Back in January I had the chance to sit down with The Fresh Story Podcast team to talk about getting divorced as a stay at home mom. We talked about everything from what legal steps you should take to protect your rights and interests as a stay-at-home mom to seeking alimony to getting a job.

You can check the full episode out here:

As we all keep spinning on our axes and orbits, the eclipse passes and light returns. This world may feel both familiar and new. Light may take the form of a new apartment, a renewed relationship with your kids, or new hobbies. For me, it was a gorgeous velour purple couch! I invite you to look for signs that you are rewriting your next chapter, as these will help carry you through the more stressful moments.

How about you? What has been light or dark—or both—in your experience?

PS: Am I overworking this metaphor/simile if I suggest that our Fresh Start course is like a pair of eclipse glasses, allowing you to turn and face your divorce safely? The cardboard sides hold the new framing of the…. oh goodness I just ruined it, didn’t I? 👓

Real Estate & Divorce Flow Chart!

I got you. Real estate attorney Richard Fox and I put together a Real Estate & Divorce Flow Chart to answer your questions. Grab it right here, free. 👇

Are you anxious about telling your friends and family about your separation? Your people care about you and want to support you, and at the same time they may not know exactly what to say.

When you tell them you’re getting divorced, here are some things to expect:

They will have strong emotions.

When my husband and I separated, I kept staring at the ring on my finger. It no longer belonged on my hand; that much I knew. The symbolism it carried—union, love, vows, commitment, a future together—were now painful reminders of what had passed.

But what to do with it?

Deciding what to do with your wedding ring after a divorce is a personal choice, and there's no one-size-fits-all answer. Here are some options you might consider:

Clearly define the purpose of your communication with your ex-spouse. Whether it's discussing financial matters, resolving joint obligations, or addressing shared assets, having a specific objective in mind helps streamline conversations and reduces potential misunderstandings.

Divorce brings financial changes, and seeking guidance from professionals can be a game-changer. Let's explore the roles of financial coaches, advisors, planners, accountants, and certified divorce financial analysts in the context of divorce, considering the costs associated with each.

Real estate has been on my mind lately.

These days with the interest rates creeping up and up, you may be wondering how that will affect your decisions around divorce. The joke in my extended family is that we like to “Buy High and Sell Low!” but you’re probably hoping for the opposite, right?

There are several options for divorcing couples who own their home, including a couple surprising ones.

I was scrolling my news feed, and I stopped dead in my tracks. It was an NPR analysis of a new book by economist Melissa S. Kearney:

The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind.

I am absolutely appalled. As someone who has been working very hard to de-stigmatize divorce, I think this title alone reinforces the harmful trope of “stay together for the kids” and the guilt that comes when parents separate.

Did you change your name when you got married? Did your spouse?

I truly respect y’all’s choices about changing your name, whatever they are. For me, I really struggled with the decision to change my name to his when we got married. We were not planning to have children, so it really just boiled down to me mentally thrashing, “It’s my identity!”

But it would make him happy. And I really liked making him happy.

So I changed my last name to his.