Start Your Comeback: Rebuilding after Divorce, Empty Nest, and Loss of Spouse

What happens when a twenty-five-year marriage ends without warning? In this episode of Start Your Comeback , Toni talks with emotional well-being expert, artist, keynote speaker, and best-selling author Elizabeth Jane about rebuilding life after the sudden end of her marriage. Elizabeth shares how shock sent her into what she describes as emotional quicksand—and the practical tools that helped her...

What happens when you have been holding everything together for so long that you no longer know how to simply be still? In Episode 141 of the Start Your Comeback podcast, Toni sits down with author, entrepreneur, and meditation teacher Katherine Chestnut for an honest conversation about survival mode, divorce, mindfulness, and rebuilding a life filled with joy. After spending 30 years in corporate...

Every home has one. The junk drawer. A place where random items collect over time until we can barely find what we're looking for. The same thing happens in our lives. During seasons of divorce, empty nesting, retirement, loss, or major life transitions, we often accumulate emotional clutter that keeps us from moving forward. Fear. Comparison. Old stories. The need for certainty. Waiting unti...

What if you stopped measuring your progress by how far you still have to go and started measuring it by how far you've come?  Businesses issue quarterly reports. Great coaches assess what's working and what needs adjustment. Today, we're doing the same thing for your comeback. In this episode, we're taking a Quarterly Comeback Report to determine where you are in your transitio...

How many times have you said "I'm sorry" today? Sorry for asking. Sorry for taking up space. Sorry for saying no. Sorry for changing. Sorry for becoming someone new. For many women, apologizing becomes second nature, especially during seasons of transition. Whether you're navigating divorce, an empty nest, retirement, career changes, or simply reintroducing yourself to the worl...

One day you're packing lunches, driving to practices, and helping with homework. The next day, you're standing in a quiet house wondering what happened. Empty nesting is one of the most emotional transitions a woman can face. While everyone celebrates the child leaving home, very few people talk about the grief, loneliness, identity shifts, and uncertainty parents often experience. In th...

When life changes, many of us instinctively pull back, isolate, and try to carry the weight alone. But today’s episode is a reminder that healing, growth, and transformation were never meant to happen in isolation. In this heartfelt episode, Toni shares two conversations that reminded her of a powerful truth: You cannot do the thing alone. Whether you are walking through divorce, retirement, empty...

In this heartfelt episode, Toni pauses to say thank you to every listener, reader, and supporter of Start Your Comeback. From the bottom of her heart, thank you for buying the book, sharing it with friends, posting about it online, and believing in the message that your transition is not the end of your story. If you are currently navigating divorce, retirement, grief, empty nesting, career change...

Lisa Johnson knows what it feels like to walk through absolute chaos and somehow keep standing. In today’s episode, I sit down with Lisa, co-founder of Been There, Got Out, high-conflict divorce strategist, certified domestic violence advocate, and someone who represented herself through nearly a decade of court battles. Her published case in Connecticut became legal precedent, and her testimony h...

If you’re feeling stuck, uncertain, or like life just knocked you off your rhythm—this episode is for you. Transitions have a way of showing up uninvited. Whether it’s divorce, retirement, an empty nest, or a career shift, they can leave you feeling like you’ve been sidelined. But what if you’re not stuck? What if you’re just… on the bench? In today’s episode, Toni walks you through the truth abou...

Grief touches every life eventually, yet most people still do not know how to talk about it, walk through it, or help someone carry it well. In today’s conversation, I sit down with grief and resilience mentor Lynn Beis, who helps widows move from loneliness to connection and reclaim joy as they build a meaningful new chapter. Lynn shares her own deeply personal story of loss — losing her brother,...

Transitions do not always arrive one at a time. Sometimes the season that began a year ago quietly turns into another season altogether. What started as one life change becomes another layer of adjustment, grief, decision-making, and rebuilding. In this episode, Toni talks honestly about the emotional weight of layered transitions—especially when divorce and becoming an empty nester happened at th...

In this episode, I sit down with Magic Barclay , a woman whose story honestly leaves you shaking your head in amazement—in the best way. Magic has walked through more than most people face in several lifetimes: single motherhood, raising two autistic children, cancer, Lyme disease, stroke, diabetes, heart attack, and repeated moments where life demanded she begin again. Yet through every setback,...

Before any major life transition becomes visible on the outside, there is almost always a quiet internal battle happening first. In this episode, Toni talks honestly about what happens in the mind and heart before you make a big decision—whether that is divorce, retirement, a job change, launching something new, or finally admitting that life can no longer stay the same. Why do we question ourselv...

Easter has a way of reminding us that faith does not remove hard things—it teaches us how to walk through them differently. In this short episode, Toni reflects on a truth many of us eventually learn: life does not necessarily get easier, but we do learn how to handle hard better. Through the example of Jesus, we see what it looks like to face suffering with grace, courage, and a fierce loyalty to...

What happens after the major decision is made? In this second part of my comeback story, I share the reality no one really talks about after divorce and major life change: the quiet weight of realizing every decision now belongs to you. From finances and daily choices to learning how to trust yourself again, this season often feels less dramatic than shock — but far more uncertain. This is what I...

For years on the Start Your Comeback Podcast , Toni has interviewed guests about life transitions, unexpected change, and what it takes to move forward when life does not unfold the way we planned. In this deeply personal episode, she shares part of her own story. After twenty-five years of marriage, raising two sons, building a home, and living what looked like a steady life from the outside, eve...

In this episode: Why the middle of a life transition is where most people feel like quitting How slow progress can still be real progress Why discomfort does not mean defeat The difference between being stuck and being formed A first look at the upcoming book and workbook release A preview of Toni’s personal comeback story coming over the next two episodes Key reminder: You do not need the full pi...

Life transitions don’t just affect our emotions—they affect our finances too. And for many people, money becomes the silent stressor behind major life changes like divorce, job loss, or unexpected career shifts. In this episode, Toni sits down with David Nassief, author of One Page Wealth Compass , whose personal story proves that it is never too late to rebuild your financial future. At age 63, D...

You’re Not Behind: You’re in a Stage: Shock, Limbo & Re-Entry In this solo episode, we’re hitting pause after several incredible guest interviews to talk about something I hear constantly from listeners: “I thought I’d be further along by now.” If you’ve ever felt embarrassed, frustrated, or behind during a life transition, this episode is your reset. Because major life changes don’t move acco...

In this episode, Toni sits down with Erica Richmond , author, speaker, and writing coach, for a powerful conversation about storytelling, grief, and writing from a place of safety. Erica is the founder of Open Sky Stories , the author of the Pixie Children’s Series, and the creator behind the forthcoming creative nonfiction manuscript Yelling at Dead People —a deeply honest collection of essays on...

Stuck in a Relationship That Isn’t Working? A Negotiation Expert on Divorce, Dating After Divorce, and How to Decide Whether to Stay or Go What if the hardest part of a relationship isn’t the conflict—but the indecision ? In this powerful episode of Start Your Comeback , Toni Thrash sits down with Dr. Merideth Thompson , social scientist, negotiation expert, and founder of Partner Lab , for an hon...

Feeling stuck between “what now” and “who am I” after divorce can feel like standing on a field with the clock ticking and no play to run. We break the moment down and build it back up with intention, so you can stop surviving, start breathing, and move forward with purpose. We start by reframing the rebuild: it doesn’t begin with a five-year plan, it begins when you can breathe again. Toni shares...

Fear has a way of dressing up like anger, urgency, and endless what-ifs—especially when a marriage ends. We sat down with Dr. Lana Sneer, a licensed professional counselor, to unpack how to face the grief of divorce without letting it name your whole story. The throughline is simple but demanding: sit with fear long enough to hear what it’s saying, then move with intention toward hope, help, and a...

Divorce can yank the ground from under you and convince you that the only options are to fight harder or run faster. We take a different route with Dr. Lana Sneer, a licensed psychologist and school specialist with 35 years of experience, who shows why the first step is alignment, not action. Think of it like setting a broken bone: counseling doesn’t instantly heal the fracture, but it aligns the...