Divorce Happens

The first thing Samantha Boss tells us is that she did everything “wrong” the first time. It’s disarming and honest, the kind of confession that lets your shoulders drop. In this conversation, the Alabama-based divorce strategist—once a teacher, briefly a mediator, and now a high-conflict divorce coach with a fierce TikTok community—walks us through the moment her own life cracked open. She planne...

The end of a marriage is never just paperwork—it’s an unraveling of identity, home, and history. In this deeply candid episode, we sit down with Kate Anthony, renowned divorce coach and host of The Divorce Survival Guide Podcast , to talk about what it really means to move through divorce with clarity and courage. Kate has spent over a decade guiding thousands of women through one of life’s most p...

After divorce, many entrepreneurs find themselves unsure how to lead again—how to rebuild not just a business, but a sense of self. In this episode of Divorce Happens , we sit down with Chedva “Vivi” Ludmir , a business strategist, speaker, and Fresh Starts Expert who helps founders move from reactive survival mode into intentional, empowered leadership. Known for her work with women and service-b...

The first days of divorce can feel like standing at the edge of a cliff—heart racing, mind spinning, and unsure where to step next. In this episode of Divorce Happens , we sit down with Meghan O’Malley , divorce coach, mediator, JD, and Fresh Starts Expert, who specializes in helping people find clarity, confidence, and calm at the very beginning of their divorce journey. With a background in law...

Asking for help during divorce can feel impossible—especially when the world expects you to carry it all alone. In this powerful episode of Divorce Happens , we sit down with Lisa Lisser , a certified divorce and co-parenting coach and Fresh Starts Expert, to talk about what it really means to find the courage to ask for support. With compassion, clarity, and years of experience guiding clients th...

When you’re standing at the crossroads of divorce, one of the most overwhelming questions is whether the process will be uncontested—or turn into a lengthy, contested battle. In this episode of Divorce Happens , we sit down with Renee Turner, a respected family law attorney and Fresh Starts Expert, to explore the reality of uncontested divorce and what it takes for this path to truly work. Drawing...

After divorce, the world can feel like it’s spinning out of control. Even the smallest tasks—washing your hair, eating a real meal, or getting out of bed—can feel like climbing a mountain. In this powerful episode of Divorce Happens , divorce recovery guide and somatic practitioner Madisen Rose brings honesty and compassion to one of the hardest realities of post-divorce life: sometimes the basics...

Losing your voice in marriage—whether through years of conflict, emotional neglect, or simply the slow erosion of self—can feel like one of the deepest wounds of divorce. It’s not just about starting over with a new home or co-parenting schedule. It’s about remembering who you are, and daring to put words around that identity again. In this episode of Divorce Happens , we explore what it really me...

Music has a way of reaching the places words can’t, and in times of family transition, those quiet melodies often hold the most healing. In this episode of Divorce Happens , host Olivia Howell sits down with Mama Nous , a singer-songwriter who has reimagined what children’s music can be. Far from the repetitive jingles many of us grew up with, her songs are rich with emotional intelligence, compas...

When you’re sitting at the mediation table and someone asks, “What do you want?” it can feel like a trick question. In this episode of Divorce Happens , Olivia Howell sits down with certified ADR divorce coach, pre-mediation coach, and trauma-informed coach Lyerly Spongberg , to unpack why that deceptively simple question is the key to unlocking better outcomes in divorce. With warmth and candor,...

Divorce has a way of silencing even the loudest voices. In this episode of Divorce Happens , Olivia Howell sits down with Chedva Ludmir—business strategist, mentor, and the founder of Consider Labs—to talk about what it really means to lose your confidence in the storm of separation. Chedva knows this terrain not only as a strategist who guides entrepreneurs but as someone who has walked through d...

Divorce rarely ends at the signing of papers. It lingers in the day-to-day decisions, the cast of new characters who enter the family orbit, and the quiet ways insecurity, judgment, or outside voices can unsettle the fragile ecosystem of co-parenting. In this episode of Divorce Happens , Olivia sits down with relationship coach Anna Howerton, who not only works with clients navigating these moment...

Divorce has a way of cracking us open, forcing us to confront truths we may have avoided, and reshaping the way we move through the world. In this episode of Divorce Happens , I sit down with Amanda Goetz—two-time founder, four-time CMO, and author of the upcoming book Toxic Grit —to talk about the lessons she learned while navigating her own high-stakes divorce. From financial shocks to emotional...

Divorce has a way of pulling everything to the surface—the grief, the guilt, the relief, the fear, and the hope. In this episode of Divorce Happens , Olivia sits down with relationship expert and EFT tapping practitioner Lizzy Gobst to explore what happens when all those emotions collide, and how to create space for them without being swallowed whole. Lizzy reminds us that mixed feelings don’t can...

The first truth Meredith Beardmore learned in divorce was deceptively simple: she wasn’t “crazy”—she was intuitive. In today’s conversation, Meredith—a therapist, author, and creator of the YouTube channel Men With Mare , where she offers therapeutic reactions to lyric-driven songs—walks us through the moment her body knew what her brain was not yet allowed to say out loud. The arguments that look...

The first friendships to change after divorce aren’t always the loud ones—they’re the quiet ones that stop texting back. In this episode, Olivia sits down with psychotherapist and relationship specialist Stevie Blum to name that ache and offer language for it. Stevie works with high-achieving women navigating life transitions, anxiety, and perfectionism, helping them “rewire” unhelpful patterns an...

The end of a marriage can feel like a storm—messy, disorienting, and all-consuming. But what if, instead of letting the wreckage define you, you saw it as the start of a completely different chapter? In this episode of Divorce Happens , I sit down with Michelle Dempsey-Multack , certified divorce and co-parenting specialist, trauma and resilience coach, and bestselling author of Moms Moving On . K...

Some divorces are quiet, others are catastrophic. For Sarah May, it was the latter—a marriage that imploded in betrayal and emotional abuse when she was just 24, followed by a decade-long healing journey she never expected. In this deeply moving episode, Sarah shares how that early unraveling forced her into a reckoning with her own story: her codependency, her childhood wounds, and the patterns t...

When your world falls apart, the idea of starting over can feel both impossible and overwhelming. In this emotionally rich episode of Divorce Happens , Olivia Howell sits down with Taylor Beck, certified ADR divorce coach and intuitive guide, to explore what it really means to move forward when you're feeling stuck in the wake of a life-changing separation. With warmth, humor, and hard-earned insi...

No one tells you that the real work begins after the divorce papers are signed. You’ve survived the legal battle, maybe even the emotional minefield—but now, you're left with silence, a new reality, and a nervous system that doesn’t know what safety feels like anymore. In this powerful episode of Divorce Happens , host Olivia Howell sits down with Madison Rose, CEO of Better Half to Whole and a so...

In this deeply honest episode of Divorce Happens , Olivia Howell sits down with writer and mother Elizabeth Wilson to talk about what really happens after you say, “I want a divorce.” Elizabeth shares the three most profound lessons she learned during her split: discovering her inner strength, reclaiming financial independence, and unlearning the fear of love after loss. Her story is one of resili...

When Heather Sweeney left her marriage, she wasn’t just walking away from a relationship—she was reclaiming an identity that had been lost in the shadows of military life. In this powerful and honest episode, Heather joins Olivia Howell to share the story behind her memoir Camouflage , diving into the fear, uncertainty, and ultimate freedom that came with her divorce journey. From feeling stuck an...

In this powerful episode of Divorce Happens , we sit down with Magalie René —CEO, reinvention architect, and multi-time divorce survivor—for a deeply honest and uplifting conversation about healing, transformation, and grace. Magalie opens up about the lessons she’s learned through multiple divorces, including how she turned moments of grief and uncertainty into stepping stones for reinvention. He...

In this powerful episode of Divorce Happens, host Olivia Howell welcomes back family psychotherapist and author Dr. Joanna Hulton for an emotional and illuminating conversation about parenting through divorce. Responding to a listener's heartfelt question, Dr. Hulton explores how children mirror their parents' emotional states—and why our efforts to protect them often backfire. Whether it’s lettin...

 In this deeply transformative episode, Olivia Howell welcomes energy healer and coach Maureen Magauran to dive into the energetics of healing during and after divorce. Maureen, formerly a holistic psychiatrist, invites listeners to view divorce not merely as an ending but as a powerful transition—akin to mourning a death—that demands grieving, letting go of old patterns, and reclaiming one’s...