Single Mother Survival Guide

No one enters into a relationship with the intention of separating from their partner someday. So it's no surprise that a separation or divorce can become a rollercoaster of emotions even for the most level-headed individuals. It's a big adjustment! Until recently you had shared hopes and dreams with your partner, and suddenly it's all gone. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and confused and as if you...

In this week's episode, I talk about managing emotions. When you're a single mum, you may encounter twice the stress, twice the frustration, and twice the burnout that traditional father and mother parenting may experience. It is important to tune in and manage your emotions well because you have a huge influence on your child's development. Learning to manage your own reactions is one of the most...

This week we are celebrating our 6 th podcast anniversary! Greg joins me on the show this week. It's just us having a chat on how the show has evolved over the years. We reminisce about our memorable travel moments, past guests and learnings, planning for our wedding, life in Goondiwindi, and Greg's top relationship tips. Even my daughter pops in to say hello! This show started as a small passion...

Today I talk with you about emotions. How we live and interact with others is influenced by our emotions. It could even be said that we are ruled by our emotions. We make decisions based on whether we are happy, angry, or sad. It's important to understand how your emotions are expressed and the impact they have on your actions because they can help us navigate life with ease. In this episode, I ta...

You can probably recall situations in your life that have made you uncomfortable. Right now, you may already be trapped in a cycle of avoidance without even knowing it. Avoidance in general are actions a person takes to escape from difficult thoughts and feelings. It may cause panic and anxiety when not managed properly. And you may find yourself restricting your life as you avoid people, events,...

In this week's episode, I talk about emotions, managing emotions, and how they can affect our body if we avoid dealing with them. When emotional trauma occurs, there is the choice to either deal with the emotions effectively or avoid them. For many people, avoidance becomes their primary coping mechanism, because the trauma is too painful to deal with at the time. Or it may be because there isn't...

Moving forward after a crisis can be really tough. And becoming a single mum can definitely be a crisis. A crisis can also be something such as struggling with anger, loneliness, fatigue, financial worries, and a whole array of emotions that you might be going through. And when we're dealing with a crisis, we might be carrying all the stress ourselves, carrying it on our shoulders, as we embark on...

In this week's episode, I talk about asking for help. As single mums, we often struggle to ask for help. You might feel you want to do it all, but it can be very exhausting. Others may not have trouble asking for help. But for those of us who do, I share my thoughts on why many of us are reluctant to ask for help. I also talk about practicing discernment on who to ask and when the appropriate time...

This week on the show, I have Isabelle Silbery joining me. Isabelle is a reality TV star who shined into the limelight as one of the members of 'The Silberys' in Gogglebox Australia. She is the youngest member of 'The Silberys' alongside her mother (Kerry) and grandmother (Emmie), bringing multi-generational women's relationships and voices to TV screens every week. They have recently written a bo...

In this week's episode, I talk about boundaries from a single mum's perspective. This is a very difficult time for many single mums as they transition to single or co-parenting after separation. Having healthy boundaries enables you to learn to say no to situations that do not align with your values. Today I discuss some traits of someone with rigid boundaries and someone with healthy boundaries a...

In this week's episode, I talk about worry and how to manage it. As mums, we can all relate to feeling worried at one time or another.  We tend to have a lot of things on our plate as we juggle issues that come with separation, home, and work-life. In this episode, I talk about the different things we often worry about and I share tips on what we can do to deal with worry, and specifically five wa...

In this week's episode, I talk about habits and how they can be used as part of your goal-setting process. I believe that setting goals can help create the life that you want. These habits that I talk about have helped me achieve many of the goals I have set for myself, and because of that, I am able to live life more purposefully toward the life I want to live. Today I introduce ten habits that w...

In this week's episode, I talk about decision-making and the questions you can ask yourself to help you reflect when you are making your decisions. Getting into the habit of asking yourself these reflection questions can help you gain clarity and creates that inner dialogue to help you examine your own thoughts and feelings before making the tough and big decisions that will need to be made when y...

In this week's episode, I talk about the four biggest mindset mistakes single mums can make when making decisions and some tips on how to avoid them. Do you recognise one or more in yourself right now?  It's something I've identified in many of my single mum coaching clients.  It is my hope that this episode helps you overcome these mindset mistakes, helps you explore all your options, and ultimat...

This week's episode is very special for two reasons – It's my 300 th episode, woohoo! This is the first time I have my partner Greg joining me on the show! In this episode, Greg and I chat about dating, new relationships, and the blending of families.  We cover: How we got back into dating after separation. Things to consider before dating again. Setting boundaries when dating. The top 3 words to...

In this week's episode, I discuss finding joy in your everyday life. I often get messages from other single mums out there who tell me how lucky I am that I found my happiness and that I have support from my loved ones in my single mum journey. What many people don't understand is the importance of having the right mindset. Going through separation or divorce can really bog you down; it is a diffi...

In this episode, I talk about understanding our conflict triggers. A trigger is something that gives us an immediate, intense reaction. They come from within us and are about how we react to a situation. Generally, they come from a real threat, or more commonly, a perceived threat; a FEAR (false evidence appearing real). Conflict triggers are strong emotions that can cause rifts, resentments, and...

In this episode, I talk about the ten steps to take when embarking on the divorce or separation journey and becoming a single mum. Navigating life as a single mum can be, at first, overwhelming. You might be feeling sad, scared, or even relieved. I know it can be scary tackling a new and uncertain future. But life can get even better and you can be fulfilled and thrive in life, even as a single mu...

In this episode, I talk about what steps to take when taking the high road when going through a divorce or separation. In last week's episode, I talked about taking the high road after separation whilst dealing with heartbreak at the same time. In this episode, we go deeper into the topic of taking the high road. This is really hard to do when emotions are high, especially as you go through the st...

In this episode, I talk about taking the high road after separation whilst dealing with heartbreak and going through the grief cycle at the same time. This tough phase is something I help my one-on-one clients with. I get it, emotions can become intense when communicating with your ex after separation.   There are benefits to choosing your words carefully and respecting your ex (even if they don't...

This week, I discuss holistic healing. Nowadays it is important to have a healthy approach to all aspects of our well-being - spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional. This is where we can make a change and a lasting improvement in our quality of life.  A holistic approach to healing is something I offer to my clients. This is also something I share with my Thrive Tribe family. Today I will shar...

In this week's episode, I have Vikki Stark joining me. Vikki is an internationally known psychotherapist, speaker, author, divorce recovery expert, and the director of the Sedona Counselling Centre of Montreal. She's particularly known for her groundbreaking book, Runaway Husbands , which has led her to mentor a worldwide community of women recovering from unexpected divorce. She has written two o...

This week on the show, I talk about high-conflict personalities in divorce. This is a huge topic. We all know divorce is rarely an easy situation as it is, it is highly emotional and costly. Add a high conflict personality in? And it is much more difficult! In this episode, I discuss: The difference between a "normal" divorce and a high conflict divorce. What it is like dealing with a spouse who h...

In this episode, I answer a question I received and addressed in my recent Tuesday Struggle Strategy Session in the Single Mother Survival Guide Support Forum. Here, I am sharing my answer because I think it's a great question. It was a question that is quite hard to admit to, a mindset that holds us back and I'm pretty sure we can all relate to it.  The question I addressed was:  Hi Julia, I have...

In this episode, I discuss divorce coaching - what it is, why you need a divorce coach if you are considering getting a divorce, and how it can help you.  As a certified divorce coach, I am very passionate about helping single mums overcome challenges, make the best out of a very difficult situation, and thrive.  I share: My own experience with divorce as a child. The positive and negative impacts...