The lovely Michelle joined us on the podcast, to share not only parts of her story as a divorced mother, but also what she sees in the coaching practice with her clients. This recording hit home from the moment we started chatting, and I’m so excited to share this episode with you.

Pour a glass of wine and join us as we talk about…

-          The narrative we set for ourselves as divorced, single parents, to “compete” with the other parent and lose sight of our personal and parenting boundaries with our children

-          How to co-parent with someone you just don’t get along with anymore!

-          Parents understanding that they are still parents 24/7, even if their children are not with them in the visitation schedule (here, I shared a very personal example of my stepmom experience and a cringe moment I needed to navigate)

-          A pro tip shared by Michelle on how shared values can keep your co-parenting relationship grounded whether you get along or not

-          Focusing on your child and their life across two homes versus the obsession of the parenting plan and projecting your needs and hurt onto the other co-parent

-          Friends…the convo flowed from one incredible piece of advice to the next. DON’T MISS THIS EPISODE!!!

Join us as we deep dive into navigating single parenting after a divorce or separation and WHY food and nutrition is so important to manage stress, emotions and the wellbeing of our children. Gen spoke so passionately about food, her love for food and why nutritional health plays such a big part in her home for her as a woman her as a mom and importantly for her little boy.

Gen shares some great meal prep ideas, themed dinner night ideas and importantly why it is so important to keep cooking SIMPLE and for us NOT to hold ourselves to unrealistic standards and ideals of what parenting and cooking should be! It doesn’t have to be over complicated so be kind to yourself... Oh and did I mention she gave “breakfast for dinner” or “Nutella” a thumbs up as a food that is fun, fatty & contains fruit & fiber (the famous 4 F’s).

Sara and I spoke openly and vulnerably about self-loss, especially after divorce and what that phase of support and life could look like.

Divorce, failed relationship, feeling stuck and needing hope

The legal side of divorce

going through a divorce

Co-parenting

Taking your co-parenting to court

legal tips and advice

self care, skin care, tips, less is more, morning meetings, affirmations, mindset, positive mindset, woman supporting woman,

A podcast about divorce, grief and navigating the harder moments of the festive season when you dont have your kids with you

Putting your life back together again after your husband cheats on you

Meeting a man with kids in your 20s and becoming a stepmom. Challenges, struggles and how they put together their kick ass blended family life

Dealing with the shock that your marriage is over. Healing and re building your life

co-parenting, boundaries, expectations and emotional triggers

From the process of separation, the learning curve of life after divorce and navigating all the unknown territories of co-parenting with your ex, Steyn spoke about IT ALL! He was brutally honest, straight forward and said it like it is. There was no room left for interpretation. This episode was a breath of fresh air and resonates on so many levels.

Ladies pour the wine, grab your man and let them listen to this immersive journey and wise words of a father, divorcee and business man STEYN VERMAAS.

Episode chat:

- Marriage and divorce and why this is so hard…

- The process of divorce, belief systems and divorce guilt through a males lens

- Divorce in a small town – the gossip, the rumours and the change of behaviour from people you used to consider friends

- Knowing your truth irrespective of small town gossip

- The important of family and a support system during one of the hardest and loneliest phases of life

- Giving yourself permission to leave – “sometimes two people are just not meant to be together”

- Navigating divorce and figuring out what life after divorce looks like for you, your ex and your child

- Figuring it out for your children. It’s not a TUG OF WAR!

- How Steyn fathers his daughter across two homes, the challenges and struggles that comes with it

- Why boundaries with your EX are so important – “avoid the drama and conflict”

- Blended family life, the ups and downs and the joy of having an OURS BABY

- Why YOU deserve to be happy!

- A silver lining after divorce …Steyn shares his thoughts ON IF a silver lining exists?!

Do you know to support your BESTIE through one of the hardest phases of life?

Jumping into an episode recording with Susan was soul food. Susan Abdul is a human with the biggest heart, the kindest soul and the wisest words. This woman was my rock during my divorce. She was my family, my friend, my counsellor, my coach, my advisor and also my outfit approver. In this recording we jump into MY STORY. MY DIVORCE. MY STRUGGLES and how Susan, MY BESTIE, walked every step of the journey with me.

Episode chat:

- Two friends chatting and inviting you into their conversation about divorce

- Reflecting on my story and the challenges of divorce

- Susan’s perceptions of what life looked like for me during that time

- Susan’s reflections on support, family challenges and the impact of belief systems when it comes to divorce

- The impact of not having your family and friends to rely on - Tapping into my own experience

- Owning your story and not having to explain your decision to leave to the people around you

- Owning the phases associated to pre and post divorce – even the extra glass of wine!

- How to show up for your friend during a time of divorce

This episode is all about the truths & practical examples of what a stepmom, mother, wife, entrepreneur and woman navigate through in blended family life. The raw truths we don’t share enough and yet need to hear the MOST!

Littish Swarts, female entrepreneur, mom of 5, happily married and one of the sweetest souls you will ever meet, shares her story. Her truth. Her vulnerabilities and her TIPS of how she navigates it all.

An episode that shares the realness around making the decision to leave your marriage.

Hloni Tshabalala, joins us on the podcast sharing her journey of divorce, her healing and her current co-parenting struggles. DOWNLOAD this episode. SAVE this episode, because it is one you WILL want to listen to a few times.

What this episode is all about:

- Making the hard decision to leave your marriage

- Trying to find the balance between helping your children and family through the hurt without forgetting about WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH!

- The hard struggle of telling your family you are getting a divorce

- Social, religious and cultural guilt triggers

- Trying to figure out this thing called “co-parenting”

- Acknowledging how hard it is to co-parent with someone you “still haven’t forgiven”

- Being real and not competing with the other parent

- Showing up for your children and YOURSELF

- Advice and words of reflection from the beautiful Hloni

- And so much more…

Book Author of ‘Moms Moving On’ and Divorce Coach, Michelle Dempsey-Multack was on the Blending & Mending podcast. She is KIND. She is WISE and she CALLS IS LIKE IT IS! My favourite piece of advice from Michelle, in this episode was “KNOW YOU’RE ROLE”...Just power!

She shares her journey of blended family life, her learnings, memories and mistakes to avoid. Episode show notes:

• Her deep appreciation for HER family, HER daughter, HER husband & HER step-daughter

• How her and her husband navigated the early days of dating, meeting the kids and integrating as a family unit

• Why “timing is everything”

• Critical mistakes step-parents can avoid

• Why it's important to “know your role” as a step-parent • The highs & lows of blended family life

• Navigating parenting and discipline styles in her new blended home

• The importance of “sticking through the hard stuff” • Accepting you cannot be first place in your blended family dynamic

• Her book: Moms Moving On… & where you can get it

• WHY she wrote her book and WHO her greatest cheer leader was 😊

• So much more…!

A topic that so many of us can relate to…breaks-ups and the process of healing!

Joash Narainsamy, a global wellness leader and a dear friend of mine, shares with us his breakup from a 13-year relationship. He openly discusses his relationship dynamic with his ex, their joys, their struggles, and his breaking point to leave a life that he KNEW and LOVED…to find a life that would BETTER SERVE HIM.

This episode is as real as it gets!! We laughed, we shared and spoke vulnerably about not only matters of the heart, but the physical elements of a relationships too. You don’t want to miss this!

Dating after divorce can be a tricky! Where do you even start to cast your ‘dating net’ to find the person you are looking for?

Marlyn Jose, who I’m dubbing our ‘Blending & Mending Dating Expert’ is here to share her experience, advise and dating tips with YOU. This episode is loaded with self-reflection, moments of laughter, tips on how to navigate dating, dating apps and what YOU NEED TO START GETTING SPECIFIC ABOUT in terms of what you are looking for in a future partner.

Episode show notes:

- Why healing your own trauma is so important before you even start to consider the dating scene again

- The importance of embracing being single and ‘CLAIMING YOU BACK’!

- Becoming SPECIFIC with what you are looking for and what your ‘DEAL BREAKERS’ are in your next life chapter

- Removing the misconception that dating apps are ‘bad’

- Tips on dating and using dating apps

- Marlyns ‘90-day dating rule’

- When to introduce your child(ren) to your new partner

- When is the right time to tap into that awkward conversation of telling your spouse you are dating someone new

An episode on creating the life that you want for YOURSELF AFTER DIVORCE.

Dr Suzanne Vickberg joins us on the podcast to share her story on challenging divorce stigmas and creating a divorced life that works for you and your family.

Her discussion talks through the process of loss that divorced couples face and how her and her ex-husband were aware of NOT wanting to lose their family unit after their separation & divorce. Today, 13 years later, Suzanne lives with her two children, her ex-husband and his wife, Anna. She shares how they are thriving as a family unit and as a divorced couple. It’s an inspiring and authentic conversation to empower you to make decisions in your life and as part of your divorce process that works for you… irrespective of what society may think!