Thrive & Decide Guide to Divorce and Beyond

Thriving Through Divorce: A Journey of Resilience, Co-Parenting, and New Beginnings

• Sarah Thress • Season 1 • Episode 1

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What happens when life takes unexpected turns, and you're left navigating the aftermath of divorce and starting over? Join me as I candidly share my journey from Oklahoma to Ohio, and how the complexities of marriage, career changes, and family life led to unexpected resilience. This episode opens up with the story of meeting my ex-husband, Kevin, at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and how our lives intertwined, only to separate as we prioritized our daughter, Addison's well-being amidst these life changes.

Navigating co-parenting after a divorce is no small feat, yet Kevin and I chose a path marked by trust and shared dedication to Addison's happiness. Together, we faced the emotional challenges of separation, focusing on creating a harmonious environment for our daughter. Even as we drifted apart, our commitment to Addison remained strong, and we established a rule to meet any new partners entering her life. Our story aims to offer hope and guidance to others journeying through similar experiences, proving that life and happiness can blossom beyond a marriage that wasn't meant to last.

Embracing personal growth, I ventured into new beginnings, earning an MBA and transitioning into a rewarding career in real estate. My path to self-discovery not only led to finding love again but also inspired the creation of my podcast and book, empowering first-time homebuyers. The episode also highlights the Thrive and Decide group, a supportive network for women navigating divorce or loss. Tune in for inspiring stories and insights on resilience and community, and discover how building strong support networks can empower you through life's most challenging hurdles.

Hi and welcome to Thrive and Decide. I’m your host Sarah Thress. This podcast is intended to help women who are going through a divorce, continplating divorce or have lost a spouse feel seen, heard, understood and not alone. All the beautiful souls who share on here are coming from a place of vulnerability and a common belief that sharing your story will help others. You will also hear from industry experts on what to do and not do while going through a divorce.


Sarah Thress
614-893-5885
Sarahthressrealtor@gmail.com
Thrive and Decide Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559936633799
https://www.facebook.com/SarahThressRealtor/
https://www.instagram.com/sarah_thress_realtor/

Real Estate Podcast Come To Find Out:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/come-to-find-out/id1704949604

Real Estate First Time Home Buyers course: https://sarahthress.graphy.com/

Sarah:

Welcome to Thrive and Decide. This is the first of many podcasts where women share their stories of divorce and loss and how they overcame the bump in the road to move on to their next chapter. So I figured I'd go first, because I can't expect others to share if I'm not going to be open and vulnerable too. This is not a man-hating podcast by any stretch of the means, so hopefully that's not why you came here. This is simply a way to show women they are seen, heard, understood and supported while going through a horrible journey. This first episode will share my story and how I got to this place in my journey. So, if I take it back to the beginning, I was born and raised in Oklahoma. I went to Oklahoma State University and when I graduated with my undergrad, I moved to Ohio and I did that to be closer to my family. My parents had lived here about a year and a half and my little sister was a senior in high school and I just wanted to be here for the last half of her senior year, and then I had planned to go to New York or Chicago and have this glamorous PR career because, you know, I had a degree in PR and that's what people do. So I moved to Ohio and quickly learned it was all about who I know. And since I knew nobody, I started searching for jobs, just like everyone else when they first get out of school, and that is how I ended up at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, which obviously is a rental car company, and they require you or at least they did when I was there they required you to have a college degree and had an entire management program, so a management trainee program. So within my first six months of being with the company I had been at a couple of different branches and got moved out to our airport location, which is where my now ex-husband, kevin, worked, and he was the assistant manager there.

Sarah:

So at the time I had been going through kind of a tough breakup with a guy that I thought that I was going to marry. Obviously, that didn't work out. So I became, you know, really good friends with Kevin and some other people that I worked with and ended up finding myself attracted to Kevin, which to me was very weird because he was not like anyone I had ever dated in the past. But I also knew that he had only lived in Ohio for six months, months and I had only been there six months. And so I figured, man, someone from South Carolina and someone from Oklahoma, obviously we were meant to be and we were meant to meet.

Sarah:

So we started dating and about three years into it then we decided to get married. And because at the time we were 27, almost 28, we knew that we wanted to kind of fast forward everything. So we wanted to get married and buy a house and have kids and you know all the things that everybody in their 20s, you know, is thinking about and trying to, you know, put together for themselves. So anyways, we got married. We did not take a honeymoon because we decided that we would rather save our money and buy a house and start a family. So instead we just kind of took a week off and just hung out and, you know, just kind of like we'd wake up every morning and decide what we wanted to do. Anyways, we then decided to purchase a house that same year. So we got married in July, bought a house in November and we started trying that next year and I was pregnant with our daughter on our first anniversary.

Sarah:

So again followed all, the, all the things we checked, all the boxes as we wanted to, the things. We checked all the boxes as we wanted to, and you know we're sticking to our plan. So then we have Addison, and at the time I was working at a travel agency and was doing corporate travel for a lot of different companies around the US, and so what that meant was that I had very crazy hours. I was working from 6pm to 2am, which obviously was not conducive for having a relationship with someone who worked normal quote unquote normal business hours. So by the time I was starting work, kevin was getting home from work and obviously whenever I was off work at 2am, he was already asleep and Addison was definitely on my sleep schedule, which I knew was not going to be awesome for her.

Sarah:

So I ended up getting a position at Ohio State University as a administrative assistant, and I loved that because, you know, I was able to be somewhere that I could see a future and see growth, be somewhere that I could see a future and see growth. But I also hated it because that meant that I was away from Addison a lot of the time, and as a first time mom with my child only being like six months old, that was. That was a lot, but I also knew that I was very lucky that I had been able to stay at home with her during maternity leave and also during the time that you know my schedule was so flexible that I was able to spend so much time with her. So, anyways, right after I started there, kevin was let go from Enterprise and he, you know, obviously was devastated, and I told him to take his time to figure out what it is that he wanted to do and to not just jump into the next job that he could find. So what that meant was he was staying home with Addison and making sure that she was taken care of, while also looking for a job. I will say he also was really good at making sure that the house was clean and that food was cooked and that all I had to do was go to work and then come home and spend time with Addison and with him.

Sarah:

So it was, you know, definitely a good trade off, but it did end up going on for 19 months, and I know what you're thinking is holy crap. 19 months, that's a really long time. But again, he saved us so much money in daycare, because if anybody you know listening has children and you know how expensive it is. It's like having another mortgage payment. So for him to do that it did honestly save us a lot of money. But it also meant that I had to get a second job. So I was working full time at OSU and was also waiting tables on the weekends. So I'd work about 55 hours during the week and then about 30 hours every weekend, just to be able to make sure that we were paying all of our bills on time and to make sure that, you know, obviously we could live.

Sarah:

So again, I know you're thinking, holy crap, 19 months you're working two jobs. Why was he not working? To be perfectly honest, it made the most financial sense for us, because that's how messed up our system is, because that's how messed up our system is For him to get unemployment. He made more doing that and getting unemployment than if he would have gone and gotten a job at, say, target or some other place, and that would have meant that if he worked hours that I was working, we would also have to put Addison in daycare, which again totally eliminates making that additional money. So it absolutely made the most sense for us. Whether it makes sense to anyone listening or not, I can't help you with that.

Sarah:

So, um, but anyways, as I was working these two jobs, he was finally able to get a job at a hospital and he loved it. And loved it so much that he was like, okay, I want to go back to school and I want to be a nurse. And of course I was so excited for him and very excited that he had figured out what it was that he wanted to do and that he had like a goal that he was working towards. So of course I was all in and I said, absolutely let's do this, because where he was working was paying for his schooling, so it again wasn't anything out of our pocket. So he starts his job at the hospital and starts his classes and slowly, over time.

Sarah:

Of course I didn't notice it, but looking back on it I see lots of, lots of signs that kind of point to. Neither of us was very happy, but I did not realize that I wasn't happy because. But I did not realize that I wasn't happy because, like I said, my whole life was wake up in the morning, go to work, come home, spend time with Addison, repeat. On the weekends Sometimes I wouldn't see her, and on Fridays especially, I never saw her because I went straight from one job to the next job, to the next. So you know, again to Kevin's credit, he did everything to make sure that when I was at home all I had to do was just focus on Addison. So it was again a great setup for us.

Sarah:

But, like I said, looking back I see that we were not super happy. He was working lots of long hours and sleeping on the couch a lot and we just were not in sync. And you know, we'd get to the point where we'd say, you know, maybe maybe we should separate and just, you know, kind of see where we're at and maybe come back together. And then neither of us would want that. And so we'd go back to you know saying, oh no, we're gonna be great, we're gonna, you know, we're gonna put in the effort this time I'm gonna make sure I'm not sleeping on the couch, I'm gonna, you know, I would say I'll be a better wife and, you know, be more attentive to things around the house. Because, again, I had gotten so used to just having to work and hang out with Addison that, you know, everything kind of fell on him to do around the house.

Sarah:

So, anyways, we then started therapy because it was very obvious that we needed someone on the outside that was not affiliated with either of us to kind of help us through this, and y'all will soon realize that I am a huge, huge, huge supporter of therapy. But you also have to make sure that you're finding the best therapist for you, because not all therapists are created equal, and our first therapist was really really good at talking about herself and turning everything we say into something about her. And at the time I didn't really realize it until we were in therapy and this is maybe a few months into it and all of a sudden Kevin turned to me and he was crying and he said I just don't love you anymore, I haven't loved you for years and I don't want to be in this marriage. And that's when our therapist decided to end the session and she was like, okay, well, obviously that was a big bombshell. I've got someone else waiting, so I'm sure we're going to want to revisit this, so let's go ahead and make sure that we're rescheduling. And to me that was such a gut punch to hear that and then the way that she handled it. We both quickly agreed that we would not be going back to her and that you know we would be trying to find a different therapist.

Sarah:

But, again, to Kevin's credit, he saw a lot of the things that I didn't see and he knew that even if we went to a new therapist, he had already made up his mind and knew that we were not the best fit and it just took a little bit for me to come around. So as we leave that therapy session, he goes home to be with Addison and I leave to go hang out with some friends, because I'm still just in shock. I can't even believe that those words came out of his mouth. Of course I was pissed because, you know, here I am working so much and doing so much to support him and then all of a sudden he drops that bomb that he doesn't love me and hasn't for years. So that obviously was the most hurtful, but just like I'm sure a lot of you did. Or do you think, well, this is just a blip. Or do you think, well, this is just a blip and we're going to get better, everything's going to be fine.

Sarah:

And so we, you know, found another therapist, and this therapist didn't share about themselves but also didn't talk. So we would literally sit there and just kind of look at each other until one of us would start talking and then we would look at our therapist for guidance and he would just kind of stare back at us. So we decided that, again, not the right fit, and he had made it very clear that, no matter what therapist we went to, he had already made up his mind and that the only reason he would continue therapy was to help us on our co-parenting. Because we knew for sure the most important thing to both of us was our daughter. Daughter, and we wanted to make sure that we didn't, you know, completely fuck her up and that we didn't, um, you know, just create a horrible situation for her. We didn't want her to have to choose or anything like that.

Sarah:

So he ended up moving out and so um, I know a lot of people listening did not have this as an option, but I was able to keep the house and I know how lucky I was that I could afford it and that I could stay there, especially because at the time, you know, obviously I was not in real estate and I didn't know. But I have since learned that if we had tried to sell our house the moment that he moved out, we would have lost about $25,000. And instead I was able to make it work. Now I will say that we did not go straight to attorneys and we did not go straight to creating legal documents or anything like that, and so a lot of this was done on trust. And again, I know that that is not everyone's situation, so please never take me sharing as me telling you that this is the only way to go. This is just what worked for us, and what I suggest for everyone is to find what works for you and what's in the best interest of your child.

Sarah:

So for us, we decided that being strong co-parents and being there for our child every step of the way was the most important thing to us. So we would do holidays together. I still remember several Christmas eves that he would stay at our house and stay on the couch so that he could be there to see Addison walking down the stairs and seeing what Santa brought her. So to me, that was such a huge thing for both of us to get to experience and since my biggest rule was that I will never miss a Christmas with her, this was really a great way for us to be able to both be there for her, and especially during the Santa Claus days, because, as we all know, those days don't last forever and they mean so much to children and to parents, you know, to see them so to us that that made the most sense.

Sarah:

We also traveled together. We actually took Addison to Disney World for a week at Thanksgiving one time, and at this time we had already been separated for over a year and my parents were there and my sister and her husband were there, and it was, to the outside world, just a big family vacation. I mean, we even shared a hotel room, separate beds, but we shared a hotel room because, again, just being there for Addison was the best for us and for her. So when my dad had asked if we all wanted to go to Disney World, I immediately asked if Kevin could go and asked my family to make sure that it was not awkward for him, because that's not fair. Because, again, like I've said a few times, he saw all the things that I didn't see until we started going through our divorce. So he would point out little things like hey, didn't you notice that we never went on date nights? And that was because I didn't want to be alone with you, because I don't really enjoy hanging out with you, and then you know he would point out things.

Sarah:

Uh, there was an instance where someone had invited me to play volleyball and this was at a family gathering his family and I was getting ready to jump in and play and he was like, oh no, you don't want her to play, she's not very athletic, and so you know, those types of things that you hear over and over again. They really kind of take away from your confidence and start breaking you down. But you don't realize that that's happening. And I don't think he said those things to be outright mean, I think he was being honest and I was not. If we're being honest now, so honestly, after you know, taking vacation with him and doing holidays together with him and still going to the pool with him and doing all of the things with Addison, I would continue, actually we'd both continue to get asked, you know, are you guys back together? Like what's going on? You know, how do you guys co-parent so well? You know, how do you guys co-parent so well? And that was always, you know, an easy answer that absolutely not. We're not getting back together and we do this for our daughter and, again to Kevin's credit. He always made sure people knew that it was mainly my choice and that I put in all of the effort to make sure that it stayed a normal quote unquote normal relationship for Addison, so that she could see both of her parents there for her, because, again, that was the most important thing to us.

Sarah:

I will say that, you know, I make it sound so great, but if I go back to those days I mean I'm over a decade out. When I go back to those days, though, I just remember how sad and alone I felt, and I was so ashamed that I was going through this divorce. And so, even though I would plaster in a smile and do everything to show the outside world that I was fine inside, I was actually really, really struggling. So for six months I would go to work and I never, even, never even talked about my divorce. I never even talked about having an issue. In fact, I still wore my ring because I didn't want anyone to know. So this is, you know, the six months after he dropped that big bombshell and had moved out and everything, and so I had started seeing a therapist for myself, and God, love her heart. She is worth her weight in gold and completely helped me through this time.

Sarah:

But, like I said, I would go through my days and I would have a smile on my face and I would tuck Addison in bed at night and then I would curl up in the fetal position in my bathroom and I would sob uncontrollably for at least an hour every single night. And obviously that gets very exhausting, because I would do that and then I'd get up the next day and I'd do the exact same thing. I would put a smile on my face and I'd get Addison ready and I'd get her to school and I'd go to work and I'd act like everything was great. And then I would come home and I'd put her to bed and I would sob. I would put her to bed and I would sob, and then the sobbing turned into drinking a lot of wine, a lot of wine, and, uh, it would start out, you know, just a glass or two at night, obviously after putting Addison to bed, and then it turned into basically a bottle of wine a night to basically a bottle of wine a night. And when we were at the grocery store and Addison pointed at the wine that I drink all the time and she said look, mom, it's your wine. I realized, yeah, okay, that's, that's got to stop too. Um, because none of this is is healthy. So, with the help of my therapist, you know, I was able to kind of get to uh, better, better self-help and better boundaries and and all of that stuff. So, um, thanks to her, uh, I am a much better version of myself, but I also continue to put in work to become the best version of myself.

Sarah:

So, anyways, we had been separated for a few years before I met my now husband and at the time we had an agreement that if we were going to bring anyone around Addison, the other person had to meet that other person and give their blessing. And we couldn't give like, oh, there's a red flag, because we just don't like that person. It had to be a legit reason and, again, it was just to make sure that neither of us were blinded by love or, you know, wanting or anything like that, and looking over a red flag that could potentially be something that could harm Addison or harm one of us. So that was always a really good rule to have. That was always a really good rule to have. And I still remember meeting, you know, kevin, the girl that he was dating, who now he's married to, and I just remember thinking, holy crap, she is amazing and she's going to be else being in Addison's life. I couldn't ask for somebody better than who she has in her life now. So, you know, it all obviously ended up working out really well.

Sarah:

Now I will say that our co-parenting is not as awesome as it used to be. We do not talk regularly and we don't have the same things in place where if there's a punishment here, it goes over to his house or vice versa, um, you know just little things like that. So, um, she is also 16 and able to drive and all of that stuff. So, uh, you know, it's a little bit different, um, but I will say I'm really, really glad that we did it the way that we did, because for us it made the most sense and I think it's pretty great that now Addison gets to see both her mom and her dad remarried and happy.

Sarah:

And, uh, it's interesting too because, uh, you know, like I had mentioned earlier, kevin and I didn't really go to attorneys right away. We didn't fill out legal paperwork, um, and it was all done on trust, and again, I know how lucky I am that this worked out. But we had a trust that you know, he would, uh, give a certain amount of money that we had agreed upon to me each month so that we were able to, you know, maintain the lifestyle that we had. So, basically, just child support. And, you know, neither of us were trying to take advantage of the other person or their kindness, and if there were things that Addison needed, most of the time I would just get them and not ask him for anything because I knew that he was already giving us so much. And I just wanted to make sure that, you know, addison didn't have one house that was awesome and one house that sucked, because, you know, the other person couldn't afford to make it any better, better. So, again, I know how lucky, you know, I was and we both were, to be able to make that work for as long as we did. So, um, you know, now it is, um, a little bit different and we're not as close.

Sarah:

Um, it did take us gosh six, seven years before we actually fully got divorced, and it's not because we were having some difficulty agreeing on anything. In fact, we always agreed on everything. It was just the matter of getting the paperwork done and getting it filed and just making it official work done and getting it filed and just making it official. So I still remember getting the papers, because when you file there is then a cooling off period here in Ohio where they want to make sure that you are sure about your decision. And I remember the papers came to the house and I opened it in front of Addison and I was like, oh my gosh, I was like your dad's divorcing me, you know, making a joke out of it. And she was like, oh my gosh, I thought you guys had already been divorced and I was like, nope, we have not, and you know.

Sarah:

So I was able to kind of like walk her through everything and and show her, you know, obviously at an age appropriate level that you know we were able to make it work for this long and now it's time to just be done and move on so that we can each have our own lives. And so, you know, I just I share all of this, just to be open and honest and vulnerable and to say that you know, during the time, especially that very first year, I was very, very sad and very lost. But I also believed that we were going to get back together. And so I think, once I found out that he was dating someone else not the person he's married to now, but someone else it really it hurt, but it was what I needed, because I knew deep, deep down inside that we were not the right fit. But trying to tell your heart that is very, very difficult.

Sarah:

And so through the years, honestly, I've had so many different people either that I've known or just met, just sit down and bare their souls and it really just it makes me happy to know that I'm able to help others by being vulnerable and being sharing, or sharing my story, because, like I said, for that first six months I didn't talk to anyone about it. I didn't even talk to more than a couple of close friends about what was going on. I just wanted to kind of bury my head in the sand, wait for this horrible dream to be over and to go back to, you know, living happily ever after, because I thought that's what happened when you got married. Uh, was that? You know? It was just happily ever after. And so obviously, what I've learned is that marriage is not always happily ever after, but it doesn't mean that it has to be the end of your life or the end of your happiness either. And, like I've mentioned a few times, kevin saw it before I did and he saw that we were not the right fit. And if I would have just continued to shove it down, chances are we maybe would still be married right now.

Sarah:

But I can't tell you that it would be a happy marriage and I can't tell you that it would have fulfilled either of us, and I don't think either of us were living up to our full expectations until we started talking more openly about the divorce and you know just, really, he and I talking about you know what went wrong and you know, just seeing that he was the right fit at the time and now he doesn't. In fact, as soon as I got engaged to my now husband, my daughter was like wow. To my now husband, my daughter was like wow, it's so crazy, I don't think I could ever even imagine you and dad together. And I was like, yeah, I know, I know, isn't it crazy that you know thinking about your dad and I together? At the time it made sense and everyone that knew us was like, oh my gosh, you guys are perfect. But I was like, and now you get to see both your parents be very happy and be with people that they were meant to be with, and these new partners that each of us have bring out the best in each of us and make us better people. And I don't know that we would still be the people we are today if we had stayed together. So you'll hear me talk a lot about things happening for a reason, and that you know. You just have to kind of follow the signs that are put out there in front of you, and you know there are different things that I did Like when I first started deciding it was time for me to date.

Sarah:

I literally went over a year without even considering a date, because I knew that I wanted to just focus on myself, because at the time I thought the divorce was my fault and how could I have let this happen? And I need to have let this happen, and I need to be a better wife and I need to be a better mom and what you know, what could I have done differently or better? And through therapy I was able to realize that it wasn't all me supposed to happen, and you know. So when I decided to start dating. I created a list Because, if any of you listening are like me and you start to date somebody and, even though there's red flags, you go oh well, I can change that, I can fix that.

Sarah:

Whether you know that you're doing it or not, you do it, or at least I did it, and so I made a list of things that I was looking for, and I was like what could I have in a partner? What if I could literally have a magic wand and I could create the absolute perfect partner for me? What would that person have? And what are some deal breakers Like? What are some things that, if they do this, I don't care who you are or how much money you make or what you look like, I don't care. We're not going to work out, and there's not going to be another date once I learn any, know, learn any of these deal breakers. So, um, I created my list and, just like in real estate, if you make a list and you can find 80% of that, then that is, you know, almost a perfect house. Um, so, almost a perfect partner if you can find 80% of it. And uh, and what I figured out, though, was that this saved me so much time because I would go out with someone and on that first date, if they didn't have 80% or they had one of the deal breakers, I was like, okay, and we're done, and it kept me from wasting a lot of time and a lot of energy on the wrong people. And literally no one made it past the first date except for one other person besides my husband, and that person only made it to the third date before. I was like, oh dear God, you've now shown me your true colors and we're we're done. So I will be doing several episodes on dating after divorce and sharing some of my stories. In fact, my therapist has often told me that I should make it a book. So at some point you'll see a book. But regardless, I share all of this just to show you that you can go through a really, really horrible time and you can either make that something that defines you in a good way or a bad way, and you can learn from it and you can move on and you can give yourself grace and you can become the best version of yourself.

Sarah:

Because once Kevin and I separated, I then continued on my career with development, so fundraising. So I was at Ohio State and fundraising there. And then I was at a small nonprofit, the Furniture Bank, and I was their director of development and I helped them create a couple of social enterprises. And then I also helped create the Bed Race, which is an amazing event that they do every year. Still, so loved that. And then I went into the director of development role at Grant Medical Center, and what I loved about that was that I got to help that underserved population and I also got to be back in the healthcare arena. So all was amazing healthcare arena. So all was amazing. And while I was there, I went back to school to get my MBA. I was almost 40. And that was my birthday.

Sarah:

Present to myself was getting my MBA. It was a goal that I had always had, and during my first marriage I realized that I had forgotten all my goals and I had forgotten all of my aspirations for myself and all the things that made me happy, and so it was really cool to then be able to say, okay, now I want to do this and just go do it. So I decided to get my MBA while I was taking classes. It was a very intense 14 months, and while I was taking my classes, I met a girl that did real estate and she said, oh my gosh, I think you'd be perfect in real estate. And I said, oh my gosh, no, I'm good, I've got, you know, I'm blending a family and I'm getting ready to get married, and I'm, I'm good. So then I, you know, got my MBA and continued to think about it and continue to go back to the idea of maybe it would make sense to have multiple streams of income.

Sarah:

So I started looking into getting my real estate license, and then I decided to separate ties with my employer and take a leap of faith and this is also due to my current husband, adam, totally supporting me and saying that he believed in me and my goals and so I left and started doing real estate and was going to do some consulting, and this was in 2020. And so, obviously, the whole world changed and the world shut down, and so my consulting went away and real estate became what I focused on, and I think that I've been really, really blessed to have the success that I've had so far in real estate. I created a podcast called Come to Find Out. So that is a different podcast than this, and I launched that over a year ago and it's all about first time home buying and selling and if you have not bought or sold in this market or in any market in the last five years, then you know this podcast is great for you.

Sarah:

I've also helped, you know, write a book for first time homebuyers and for sellers and also decided to continue to niche down into helping those underdog people because, as you have probably picked up on, that is a huge thing for me is focusing on, you know, kind of the underdog or the people that don't get focused on a lot. And so as I continued to go on this journey and figure out what it is that I wanted to do, because I knew I knew I wanted to do more and I wanted to help people in a different way, but I didn't know how and so as I continued to think about what do people come to me for advice? For the things that came up were real estate and divorce, and I started thinking about all the different people that I've helped, kind of coach, through divorce, all the people that have sat down and bared their souls to me after just meeting me, and I realized, okay, universe, God, whatever you want to believe in, I hear you, you're sending me all the signs, you're putting all the things I need to just take that leap of faith and decide that this is what I want to do. And so I niched into divorces and real estate but really wanted to create something for women to help them feel seen, heard, understood and supported during this horrible, horrible time. So I created Thrive and Decide and it's a program. So, if you're listening and you're here in Central Ohio, we do an event every other month and it's anything from, you know, wine tasting to intention bracelets to this month. We're doing practical magic, with many Reiki sessions and tarot card readings. And you know we're going to do mala beads and you know. So there's lots of different things that we do, but the idea behind these events is to create a tribe of women that can all come together to support each other while going through this horrible, horrible journey. And again, not everybody's as horrible, some are just okay, some are, you know, the worst things I've ever heard in my life. So, again, there is no one size fits all divorce. There's, you know, all types of things.

Sarah:

So the reason I created this second podcast called Thrive and Decide is so that women can come on and share their stories. They can talk about what they wish they had had during that time, how they wish you know someone would have shown up, or just you know what they learned. And again, not everybody's journey is the same, but we all can learn something from each other if we just listen, or we can just help someone feel seen, heard and understood and supported just by listening. So I have several episodes ready to drop and they'll come out over time. But I always let people know that if you want to change the names, you can. If you want to not say anything about the employer that you work for, that's fine too. The those details do not matter. It's how you feel and the events that led up to where you are now that are important. It's not the names or anything like that, because, again, this is not one of those podcasts where we come on and just shame people and man hate and all of that stuff. So we will have this podcast that will come out once a week. The Thrive and Decide group will have their events every other month.

Sarah:

The people that have helped me form Thrive and Decide are amazing women that have either gone through a divorce themselves or have witnessed their parents go through a divorce or they've had enough friends go through a divorce that they, you know, know how hard it can be.

Sarah:

But they all specialize in helping women when they're going through this divorce or the loss of a spouse. So they include divorce attorneys, divorce attorneys, estate planning attorneys, financial planners, financial coaches, insurance people, therapists for narcissistic behavior. I mean, there are so many great women in this group that want to give you support and want to meet you where you're at that I'm so excited that we were able to make this vision kind of come to life. Obviously, I have lots more goals and dreams for this Thrive and Decide group and brand and all of that, but for now, this is this is where we're at. So hopefully this podcast kind of gave you a glimpse into into divorce and into why I created this and hopefully you will subscribe so that you never miss an episode and you are able to hear other people's stories and gain strength from it and just know that you are supported and you are seen and you are heard. Thanks so much for listening and I hope to see you next time on Thrive and Decide.