If you’re new here: this is a free, year-long community for anyone rebuilding a life they didn’t necessarily choose. Not a course. Not a coaching program. A place to land—with people who actually get it.

We built this because we kept hearing the same thing over and over: that divorce is disorienting in ways nobody prepares you for, and that the hardest part often isn’t the logistics. It’s the quiet identity questions. Who am I when I’m not the person I was in that marriage? Who am I when the holidays look different? Who am I when I’m angry, or scared of my own money, or laughing again for the first time in a year and feeling weird about it?

That’s the whole spine of this community. Every month, for a full year, we sit with one of those “who am I when...” questions together. Not in a clinical way. In a real, messy, honest way—the way you’d talk to a friend who actually gets it.

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Here’s everything you now have access to:

• Two subscriber-only chats every week — check in, vent, celebrate, or just say “me too”

• A monthly Substack Live with that month’s guest — someone who’s lived it, not just studied it

• A monthly Zoom coffee hang with me, Olivia — live, camera on or off, come as you are

• Monthly giveaways — because rebuilding deserves a little fun

• Exclusive subscriber-only writing — you won’t find this anywhere else

And this month, we’re kicking things off with a theme close to all our hearts: “When It Entered My Atmosphere.” Our very first guests are Katherine and Michelle from the newly launched Divorced & Dating podcast — they’re joining us for a Substack Live on September 18th at 2pm.

Then on September 23rd at 8pm Eastern, it’s our very first Zoom hangout, just me and whoever wants to show up.

This is the community Jenny and I wish had existed for us. It’s free, it’s real, and it’s yours for as long as you want it. We’ve got an incredible lineup of guests planned all the way through next year, and we cannot wait for you to meet them.

A few housekeeping notes

The community is open now, and it stays open—there’s no cohort to miss, no deadline to catch. Join today, join next month, join next spring. Whenever you’re ready is the right time.

One thing worth knowing: to get all of it—the tools and resources, the Zoom coffee hangs, the giveaways, everything—you’ll have to be a free subscriber to the Divorce Happens Community. It’s free, always, no catch. Subscribing is what unlocks the full experience.

And if you know someone who might need this—a friend, a sister, anyone who’s ever had a thought about their marriage they haven’t said out loud yet—please forward this along and tell them to join too. It’s free for them as well.

Quick note before we dive in: some posts here are for Divorce Happens Community subscribers only, and they’ll only open in full for free subscribers through email. So if you ever get an email with this note at the top, remember—you don’t have to pay for anything. If you’re reading one of those posts and it’s prompting you to pay, don’t worry, nothing’s actually locked. Just open the email version instead and you’ll see the whole thing there.

So, welcome! Really, truly welcome. Go say hi in the chat—we’re already in there.

Let’s do this,
Olivia

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Divorce Happens is a free, year-long community for anyone, anywhere in the divorce process — whether you're just starting to wonder, right in the middle of it, or years past the papers. Each month we dig into a different facet of who you are now, with live conversations, a coffee hang, and a place to show up as you are.

Hellooooooo again!

We’re back in your inbox sooner than planned—because, well, we screwed something up. 🙃 We sent out the wrong date for an upcoming event, and we wanted to fix that ASAP before anyone shows up on the wrong day.

While we’re here, we figured we’d throw in a little insider scoop on what’s coming in September too. Two birds, one email.

First, the correction:

The date for the High Conflict Playbook event has changed. Mark your calendar for Wednesday, September 9, 2026, from 12:00pm–1:00pm — you can find all the details right here.

Now, the fun part — September scoop:

Our very first special guests for the Divorce Happens Community are Katherine and Michelle, from the newly launched Divorced & Dating podcast. They’re joining us for a Substack Live on September 18th at 2pm. Don’t miss it — trust us, these two are a good time.

And don’t forget: our very first free Zoom hangout is happening on September 23rd at 8pm Eastern. That one’s with me, Olivia—no guests, no agenda, just come as you are and hang out. Put it in your calendar now so it doesn’t sneak up on you.

We’ve got so many incredible guests lined up for the rest of 2026 and into 2027, and we genuinely cannot wait to share them with you. We also cannot wait to open the doors to this community—it’s shaping up to be the best place to land, vent, laugh, and rebuild alongside people who actually get it.

Subscribe now

🕊️ You Were Never the Problem: A Conversation on Identity, Belief, and Starting Over with Chelsea Long

Wednesday, September 2, 2026 | 12:00–12:45 PM ET
This conversation explores what it means to reclaim your full humanity — body, doubt, intuition, and all — after a belief system or community told you to be less. It’s for anyone rebuilding what they believe about themselves after being told to shrink.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

🎯 High-Conflict Playbook™ with Divorce Coach Ksenia Muench

Wednesday, September 9, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET
High-conflict divorce touches nearly every part of life, and this wide-ranging session meets you wherever you’re starting from. Come with your questions, your experience, or just your curiosity — there’s no single right entry point.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

🎓 Divorce & College Planning: What Parents and Professionals Need To Know with Vicki Vollweiler

Thursday, September 10, 2026 | 1:00–1:45 PM ET
This session covers how custody arrangements, settlement language, and remarriage can quietly derail a family’s financial aid eligibility. You’ll learn the costly mistakes to watch for and how to guide the process before things get complicated.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

💰 How to Save Money on the Cost of College: Financial Aid & College Planning Strategies Every Family Should Know with Vicki Vollweiler

Wednesday, September 16, 2026 | 12:00–12:45 PM ET
This workshop breaks down the fundamentals of financial aid, including FAFSA and merit scholarships, and shows that paying full price isn’t your only option. You’ll leave with a clearer roadmap for making college more affordable for your family.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

🔇 Protecting Your Child From the Noise: How Stress, Venting, and Outside Voices Shape the Divorce Journey with Maria Natapov and Erin Snow

Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | 12:00–12:45 PM ET
This session looks at how stress and outside voices can shape a child’s experience of divorce, and why emotional regulation matters so much. You’ll leave with a simple exercise and a clearer path forward that protects your child’s well-being.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

🌱 Parenting Through Hard Times: How to Raise Resilient Kids Without Losing Your Cool or Crushing Their Spirit with Dr. Gila Reckess

Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET
This workshop explores what resilience actually looks like in kids and walks through three essential steps for supporting them through hard seasons. It’s grounded in practical, judgment-free tools that fit real, messy family life.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

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Divorce Happens Community is a free, year-long community for anyone, anywhere in the divorce process — whether you're just starting to wonder, right in the middle of it, or years past the papers. Each month we dig into a different facet of who you are now, with live conversations, a coffee hang, and a place to show up as you are.

Subscribe now

It’s officially one week until the doors open for the Divorce Happens Community here on Substack, and I cannot wait.

Once the doors open, you’ll have access to weekly chats here on Substack — conversations sparked by articles from me and from guest authors and influencers — plus monthly Zoom hangouts where you can ask questions and connect with me and others in the group. There will also be giveaways throughout the year, along with resources and community support along the way. All of it, always free.

Make sure you’re signed up, because once the doors open, some things will only go out to subscribers. In the meantime, we’ve still got a full lineup of free events this September, open to everyone.

Subscribe now

🕊️ You Were Never the Problem: A Conversation on Identity, Belief, and Starting Over with Chelsea Long

Wednesday, September 2, 2026 | 12:00–12:45 PM ET
This conversation explores what it means to reclaim your full humanity — body, doubt, intuition, and all — after a belief system or community told you to be less. It’s for anyone rebuilding what they believe about themselves after being told to shrink.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

🎯 High-Conflict Playbook™ with Divorce Coach Ksenia Muench

Monday, September 7, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET
High-conflict divorce touches nearly every part of life, and this wide-ranging session meets you wherever you’re starting from. Come with your questions, your experience, or just your curiosity — there’s no single right entry point.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

🎓 Divorce & College Planning: What Parents and Professionals Need To Know with Vicki Vollweiler

Thursday, September 10, 2026 | 1:00–1:45 PM ET
This session covers how custody arrangements, settlement language, and remarriage can quietly derail a family’s financial aid eligibility. You’ll learn the costly mistakes to watch for and how to guide the process before things get complicated.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

💰 How to Save Money on the Cost of College: Financial Aid & College Planning Strategies Every Family Should Know with Vicki Vollweiler

Wednesday, September 16, 2026 | 12:00–12:45 PM ET
This workshop breaks down the fundamentals of financial aid, including FAFSA and merit scholarships, and shows that paying full price isn’t your only option. You’ll leave with a clearer roadmap for making college more affordable for your family.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

🔇 Protecting Your Child From the Noise: How Stress, Venting, and Outside Voices Shape the Divorce Journey with Maria Natapov and Erin Snow

Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | 12:00–12:45 PM ET
This session looks at how stress and outside voices can shape a child’s experience of divorce, and why emotional regulation matters so much. You’ll leave with a simple exercise and a clearer path forward that protects your child’s well-being.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

🌱 Parenting Through Hard Times: How to Raise Resilient Kids Without Losing Your Cool or Crushing Their Spirit with Dr. Gila Reckess

Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET
This workshop explores what resilience actually looks like in kids and walks through three essential steps for supporting them through hard seasons. It’s grounded in practical, judgment-free tools that fit real, messy family life.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

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What This Actually Is

This is not a support group. It’s not a coaching program. It’s not a place where you show up in crisis and someone tells you what to do.

It’s a space to ask one question, over and over, from every angle: who am I now, in this part of my life?

Some months that question shows up around money. Some months it’s rage. Some months it’s your body, or your sense of humor, or the version of you that finally chooses herself first. Every month, we’re circling the same idea from a different room in the house.

And this isn’t just for people who are already divorced. If you’re just starting to let the thought in — even quietly, even just to yourself — this is for you too. So is the person five years past their divorce who’s still rebuilding. So is everyone in between.

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How It’ll Work

Every month has its own theme, and every month has the same rhythm so you always know what to expect:

• A journal prompt + activity to kick things off

• A personal essay — a deep dive into our minds

• A guest contributor essay and Substack Live with a special guest

• A Zoom coffee hang with Olivia

• A resources & tools roundup — podcast episodes, education, whatever’s useful that month

• Two weekly chat threads — let’s get chatty

• A monthly giveaway, because a little delight matters too

And it’s free. All of it. Forever. Jump in whenever you’re ready — September 1st, October, next spring, it doesn’t matter. There’s no “too late” here, no cohort you missed. The door stays open. The coffee is always hot!

Subscribe now

A Peek at What’s Coming

We mapped out the entire first year, month by month, and honestly? We’re a little obsessed with it.

September is “When It Entered My Atmosphere” — that first flicker of a thought you didn’t say out loud yet. Then we’re diving into the lie you told yourself, who actually showed up, the holidays reimagined, your relationship with money, the rage nobody warned you about, trusting yourself again, the first time you chose you, coming back to your body, remembering what you actually like, the first time you laughed again — and next August, we close it all out with “The Story I Tell Now.”

Twelve months. Twelve completely different rooms in the same house. We cannot wait to walk through every single one with you.

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Let’s Kick This Off Together

Join me for our first Zoom call on September 23rd, 8–9PM EST! We’re going to be diving into this month’s journal questions, doing a reading, and chatting about life updates and how we can support you during this time. We’re gonna laugh, we’re gonna have a great time, and you’re gonna feel like you’re not alone.

How to Join

As long as you’re signed up to this Divorce Happens Substack, you’ll be getting the info. You have to join to get the info — so if you haven’t already, now’s the time.

Subscribe now

And if you know anybody who might want to join, make sure to forward them this email and tell them to join too!

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If you’ve ever had a thought about your marriage that you haven’t said out loud yet, or if you’re the person who said it out loud years ago and is still figuring out who that made you—we built this for you.

See you soon. 💛

— Olivia & Jenny

Subscribe now

If you’re here, make sure you’re subscribed—because once the doors open, some things are only going out to subscribers. Giveaways, articles, things I’m not sharing anywhere else. I want this to feel like a place, not just another inbox. Remember, the whole community is totally 100% FREE, you just need to subscribe!

Subscribe now

In the meantime, we’ve still got our monthly events (listed below), open to everyone and totally free.

Late summer can bring up its own strange mix of feelings, especially when your life looks different than it did a year ago. If this month has felt heavier than it looks from the outside, that makes complete sense. You don’t have to have it all figured out.

As always, we’ve got a few free events this month. They’re educational, I’ll be there live, and if you can’t make it, you’ll still get the replay sent straight to your inbox. No pressure, no obligation—just come if and when it’s useful, and ask questions if you have them.

You can also click right HERE and sign up for all of the events at once––easy peasy!

🌿 Beyond the Schedule: Building a Child-Centered Parenting Plan with Divorce Coach Kristina St. Cyr

Wednesday, August 5, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET
This workshop goes beyond the calendar to help you build a parenting plan that actually supports your kids — covering the decisions, conflict points, and questions most people don’t think of until later. You’ll leave with a clearer framework and more confidence for this next chapter as a parent.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

🎶 Movement and Sound for Ease and Support with Fitness Teacher Rachel Lovitt

Monday, August 10, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET
A gentle movement session followed by a sound bath meditation, designed to help release tension your body might be holding onto. No experience needed, just come as you are.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

⚖️ How a Phased Approach to Divorce Can Save Your Time, Fees, and Spirit with Amanda Mason of SOLAGREE®

Wednesday, August 19, 2026 | 12:45–1:30 PM ET
This session walks through the SOLAGREE® divorce method and the early agreement to stay out of court that can reshape the whole process. Whether you know SOLAGREE® already or are hearing about it for the first time, you’ll come away understanding how — and why — it works.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

📋 18 and Legal: The 4 Documents Every Young Adult Needs with Attorney Jessica Zadjura of Zadjura Family Law

Wednesday, August 26, 2026 | 1:30–2:15 PM ET
Turning 18 changes who can legally step in for your child in an emergency — this session covers the four documents that let your young adult name who they trust to help. You’ll leave with a clear checklist and practical language for having this conversation with a teen who’d rather not think about it.
👉 Sign up at the link here!

You can also click right HERE and sign up for all of the events at once.

No pressure to respond quickly — just know I’m in your corner. If you need anything at all, just reply. You’re not doing this alone.

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It’s July, and I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing. How have things been? If anything has come up or you need something, I’m here. (Speaking of, did you catch our big news? Head to the bottom of this newsletter to seeeeeee! 👀 )

Summer has a way of turning up the volume on everything—the noise, the expectations, the comparison. When you’re in the middle of a transition, the season that’s supposed to feel like a break can actually feel like the hardest stretch of the year. If that resonates, please know you’re not alone in feeling it. 🤍

We have four free events this month that I think you’ll find genuinely useful. Each one is totally free and educational, and I’ll be there live. If you can’t make it in real time, sign up anyway—the replay will be sent directly to your inbox. Zero obligation, and bring your questions.

And if you’re feeling totally overwhelmed right now, just click this link and it will sign you up for all four free July events at once. You don’t have to think about it anymore. You’ll be registered, and the replays come directly to your inbox if you can’t make it live. We want to make this as easy for you as possible. 💛

🌿 Good Mourning! with Relationship Coach Lizzy Aurora
Monday, July 6, 2026 | 12:00–12:45 PM ET

This session is about honoring the grief that comes with divorce — not just the relationship, but the whole imagined life you built around it: the future you pictured, the milestones you expected, the person you thought you’d grow old with. Lizzy will help you hold space for what was while gently opening the door to what’s next, on your own timeline and nobody else’s.

👉 Sign up at the link here!

🎓 Two Transitions, One Plan: Strategizing for Divorce and College Finances with Vicki Vollweiler and Jolee Vacchi
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 | 1:00–1:45 PM ET

This session is designed for parents navigating the unique challenge of restructuring their finances mid-divorce while keeping college funding on track. You’ll leave with practical strategies for managing both transitions at once without letting one derail the other.

👉 Sign up at the link here!

🌀 Change is Good — Also Uncomfortable, Complex, and Uncertain with Life Coach Monique Alexander
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | 12:00–12:45 PM ET

This session is an honest look at what it actually feels like to move through major change — not the polished version, but the uncertain, uncomfortable, unanswered-questions version. Monique will share the practices she uses with her own clients to move through transition without losing yourself in it, and you’ll leave with concrete tools and a few reframes that actually stick.

👉 Sign up at the link here!

⚖️ Is Mediation the Right Path for Your Divorce? with Divorce Coach and Former Family Law Attorney Kristen Ploetz
Wednesday, July 29, 2026 | 8:00–8:45 PM ET

This session gives you the inside scoop on what divorce mediation actually entails — typical timelines, costs, how to find a mediator, what issues get addressed, and how to prepare. You’ll leave with a clear, honest picture of whether mediation is the right path for your situation.

👉 Sign up at the link here!

So, what’s the big news? We’re finally launching The Divorce Happens Community! Launching September 2026, The Divorce Happens Community is a free year-long, intimate space for anyone facing, moving through, or healing from a divorce. Over twelve months, you'll find honest stories from people who get it, real education to help you make clearer decisions, and a place to chat, ask questions, and be heard — before, during, and after. Divorce can feel impossibly lonely. This is where you don't have to do it alone. Come find your people, borrow some hope, and walk the year with a community that's growing right alongside you.

Good news for you, if you’re subscribed to THIS newsletter (Divorce Happens), you’re already in! If not, subscribe at the button below! You do NOT want to miss this amazing community, packed with events, intimate convos, real talk, and so much more. Let’s goooo!

PS. Know someone who should join The Divorce Happens Community? Share this post with them now!

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Today, I have been Olivia Howell for fifteen years.

Fifteen years ago today, I got married. And in the fifteen years since, I have written and written and written.

One of the pieces I was proudest of—fifteen years ago — was a piece about my wedding, for a website called A Practical Wedding. At the time, APW was everything. Getting published there was a goal I’d circled and chased for a long time. And then it happened. My words, my wedding, my name, on a site I loved and respected.

Read the original piece here →

To be honest, the piece didn’t land the way I wanted it to. After it went live, the man I’d married was disappointed in it—it didn’t say enough about his side of the family, about the music the way his family played it. I so clearly remember sitting at our little kitchen table, with my laptop open, the piece in front of us. He was standing over me and the look on his face made my body ache. I was so proud of that piece. And I learned, almost overnight, to be ashamed of it instead.

I hadn’t read it in years. I read it again this morning.

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And here’s what I can see now that I couldn’t see then: I was screaming for help, in a wedding dress, in full view of everyone I loved—and I didn’t have the language to know that’s what I was doing.

So let’s read it together. Not to laugh at her. Not to correct her. Just to translate her. Because she was telling the truth the entire time. She just didn’t have the compass yet.

She wrote:

I felt like a huge wave had swept me into its swell…and to be quite honest, I wasn’t sure how I was going to swim ashore. I laid in bed for three days after the engagement.

Wow. Three days in bed. After the engagement. The thing you’re supposed to be happiest about.

She called it stress. She called it planning. She reached for the language of logistics, because that was the only language a happy bride was allowed to use. But read what her body was already doing. Her body had picked its words: swept under. Can’t reach shore. Three days in bed. The body is always the first to know. It speaks in water and weight long before the mind catches up with a sentence that makes sense.

I had the words for the water. I didn’t have the words for what the water meant.

She wrote:

I was the issue. I took on too many other people’s emotions, feelings, opinions, and ideas. I was constantly on the phone…double checking that everyone’s emotions were okay.

Read how fast she takes the blame. I was the issue. Not the situation. Not anyone else. Her.

And watch what she’s already an expert at: scanning every room for everyone else’s feelings. Making sure everyone is okay. Managing the emotional weather of every person around her so that no one—no one—is ever disappointed in her. She thought it was stress. She thought it was wedding planning.

It was practice. And she was very, very good at it.

She wrote:

I felt like I didn’t know who I was, I didn’t know what I wanted, and no one was ever happy with me.

No one was ever happy with me.

She wrote that line about a season. She didn’t know she was writing it about a decade. She didn’t know it would become the quiet hum underneath so much of what came after—that you could do everything right, hand out the pizza, sing every song, write the whole ending of the story as a gift to someone else, and still be told it wasn’t enough.

She didn’t know that yet. I do.

Here’s the part I most want you to see.

She was not alone. Look at the piece. The room was packed. Chairs dragged in from every other room. Family pressed against the walls. Pop-Tarts and the Tennessee Waltz and her two little sisters getting dressed up beside her. Love, everywhere, in every single photo, spilling out of the cottage so loud you could hear it from outside.

And she was drowning anyway.

That’s the part we don’t talk about. We think loneliness is the absence of people. We think a room full of love must mean a heart that’s full, too. But you can be surrounded—truly, genuinely surrounded—by people who love you, and still be lonely all the way down to the bone. Because the loneliness was never about who was in the room. It was about something hollow at the center that no amount of love in the room could reach.

I didn’t have the word hollow yet. I had wave. I had I wasn’t sure how I was going to swim ashore.

I was lonely because it was hollow. And I think we need to talk about that.

And then there’s the part that isn’t in the piece at all. The part that happened after.

I wrote the entire ending of that piece about the music. About the jam in the cottage. About my husband, still in his wedding clothes, playing banjo while my family played around him—welcomed in, I wrote, as a musician now in their “family-band” and their circle. I planned that whole night, in my own words from back then, as a gift to him.

And it still wasn’t enough.

Because it didn’t feature his father. Because it honored my family’s music and not enough of his. And so the thing I had made out of pride and love became something I was supposed to feel sorry for. I tucked it away. I stopped telling people I’d written it.

There it is. The whole story, in miniature. The warmth and the harm in the same room. The music playing while something quietly gets taken from you. You make something beautiful, you hand it over as a gift, and what comes back to you is the list of ways it failed.

I have the words for that now.

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Fifteen years ago, a woman wrote a beautiful, breathless, half-drowning little essay about the happiest day of her life and didn’t understand a single thing it was trying to tell her.

I understand it now.

The body keeps the record the mind can’t read yet. She wrote hers in water. It just took me fifteen years to learn how to read it.

There’s more here. There is so much more here. But today—fifteen years to the day—I wanted to start by going back and finally hearing her.

I see you, my love. I’m sorry it took me this long.

Thank you for reading Divorce Happens. Subscribe for more, hit the ♥ so others can find us, and leave a comment—you're not alone in this.

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Summer has a way of feeling like it should be light and easy—but when you’re in the middle of a major life transition, that contrast can make things harder, not easier. Everyone around you seems to be heading into vacation mode, and you might be carrying something that doesn’t pause for the season. That’s real, and it’s okay.

We have five free events this month that I think you’ll find genuinely useful. Each one is totally free and educational, and I’ll be there live! If you can’t make it in real time, sign up anyway—the replay will be sent directly to your inbox. Zero obligation, and bring your questions.

And if you’re feeling totally overwhelmed right now, just click this link—and you can sign up for all five free June events at once. You don’t have to think about it anymore. You’ll be registered, and replays will come directly to your inbox if you can’t make it live. We want to make this as easy for you as possible.

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🤍 Co-Parenting with a Narcissist: Protect Your Kids, Protect Your Peace with Therapist and Divorce Coach Jill Kaufman — Wednesday, June 3, 2026 (12:00–12:45 PM ET)

This workshop covers how to recognize manipulation tactics, disengage from power struggles, and respond strategically rather than reactively when co-parenting with a high-conflict ex. You’ll leave with a clear framework for creating emotional safety for your kids while protecting your own peace and stability. Sign up at the link here!

🌸 Come Back to Love After Divorce with Relationship Coach Robyn Vogel — Monday, June 8, 2026 (12:00–12:45 PM ET)

This session uses guided reflection and practical tools to help you heal, release old relationship patterns, and rebuild trust in yourself. You’ll reconnect with your worth and begin opening to the kind of love you actually want in this next chapter. Sign up at the link here!

🧠 The Unfreeze: How to Stop Spiraling and Start Deciding with Divorce Coach Lyerly Spongberg — Wednesday, June 17, 2026 (12:45–1:30 PM ET)

This workshop helps you understand why your brain gets stuck in the loop — replaying conversations, running every possible outcome, second-guessing every decision — and how to tell the difference between productive reflection and rumination that’s keeping you frozen. You’ll leave with real, usable tools to interrupt the spiral and trust yourself enough to take the next step. Sign up at the link here!

💬 Supporting Yourself Through Tough Conversations with Life and Business Coach Chedva “Vivi” Ludmir — Wednesday, June 24, 2026 (1:30–2:15 PM ET)

This session is for anyone who knows what they want to say but not how to say it — and whose body tends to take over in high-stakes moments. You’ll leave with techniques to regulate your nervous system so you can show up to hard conversations as your clearest, most grounded self. Sign up at the link here!

🎓 Two Transitions, One Plan: Strategizing for Divorce and College Finances with Divorce and College Planning Expert Vicki Vollweiler and Family Law Attorney Jolee Vacchi — Monday, June 29, 2026 (12:00–1:00 PM ET)

This session is designed for parents navigating the unique challenge of restructuring their finances mid-divorce while keeping college funding on track. You’ll leave with practical strategies for managing both transitions at once without letting one derail the other. Sign up at the link here!

No pressure to respond quickly — just know I'm in your corner. If anything has come up or you just want to share how things are going, hit reply anytime. I read every message.

Hugs,
Olivia

Don’t forget to check out:

📰 Divorce Guide Magazine (it’s free!)

✨ FREE Divorce Resource Consults with Olivia Howell ✨

Thinking about divorce? Already in the thick of it? You don’t have to figure it all out alone.

Fresh Starts Registry’s co-founder and CEO, Olivia Howell, is offering free 15-minute Divorce Resource Consults—a quick, confidential space where you can share what kind of support you’re looking for. After your chat, Olivia will send you a personalized email packed with vetted experts, resources, and next steps you can actually use.

This isn’t therapy. It isn’t coaching. It’s a lifeline to the right tools and people who can help you through divorce—without overwhelm, without guesswork. Olivia is a certified life, success, and divorce coach, and every consult is 100% safe and confidential.

👉 Spots fill quickly—click here to book your free consult.

This time of year has a way of bringing a lot to the surface—spring energy, longer days, and sometimes a quiet but persistent awareness of how much has changed. If you’re feeling that, you’re not alone.

We have five free events in May that I think you’ll find genuinely useful. Each one is totally free and educational, and I’ll be there live. If you can’t make it in real time, sign up anyway, the replay will be sent directly to your inbox. Zero obligation, and bring your questions! I can’t wait to see your gorgeous face.

And if you’re feeling totally overwhelmed right now, just click this link and it will sign you up for all five free May events at once. You don’t have to think about it anymore. If you can’t make it live to any of them, the replay will be sent directly to your inbox. I want to make this as easy for you as possible.

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🤍 Forgiving Ourselves Through the Divorce Process with Divorce Coach Tamar Barbash — Wednesday, May 6, 2026 (12:00–12:45 PM ET)

This session is a compassionate, honest look at the self-blame and “should-have” thinking that so many people carry quietly through divorce. You’ll leave with practical reframes and gentle tools you can use immediately when guilt or regret spirals hit. Sign up at the link HERE.

💰 Your Money, Rebuilt: A Post-Divorce Financial Reset for Women 40–60+ with Financial Planner Bridget Borel, CFP®, CDFA® of Clairwell Financial Planning — Wednesday, May 13, 2026 (8:00–8:45 PM ET)

This workshop walks through the five pillars of a post-divorce financial reset — from income and assets to credit and retirement — and helps you prioritize what actually needs your attention first. You’ll leave with a clear roadmap and the language to navigate money conversations with professionals and co-parents. Sign up at the link here.

✨ Sexual Pleasure After Life Transitions with Certified Clinical Sexologist and Dating Coach Myisha Battle — Friday, May 15, 2026 (8:00–8:45 PM ET)

This is a candid, inclusive conversation about rediscovering your sexuality and redefining what pleasure, intimacy, and connection look like in a new chapter. Myisha will share practical insights on rebuilding confidence, communicating desires, and approaching dating with curiosity rather than pressure. Sign up at the link here.

🚨 Recognizing the Abuser’s Playbook with Divorce Coach and Journalist Amy Polacko — Wednesday, May 20, 2026 (12:00–1:00 PM ET)

This session exposes the calculated tactics — manipulation, coercive control, and legal system abuse — that high-conflict spouses use long after separation. You’ll leave better equipped to spot the red flags early and respond effectively. Sign up at the link here.

🗺️ Creating Your Divorce Transition Blueprint with Divorce Coach Kristina St. Cyr of Kristina St. Cyr Coaching — Wednesday, May 27, 2026 (12:00–1:00 PM ET)

This live, guided workshop walks you through an 8-step framework to build your own personalized Divorce Transition Blueprint — covering everything from building your support system to setting boundaries to creating a financial plan. You’ll leave with a clear, doable roadmap you can come back to week after week. All registrants also receive a complimentary copy of the Blueprint (a $37 value). Sign up at the link here.

No pressure to respond quickly — just know I’m in your corner. If anything has come up or you just want to share how things are going, hit reply anytime. I read every message.

Warmly,
Olivia

Subscribe now

Don’t forget to check out:

📰 Divorce Guide Magazine (it’s free!)

✨ FREE Divorce Resource Consults with Olivia Howell ✨

Thinking about divorce? Already in the thick of it? You don’t have to figure it all out alone.

Fresh Starts Registry’s co-founder and CEO, Olivia Howell, is offering free 15-minute Divorce Resource Consults—a quick, confidential space where you can share what kind of support you’re looking for. After your chat, Olivia will send you a personalized email packed with vetted experts, resources, and next steps you can actually use.

This isn’t therapy. It isn’t coaching. It’s a lifeline to the right tools and people who can help you through divorce—without overwhelm, without guesswork. Olivia is a certified life, success, and divorce coach, and every consult is 100% safe and confidential.

👉 Spots fill quickly—click here to book your free consult.

With the new year comes exciting new beginnings — and we’re thrilled to share ours with you!

We’re launching Divorce Guide Magazine, a new online publication from the team behind Fresh Starts Registry. Starting soon, all of our articles, guides, and stories will live there — and we can’t wait for you to join us.

✨ Sign up here to get all the updates: Divorce Guide Magazine!

DIVORCE GUIDE MAGAZINE

Divorce Guide Magazine will be totally free to read, offering compassionate, expert-driven articles about every stage of divorce — from the emotional to the practical and everything in between.

And don’t forget, Fresh Starts Registry is always here for you with even more support:
💛 Free e-books and guides
💛 Our directory of incredible Fresh Starts Experts
💛 Tools to help you rebuild and begin again

We can’t wait to see you over at Divorce Guide Magazine!

Warmly,
Olivia & Jenny
Co-Founders, Fresh Starts Registry

DIVORCE GUIDE MAGAZINE

💌 The Divorce Guide is your go-to newsletter for navigating life before, during, and after divorce with confidence and clarity. We bring you expert resources, practical tips, and real-life inspiration to help you move forward with ease.

A Letter from Olivia –

We know divorce isn’t just paperwork and court dates—it’s a series of oh no, now what?! moments that can stop you in your tracks. That’s why we’ve created a new series for the Divorce Guide called Divorce Happens: Survival Scenarios. Each one takes a real, gut-punch moment from divorce and pairs it with clear, compassionate guidance from trusted experts.

Our first scenario?
👉 “Help, I was just served with divorce papers and I have no idea what to do!”

If you’ve been there, you know the feeling: your heart races, your mind spins, and suddenly you’re holding an envelope that changes everything. It’s overwhelming, and it’s hard to know which step to take first.

That’s where our experts step in. In this first Survival Scenario, divorce mediator and attorney Mardi Chadwick-Balcom breaks down what to do in those first 24 hours, which documents to gather, and how to respond with intention. Her advice will help you move from panic to preparation—and remind you that even in the messiest moments, you still have choices. Check out her guidance HERE.

This is just the beginning of the series. Each month, we’ll bring you more scenarios and expert advice designed to meet you right where you are, in the thick of it. Because divorce happens—and when it does, we want you to feel supported, prepared, and a little less alone.

We’ve got your back. Always.

xo Olivia

PS. Do you need support RIGHT NOW? An expert? A resource? Reply to this email and we’ll respond with the support you need! 👉 💌 💬

✨ FREE Divorce Resource Consults with Olivia Howell ✨

Thinking about divorce? Already in the thick of it? You don’t have to figure it all out alone.

Fresh Starts Registry’s co-founder and CEO, Olivia Howell, is offering free 15-minute Divorce Resource Consults—a quick, confidential space where you can share what kind of support you’re looking for. After your chat, Olivia will send you a personalized email packed with vetted experts, resources, and next steps you can actually use.

This isn’t therapy. It isn’t coaching. It’s a lifeline to the right tools and people who can help you through divorce—without overwhelm, without guesswork. Olivia is a certified life, success, and divorce coach, and every consult is 100% safe and confidential.

👉 Spots fill quickly—click here to book your free consult.

schedule a free consult

🎧 Listen to this podcast episode:

3 Things I Learned from My Divorce with Amanda Goetz, author of Toxic Grit: In this episode of Divorce Happens, —two-time founder, four-time CMO, and author of Toxic Grit—shares the hard lessons her divorce taught her about money, power, and self-discovery. She opens up about financial manipulation despite earning over $200K a year, the importance of mediation, and the emotional discipline of responding with facts instead of feelings. More than survival, Amanda frames divorce as a transformation—a cocoon moment to reclaim your story, step into main character energy, and build a life aligned with your highest self.

DIVORCE HAPPENS PODCAST

📖 Recent Reads - have you seen these?

• What Happens When Co-Parents Can’t Agree on Anything?: Sometimes co-parenting after divorce isn’t just hard—it’s impossible, and that’s when “high-conflict co-parenting” begins. When every decision turns into a battle, courts may step in with highly detailed parenting plans, assign decision-making authority, or even recommend parallel parenting to keep the peace.

• What to Do When Your Ex’s New Partner Posts Photos of Your Kids on Social Media (even after you asked them not to!): When your ex’s new partner ignores your request and posts photos of your kids online, it’s not just about pictures—it’s about boundaries, respect, and protecting your children’s privacy in a world where digital footprints last forever.

• What to Do If You’re Locked Out of the Marital Home During Divorce: Being locked out of your marital home during divorce is more than inconvenient—it’s frightening, destabilizing, and often unsafe. While both spouses typically have equal rights to the property until a court grants exclusive use, forcing your way back in can escalate conflict or backfire legally.

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  💫 Affirmations for divorced humans:

• I release what no longer serves me, and I welcome the peace and freedom that come with starting again.

• My resilience is proof that I can build a life that feels like home to me.

• Each day, I choose courage over fear, and I trust that joy will find me in unexpected ways.

🛠️ Divorce tools to make life a little easier:

Looking for support without the overwhelm? Our Experts and Fresh Starts offer free resources, groups, and workshops to help you through every stage of starting over. Come see what’s available—you don’t have to do this alone.

ALL the offerings!

Remember, we’re so proud of you! We’re always here if you need us. You got this.

If this support resonated with you, tap the ❤️ to let us know you’re out there. Know someone who’s walking this path too? Forward this to them—this space is for all of us.

Please note: some of the links in this newsletter may be an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting The Divorce Guide and Fresh Starts Registry!

💌 The Divorce Guide is your go-to newsletter for navigating life before, during, and after divorce with confidence and clarity. We bring you expert resources, practical tips, and real-life inspiration to help you move forward with ease.

A Letter from Olivia –

There’s a reason the family law world quietly refers to September as Divorce Month. After the hazy days of summer, the back-to-school energy hits, and with it comes clarity. September has become the moment when many people decide it’s time to take action on a divorce they’ve been considering for months—or even years.

Why September? A few reasons. For parents, the return to school means routines stabilize and children are out of the house during the day, making it a more practical time to start difficult conversations and paperwork. For others, the end of summer marks the end of “one more season” of trying to make things work, and the crispness of fall feels like the right moment to begin again. September also follows the financial lull of summer vacations and precedes the emotional weight of the holidays, making it a strategic window for transition.

And, like New Year’s in January, September has its own “fresh start” energy—there’s something about new notebooks, sharpened pencils, and the shift in season that pushes people toward big life changes.

At Fresh Starts, we see September as an opportunity to remind you: divorce isn’t just an ending, it’s a beginning. This month, we’ll be sharing tools, resources, and expert advice to help you navigate the process with dignity, clarity, and hope. If you’re stepping into your own fresh start this fall, you’re not alone.

We’ve got your back. Always.

xo Olivia

PS. Do you need support RIGHT NOW? An expert? A resource? Reply to this email and we’ll respond with the support you need! 👉 💌 💬

✨ FREE Divorce Resource Consults with Olivia Howell ✨

Thinking about divorce? Already in the thick of it? You don’t have to figure it all out alone.

Fresh Starts Registry’s co-founder and CEO, Olivia Howell, is offering free 15-minute Divorce Resource Consults—a quick, confidential space where you can share what kind of support you’re looking for. After your chat, Olivia will send you a personalized email packed with vetted experts, resources, and next steps you can actually use.

This isn’t therapy. It isn’t coaching. It’s a lifeline to the right tools and people who can help you through divorce—without overwhelm, without guesswork. Olivia is a certified life, success, and divorce coach, and every consult is 100% safe and confidential.

👉 Spots fill quickly—click here to book your free consult.

schedule a free consult

🎧 Listen to this podcast episode:

• From Stuck to Strong: EFT Tapping for Healing After Divorce with Relationship Coach Lizzy Gobst: We chatted with relationship expert and EFT tapping practitioner Lizzy Gobst about what really happens when divorce brings every emotion—grief, guilt, fear, relief, and hope—rushing to the surface. She explains how EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) works, using simple tapping on acupressure points to calm anxiety, shift patterns, and bring us back to ourselves. With stories from her clients and her own life, Lizzy shows how tapping can transform “stuck” moments into opportunities for clarity and healing. This episode is a grounding, hopeful reminder that we can hold conflicting feelings and still move forward with strength and presence.

  Listen to Divorce Happens

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  📖 Recent Reads - have you seen these?

• Shadow Cohabitation: Under One Roof, On Different Roads: We coined Shadow Cohabitation to name a very modern reality I hear about every single day: you’ve separated, but you’re still sharing the same home on purpose—for a short time—while you stabilize money, housing, and kids’ routines. It’s not a secret and it’s not a failure. It’s a transition strategy for the world we’re living in right now.

• Positive Representations of Co-Parenting in TV and Movies—and What We Can Learn From Them: When divorce shows up in TV and movies, it’s often portrayed as ugly—shouting matches, custody battles, and children caught in the middle. But in reality, co-parenting after divorce can look very different. These portrayals matter. They remind us that divorce is not necessarily the end of family, but sometimes the beginning of a healthier, reimagined one. Here are some of the best examples of healthy co-parenting in media—and what we can take from them.

• Why September Is a Popular Month to Consider Divorce: September is a month of transitions. The air shifts, routines reset, and suddenly we’re pulled into a season that feels like both an ending and a beginning. It’s no coincidence that September has quietly become one of the most common months for people to consider divorce. Lawyers call it “divorce season,” but for us, it’s more about fresh starts—about realizing that you’re allowed to want something different for your life.

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  💫 Affirmations for divorced humans:

• I honor every version of myself that got me here, and I trust the version of me that is still becoming.

• I deserve love, stability, and support—in every form they arrive.

• My future is wide and generous, and I am strong enough to step into it with open hands.

🛠️ Divorce tools to make life a little easier:

Looking for support without the overwhelm? Our Experts and Fresh Starts offer free resources, groups, and workshops to help you through every stage of starting over. Come see what’s available—you don’t have to do this alone.

ALL the offerings!

Remember, we’re so proud of you! We’re always here if you need us. You got this.

✔️ Check out The Divorce Guide

✔️ Listen to Divorce Happens

If this support resonated with you, tap the ❤️ to let us know you’re out there. Know someone who’s walking this path too? Forward this to them—this space is for all of us.

Please note: some of the links in this newsletter may be an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting The Divorce Guide and Fresh Starts Registry!

💌 The Divorce Guide is your go-to newsletter for navigating life before, during, and after divorce with confidence and clarity. We bring you expert resources, practical tips, and real-life inspiration to help you move forward with ease.

A Letter from Olivia –

I know, I know, we said we’ll be in your inbox twice a month…but, the thing is: divorce happens. And it happens. And happens, every day. So, we wanted to make sure you had the support you needed. So, yes twice a month, we’ll be in your inbox with a giant email of info, freebies, podcasts, and tips. And, the other two weeks a month? (like today) We’re just stopping by to say we’re damn proud of you. We’re here if you need anything. And, you’re not alone.

Scroll down for just a few quick thingamabobs (okay, apparently this is a real word, thank you Ariel), and please, please reply to this email and tell us how we can help support you RIGHT NOW.

Do you need to talk to Olivia? (hi!) Do you need a divorce coach? A financial planner? A free resource? Someone to just listen? We have all of that, and more! So, hit reply and let us know!!

We’ve got your back. Always.

xo Olivia

✨ FREE Divorce Resource Consults with Olivia Howell ✨

Thinking about divorce? Already in the thick of it? You don’t have to figure it all out alone.

Fresh Starts Registry’s co-founder and CEO, Olivia Howell, is offering free 15-minute Divorce Resource Consults—a quick, confidential space where you can share what kind of support you’re looking for. After your chat, Olivia will send you a personalized email packed with vetted experts, resources, and next steps you can actually use.

This isn’t therapy. It isn’t coaching. It’s a lifeline to the right tools and people who can help you through divorce—without overwhelm, without guesswork. Olivia is a certified life, success, and divorce coach, and every consult is 100% safe and confidential.

👉 Spots fill quickly—click here to book your free consult.

schedule a free consult

🎧 Listen to this podcast episode:

• Why a Password Keeper Might Save Your Sanity During Divorce with Professional Organizer Leslie Kilgour: We chatted with professional organizer Leslie Kilgour about how staying organized can save your sanity during divorce. She shared practical tips for handling everything from legal documents to shared passwords, stressing the power of password keeper apps and monthly planning. Leslie reminded us that organization isn’t about perfection, it’s about reducing friction during a stressful transition. She also emphasized empathy and communication, showing how these simple tools can ease tension, lower costs, and even help with healing.

  Listen to Divorce Happens

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  📖 Upcoming book club book picks:

• No More Mediocre: A Call to Reimagine Our Relationships and Demand More by Laura Danger: Join us for a book discussion with on 2/12 at 1PM EST on Zoom. Written with warmth, clarity, and years of lived experience, No More Mediocre tackles the invisible weight so many of us carry behind closed doors—emotional labor, domestic inequity, and the deep-rooted myths that keep us stuck in cycles of burnout, resentment, and silence. PRE-ORDER the book HERE and be prepared to chat about it with Laura Danger and us on Zoom! More info to come.

• Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women by : Oona is one of our trusted Fresh Starts Experts, a nationally recognized therapist who has been supporting women through every stage of divorce for over three decades. She knows what this journey looks like—not just on paper, but in your heart. And in Unhitched, she weaves together wisdom, lived experience, and practical psychological tools to help you move through divorce in a way that is clear-eyed, compassionate, and deeply empowering. Join Oona and us on Zoom on 2/24 at 8PM EST for a book discussion. PRE-ORDER the book HERE and join in the chat!

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  💫 Affirmations for divorced humans:

• My life is not broken—it is unfolding in new directions I get to choose.

• I release the weight of what was, and welcome the possibility of what can be.

• I am building a home within myself where peace, joy, and belonging are always allowed.

🛠️ Divorce tools to make life a little easier:

Looking for support without the overwhelm? Our Experts and Fresh Starts offer free resources, groups, and workshops to help you through every stage of starting over. Come see what’s available—you don’t have to do this alone.

ALL the offerings!

Remember, we’re so proud of you! We’re always here if you need us. You got this.

✔️ Check out The Divorce Guide

✔️ Listen to Divorce Happens

If this support resonated with you, tap the ❤️ to let us know you’re out there. Know someone who’s walking this path too? Forward this to them—this space is for all of us.

Please note: some of the links in this newsletter may be an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting The Divorce Guide and Fresh Starts Registry!

If this support resonated with you, tap the heart to let us know you’re out there. Know someone who’s walking this path too? Forward this to them—this space is for all of us.

A Letter from Olivia –

Some seasons ask for quiet company—and books are the best kind. When you’re navigating divorce, a good book can make you feel less alone, give language to the swirl in your chest, and let you process in your own time. It’s expert support you can reach for on your couch at 11 p.m., highlighter in hand, no appointment needed.

This week, we’re sharing the divorce-support books we love—the ones that validate, teach, and gently nudge you forward. And we’re thrilled to announce that over the next six months, we’re hosting four book clubs focused on divorce support. Think: thoughtful conversations, practical takeaways, and a welcoming space to ask questions—plus the chance to chat with the authors themselves.

Scroll below to pre-order the picks, mark your calendar, and get ready to read along with us. Bring your dog-eared pages, your sticky notes, and whatever you’re carrying right now. We’ll meet you there.

We’ve got your back.

xo Olivia

FREE: Divorce Resource Consults with Olivia Howell

Are you considering divorce or heading down the divorce process? Fresh Starts Registry's co-founder and CEO, Olivia Howell is offering FREE 15 minute Divorce Resource Consults. In these 15 minutes, you'll talk about the support you are looking for, and Olivia will follow up with an email with links, experts to contact, and resources. This is not therapy or divorce coaching, it's helping you get the support and resources you need for divorce. She is a certified life, success, and divorce coach, so these consults are 100% confidential and safe.

schedule a free consult

🎧 Podcasts to support you:

• The Friendship Playbook for Divorce with Psychotherapist and Relationship Specialist : The first friendships to change after divorce aren’t always the loud ones—they’re the quiet ones that stop texting back, and Olivia sits down with psychotherapist and relationship specialist Stevie Blum to name that ache and offer language for it. Together they map the overlooked grief of friendship during divorce and share a compassionate toolkit: depersonalize the spotlight effect, turn complaints into clear requests, set boundaries, and—when repair isn’t possible—try Stevie’s gentle sequence: solve, reframe, accept (acceptance ≠ approval). Threaded through her wave metaphor for big feelings—stop thrashing, let the water roll over you, trust there’s another side—listeners leave with hope, practical scripts, and a reframe that heals both directions.

• The Intersection of Divorce & Menopause: Navigating Life’s Biggest Transitions with Sue May: In this episode of Divorce Happens, host Olivia Howell dives into the intersection of divorce, menopause, and personal transformation with guest Sue May, the founder of Midlife Evolved, and a dedicated expert in supporting women through life’s major transitions. Together, they explore the rising phenomenon of "gray divorce," particularly among women over 45, and discuss the unique challenges and opportunities that arise when navigating both menopause and divorce simultaneously.

• 3 Things I Learned from My Divorce with Dara Resnik: In this episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia sits down with screenwriter to explore the emotional and professional complexities of navigating a divorce while also ending a writing partnership with her ex-husband. Dara opens up about the key lessons she learned: the importance of acknowledging the humanity in your ex-partner, understanding that their behavior during the marriage will likely mirror their actions in divorce, and embracing the hope that life can improve after separation. Together, they discuss the challenges of co-parenting, finding emotional balance, and the importance of community support.

  Listen to Divorce Happens

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  📖 Upcoming book club book picks:

• No More Mediocre: A Call to Reimagine Our Relationships and Demand More by Laura Danger: Join us for a book discussion with on 2/12 at 1PM EST on Zoom. Written with warmth, clarity, and years of lived experience, No More Mediocre tackles the invisible weight so many of us carry behind closed doors—emotional labor, domestic inequity, and the deep-rooted myths that keep us stuck in cycles of burnout, resentment, and silence. PRE-ORDER the book HERE and be prepared to chat about it with Laura Danger and us on Zoom! More info to come.

• Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women by : Oona is one of our trusted Fresh Starts Experts, a nationally recognized therapist who has been supporting women through every stage of divorce for over three decades. She knows what this journey looks like—not just on paper, but in your heart. And in Unhitched, she weaves together wisdom, lived experience, and practical psychological tools to help you move through divorce in a way that is clear-eyed, compassionate, and deeply empowering. Join Oona and us on Zoom on 2/24 at 8PM EST for a book discussion. PRE-ORDER the book HERE and join in the chat!

• Money Together: How to find fairness in your relationship and become an unstoppable financial team by and : In Money Together, Heather and Douglas Boneparth help couples in every era of their lives approach money with greater fairness, sustainability, respect, and love. They offer short stories from their own lives, as well as those from other couples whose experiences are as raw and real as they get. With help from leading financial experts, couples therapists, psychologists, and more, they offer a fresh, human perspective on a taboo topic that leaves too much unsaid.Money Together is more than a money guide―it’s a movement for creating powerful relationships with both partners at the table. PRE-ORDER the book HERE and join us for a TBA Zoom Book Chat with Heather and Doug this Fall!

• Camouflage: How I Emerged from the Shadows of a Military Marriage by : Camouflage: How I Emerged from the Shadows of a Military Marriage is about a woman’s journey from being overshadowed by her husband’s military career to rediscovering her identity as a single mother entering a new stage in life. The memoir explores how, like many military spouses, she camouflaged her identity, conforming to the expected role of the supportive wife who was secondary to her husband’s career as a Navy officer. But after she ended her thirteen-year marriage in her late thirties, she set out on a quest to figure out who she was as a woman without her husband, discovering that the hardships of military life—the forced independence, frequent loneliness, required adaptability, and fierce resilience—had trained her for life after divorce. PRE-ORDER the book HERE and join us and Heather for a Zoom book discussion TBA this Fall!

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  💫 Affirmations for divorced humans:

• My divorce was a doorway, not an ending; I step through with courage.

• I can hold grief and hope at once—both are proof I’m healing.

• I deserve steadiness, soft mornings, and love that honors my boundaries—including my own.

🛠️ Divorce tools to make life a little easier:

• The Betrayal Recovery Course by Janice Holland of Courageous Living helps you understand the three phases of betrayal, guiding you to stop self-blame and reclaim your clarity, confidence, and control. With guided Self-Care Activation Challenges, you'll rebuild your nervous system, break toxic cycles, and start attracting relationships rooted in respect and real love. (FREE)

• 10 Divorce Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make by divorce coach Amy Polacko: I don’t want you to make the mistakes I - and many of my coaching clients - learned the hard way. If you’re thinking about a divorce or in the process, be sure to read these valuable warnings first…especially if you’re dealing with a high-conflict ex! (FREE)

• Need to get organized? Check in for a free 20 minute virtual consultation with divorce decluttering personal organizer Wendy Zanders. (FREE)

• Group Grounding Practice: Join Divorce Coach Stephanie DiLorio for a weekly virtual 30 minutes of guided grounding exercises to help you land and connect with yourself. (FREE)

• Divorced. Now What? mini course by Madisen Rose of Better Half to Whole: Start by taking things one day at a time and going back to the basics—simplifying your day-to-day can help ease the pressure. It's also important to navigate alone time, recognizing that it might bring feelings of overwhelm and decision fatigue, but allowing yourself space to process can lead to clarity and growth. (FREE)

• Divorce Asset Division Calculator from CDFA Michael Conticelli (FREE)

• The Divorce Smarter Subliminal Series: Center + Ground by Mardi Chadwick-Balcom uses subconscious affirmations beneath calming music to help you stay emotionally steady during divorce. Designed to reduce stress and support clarity, this free audio track gently rewires your nervous system—no effort needed, just press play. (FREE)

• The Club by Erica Bennett: From the host of The Crazy Ex-Wives Divorce Club Podcast comes The Club, a private membership community designed to help women not just survive divorce but thrive in a life they truly want. With Erica’s 19 years of experience in behavior and emotional recovery, this community supports women at every stage of divorce. Inside, you’ll find live monthly calls, group coaching, emotional healing sessions, and a self-paced program. You can try The Club for one free month using the code FRESHSTARTS at checkout. (FREE)

• The Divorce Support Group for Women: Questions, Comments, and Concerns: Erica has also created a free, private Facebook group for women navigating divorce. This space is a safe place to ask questions, voice fears, and connect with others who truly understand what you’re going through. Join the group today to find real support. JOIN HERE. (FREE)

• The Free Chakra Body Tapping module by Mardi Chadwick-Balcom teaches you how to quickly shift your energy and calm your nervous system by activating your chakras through simple hand techniques. In just 20 minutes a day, you can move out of fight-or-flight and reconnect with your body anytime you need. (FREE)

• Divorce Red Flags: How to Avoid Mistakes and Protect Yourself Masterclass by divorce coach Amy Polacko: Divorce Red Flags: How to Avoid Mistakes and Protect Yourself will educate and empower you - so you don’t make the mistakes many women do in divorce. (FREE)

• The 5-Minute Reset by Jo-Anne Suriel of The Energetic Well is a free guided meditation designed to help you release stress and energetically cleanse your system. Use it at the end of your day or anytime you need a quick refresh to reclaim your calm. (FREE)

• Digital Safety Guide for Divorce: check out this comprehensive free digital safety guide for during divorce built by My Solutions Divorce. (FREE)

• The Business Blueprint from Melissa Cossette of MAXevent is a free guide to help you build your event business the right way from the start. You'll also get access to a personalized Blueprint Review with MAXevent to support your success. (FREE)

• Chelsea Long offers a selection of free guided meditations designed to help you work with “harder” emotions—such as anger, grief, fear, shame, and hatred—by creating space to explore and embody them with compassion and somatic awareness. Whether you’re seeking peace, restoration, or deeper emotional insight, these brief practices are accessible anytime you need grounding, healing, or clarity. (FREE)

• Jenn Johnson of The Saltwater Effect offers a free guided hypnosis session designed to help you release anxiety, calm your nervous system, and find clarity. This gentle, self-guided experience is a powerful tool you can use anytime you need stress relief and inner calm. (FREE)

• Check out these free, powerful guides from coach and speaker Nikki Innocent—designed to help you reclaim your energy, reset your mindset, and find your way forward. Some even include audio support! Topics include: Surviving & Thriving After Burnout, Quit Your Job Authentically, Antidote to Toxic Leadership, Outrage Exhaustion – how to avoid burnout in today’s nonstop news cycle. (FREE)

• Tramelle D. Jones, career coach, offers a free Cover Letter Quick Reference Guide to help you stop guessing and start writing cover letters that get results. This guide includes clear tips, sample text, and a visual example so you know exactly what to include and when to use it. (FREE)

• Check out these pre-recorded hypnosis sessions designed to help you reprogram limiting beliefs, manage stress, and achieve personal breakthroughs—all at your own pace. Created by Fresh Starts Expert, Jenn Johnson of The Saltwater Effect, these hypnosis sessions are designed specifically for divorced people! USE CODE FRESHSTARTS for 20% OFF ANY HYPNOSIS!

  • Hypnosis: Letting Go of Guilt About Ending a Marriage

  • Hypnosis: Releasing Shame & Fear Around Divorce

  • Hypnosis: Overcoming Anxiety & Stress About Court

  • Hypnosis: Opening Your Heart to Love Again (When You’re Ready)

  • Hypnosis: Creating a New Vision for Your Future

📚 Books to check out:

• Cooperative Co-Parenting for Secure Kids by Aurisha Smolarski

• The Big Activity Book for Divorced People by Jordan Reid and Erin Williams

• Better Divorce Blueprint: Divorce made smoother, easier and better for you and your family by Paulette Rigo

• Divorce Decoded: A Manifesto for Women Navigating Divorce and Beyond by Donna Cates

• Moms Moving On: Real-Life Advice on Conquering Divorce, Co-Parenting Through Conflict, and Becoming Your Best Self by Michelle Dempsy-Multack

Remember, we’re so proud of you! We’re always here if you need us. You got this.

✔️ Check out The Divorce Guide

✔️ Listen to Divorce Happens

Please note: some of the links in this newsletter may be an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting The Divorce Guide and Fresh Starts Registry!

You may know Erica from her top divorce podcast The Crazy Ex-Wives Divorce Club, but she ALSO has an amazing community both on Facebook, and in a paid membership to support you and help you find community during divorce.

From Erica Bennett of The Crazy Ex-Wives Divorce Club Podcast comes The Club—a private membership community designed to help women not just survive divorce but thrive in a life they truly want. Founded by Erica, a behavior specialist with 19 years of experience and a decade of expertise in mind rewiring and emotional recovery, The Club supports women at every stage of divorce—from “Should I stay?” to “Who am I now?” Inside, you'll find live monthly calls, group coaching, emotional healing sessions, and a self-paced program for deeper recovery. You’re invited to try one free month of The Club by using the code FRESHSTARTS at checkout.

Additionally, Erica has created the Divorce Support Group for Women: Questions, Comments, and Concerns—a free, private Facebook group designed as a safe space to ask questions, voice fears, and connect with others who truly understand what you’re going through. Join the group today and find real support from women navigating the emotions of divorce and separation. JOIN HERE.

Divorce can be super isolating, so we highly recommend joining Erica’s communities ASAP!

We love you!

If this support resonated with you, tap the heart to let us know you’re out there. Know someone who’s walking this path too? Forward this to them—this space is for all of us.

A Letter from Olivia –

Divorce is one of the most confusing and overwhelming experiences someone can go through—and one of the most common questions I hear from people when I meet with them is simply, How do I start? It’s a natural question because, for most, it’s something they’ve never experienced before. And let’s face it—divorce can feel like navigating a maze where you’re constantly unsure of where to turn.

That’s exactly why we’re so passionate about the guidebooks we’ve written and made available for you. In What to Consider When You’re Considering Divorce, we walk you through everything you need to think about—before and during the divorce process—so you can start with clarity. Your Divorce Support Team: 250+ Questions to Help You Build Your Divorce Support Team helps you find the right people to guide you along the way, making sure they align with your values and needs.

And I’m especially excited to introduce our newest book, How to Get Divorced as a Stay-at-Home Parent, which is packed with practical advice for all parents navigating the divorce process. From finances and budgets to scripts for those tough conversations with your partner, kids, and extended family, we’ve got you covered on every front.

We know divorce is confusing as hell, but you don’t have to go through it alone. These guidebooks were written from a human perspective, not a legal one, because we know how intimidating legal terms can be. And remember, they’re always free to download as an e-book or PDF on our website—or you can grab a paperback version wherever books are sold.

We’ve got your back.

xo Olivia

FREE: Divorce Resource Consults with Olivia Howell

Are you considering divorce or heading down the divorce process? Fresh Starts Registry's co-founder and CEO, Olivia Howell is offering FREE 15 minute Divorce Resource Consults. In these 15 minutes, you'll talk about the support you are looking for, and Olivia will follow up with an email with links, experts to contact, and resources. This is not therapy or divorce coaching, it's helping you get the support and resources you need for divorce. She is a certified life, success, and divorce coach, so these consults are 100% confidential and safe.

schedule a free consult

🎧 Podcasts to support you:

• 3 Things I Learned from My Divorce with Divorce Expert Michelle Dempsey-Multack: In this episode of Divorce Happens, , a certified divorce and co-parenting specialist, shares powerful lessons on navigating divorce with peace and personal growth. Drawing from her own experience and work with clients, she emphasizes the importance of putting children’s well-being first and choosing peace over power in post-divorce relationships. With actionable advice and candid stories, Michelle offers a hopeful blueprint for co-parenting without resentment, healing without losing yourself, and raising children who thrive despite the challenges of divorce.

• From Better Half to Whole: How to Rebuild When You’re Still in Pieces with Madisen Rose: In this episode of Divorce Happens, Madison Rose, CEO of Better Half to Whole and somatic practitioner, talks about the often-overlooked work of healing after divorce. She shares how recovery is a deeply personal, nonlinear process that involves both mental and physical healing, including regulating your nervous system and finding stability amid co-parenting or interactions with an ex. Offering compassion and practical advice, Madison emphasizes that true healing is possible, even when it feels like the journey is just beginning.

• 3 Things I Learned from My Divorce with Author Sarah May: In this deeply emotional episode of Divorce Happens, Sarah May shares her journey of healing after a catastrophic divorce marked by betrayal and emotional abuse. Through tears, therapy, and self-discovery, Sarah slowly rebuilt herself, learning to love and forgive herself in the process. As she discusses her memoir She Journeys and the hard-won wisdom from her journey, Sarah offers listeners powerful insights on self-forgiveness, letting go of blame, and the radical act of reclaiming yourself after heartbreak.

  Listen to Divorce Happens

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  📖 Helpful resources to guide you:

• How to Get Unstuck by Lyerly Spongberg of Step Up With Lyerly, Divorce Coach: Feeling stuck in a marriage that no longer feels right is common, but it doesn’t mean you’re not ready to make a change. This piece by divorce coach Lyerly Spongberg offers compassionate guidance on taking the first steps toward clarity, exploring how divorce coaching can help you untangle your thoughts, fears, and hopes without judgment or pressure.

• What ChatGPT Is Not Telling You About Divorce by Lisa Happ of Lisa Happ Coaching, Divorce Coach: Divorce is tough, but it’s also a chance for freedom and peace—if you can tackle the mess head-on with some practical strategies and emotional self-care. From managing paperwork and custody to getting your sh*t together, this post offers real, no-nonsense advice on navigating divorce with a little humor and a lot of support. Check out this funny piece by divorce coach Lisa Happ.

• Divorce with Financial Confidence: How a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst Can Help You by Donna S. Cates of Money Matters Wealth Solutions, CDFA®: Divorce is not only emotionally challenging but also financially complex, which is why having a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) on your team is essential. A CDFA helps you make informed decisions, avoid costly mistakes, and plan for a secure financial future, ensuring you navigate the divorce process with clarity and confidence. Check out this piece on why you need a CDFA by Donna Cates.

  More helpful reads!

  ---

  💫 Affirmations for divorced humans:

• I am not defined by my past; I am creating a future filled with possibility.

• Rest is not laziness; it is a radical act of rebuilding. I am allowed to pause.

• Each day, I am learning to trust myself more—I am the expert of my own journey.

🛠️ Divorce tools to make life a little easier:

• The Betrayal Recovery Course by Janice Holland of Courageous Living helps you understand the three phases of betrayal, guiding you to stop self-blame and reclaim your clarity, confidence, and control. With guided Self-Care Activation Challenges, you'll rebuild your nervous system, break toxic cycles, and start attracting relationships rooted in respect and real love. (FREE)

• 10 Divorce Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make by divorce coach Amy Polacko: I don’t want you to make the mistakes I - and many of my coaching clients - learned the hard way. If you’re thinking about a divorce or in the process, be sure to read these valuable warnings first…especially if you’re dealing with a high-conflict ex! (FREE)

• Divorced. Now What? mini course by Madisen Rose of Better Half to Whole: Start by taking things one day at a time and going back to the basics—simplifying your day-to-day can help ease the pressure. It's also important to navigate alone time, recognizing that it might bring feelings of overwhelm and decision fatigue, but allowing yourself space to process can lead to clarity and growth. (FREE)

• Divorce Asset Division Calculator from CDFA Michael Conticelli (FREE)

• The Divorce Smarter Subliminal Series: Center + Ground by Mardi Chadwick-Balcom uses subconscious affirmations beneath calming music to help you stay emotionally steady during divorce. Designed to reduce stress and support clarity, this free audio track gently rewires your nervous system—no effort needed, just press play. (FREE)

• The Free Chakra Body Tapping module by Mardi Chadwick-Balcom teaches you how to quickly shift your energy and calm your nervous system by activating your chakras through simple hand techniques. In just 20 minutes a day, you can move out of fight-or-flight and reconnect with your body anytime you need. (FREE)

• Divorce Red Flags: How to Avoid Mistakes and Protect Yourself Masterclass by divorce coach Amy Polacko: Divorce Red Flags: How to Avoid Mistakes and Protect Yourself will educate and empower you - so you don’t make the mistakes many women do in divorce. (FREE)

• The 5-Minute Reset by Jo-Anne Suriel of The Energetic Well is a free guided meditation designed to help you release stress and energetically cleanse your system. Use it at the end of your day or anytime you need a quick refresh to reclaim your calm. (FREE)

• The Business Blueprint from Melissa Cossette of MAXevent is a free guide to help you build your event business the right way from the start. You'll also get access to a personalized Blueprint Review with MAXevent to support your success. (FREE)

• Chelsea Long offers a selection of free guided meditations designed to help you work with “harder” emotions—such as anger, grief, fear, shame, and hatred—by creating space to explore and embody them with compassion and somatic awareness. Whether you’re seeking peace, restoration, or deeper emotional insight, these brief practices are accessible anytime you need grounding, healing, or clarity. (FREE)

• Jenn Johnson of The Saltwater Effect offers a free guided hypnosis session designed to help you release anxiety, calm your nervous system, and find clarity. This gentle, self-guided experience is a powerful tool you can use anytime you need stress relief and inner calm. (FREE)

• Check out these free, powerful guides from coach and speaker Nikki Innocent—designed to help you reclaim your energy, reset your mindset, and find your way forward. Some even include audio support! Topics include: Surviving & Thriving After Burnout, Quit Your Job Authentically, Antidote to Toxic Leadership, Outrage Exhaustion – how to avoid burnout in today’s nonstop news cycle. (FREE)

• Tramelle D. Jones, career coach, offers a free Cover Letter Quick Reference Guide to help you stop guessing and start writing cover letters that get results. This guide includes clear tips, sample text, and a visual example so you know exactly what to include and when to use it. (FREE)

• Check out these pre-recorded hypnosis sessions designed to help you reprogram limiting beliefs, manage stress, and achieve personal breakthroughs—all at your own pace. Created by Fresh Starts Expert, Jenn Johnson of The Saltwater Effect, these hypnosis sessions are designed specifically for divorced people! USE CODE FRESHSTARTS for 20% OFF ANY HYPNOSIS!

  • Hypnosis: Letting Go of Guilt About Ending a Marriage

  • Hypnosis: Releasing Shame & Fear Around Divorce

  • Hypnosis: Overcoming Anxiety & Stress About Court

  • Hypnosis: Opening Your Heart to Love Again (When You’re Ready)

  • Hypnosis: Creating a New Vision for Your Future

📚 Books to check out:

• Cooperative Co-Parenting for Secure Kids by Aurisha Smolarski

• The Big Activity Book for Divorced People by Jordan Reid and Erin Williams

• Better Divorce Blueprint: Divorce made smoother, easier and better for you and your family by Paulette Rigo

• Divorce Decoded: A Manifesto for Women Navigating Divorce and Beyond by Donna Cates

• Moms Moving On: Real-Life Advice on Conquering Divorce, Co-Parenting Through Conflict, and Becoming Your Best Self by Michelle Dempsy-Multack

Remember, we’re so proud of you! We’re always here if you need us. You got this.

✔️ Check out The Divorce Guide

✔️ Listen to Divorce Happens

Please note: some of the links in this newsletter may be an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting The Divorce Guide and Fresh Starts Registry!

If this support resonated with you, tap the heart to let us know you’re out there. Know someone who’s walking this path too? Forward this to them—this space is for all of us.

A Letter from Olivia –

Let’s be honest: every part of divorce is exhausting.

Whether you’re just starting to consider it, knee-deep in paperwork and chaos, or picking up the pieces afterward—it’s all heavy. Mentally. Physically. Spiritually. It’s not just the big decisions that wear you down. It’s the constant problem-solving. The holding-it-all-together. The never-ending fog.

I know what that’s like. I’ve been there. Which is why I care so deeply about making The Divorce Guide a place where you don’t have to do it all alone.

Free resources, expert events, book recommendations—it’s all here because I know how depleted this process can leave you. You shouldn’t have to dig for support when you’re already drained.

If you’re reading this and nodding along, here are three self-care tips I actually used during my divorce—nothing fancy, just real things that helped me survive the hardest days:

1. I picked one show to rewatch on loop. Something comforting, familiar, and low-stakes. For me, it was Seinfeld. I wasn’t trying to “improve” myself or take in new information—I just needed to hear a theme song that reminded me I was still alive.

2. I kept snacks and a cozy blanket in my car. There were days when I needed to cry or scream in private, or just sit in silence after a tough call. The front seat of my parked car became a little haven of comfort.

3. I let the laundry pile up. And I mean really pile up. Because survival was the goal. Not perfection. Some days self-care meant putting on clean socks. Other days, it meant staying in bed and texting a friend “I can’t do today.”

If you’re in this fog right now, I see you. And if you need extra support, you know where to find me.

You’re not alone. Not now. Not ever.

xo Olivia

FREE: Divorce Resource Consults with Olivia Howell

Are you considering divorce or heading down the divorce process? Fresh Starts Registry's co-founder and CEO, Olivia Howell is offering FREE 15 minute Divorce Resource Consults. In these 15 minutes, you'll talk about the support you are looking for, and Olivia will follow up with an email with links, experts to contact, and resources. This is not therapy or divorce coaching, it's helping you get the support and resources you need for divorce. She is a certified life, success, and divorce coach, so these consults are 100% confidential and safe.

schedule a free consult

🎧 Podcasts to support you:

• Divorce & Self-Care: Why Taking Back Your Power Starts with Your Skin with Esthetician Page Buldini: In this nurturing episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell chats with esthetician Page Buldini about how even 90 seconds of daily skincare can become a powerful act of self-care during divorce. Page shares how small rituals—like washing your face or applying moisturizer—can ground you, build resilience, and remind you of your worth in the midst of chaos. Together, they explore how caring for your skin isn’t just about beauty—it’s about reclaiming your power, one gentle moment at a time.

• Sunk Costs, Cheating Husbands, and Hard Questions: Divorce Coach Tamar Barbash Breaks It All Down: In this eye-opening episode of Divorce Happens, divorce coach Tamar Barbash joins us to talk about the emotional complexity of navigating divorce after infidelity. She shares how betrayal can uncover deeper truths—and why it's crucial to pause, reflect, and choose yourself, even when it's hard. With compassionate wisdom, Tamar challenges the pressure to “save” a marriage at all costs and reminds us that healing begins the moment we stop justifying our pain.

• 3 Things I Learned from My Divorce with Elizabeth Wilson: In this powerful episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell speaks with writer and former stay-at-home mom Elizabeth Wilson about the emotional and financial reckoning that followed her decision to divorce her wife. Elizabeth shares how a solo week of parenting revealed the weight of her marriage, sparking a journey of reclaiming her independence, rebuilding her life, and redefining love on her own terms. Now preparing for a second marriage and writing a memoir, she’s creating the honest, compassionate support she once needed.

  Listen to Divorce Happens

  ---

  📖 Helpful resources to guide you:

• Mindless Reality Shows for When You Need to Zone the Eff Out: Sometimes, when stress hits hard, all we need is a few hours of mindless reality TV to help us zone out. We’ve rounded up our favorite shows that steer clear of romance and home drama—because sometimes, that’s just too much. These picks are feel-good, distraction-friendly, and won’t make you cry

• 10 Interesting (not sad) Documentaries to Watch When You're Feeling Low: Sometimes we all just need to escape mentally for a while, so we rounded up 10 funny and interesting documentaries to watch for when you’re feeling low. With a mix of everything from Pixar, to Mister Rogers, music, food, and more, we’re sure there’s something here to watch with a bowl of popcorn and a Diet Coke.

• Crying in the Car Counts: Realistic Emotional Self-Care During Divorce: Going through a divorce? Emotional self-care can feel impossible—but even crying in the car counts. In this honest, compassionate post, we explore realistic ways to care for yourself during divorce, from small rituals to moments of release. Because healing doesn’t have to be pretty—it just has to be yours.

  More helpful reads!

  ---

  💫 Affirmations for divorced humans:

• Today, drinking water is enough—I honor the small ways I care for myself.

• Rest is not laziness; it is a radical act of rebuilding. I am allowed to pause.

• Each time I show up for myself, no matter how quietly, I am choosing healing.

🛠️ Divorce tools & tips to make life a little easier:

Are you barely holding it together during divorce? Divorce is overwhelming—mentally, emotionally, physically. When you're in survival mode, even basic self-care can feel impossible. But here’s the truth: you don’t need a whole day off or a wellness retreat to begin healing. This guide shares 10 realistic 5-minute self-care practices that you can actually do when you're in the thick of divorce. These small moments can help ground you, regulate your nervous system, and remind you that you're still worthy of care—even in chaos.

2 Quick Tips:

1. Put lotion on your hands slowly. It’s not about skincare—it’s about presence. Taking five quiet minutes to massage lotion into your hands reminds your body that it’s safe to soften. You’re still here. You still matter. And your body deserves to be treated with kindness.

2. Step outside and look up at the sky. Even if you can’t walk far, just opening the door and looking at the sky can reset your whole nervous system. Divorce can make your world feel small and heavy. Looking up reminds you there’s something bigger—and you’re still part of it.

📅 Free events, offers, and more:

• The Betrayal Recovery Course by Janice Holland of Courageous Living helps you understand the three phases of betrayal, guiding you to stop self-blame and reclaim your clarity, confidence, and control. With guided Self-Care Activation Challenges, you'll rebuild your nervous system, break toxic cycles, and start attracting relationships rooted in respect and real love.

• The Divorce Smarter Subliminal Series: Center + Ground by Mardi Chadwick-Balcom uses subconscious affirmations beneath calming music to help you stay emotionally steady during divorce. Designed to reduce stress and support clarity, this free audio track gently rewires your nervous system—no effort needed, just press play.

• The Free Chakra Body Tapping module by Mardi Chadwick-Balcom teaches you how to quickly shift your energy and calm your nervous system by activating your chakras through simple hand techniques. In just 20 minutes a day, you can move out of fight-or-flight and reconnect with your body anytime you need.

• The Own Your Energy. Lead the Room. Audio Activation by Maureen Magauran, M.D. guides you through a 3-part practice to help you embody calm, magnetic leadership. This free audio supports you in showing up, speaking, and leading with presence, confidence, and authentic power.

• The 5-Minute Reset by Jo-Anne Suriel of The Energetic Well is a free guided meditation designed to help you release stress and energetically cleanse your system. Use it at the end of your day or anytime you need a quick refresh to reclaim your calm.

• The Business Blueprint from Melissa Cossette of MAXevent is a free guide to help you build your event business the right way from the start. You'll also get access to a personalized Blueprint Review with MAXevent to support your success.

• Join Rachel Lovitt for a free 60-minute Movement and Meditation Community Class featuring 30 minutes of gentle movement and 30 minutes of mindfulness meditation with group Reiki healing. Drawing on her experience as a personal trainer, martial artist, dancer, and Reiki practitioner, Rachel creates a supportive space to help you learn, nourish, and connect with your body.

• Chelsea Long offers a selection of free guided meditations designed to help you work with “harder” emotions—such as anger, grief, fear, shame, and hatred—by creating space to explore and embody them with compassion and somatic awareness. Whether you’re seeking peace, restoration, or deeper emotional insight, these brief practices are accessible anytime you need grounding, healing, or clarity.

• Jenn Johnson of The Saltwater Effect offers a free guided hypnosis session designed to help you release anxiety, calm your nervous system, and find clarity. This gentle, self-guided experience is a powerful tool you can use anytime you need stress relief and inner calm.

• The Stress Reset: Anchor Into Peace & Upgrade Your Mind from Evolving Whole is a free NLP meditation that uses anchoring, reframing, and visualization to release stress and rewire limiting beliefs. Unlike traditional meditation, it creates lasting emotional shifts, helping you build resilience and train your brain for long-term peace.

• Check out these free, powerful guides from coach and speaker Nikki Innocent—designed to help you reclaim your energy, reset your mindset, and find your way forward. Some even include audio support! Topics include: Surviving & Thriving After Burnout, Quit Your Job Authentically, Antidote to Toxic Leadership, Outrage Exhaustion – how to avoid burnout in today’s nonstop news cycle

• Tramelle D. Jones, career coach, offers a free Cover Letter Quick Reference Guide to help you stop guessing and start writing cover letters that get results. This guide includes clear tips, sample text, and a visual example so you know exactly what to include and when to use it.

📚 Books, Bits, and Bobs for You:

• Check out these pre-recorded hypnosis sessions designed to help you reprogram limiting beliefs, manage stress, and achieve personal breakthroughs—all at your own pace. Created by Fresh Starts Expert, Jenn Johnson of The Saltwater Effect, these hypnosis sessions are designed specifically for divorced people! USE CODE FRESHSTARTS for 20% OFF ANY HYPNOSIS!

  • Hypnosis: Letting Go of Guilt About Ending a Marriage

  • Hypnosis: Releasing Shame & Fear Around Divorce

  • Hypnosis: Overcoming Anxiety & Stress About Court

  • Hypnosis: Opening Your Heart to Love Again (When You’re Ready)

  • Hypnosis: Creating a New Vision for Your Future

• Cooperative Co-Parenting for Secure Kids by Aurisha Smolarski is a practical guide that applies attachment theory to co-parenting, helping parents create a secure and stable environment for their children despite living in two homes. It outlines six key principles—commitment, collaboration, clarity, consistency, connection, and community—to help co-parents communicate effectively, reduce conflict, and prioritize their child’s emotional well-being. With actionable strategies and expert insights, this book empowers parents to work together and build a healthy, supportive co-parenting dynamic that sets their child up for long-term success.

• The Better Divorce Blueprint by Paulette Rigo is a step-by-step guide designed to help women in high-conflict divorces navigate the legal, emotional, and financial challenges with clarity and confidence. It provides actionable strategies to prepare for each stage of divorce, avoid costly mistakes, and build a secure future while prioritizing self-care and personal growth. With expert insights and a focus on empowerment, this book transforms divorce from a painful ending into a fresh start, ensuring that women emerge stronger, wiser, and ready to thrive.

• We’re pretty sure you need a Divorced AF baseball cap and sweats, no?

Remember, we’re so proud of you! We’re always here if you need us. You got this.

✔️ Check out The Divorce Guide

✔️ Listen to Divorce Happens

Please note: some of the links in this newsletter may be an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting The Divorce Guide and Fresh Starts Registry!

If this support resonated with you, tap the heart to let us know you’re out there. Know someone who’s walking this path too? Forward this to them—this space is for all of us.

A Letter from Olivia –

The other day I got a DM from someone in a panic, it read:

Hi — I’m kind of freaking out. I was served with divorce papers back in April and our preliminary court hearing is suddenly tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. My lawyer said it’s mostly procedural and not much will happen, but I can’t stop panicking. I don’t know what to expect, and I feel totally unprepared. Any advice would mean the world right now.

Divorce is very much a hurry-up and wait sort of situation, so I totally understood the panic. We chatted via DMs for a bit, and they calmed down, but I thought I’d share some of the insight here, too. This may not be you going through this experience, but maybe it will be someone you know in your life. So, what do we do to prep for a court hearing the next day that was just sprung on us?

First of all, you are not alone. This moment is one of the most disorienting parts of the divorce process — not because of what happens in the courtroom, but because of how much it feels like everything is about to change.

Here’s the truth: Most preliminary divorce hearings are not dramatic. They are administrative. Quiet. Often over before you know it. But emotionally? That’s a different story.

So let’s walk you through what this first court appearance is all about, and how to prepare — practically, emotionally, and energetically — so you can show up as the calmest, most grounded version of yourself (even if your hands are shaking)

What Actually Happens at a Preliminary Divorce Hearing

Despite the big emotions that swirl around it, this hearing is usually procedural — it’s meant to lay the groundwork for your divorce case. The judge may:

• Confirm that both parties have been served and are represented by attorneys

• Review basic facts (date of separation, whether children are involved, etc.)

• Set deadlines for financial disclosures or other paperwork

• Schedule future hearings, mediation, or conferences

• Possibly address any urgent temporary orders (like custody or support), though that’s rare for a first hearing

The hearing might be over in ten minutes. You may not need to say anything at all. If you have a lawyer, they’ll do most of the talking. You’re there to show up, listen, and let the legal process begin.

What to Wear to Court

We get this question all the time — and yes, what you wear matters, not for the judge, but for you. What you wear can help you feel in control, steady, and strong.

Here’s what we recommend:

• Dress in business casual: think of what you’d wear to a job interview or professional meeting

• Choose something clean, simple, and comfortable

• Closed-toe shoes are safest and most appropriate

• Layers help — courtrooms are often cold

• Avoid clothing with graphics, political slogans, or anything too casual (like ripped jeans or hoodies)

Pro tip: lay your outfit out the night before. It’s one less thing to worry about when you wake up.

How to Emotionally Prepare

This might be the hardest part — and it’s also where we want to hold your hand a little.

1. Ground yourself the night before.
Write down 3–5 things you know to be true about yourself. They can be simple or profound. Things like:

• I am a good parent

• I am allowed to feel nervous and still show up

• I deserve clarity and peace

2. Give yourself time in the morning.
Wake up early enough to move slowly. Eat something. Drink water. Take deep breaths. If you meditate or journal, this is a great time for it.

3. Bring support (if allowed).
Some courthouses allow a friend or family member to sit with you in the waiting area, even if they can't enter the courtroom. If that's available, take it.

4. Remember: this is just the first step.
No life-altering decisions are being made tomorrow. You're simply showing up and signaling to the court that you’re here, you're paying attention, and you’re taking this process seriously.

What to Expect Inside the Courtroom

• You may wait awhile before your case is called. Bring a book, notebook, or calming playlist.

• When your name is called, follow your lawyer’s lead.

• Speak only when spoken to. Be respectful to everyone — court officers, clerks, the judge.

• Avoid eye contact or engagement with your ex, no matter what.

• If emotions rise up (and they might), take a deep breath. You're allowed to feel. Step outside if you need a moment.

I want you to remember:

This moment may feel small on paper — just another court date, just another step in the process. But we know it’s not small. It's a beginning. It’s a day you’ll remember. And it deserves to be met with compassion and care.

So here’s what we want you to know:

You are allowed to be nervous.
You are allowed to be angry.
You are allowed to be tired, confused, scared, and still worthy of support.
You do not have to be perfect.
You just have to show up.

And when you do, know that there are people all over the country — and right here at Fresh Starts — cheering you on. You are not alone in that courtroom. You are backed by every person who has walked this road before you, and every resource we’ve built to make this process less lonely and more empowering.

You’ve got this. Truly.

xo Olivia

FREE: Divorce Resource Consults with Olivia Howell

Are you considering divorce or heading down the divorce process? Fresh Starts Registry's co-founder and CEO, Olivia Howell is offering FREE 15 minute Divorce Resource Consults. In these 15 minutes, you'll talk about the support you are looking for, and Olivia will follow up with an email with links, experts to contact, and resources. This is not therapy or divorce coaching, it's helping you get the support and resources you need for divorce. She is a certified life, success, and divorce coach, so these consults are 100% confidential and safe.

schedule a free consult

🎧 Podcasts to support you:

• How to Protect Your Home (and Sanity) During Divorce with Mortgage Expert Matthew DiBrino: In this episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell speaks with former divorce attorney turned mortgage expert Matthew DiBrino about what really happens to the house during a divorce. With practical tips on buyouts, refinancing, and mortgage pre-approval, Matthew offers compassionate, clear guidance to help you feel more empowered and less overwhelmed during this critical part of the process.

• Why a Password Keeper Might Save Your Sanity During Divorce with Professional Organizer Leslie Kilgour: In this episode of Divorce Happens, host Olivia Howell talks with professional organizer Leslie Kilgour about how staying organized can ease the chaos of divorce. From managing documents and passwords to simplifying your systems, Leslie shares compassionate, practical tips to reduce stress and create more space for healing during this major life transition.

• 3 Things I Learned from My Divorce with Writer Heather Sweeney: In this episode of Divorce Happens, joins Olivia Howell to share her journey from feeling lost in the shadows of military life to reclaiming her identity through divorce. Through honest conversation and hard-won wisdom, Heather offers hope, clarity, and a reminder that it's not just possible—but necessary—to become whole again on your own terms.

  Listen to Divorce Happens

  ---

  📖 Helpful resources to guide you:

• 10 Practical, Free Ways to Support Someone Going Through Divorce: Supporting someone through divorce doesn’t have to cost money—it’s about showing up with care, consistency, and presence. From offering specific help like babysitting or organizing paperwork, to creating calming moments or being a sounding board for decisions, these small actions can make a big emotional impact. The goal isn’t to fix their life, but to help them feel grounded, seen, and less alone in the chaos.

• 10 Essential Questions to Ask a Professional Organizer While Navigating Your Divorce: Divorce is both an emotional and physical transition, often involving a major shift in your living space. A professional organizer can ease this process by helping you declutter, create order, and set up supportive systems in your home. Whether you’re staying put or starting fresh, asking the right questions can ensure you find an organizer who truly understands your post-divorce needs.

• Understanding the Divorce Legal Process and Court Appearances: A Step-by-Step Guide for Clarity and Confidence: Divorce is more than a breakup—it’s a legal process filled with unfamiliar terms and emotional stress. Understanding each stage can help you feel more prepared, confident, and in control. This guide breaks it down clearly, offering expert support and simple steps to help you move forward.

  More helpful reads!

  ---

  💫 Affirmations for divorced humans:

• I release the version of me that stayed small to keep the peace—I choose expansion now.

• What ended does not define me; what I build next is entirely mine.

• I am not broken—I am in bloom, growing in the space that once felt like loss.

🛠️ Divorce tools & tips to make life a little easier:

Are you refinancing your house during a divorce? Refinancing your house during a divorce can be a complex, high-stakes decision that impacts your financial future, legal responsibilities, and emotional well-being. This guide outlines the 10 most important questions to ask your mortgage lender to protect your interests, clarify ownership and responsibility, and understand the legal and tax implications of refinancing. With the right information—and professional guidance—you can make confident, informed choices that support a smoother transition into your next chapter.

2 Quick Tips:

1. Can I qualify for a mortgage on my own? It’s crucial to understand whether you can secure a mortgage in your name alone after divorce. Lenders will evaluate your individual credit score, income, and debt-to-income ratio to determine eligibility. Knowing this early helps you prepare financially and avoid unexpected delays in keeping or refinancing the home.

2. What are the costs associated with refinancing the house? Refinancing comes with fees like closing costs, appraisal fees, and lender charges that can add up quickly. Asking about these expenses helps you determine whether refinancing is financially feasible in your current situation. Understanding all associated costs ensures there are no surprises—and that you’re making a decision that won’t overextend you.

📅 Free events, offers, and more:

• The Betrayal Recovery Course by Janice Holland of Courageous Living helps you understand the three phases of betrayal, guiding you to stop self-blame and reclaim your clarity, confidence, and control. With guided Self-Care Activation Challenges, you'll rebuild your nervous system, break toxic cycles, and start attracting relationships rooted in respect and real love.

• The Divorce Smarter Subliminal Series: Center + Ground by Mardi Chadwick-Balcom uses subconscious affirmations beneath calming music to help you stay emotionally steady during divorce. Designed to reduce stress and support clarity, this free audio track gently rewires your nervous system—no effort needed, just press play.

• The Free Chakra Body Tapping module by Mardi Chadwick-Balcom teaches you how to quickly shift your energy and calm your nervous system by activating your chakras through simple hand techniques. In just 20 minutes a day, you can move out of fight-or-flight and reconnect with your body anytime you need.

• The Own Your Energy. Lead the Room. Audio Activation by Maureen Magauran, M.D. guides you through a 3-part practice to help you embody calm, magnetic leadership. This free audio supports you in showing up, speaking, and leading with presence, confidence, and authentic power.

• The 5-Minute Reset by Jo-Anne Suriel of The Energetic Well is a free guided meditation designed to help you release stress and energetically cleanse your system. Use it at the end of your day or anytime you need a quick refresh to reclaim your calm.

• The Business Blueprint from Melissa Cossette of MAXevent is a free guide to help you build your event business the right way from the start. You'll also get access to a personalized Blueprint Review with MAXevent to support your success.

• Join Rachel Lovitt for a free 60-minute Movement and Meditation Community Class featuring 30 minutes of gentle movement and 30 minutes of mindfulness meditation with group Reiki healing. Drawing on her experience as a personal trainer, martial artist, dancer, and Reiki practitioner, Rachel creates a supportive space to help you learn, nourish, and connect with your body.

• Chelsea Long offers a selection of free guided meditations designed to help you work with “harder” emotions—such as anger, grief, fear, shame, and hatred—by creating space to explore and embody them with compassion and somatic awareness. Whether you’re seeking peace, restoration, or deeper emotional insight, these brief practices are accessible anytime you need grounding, healing, or clarity.

• Jenn Johnson of The Saltwater Effect offers a free guided hypnosis session designed to help you release anxiety, calm your nervous system, and find clarity. This gentle, self-guided experience is a powerful tool you can use anytime you need stress relief and inner calm.

• The Stress Reset: Anchor Into Peace & Upgrade Your Mind from Evolving Whole is a free NLP meditation that uses anchoring, reframing, and visualization to release stress and rewire limiting beliefs. Unlike traditional meditation, it creates lasting emotional shifts, helping you build resilience and train your brain for long-term peace.

• Check out these free, powerful guides from coach and speaker Nikki Innocent—designed to help you reclaim your energy, reset your mindset, and find your way forward. Some even include audio support! Topics include: Surviving & Thriving After Burnout, Quit Your Job Authentically, Antidote to Toxic Leadership, Outrage Exhaustion – how to avoid burnout in today’s nonstop news cycle

• Tramelle D. Jones, career coach, offers a free Cover Letter Quick Reference Guide to help you stop guessing and start writing cover letters that get results. This guide includes clear tips, sample text, and a visual example so you know exactly what to include and when to use it.

📚 Books, Bits, and Bobs for You:

• Check out these pre-recorded hypnosis sessions designed to help you reprogram limiting beliefs, manage stress, and achieve personal breakthroughs—all at your own pace. Created by Fresh Starts Expert, Jenn Johnson of The Saltwater Effect, these hypnosis sessions are designed specifically for divorced people! USE CODE FRESHSTARTS for 20% OFF ANY HYPNOSIS!

  • Hypnosis: Letting Go of Guilt About Ending a Marriage

  • Hypnosis: Releasing Shame & Fear Around Divorce

  • Hypnosis: Overcoming Anxiety & Stress About Court

  • Hypnosis: Opening Your Heart to Love Again (When You’re Ready)

  • Hypnosis: Creating a New Vision for Your Future

• Cooperative Co-Parenting for Secure Kids by Aurisha Smolarski is a practical guide that applies attachment theory to co-parenting, helping parents create a secure and stable environment for their children despite living in two homes. It outlines six key principles—commitment, collaboration, clarity, consistency, connection, and community—to help co-parents communicate effectively, reduce conflict, and prioritize their child’s emotional well-being. With actionable strategies and expert insights, this book empowers parents to work together and build a healthy, supportive co-parenting dynamic that sets their child up for long-term success.

• The Better Divorce Blueprint by Paulette Rigo is a step-by-step guide designed to help women in high-conflict divorces navigate the legal, emotional, and financial challenges with clarity and confidence. It provides actionable strategies to prepare for each stage of divorce, avoid costly mistakes, and build a secure future while prioritizing self-care and personal growth. With expert insights and a focus on empowerment, this book transforms divorce from a painful ending into a fresh start, ensuring that women emerge stronger, wiser, and ready to thrive.

• We’re pretty sure you need a Divorced AF baseball cap and sweats, no?

Remember, we’re so proud of you! We’re always here if you need us. You got this.

✔️ Check out The Divorce Guide

✔️ Listen to Divorce Happens

Please note: some of the links in this newsletter may be an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting The Divorce Guide and Fresh Starts Registry!

If this support resonated with you, tap the heart to let us know you’re out there. Know someone who’s walking this path too? Forward this to them—this space is for all of us.

A Letter from Olivia –

The summer of 2019 was one of the worst summers of my life. My husband and I had split up in April, and we were still living together in the house we owned throughout the summer. He was actively looking for work and an apartment in Chicago, and I was raising the boys and trying to keep a 3 and 5 year old busy while also running a marketing agency. As you may have guessed, I was burnt out, suppressing a ton of emotions, and also – to be quite honest – still the managing all of the domestic, emotional, and logistical labor of the divorce process and his move out. I spent many days on the beach with my sons, shoving my feet into the sand, letting them wade into the water. Feeling safe and surrounded by the waves and the sun on our skin.

We were on decent terms by late June, and he went to Chicago for the fourth of July, which means I had a taste of freedom in the house. And by taste, I mean just a smidge, as the energy of the house was still so heavy, and his stuff was half-packed, boxes and bags everywhere. I decided to pack the kids up for the weekend and head to my parents’ house for a sleepover (little did I know, just a few years later we would pack our whole house up and move back there).

We camped out on the playroom floor, futons on the same rug that my sister and I would sleep on as children, watching Nick at Nite until dawn, because our parents were exhausted from their own divorce process. My stepdad made hot dogs on the grill, and we had lemonade. I tried to make the day special, but my mind was elsewhere. Would my soon-to-be-ex find a job in Chicago and ever leave? How was I going to afford this mortgage?

But, mostly I dreamed of the moment my sons and I could open our front door to freedom. To light energy, to our own space. I dreamt of liberation. I wanted to be able to breathe again. To feel the sun on my face again. To start the process to find myself again.

As we sat out on the front porch and watched the fireworks over the Long Island Sound, I thought of all the women throughout history who were tied to their marriages, who were hostages of their situation, who would never feel the freedom I was exploring. The boom-boom-boom of the fireworks resounded in my body and I could sense true liberation was right around the bend. It was at least an option, and the taste of freedom was so sweet, and so close, I knew I just had to keep on marching.

If you’re currently in the liminal space of divorce, know that you’re not alone, and you can always reach out if you need anything.

You can read more of my tips for how to survive cohabitating during divorce in this Washington Post piece by .

FREE: Divorce Resource Consults with Olivia Howell

Are you considering divorce or heading down the divorce process? Fresh Starts Registry's co-founder and CEO, Olivia Howell is offering FREE 15 minute Divorce Resource Consults. In these 15 minutes, you'll talk about the support you are looking for, and Olivia will follow up with an email with links, experts to contact, and resources. This is not therapy or divorce coaching, it's helping you get the support and resources you need for divorce. She is a certified life, success, and divorce coach, so these consults are 100% confidential and safe.

schedule a free consult

🎧 Podcasts to support you:

• Divorced and Parenting? You Need to Hear This About Your Child’s Behavior During Divorce with Dr. Joanna Hulton: In this must-listen episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell is joined by family psychotherapist Dr. Joanna Hulton for an honest, compassionate conversation about parenting through divorce. They explore how kids mirror their parents’ emotional states, why common protective instincts can backfire, and how to create stability in two separate households. With practical advice on co-parenting, emotional regulation, and age-appropriate honesty, this episode is essential listening for anyone raising children during or after divorce.

• From Wedding Albums to Fresh Starts: Redefining Your Personal Image After Divorce with Photographer Christina Gressianu: In this episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell talks with portrait photographer Christina Gressianu about how photography can help women reclaim their identity after divorce. They discuss using empowering portraits to rewrite your personal narrative, let go of painful memories, and rediscover confidence. With practical tips and emotional insight, this episode is a powerful reminder that healing can start with seeing yourself in a new light.

• How to Divorce a Narcissist with Divorce Coach and Certified Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Coach Lisa Happ: In this episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell speaks with narcissistic abuse recovery coach Lisa Happ about the unique challenges of divorcing a narcissist. Lisa shares how to recognize manipulative behaviors like love bombing and gaslighting, and offers strategies for protecting yourself emotionally, legally, and financially. With empowering advice on rebuilding self-esteem and creating a clear exit plan, this episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating a toxic relationship.

  Listen to Divorce Happens

  ---

  📖 Helpful resources to guide you:

• The Divorce Support Book We've All Been Waiting For – Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women by : If you’re navigating divorce, Unhitched by Oona Metz is the compassionate, empowering guide you’ve been craving. With decades of experience, Oona offers real emotional support, not just legal or financial advice—helping women feel seen, supported, and capable of moving forward. This book is honest, inclusive, and deeply healing, making it a must-read for anyone going through a divorce or supporting someone who is.

• How to Start Earning Money as a Stay-at-Home Parent (Even If You Haven’t Worked in Years): If you're a stay-at-home parent facing divorce or financial stress, this guide offers a compassionate, practical starting point for earning money again—without needing a full-time job or perfect plan. It emphasizes that your everyday parenting and household skills are valuable and marketable, and encourages small, confidence-building steps like selling items or offering childcare. You don’t have to do everything at once—you just have to begin.

• From Overwhelmed to Organized: How a Divorce Support Network Empowers You: Divorce can feel like emotional and logistical chaos all at once—but you don’t have to navigate it alone. A strong support network, like Fresh Starts Registry, helps you prioritize, get organized, and connect with trusted experts so you can move forward with clarity and confidence. With free tools, a vetted expert directory, and compassionate guidance, Fresh Starts offers the structure you need to rebuild your life—one step at a time.

  More helpful reads!

  ---

  💫 Affirmations for divorced humans:

• I am allowed to rewrite my story, one boundary, one breath, one bold choice at a time.

• My joy is not a betrayal of my past—it’s a celebration of my becoming.

• I deserve a life that feels like relief, not resilience.

🛠️ Divorce tools & tips to make life a little easier:

Are You Thinking About Divorce? Don’t Forget to Consider Your Retirement and Social Security. When you're considering divorce, it’s easy to focus on what’s right in front of you—housing, child support, daily survival. But your future matters just as much. Social Security, pensions, and retirement accounts can be some of the most valuable (and overlooked) assets during divorce. This guide breaks down 8 critical financial areas you must understand to protect your long-term security—and gives you practical, doable action steps you can start today.

2 Quick Tips:

1. Check Your Eligibility for Social Security Benefits: If you were married for at least 10 years, you may qualify for Social Security based on your ex-spouse’s record—potentially increasing your benefits in retirement.

2. Update Your Retirement Account Beneficiaries: After divorce, make sure your ex is no longer listed as the beneficiary on accounts like IRAs, 401(k)s, and pensions to avoid accidental inheritance.

📅 Free events, offers, and more:

• The Betrayal Recovery Course by Janice Holland of Courageous Living helps you understand the three phases of betrayal, guiding you to stop self-blame and reclaim your clarity, confidence, and control. With guided Self-Care Activation Challenges, you'll rebuild your nervous system, break toxic cycles, and start attracting relationships rooted in respect and real love.

• The Divorce Smarter Subliminal Series: Center + Ground by Mardi Chadwick-Balcom uses subconscious affirmations beneath calming music to help you stay emotionally steady during divorce. Designed to reduce stress and support clarity, this free audio track gently rewires your nervous system—no effort needed, just press play.

• The Free Chakra Body Tapping module by Mardi Chadwick-Balcom teaches you how to quickly shift your energy and calm your nervous system by activating your chakras through simple hand techniques. In just 20 minutes a day, you can move out of fight-or-flight and reconnect with your body anytime you need.

• The Own Your Energy. Lead the Room. Audio Activation by Maureen Magauran, M.D. guides you through a 3-part practice to help you embody calm, magnetic leadership. This free audio supports you in showing up, speaking, and leading with presence, confidence, and authentic power.

• The 5-Minute Reset by Jo-Anne Suriel of The Energetic Well is a free guided meditation designed to help you release stress and energetically cleanse your system. Use it at the end of your day or anytime you need a quick refresh to reclaim your calm.

• The Business Blueprint from Melissa Cossette of MAXevent is a free guide to help you build your event business the right way from the start. You'll also get access to a personalized Blueprint Review with MAXevent to support your success.

• Join Rachel Lovitt for a free 60-minute Movement and Meditation Community Class featuring 30 minutes of gentle movement and 30 minutes of mindfulness meditation with group Reiki healing. Drawing on her experience as a personal trainer, martial artist, dancer, and Reiki practitioner, Rachel creates a supportive space to help you learn, nourish, and connect with your body.

• Chelsea Long offers a selection of free guided meditations designed to help you work with “harder” emotions—such as anger, grief, fear, shame, and hatred—by creating space to explore and embody them with compassion and somatic awareness. Whether you’re seeking peace, restoration, or deeper emotional insight, these brief practices are accessible anytime you need grounding, healing, or clarity.

• Jenn Johnson of The Saltwater Effect offers a free guided hypnosis session designed to help you release anxiety, calm your nervous system, and find clarity. This gentle, self-guided experience is a powerful tool you can use anytime you need stress relief and inner calm.

• The Stress Reset: Anchor Into Peace & Upgrade Your Mind from Evolving Whole is a free NLP meditation that uses anchoring, reframing, and visualization to release stress and rewire limiting beliefs. Unlike traditional meditation, it creates lasting emotional shifts, helping you build resilience and train your brain for long-term peace.

• Check out these free, powerful guides from coach and speaker Nikki Innocent—designed to help you reclaim your energy, reset your mindset, and find your way forward. Some even include audio support! Topics include: Surviving & Thriving After Burnout, Quit Your Job Authentically, Antidote to Toxic Leadership, Outrage Exhaustion – how to avoid burnout in today’s nonstop news cycle

• Tramelle D. Jones, career coach, offers a free Cover Letter Quick Reference Guide to help you stop guessing and start writing cover letters that get results. This guide includes clear tips, sample text, and a visual example so you know exactly what to include and when to use it.

📚 Books, Bits, and Bobs for You:

• Check out these pre-recorded hypnosis sessions designed to help you reprogram limiting beliefs, manage stress, and achieve personal breakthroughs—all at your own pace. Created by Fresh Starts Expert, Jenn Johnson of The Saltwater Effect, these hypnosis sessions are designed specifically for divorced people! USE CODE FRESHSTARTS for 20% OFF ANY HYPNOSIS!

  • Hypnosis: Letting Go of Guilt About Ending a Marriage

  • Hypnosis: Releasing Shame & Fear Around Divorce

  • Hypnosis: Overcoming Anxiety & Stress About Court

  • Hypnosis: Opening Your Heart to Love Again (When You’re Ready)

  • Hypnosis: Creating a New Vision for Your Future

• Cooperative Co-Parenting for Secure Kids by Aurisha Smolarski is a practical guide that applies attachment theory to co-parenting, helping parents create a secure and stable environment for their children despite living in two homes. It outlines six key principles—commitment, collaboration, clarity, consistency, connection, and community—to help co-parents communicate effectively, reduce conflict, and prioritize their child’s emotional well-being. With actionable strategies and expert insights, this book empowers parents to work together and build a healthy, supportive co-parenting dynamic that sets their child up for long-term success.

• The Better Divorce Blueprint by Paulette Rigo is a step-by-step guide designed to help women in high-conflict divorces navigate the legal, emotional, and financial challenges with clarity and confidence. It provides actionable strategies to prepare for each stage of divorce, avoid costly mistakes, and build a secure future while prioritizing self-care and personal growth. With expert insights and a focus on empowerment, this book transforms divorce from a painful ending into a fresh start, ensuring that women emerge stronger, wiser, and ready to thrive.

• We’re pretty sure you need a Divorced AF baseball cap and sweats, no?

Remember, we’re so proud of you! We’re always here if you need us. You got this.

✔️ Check out The Divorce Guide

✔️ Listen to Divorce Happens

Please note: some of the links in this newsletter may be an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting The Divorce Guide and Fresh Starts Registry!

If this support resonated with you, tap the heart to let us know you’re out there. Know someone who’s walking this path too? Forward this to them—this space is for all of us.

A Letter from Olivia –

There’s something about June.

Maybe it’s the quiet after the storm of the school year. Maybe it’s the stillness that comes when the backpacks are hung up for the last time and the lunchboxes are finally clean. But June is the month when people start calling divorce lawyers. When they start whispering “I think I’m done.” When they take stock of their life and say, “I can’t do another September like this.”

My marriage ended in April. That first June, in 2019, gutted me.

I sat alone at my son’s Kindergarten graduation—he was smiling, singing those little songs they all sing, waving at his friends with such innocence and joy. And I sat there crying quietly into my hands. My stomach in knots. I didn’t know if we’d be able to keep our house. I didn’t know if he’d be able to stay in his school. I didn’t know if I was ruining everything. All I knew was that I felt like I had failed him. Failed us.

When he started first grade, we were in the middle of divorce mediation. It was brutal. I was exhausted. And then—quarantine hit. Zoom school in our pajamas. Second grade, I homeschooled him. And when it was time for third grade, I followed a hunch and enrolled both my boys in a Montessori school. That school changed everything.

This week, that same boy graduated from that same Montessori school as a shining light. He won three awards. Every teacher cried talking about how much they’ll miss him. And I looked at him, strong and grounded and hilarious and deeply kind, and I thought—I had no idea it would turn out like this. I was so sure I was ruining his life. But I wasn’t. I was leading us home.

Divorce is terrifying. It rips your world apart and hands you pieces you don’t recognize. But it also gives you this quiet invitation to listen—to yourself, your gut, your kids, your needs. It teaches you to trust your intuition again. And when you do? That’s when the magic happens.

Wherever you are this June—whether you're crying in your car after the last day of school, signing papers you never thought you'd have to, or simply wondering if you can keep going—please know: you’re not alone. And you’re not ruining anything. You’re building something new. Something beautiful. Something true.

FREE: Divorce Resource Consults with Olivia Howell

Are you considering divorce or heading down the divorce process? Fresh Starts Registry's co-founder and CEO, Olivia Howell is offering FREE 15 minute Divorce Resource Consults. In these 15 minutes, you'll talk about the support you are looking for, and Olivia will follow up with an email with links, experts to contact, and resources. This is not therapy or divorce coaching, it's helping you get the support and resources you need for divorce. She is a certified life, success, and divorce coach, so these consults are 100% confidential and safe.

schedule a free consult

🎧 Podcasts to support you:

• Celebrity Divorce Lawyer Laura Wasser Reveals the 3 Essential Questions to Consider Before You File for Divorce: What if your divorce could be a thoughtful transition—not a total disaster? In this episode of Divorce Happens, Olivia Howell sits down with legendary celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, who shares the three essential questions everyone should ask before filing: What’s best for the kids? What’s the true state of your finances? And do you know your legal rights? With clarity, compassion, and hard-earned wisdom, Laura reframes divorce as a powerful turning point—one that can be navigated with grace, intention, and strength.

• Sunk Costs, Cheating Husbands, and Hard Questions: Divorce Coach Tamar Barbash Breaks It All Down: What if betrayal was the beginning of clarity—not the end of your story? In this raw and powerful episode of Divorce Happens, divorce coach Tamar Barbash dives into the emotional aftermath of infidelity, the trap of sunk costs, and the hard questions we often avoid when deciding whether to stay or go. With honesty and heart, Tamar reminds us that while divorce is tough, staying stuck is harder—and your next chapter can be one of strength, healing, and self-trust.

• Divorcing While Pregnant or Postpartum? You're Not Alone—Here's What You Need to Know with Perinatal Mental Health Expert Sarah Baroud: What happens when divorce collides with one of the most vulnerable times in life—pregnancy or postpartum? In this powerful episode of Divorce Happens, therapist and perinatal mental health expert Sarah Baroud joins Olivia Howell to talk about the hidden struggles of navigating separation while becoming a parent. With compassion and clarity, Sarah offers support, resources, and validation for anyone facing divorce during early motherhood—reminding us that protecting your peace is an act of love for both you and your child.

  Listen to Divorce Happens

  ---

  📖 Helpful resources to guide you:

• Digital Divorce: How to Protect Your Online Life Before, During, and After Divorce: In today’s digital world, protecting your online life before, during, and after divorce is essential to maintaining your safety, privacy, and peace of mind. This guide breaks down the overlooked but critical steps to secure your digital footprint, offering expert tips and simple action steps to help you take control and start fresh.

• 10 Essential Questions to Ask a Mortgage Lender When Buying a House on Your Own Post-Divorce: Buying a home on your own after divorce can feel both liberating and overwhelming, especially when it’s your first solo purchase. This guide shares 10 essential questions to ask a mortgage lender so you can make informed, confident decisions and secure a loan that supports your fresh start.

• 10 Essential Questions to Ask a Potential Therapist When Navigating Divorce: Finding the right therapist during divorce can be a crucial source of emotional support, clarity, and healing. This guide offers 10 thoughtful questions to help you choose a therapist who truly understands the complexities of your divorce journey and can support your unique needs.

  More helpful reads!

  ---

  💫 Affirmations for divorced humans:

• I release what no longer serves me and make space for a life that reflects who I truly am.

• I trust myself to make decisions that honor my growth, my peace, and my future.

• I’m thriving, hydrated, and only responding to texts that don’t raise my cortisol.

🛠️ Divorce tools & tips to make life a little easier:

Do you understand your financial landscape before considering divorce? Understanding your income, expenses, assets, and credit is essential before making any big decisions—especially divorce. Financial fear keeps many people stuck, but knowledge can offer stability and power, even in uncertainty. This guide walks you through 10 key financial areas to review and simple steps to take, so you can move forward with confidence—whether you decide to stay or go.

2 Quick Tips:

1. Download Your Bank Statements: Start by reviewing three months of income and expenses to get a clear picture of your current financial reality.

2. Check Your Credit Report: Request a free report at AnnualCreditReport.com and scan for errors or unfamiliar accounts.

📅 Free events, offers, and more:

• The Betrayal Recovery Course by Janice Holland of Courageous Living helps you understand the three phases of betrayal, guiding you to stop self-blame and reclaim your clarity, confidence, and control. With guided Self-Care Activation Challenges, you'll rebuild your nervous system, break toxic cycles, and start attracting relationships rooted in respect and real love.

• The Divorce Smarter Subliminal Series: Center + Ground by Mardi Chadwick-Balcom uses subconscious affirmations beneath calming music to help you stay emotionally steady during divorce. Designed to reduce stress and support clarity, this free audio track gently rewires your nervous system—no effort needed, just press play.

• The Free Chakra Body Tapping module by Mardi Chadwick-Balcom teaches you how to quickly shift your energy and calm your nervous system by activating your chakras through simple hand techniques. In just 20 minutes a day, you can move out of fight-or-flight and reconnect with your body anytime you need.

• The Own Your Energy. Lead the Room. Audio Activation by Maureen Magauran, M.D. guides you through a 3-part practice to help you embody calm, magnetic leadership. This free audio supports you in showing up, speaking, and leading with presence, confidence, and authentic power.

• The 5-Minute Reset by Jo-Anne Suriel of The Energetic Well is a free guided meditation designed to help you release stress and energetically cleanse your system. Use it at the end of your day or anytime you need a quick refresh to reclaim your calm.

• The Business Blueprint from Melissa Cossette of MAXevent is a free guide to help you build your event business the right way from the start. You'll also get access to a personalized Blueprint Review with MAXevent to support your success.

• Join Rachel Lovitt for a free 60-minute Movement and Meditation Community Class featuring 30 minutes of gentle movement and 30 minutes of mindfulness meditation with group Reiki healing. Drawing on her experience as a personal trainer, martial artist, dancer, and Reiki practitioner, Rachel creates a supportive space to help you learn, nourish, and connect with your body.

• Chelsea Long offers a selection of free guided meditations designed to help you work with “harder” emotions—such as anger, grief, fear, shame, and hatred—by creating space to explore and embody them with compassion and somatic awareness. Whether you’re seeking peace, restoration, or deeper emotional insight, these brief practices are accessible anytime you need grounding, healing, or clarity.

• Jenn Johnson of The Saltwater Effect offers a free guided hypnosis session designed to help you release anxiety, calm your nervous system, and find clarity. This gentle, self-guided experience is a powerful tool you can use anytime you need stress relief and inner calm.

• The Stress Reset: Anchor Into Peace & Upgrade Your Mind from Evolving Whole is a free NLP meditation that uses anchoring, reframing, and visualization to release stress and rewire limiting beliefs. Unlike traditional meditation, it creates lasting emotional shifts, helping you build resilience and train your brain for long-term peace.

• Check out these free, powerful guides from coach and speaker Nikki Innocent—designed to help you reclaim your energy, reset your mindset, and find your way forward. Some even include audio support! Topics include: Surviving & Thriving After Burnout, Quit Your Job Authentically, Antidote to Toxic Leadership, Outrage Exhaustion – how to avoid burnout in today’s nonstop news cycle

• Tramelle D. Jones, career coach, offers a free Cover Letter Quick Reference Guide to help you stop guessing and start writing cover letters that get results. This guide includes clear tips, sample text, and a visual example so you know exactly what to include and when to use it.

📚 Books, Bits, and Bobs for You:

• Check out these pre-recorded hypnosis sessions designed to help you reprogram limiting beliefs, manage stress, and achieve personal breakthroughs—all at your own pace. Created by Fresh Starts Expert, Jenn Johnson of The Saltwater Effect, these hypnosis sessions are designed specifically for divorced people! USE CODE FRESHSTARTS for 20% OFF ANY HYPNOSIS!

  • Hypnosis: Letting Go of Guilt About Ending a Marriage

  • Hypnosis: Releasing Shame & Fear Around Divorce

  • Hypnosis: Overcoming Anxiety & Stress About Court

  • Hypnosis: Opening Your Heart to Love Again (When You’re Ready)

  • Hypnosis: Creating a New Vision for Your Future

• Cooperative Co-Parenting for Secure Kids by Aurisha Smolarski is a practical guide that applies attachment theory to co-parenting, helping parents create a secure and stable environment for their children despite living in two homes. It outlines six key principles—commitment, collaboration, clarity, consistency, connection, and community—to help co-parents communicate effectively, reduce conflict, and prioritize their child’s emotional well-being. With actionable strategies and expert insights, this book empowers parents to work together and build a healthy, supportive co-parenting dynamic that sets their child up for long-term success.

• The Better Divorce Blueprint by Paulette Rigo is a step-by-step guide designed to help women in high-conflict divorces navigate the legal, emotional, and financial challenges with clarity and confidence. It provides actionable strategies to prepare for each stage of divorce, avoid costly mistakes, and build a secure future while prioritizing self-care and personal growth. With expert insights and a focus on empowerment, this book transforms divorce from a painful ending into a fresh start, ensuring that women emerge stronger, wiser, and ready to thrive.

• We’re pretty sure you need a Divorced AF baseball cap and sweats, no?

Remember, we’re so proud of you! We’re always here if you need us. You got this.

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