watching his parents' marriage end.

He shares how his determination to never get divorced influenced the person he chose to marry—and how he eventually realized that choosing what felt safe wasn't necessarily the same as choosing the person who was right for him.

We talk candidly about growing apart, recognizing when a marriage is no longer working, and the guilt that can come with being the person who ultimately decides the marriage needs to end.

For JC, that guilt followed him well beyond the divorce. He describes spending years trying to take care of everyone else while forgetting to take care of himself.

Putting Your Children First

JC also shares an important perspective on co-parenting after divorce.

Having experienced his own parents' divorce as a child, he was determined to do things differently with his two sons. That meant keeping communication open, refusing to badmouth their mother, and continually reminding his children that they were loved.

Even in what he describes as a relatively amicable divorce, there were still challenges involving resentment, finances, loneliness, and rebuilding a new life.

His message is an important one: divorce can be difficult even under the best circumstances, but parents still have choices about how they communicate and how they protect their children from unnecessary conflict.

From Guilt and Loneliness to Rebuilding Yourself

One of the most powerful parts of our conversation is JC's honesty about what happened after the divorce.

He struggled with guilt, anxiety, loneliness, poor sleep, dating, and feeling as though he had failed. Eventually, he realized he needed to stop trying to control everything around him and begin with something he could control—himself.

For JC, that started with his physical health.

He lost 80 pounds and began focusing on nutrition, hydration, exercise, meditation, reading, and personal development. As his physical health improved, so did the way he viewed himself and his circumstances.

He eventually recognized that he had been telling himself a story about his divorce—and about himself—that wasn't necessarily true.

And if he had created that story, he could begin writing a new one.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• How childhood experiences can shape our beliefs about marriage and divorce
• Recognizing when you've grown apart in a marriage
• The guilt and shame that can follow divorce
• Putting your children first during and after divorce
• Why you should avoid badmouthing your ex to your children
• Loneliness and losing friendships after divorce
• Taking control of what you can control
• Rebuilding your physical and emotional health
• Changing the story you tell yourself about your divorce
• Dating and finding love again
• Why working on yourself may be more important than searching for another relationship
• Learning to have a good day—even on a bad day
• Finding hope when you're in the middle of starting over

JC reminds us that when you're in the middle of divorce—or any painful season—it can feel as though the storm will never end.

But the weather eventually changes.

And sometimes healing isn't about waiting for everything around you to change. It's about changing the way you see yourself, your circumstances, and what's possible next.

Supporting Dr. JC Doornick

As I share this episode again, JC is facing an entirely different kind of battle: stage 4 renal cancer.

JC and his family could use support during this incredibly difficult time. A GoFundMe benefiting JC can be found here: https://gofund.me/1c8f4ac18.

If JC's story or message has touched you, please consider making a contribution or sharing the GoFundMe with others. And if you're unable to contribute financially, please consider keeping JC and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

JC, thank you for believing in Bent Not Broken before there was a Bent Not Broken audience. Thank you for being my first guest, for sharing your story, and for helping me take those first steps.

I'm incredibly grateful you were there at the beginning.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Take the Living Bold Assessment

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What happens when you've spent so many years staying silent that you begin to lose yourself?

In this powerful encore episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce, Deborah revisits one of the show's most resonant conversations with author and longtime educator Barb Rebon, whose memoir The Heartbeat of My Silence explores trauma, identity, secrecy, self-discovery, and the courage it takes to finally speak your truth.

Barb's story begins long before she found the words to tell it.

After experiencing abuse as a teenager, she entered the convent at just 16 years old. Her journey would eventually include motherhood, a 26-year career as an educator, years of keeping important pieces of herself hidden, and ultimately the decision to stop living in silence.

This isn't simply a conversation about what happened to Barb.

It's a conversation about what can happen to all of us when we silence ourselves for too long.

Whether that silence comes from trauma, marriage, divorce, family expectations, fear, shame, people-pleasing, or simply trying to become the person everyone else expects us to be, the result can be the same:

We lose touch with our own voice.

And sometimes, we lose ourselves along with it.

In This Episode, You'll Hear About:

• How childhood and teenage trauma can shape identity for decades
• Why Barb entered the convent at just 16 years old
• The difference between keeping something private and living in silence
• How fear and expectations can cause us to hide parts of ourselves
• What happens when you've spent years living according to other people's expectations
• Barb's journey toward understanding and accepting herself
• Why telling our stories can be an important part of healing
• The courage required to finally speak your truth
• How to begin reclaiming your identity after years of feeling lost
• Why it is never too late to find your voice and start writing your next chapter

Are You Lost—or Have You Just Been Silent for Too Long?

One of the most powerful lessons in Barb's story is that losing yourself doesn't always happen all at once.

Sometimes it happens quietly.

One compromise. One unspoken truth. One swallowed feeling at a time.

You become the wife. The mother. The caretaker. The professional. The peacekeeper. The person everyone can depend on.

Until one day you realize you aren't sure where you went.

That's why this conversation is worth hearing again.

Because healing isn't only about moving beyond what happened to you. It's also about rediscovering the person underneath everything you've learned to hide.

You are allowed to have a voice.

You are allowed to change.

You are allowed to tell your story when you're ready.

And you are allowed to decide that the next chapter of your life will sound different from the chapters that came before it.

About Barb Rebon

Barb Rebon is an author and retired educator whose memoir, The Heartbeat of My Silence, shares her deeply personal journey through trauma, identity, secrecy, self-discovery, and ultimately finding the courage to live more authentically.

About Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce

Bent Not Broken explores what happens after the life you thought you were going to have changes. Through honest conversations about divorce, emotional abuse, relationships, identity, healing, confidence, starting over, and personal transformation, Deborah and her guests explore how women can rebuild their lives, reclaim who they are, and write their next chapter.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Take the Living Bold Assessment

Remember: Divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What happens when you realize the life you’re living isn’t truly yours?

In this listener-favorite episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce, I’m bringing back my most downloaded conversation with Chris Cushing, U.S. Air Force veteran, entrepreneur, and owner of VA Victory.

And I believe there’s a reason this episode connected with so many listeners: authenticity.

Chris doesn’t share a perfectly packaged story of divorce and starting over. She shares the truth about what it feels like to lose yourself in marriage, ignore your intuition, struggle with the expectations of who you think you’re supposed to be, and eventually find the courage to reclaim your identity and live authentically.

Chris knew from the beginning that something wasn’t right. When her future husband proposed, she cried—not because she was happy, but because a voice inside her was telling her this wasn’t the life she wanted. Yet expectations about marriage, family, and what she was “supposed” to do kept her moving forward.

Years later, Chris began confronting a much bigger question:

Who am I when I stop living the life everyone else expects me to live?

In this honest conversation, Chris opens up about marriage, becoming an instant stepmom, navigating a blended family, coming to understand her sexuality, leaving her marriage, dealing with guilt, trusting herself again, finding love, and ultimately becoming unapologetically herself.

We talk about the gut feelings we ignore, the fear of disappointing others, and why starting over after divorce can sometimes mean more than rebuilding your life—it can mean finally discovering who you were meant to be.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Losing your identity in marriage and finding yourself again
• Why we sometimes ignore our intuition and relationship red flags
• The pressure to follow society’s expectations of marriage and family
• Chris’s experience of realizing she was gay while married
• Leaving a marriage and choosing to live authentically
• Navigating divorce, guilt, stepfamily relationships, and starting over
• Learning to trust yourself and your inner voice again
• The importance of community and having a safe place when leaving a relationship
• Rebuilding confidence, peace, and identity after divorce
• Finding love again after a marriage ends
• Letting go of the person you thought you were supposed to be
• Creating a life based on happiness, truth, purpose, and authenticity

Chris reminds us that life after divorce isn’t about becoming someone new. Sometimes it’s about finally giving yourself permission to become who you really are.

If you’ve ever felt lost in your marriage, questioned who you are outside of your relationship, ignored your gut because you were afraid of what would happen if you listened, or wondered how to rebuild your life after divorce, this conversation is for you.

You don’t have to have everything figured out before you begin again.

Sometimes rebuilding starts with one question:

Am I being true to myself?

Listen as Chris shares how she stopped trying to fit inside someone else’s definition of the life she was supposed to live—and started creating a life that finally felt like her own.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcastsand Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/ for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What happens when the life you built suddenly falls apart?

In this powerful bonus coaching episode of Bent Not Broken, Coach Deborah Griffiths shares encouragement and practical mindset shifts for anyone navigating job loss, divorce, emotional abuse recovery, financial hardship, or the fear of starting over.

After her conversation with David Nassif, Deborah dives deeper into the emotional reality so many people face when they feel lost, broke, stuck, or uncertain about the future. Whether you’re rebuilding after losing a career, leaving a toxic relationship, or trying to reclaim your confidence after trauma, this episode is a reminder that your story is not over.

You’ll learn why recovery and healing begin with small, intentional steps — not perfection — and how rebuilding your life starts by changing the belief that everything falling apart means you have failed.

This episode explores:

• How job loss and divorce can impact identity and self-worth
• Why starting over feels terrifying after emotional abuse or trauma
• The connection between healing, recovery, and mindset
• How comparison steals joy during difficult seasons
• Why rebuilding your confidence happens one step at a time
• The difference between being broken and rebuilding
• How to reclaim your purpose after life falls apart

If you’ve been feeling emotionally exhausted, financially overwhelmed, afraid of the future, or stuck in survival mode, this conversation will remind you that healing is possible and recovery can lead to purpose.

You are not broken.

You are rebuilding.

Ready for deeper support in your recovery journey? Learn more about the Living BOLD program through Broken to Boldness.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com

for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Take the Living Bold Assessment

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What happens when life suddenly falls apart and you feel completely lost? In this powerful bonus coaching episode of Bent Not Broken, Coach Deborah reflects on the inspiring conversation with David Nassif — a man who went from being fired at 63 and nearly broke to rebuilding his confidence, reclaiming his future, and creating financial freedom by age 69.

This episode is about far more than money. It’s about recovery, resilience, starting over, and learning how to rebuild your life when fear, rejection, job loss, divorce, trauma, or major transitions leave you questioning your worth and purpose.

Coach Deborah dives into the emotional side of job loss and life transitions — the shame of feeling lost, the fear of starting over, and the emotional impact when the identity you built your life around suddenly disappears. If you’ve ever felt broken, stuck, financially afraid, or uncertain about your future, this episode will remind you that you can heal, rebuild, and reclaim your life one step at a time.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why fear and rejection often keep people trapped
• How to rebuild confidence after job loss or major life changes
• Why comparison steals joy, healing, and recovery
• The mindset shift needed to move from survival mode into purpose
• How resilience and consistency help you rebuild after life falls apart
• Why it is never too late to start over and create a meaningful future
• The connection between emotional healing, financial recovery, and personal freedom

Coach Deborah also shares encouragement for listeners navigating divorce recovery, toxic relationships, emotional abuse, financial fear, and other difficult transitions — reminding you that setbacks do not define your future.

No matter how lost you feel right now, your story is not over. You are not broken. You are rebuilding.

Remember: Sometimes the moment life falls apart is the exact moment you begin to reclaim who you truly are.

About David Nassif

Website: One Page Wealth Compass

Free Download Offer: One Page Wealth Compass Free Download

Interested in deeper support? Learn more about the Living BOLD program and coaching resources through Broken to Boldness.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com

for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Take the Living Bold Assessment

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What do you do when your life falls apart after divorce?

In this powerful bonus coaching episode of Bent Not Broken, Coach Deborah Griffiths speaks directly to women who feel lost, emotionally exhausted, financially broke, or overwhelmed by the process of starting over after divorce or emotional abuse.

If you’re struggling with divorce recovery, emotional healing, rebuilding confidence, or reclaiming your identity after trauma, this episode will remind you that healing doesn’t happen all at once—it happens one intentional step at a time.

Deborah shares honest insight into the emotional impact of divorce, survival mode, emotional abuse recovery, and the courage it takes to rebuild your life when everything feels uncertain.

This episode is for the woman who feels like she lost herself trying to survive.

And it’s also for the woman ready to heal, recover, reclaim her power, and step into a new purpose.

In This Bonus Coaching Episode:

• How divorce and emotional abuse can leave you feeling lost
• Why being financially broke does not mean you are broken
• The emotional reality of starting over after divorce
• How survival mode keeps women stuck in emotional pain
• Why healing begins with honesty and self-awareness
• Small daily steps that help rebuild confidence and clarity
• How to reclaim your identity after trauma and heartbreak
• The connection between healing, recovery, and purpose
• Why your story can become your greatest strength

Key Reminder from This Episode:

"Just because your life fell apart does not mean your life is over."

This Episode Is For You If:

• You feel emotionally exhausted after divorce
• You’re recovering from emotional abuse or toxic relationships
• You feel lost or disconnected from yourself
• You’re rebuilding financially and emotionally
• You want to heal instead of just survive
• You’re ready to reclaim your confidence, identity, and purpose

Ready to Heal & Rebuild?

If you’re ready to stop surviving and start rebuilding your life with clarity, confidence, and support, learn more about Deborah’s Living BOLD Program.

Book a discovery call: https://calendly.com/brokentoboldness7/boldnessblueprint

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com

for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Take the Living Bold Assessment

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What happens when life falls apart and you’re left feeling lost, broke, emotionally exhausted, and unsure who you are anymore?

In this powerful episode of Bent Not Broken, Deborah Griffiths sits down with leadership strategist, speaker, and author Tina Eliana to discuss healing after trauma, emotional abuse, divorce, and life transitions that force you to start over from scratch.

Tina shares how leadership isn’t about titles—it’s about the choices you make during the hardest moments of your life. From childhood wounds and emotional abuse to rebuilding confidence and reclaiming your identity, this conversation is filled with hope, resilience, and practical wisdom for anyone trying to heal and move forward.

If you’ve ever felt lost after divorce, financially broke after a major life change, or emotionally stuck in survival mode, this episode will remind you that recovery is possible—and so is purpose.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How emotional abuse and trauma impact self-worth
• What to do when your life falls apart
• The courage it takes to start over
• How to rebuild confidence one step at a time
• Why healing and recovery begin with small intentional choices
• How to reclaim your voice, identity, and purpose
• The hidden leadership strengths many women already possess
• Why your past does not define your future

Tina also shares the inspiration behind her memoir, Even the Sweetest Jam, a story about turning life’s hardest moments into growth, healing, and purpose.

If you are rebuilding after divorce, emotional trauma, or a season that left you feeling broken, this episode will encourage you to heal, reclaim your power, and begin creating a life that aligns with who you truly are.

Connect with Tina Eliana at https://tinaeliana.com

Ready to Rebuild & Heal?

Learn more about Deborah’s Living BOLD program:

https://calendly.com/brokentoboldness7/boldnessblueprint

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com

for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Take the Living Bold Assessment

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

Are you truly healing after divorce, emotional abuse, or trauma — or have you simply become skilled at surviving?

In this powerful Bent Not Broken bonus coaching episode, Coach Deborah dives deeper into one of the most important breakthroughs in emotional recovery: the difference between survival mode and true healing.

Many women navigating divorce recovery, emotional abuse recovery, trauma, burnout, anxiety, or major life transitions believe they are healing simply because they are functioning — going to work, raising children, paying bills, and managing responsibilities. But underneath the surface, they still feel emotionally lost, disconnected, overwhelmed, and stuck.

This episode explores how survival habits that once protected you during emotional pain and crisis can eventually keep you trapped from fully healing, rebuilding your confidence, and reclaiming your life with purpose.

If you are starting over after divorce, feeling emotionally exhausted, or struggling to move beyond survival mode, this coaching session offers practical guidance to help you begin making intentional shifts toward lasting healing and recovery.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The critical difference between survival mode and healing mode
• Why awareness alone does not create emotional transformation
• How coping habits like avoidance, people-pleasing, emotional shutdown, and staying busy keep women stuck
• Why emotional healing after divorce and trauma requires intentional choices
• What healthy healing tools look like in real life
• How to shift from reacting emotionally → to responding intentionally
• Why small daily decisions help rebuild confidence, identity, and emotional stability
• How healthier self-talk and self-compassion support emotional recovery
• Why healing does not necessarily make life easier — but it helps you become stronger, calmer, and more resilient

Coaching Reflection (Try This)

Ask yourself: Am I managing my pain… or actually healing it?

Then take one step further: What is one small choice I can make today that moves me toward healing?

Who This Episode Is For

This episode is for you if you are:

• Recovering from divorce, trauma, or emotional abuse
• Struggling with anxiety, depression, or feeling stuck
• Living in survival mode and ready for change
• Working on self-worth, healing, and personal growth
• Ready to reclaim your voice and rebuild your life

If this episode resonated with you, it may be time to go deeper. Inside the Living BOLD Coaching Program, you’ll learn how to move from survival mode into a life of clarity, confidence, and purpose—step by step.

And if you’re not ready yet, keep listening to Bent Not Broken for honest conversations and coaching that help you rebuild your life from the inside out.

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com/

for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Take the Living Bold Assessment

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

What if the moments that nearly broke you were actually the beginning of your healing, recovery, and purpose?

In this powerful episode of Bent Not Broken, Coach Deborah sits down with Caralyn Dryer for an honest and deeply emotional conversation about surviving trauma, rebuilding life after emotional pain, and reclaiming your identity after everything falls apart.

Caralyn shares her personal journey through sexual assault, domestic violence, anxiety, depression, emotional trauma, and a suicide attempt — and how she slowly learned to heal, rebuild confidence, and move beyond survival mode.

For many women navigating divorce, emotional abuse, trauma recovery, or major life transitions, healing can feel overwhelming and nonlinear. Caralyn explains why emotional recovery is not about becoming a completely different person, but about reclaiming the parts of yourself that were lost through pain, fear, shame, and survival.

Through her work in forensic psychology, blogging, and podcasting, Caralyn now helps others navigate emotional healing, mental health recovery, and rebuilding life with greater resilience, honesty, and purpose.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why healing after trauma, divorce, and emotional abuse is not a straight line
• The difference between surviving life and truly beginning to heal
• How emotional trauma, anxiety, and depression can keep people stuck in survival mode
• How to recognize when coping mechanisms are no longer helping you heal
• Practical tools for managing emotional triggers, anxiety, and self-doubt
• Why self-talk and self-compassion are essential for rebuilding self-worth
• How to reclaim your identity and confidence after trauma or divorce
• Why expectation management is an important part of emotional recovery
• How to stop living for other people’s approval and reclaim your voice
• The truth about living well while continuing to navigate mental health struggles

Key Takeaways

• Healing requires intentional choices, not just awareness
• Recovery after trauma and divorce happens one step at a time
• You are not broken — you are rebuilding after emotional pain and survival mode
• Hope grows when you acknowledge your past while reclaiming your strength
• Starting over after trauma can become the beginning of a more authentic, purposeful life

This conversation is raw, hopeful, and deeply validating for anyone trying to heal after life falls apart emotionally and searching for a path forward with courage, resilience, and hope.

Connect with Caralyn Dryer

• Find Caralyn on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Access her blog Darkness to Dialogue and podcast Through the Darkness via her social links

Enjoyed this episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce with Deborah Griffiths?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so more people searching for life after divorce, divorce recovery, co-parenting, dating after divorce, and healing from gaslighting can discover this empowering podcast. Every review helps others find hope, inspiration, and practical tools for thriving after divorce.

Explore more resources: Visit https://brokentoboldness.com

for coaching, workshops, and guidance on divorce recovery and life transitions.

Follow Deborah Griffiths for daily empowerment and support:

• Instagram: @BrokenToBoldness
• Facebook: Broken to Boldness
• LinkedIn: Broken to Boldness

Take the Living Bold Assessment

Remember: divorce may bend you, but it does not break you. You are stronger than you think, and your bold new chapter starts now.

Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.