333. Is It Regret… or Divorce Grief? Why Leaving a Marriage Can Feel Like a Mistake

Dear Divorce Diary: A Fresh Approach To Healing Grief & Building A Life Of Confidence After Divorce

Dear Divorce Diary: A Fresh Approach To Healing Grief & Building A Life Of Confidence After Divorce
333. Is It Regret… or Divorce Grief? Why Leaving a Marriage Can Feel Like a Mistake
Apr 07, 2026 Season 5 Episode 333
My Coach Dawn

There’s a moment after leaving a marriage that is hard to prepare for...

It’s quiet. Disorienting. And often filled with a question that feels impossible to answer:

“Did I just make a mistake?”

In this episode, I’m joined by Nicole Sodoma, a marriage-loving divorce attorney with over two decades of experience—someone who has seen behind the scenes of thousands of relationships, and lived through divorce herself.

Together, we unpack one of the most misunderstood emotional experiences in divorce:

👉 The difference between regret and divorce grief

Because what many women interpret as:

  •  “I should go back.” 
  •  “Maybe I gave up too soon.” 
  •  “What if I ruined everything?” 

…is often something else entirely.

Something that deserves to be understood—not feared.

This conversation goes beyond emotion and into the real patterns that keep women stuck or second-guessing themselves:

  •  Why financial fear quietly keeps women in unhappy marriages 
  •  How not knowing what you want can feel safer than choosing change 
  •  The subtle ways women misread their own capabilities and choices
  •  Why so many couples wait until it’s too late to use the tools that could have helped 
  •  What divorce attorneys see every day that most women never realize until they’re in it 

And maybe most importantly:

How to recognize whether you’re being called to pause… or move forward

This episode will help you name the thing under the thing—so you can stop questioning yourself and start understanding what your body is actually trying to process.

In This Episode, We Explore:

  •  Divorce grief vs. regret: how to tell the difference 
  •  Why leaving a marriage can feel like a mistake—even when it isn’t 
  •  The role of the nervous system in post-divorce doubt 
  •  Financial dependence, fear, and the cost of staying too long 
  •  Identity loss in marriage—and how it impacts decision-making 
  •  What women consistently underestimate about themselves in divorce 
  •  The power of choice (even when it doesn’t feel like you have one) 

As you listen, notice:

Am I actually regretting my decision…
 or am I grieving the life I thought I would have?

There’s a difference.
And understanding it could change everything.

Read Nicole's Book: 

Please Don't Say You're Sorry: An Empowering Perspective on Marriage, Separation, and Divorce from a Marriage-Loving Divorce Attorney


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyCoachDawn

Instagram: (@dawnwiggins)

Instagram: (@coachtiffini)

On the Web: https://www.mycoachdawn.com

A podcast exploring the journey of life after divorce, delving into topics like divorce grief, loneliness, anxiety, manifesting, the impact of different attachment styles and codependency, setting healthy boundaries, energy healing with homeopathy, managing the nervous system during divorce depression, understanding the stages of divorce grief, and using the Law of Attraction and EMDR therapy in the process of building your confi

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Episode Artwork 333. Is It Regret… or Divorce Grief? Why Leaving a Marriage Can Feel Like a Mistake 52:08 Episode Artwork 332. Beautiful Badass Mode Activated: Step Into Your Power & Own Today 3:45 Episode Artwork 331. “You're Not Crazy": Why Your Body Feels Off After Divorce (Even When Labs Say You're Fine) 41:29 Episode Artwork Ep. 330 Behind the Mic: The Parts of Post-Divorce Sex & Desire We Usually Hide 2:35 Episode Artwork 329. Divorce Grief & Loneliness: That “I Just Want to Feel Wanted” Feeling 50:14 Episode Artwork Ep. 328 Divorce Anxiety: When You Can’t See Your Future, Do This 2:36 Episode Artwork 327. Divorce, Litigation, and the Nervous System: Why You Feel Like You’re Falling Apart 37:05 Episode Artwork Ep. 326 - Why So Many Divorced Women Don’t Trust Their Own Intuition 3:45 Episode Artwork 325. Divorce and the Death of the Future: Grieving What Was Supposed to Be 39:01 Episode Artwork Ep. 324 - The 10 Women Living Inside Your Divorce - Which One Are You? 3:02 Episode Artwork 323. There Is No Meal Train for Divorce Grief: Grieving Someone Who’s Still Alive 41:34 Episode Artwork Ep. 322 - They Only Hear Me When I’m Angry: Codependency, Suppressed Rage & Healthy Conflict After Divorce 1:45 Episode Artwork 321. The Divorce Diet: From Midnight Bingeing to Appetite Loss - What Your Body Is Really Asking For 35:17 Episode Artwork Ep. 320 - Brené Brown’s Shame Question That Changed My Divorce Healing Forever 2:05 Episode Artwork 319. Divorce Wake-Up Call: Why Your Marriage Ended & How Masculine-Feminine Polarity Can Heal the Next Chapter – GS Youngblood Interview 48:12 Episode Artwork Ep. 318 - Divorce Unfairness: The Lie We Tell Ourselves That Keeps Us Stuck & Resentful (Premium Panel Rant) 3:06 Episode Artwork 317. Divorce Co-Parenting Anxiety: Why Being the Bigger Person Is Killing Your Healing (And What to Do Instead) 31:28 Episode Artwork Ep. 316 - After Divorce: The Part of Me That Keeps Accepting Less Than I Deserve 1:58 Episode Artwork 315. Divorce Left You Toothpick-Eyelid Tired? Why Sleep Doesn’t Recharge Your Cells Anymore 42:37 Episode Artwork Ep. 314 - What to Do When You’re "Divorce Exhausted" but Can’t Drop the Ball 2:46 Episode Artwork 313. Divorce, Faith, and the Cost of Marrying an Under-Functioning Man 42:18 Episode Artwork EP. 312 - Behind the Mic: Divorce, Dissociation & Trauma...What Happened to Us? 2:09 Episode Artwork 311. Overeating, Screen Time, and Emotional Numbing Aren’t the Problem During Divorce But This Is... 42:15 Episode Artwork Ep. 310 - Divorce Anxiety & Overwhelm: A Guided Reset for Letting Go Without Falling Apart 2:01 Episode Artwork 309. Divorce Hypervigilance & Overanalyzing: The Cost of Being the Only Adult In the Room 35:40