What If Staying Is The Selfish Choice

A single realization can rewrite an entire life. Lisa joined us to tell the truth about what happened when a 30-year marriage quietly ran out of love and the pandemic removed every distraction. She shares the moment the “switch” flipped, why she left fast, and the guilt that haunted her even when she knew the decision was right.

We get into the messy middle of divorce recovery: emotional detachment, drinking as a coping tool, the strange peace of the first night alone, and the shock of watching an entire friend group go silent. Lisa is candid about serial dating and online dating after divorce, not as a highlight reel, but as a real attempt to feel alive again after decades of ignoring her own needs.

I also share the opposite experience, hearing “I don’t love you anymore” in therapy, spiraling into the why, and eventually landing on radical acceptance. Together, we talk about divorce and kids (including adult children), the fear of “messing them up,” and why kids can be more resilient than we think when they see two happier parents. We end with what growth can look like on the other side: stronger boundaries, more intentional friendships, and a second marriage built on real conversation, support, and emotional connection.

If you’re navigating midlife divorce, gray divorce, or the heavy question of whether to stay, hit play, subscribe, and share this with someone who needs it. After you listen, what part is hardest for you right now: fear, guilt, or starting over?

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.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Hi, and welcome to this episode of Thrive and Decide Guide to Divorce. Today we have a guest, and her name is Lisa, and she is so kind to come on here and so brave to share her story. You know, she had been in a, you know, in a marriage and got divorced and is now happily remarried. But obviously, there's a lot of uh things in there in between that I'd love for her to talk about. And obviously, the um, you know, the theme here is just to help women feel seen, heard, understood, and not alone because everyone's story is unique, but everyone's story can help someone else. So Lisa, thank you so much for coming on today.

SPEAKER_01 1:49

Thank you so much for having me, Sarah. It's a pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Yeah. So I guess like let's go back to the beginning because you know, no one ever like starts out in a relationship and goes, man, this is gonna be my starter husband, you know. Right. So yeah, take us back and and you know, just kind of walk us through like how did it start and you know, how did it go? And then what kind of led you to the um the decision that you know this this isn't right for me anymore?

The Marriage Track And Early Doubts

Pandemic Switch And Falling Out Of Love

Guilt, Drinking, And Detachment

Moving Out And Feeling Free

Losing Friends And Serial Dating

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Yeah. So my ex and I met when I was 20 years old. So I was still a junior in college, and I think, you know, around 1987, 1988, I think that women still had this on-ramp to marriage, like, oh, you go to high school, you graduate, you go to college, you graduate, you get married, you have kids. And I I really think that was the track that I was on. It wasn't intentional. Um, it's just the way that it worked out. But who you are at 21 is not who you are at 50. And um what I really struggled with is that the first seven years or so, you're kind of adjusting, right? You're also in your 20s, so you don't know what you don't know. You're not even comfortable with yourself, right? You don't even know who you are. Um, but after those seven years, and of course I had two kids right away, right? Um, I I was not happy. I knew in my heart I was not happy. But yet, and I think women do this sometimes, we tell ourselves that, oh, it's all in your head. Like, how can you are so selfish? How can you be unhappy? You have the best, you know, husband, you have the best kids, you have a house, you've got money, you've got all the things, right? What do you have to be unhappy about? You got a great job, blah, blah, blah. But for me, I couldn't there something wasn't right. I was unhappy. I just didn't know what it was. So 30 years goes by, right? And it's progressively I'm feeling worse and worse and worse. And it was during the pandemic where um, you know, nobody was working at the time. So all of a sudden, I find myself um, you know, at home with my ex. And it was the first time I think I realized that, oh my God, I just don't think I love this person. And I feel so guilty about coming to that conclusion. But I also know that it's that's the raw emotion behind it. I had I was so different than who I was at 21. And I think that he had changed as well, not in a bad way, just in a way where we just had nothing in common. And we didn't have, I don't think we really nurtured the relationship to be able to keep that going. I think it was a classic case of the kids leave, they go to college, they go on to their lives, and now you're sitting there looking across at each other, going, Oh my God, I don't even know who you are. And I certainly don't want to spend the rest of my life with you. So um, yeah, that is kind of how the demise happened. And I gotta tell you, it was super quick. It was like a switch went off in me. Um, I was working like a crazy person. I was an executive for a tech company, so I was making great money. I was always the breadwinner. So I didn't have the fears that I think that some women have in terms of leaving their marriage. I knew that I could stand on my own two feet, but I really struggled with the guilt. I think the other thing I struggled with is that at the time I was not in an emotionally healthy place. Um, I was drinking a lot because I just was not happy. And during the pandemic, I think we all drank. I think they said during the pandemic, you were either a drunk, a chunk, a monk, or a hunk, right? It just depends on how you spent your time during the pandemic. So I was a drunk and probably a little bit of a hunk. But emotionally, I was so detached. I think it was a way of protecting myself. You know, like I didn't want to talk, talk to him or counselor about saving the marriage. I was done. And I know that that hurt him terribly. It's not how I would typically choose to interact, especially, you know, you've been in a marriage 30 years. To this day, I still feel guilty about how I handled it. I really just walked away. I um I made the decision right away that I was moving out. I got an apartment downtown. Um, and of course, it was during the pandemic, and so nothing was going on downtown. I just had me and my thoughts. Um, but I wanted nothing to do with a reconciliation. I didn't even want to try. And I still feel badly about it, even though, Sarah, it was the right decision for me. Um, and I gotta tell you, that first night in my new apartment, I I felt so great. I it was like, oh my God, this huge um weight was lifted off my shoulders, you know. I could do whatever I want, I could stay in bed if I wanted. I didn't have somebody talking to me 24-7, you know. I I was at peace with just being by myself. Um but even to this day, like I said, I still struggle with how I handled that. I wish I could have been a little more warmer, I guess is the best word for it. Um, but during those emotional times, we don't always make the right decisions, right? Um sometimes we can't see the forest through the trees, and we're just trying to get by day to day, and maybe that's what I was doing. Um, but I also think that there's added emotion when you know you go through losing all the friends. You know, I thought that I had this amazing social circle where I lived because I was the social butterfly and I was friends with everyone and blah blah. Well, it turned out that as soon as I left, everybody cut me off, and so I was alone and loving it, but also right, sometimes I think that we adapt to stress in different ways, and I think, you know, I kind of went off the deep end because I had never been single since I was 20 years old, and between the drinking and the partying and the dating, the online dating was a big deal to me. I was so excited to meet people that I was excited about, right? Because I didn't have that in my marriage, and I'm sorry that I'm being so raw with it. It's just that if there's other people out there that are thinking the same thing or experiencing the same thing, I want other women to know they're not alone and it's okay. Sometimes we just have to do what we have to do to take care of ourselves and maybe not feel so selfish about it. Um, but I looking back on it now, I might have done things a little differently. I was definitely a serial dater. I probably shouldn't have done that. Um, but it is what it is, and I enjoyed it at the time. It's just not where I'm at now. I always think to myself, you know, after 30 years, you owed him something better. Um, but you know, I think I gave all that I could give for 30 years. And I think the time came, thankfully, where I recognized, like, what about me? What about my happiness? How am I gonna live out the rest of my life, you know? Um, and that's kind of the journey that that I took. Um yeah. Yeah, good, bad, or indifferent, you know?

Sarah’s Therapy Bombshell

SPEAKER_00 10:07

No, and I love that it's so raw because um I had kind of um the opposite. So maybe this will give you some peace. And anyone listening, if they've chosen the way that you did, maybe this will give you some peace. So my ex-husband was the one that um fell out of love. And, you know, we were sitting in therapy and he it was like right towards the end, and he just blurted out like, I don't love you anymore and I haven't for years. And he is bawling. And I'm like, wait, what? I'm sorry, what? And then, you know, of course, the therapist, uh, this was our last time to see her, but uh, she was like, Okay, well, that's it for today. So um, when do you guys want to come back? Never. So I was like, holy crap. Um, okay, probably not ever. Um, you know, but again, hearing that was a huge blow because I thought, of course we're gonna get through this. Of course we're just gonna go to therapy, like we're we're married, it's for life, you know? And I can tell you though, this is where I hope it brings you some comfort, is that after I got past my hurt uh and my trying to understand why, because I kept asking, like, why? Why did you fall out of love? What could I have done differently? I constantly looked inside, like, what did I do wrong? How could I have been a better wife? Even if I can't win you back, how can I be better in the next relationship? You know, like just kept thinking it was something I did, something I could fix, which is where uh, you know, I learned that I have can uh control issues because I want to control everything. But I can tell you that a year out I finally, you know, broke through, radically accepted he doesn't love me. He's he just doesn't, and I'll never know why, because he'll never know why. And that's okay. And I can tell you now, I am so much happier than I would have ever been staying married to him. Even a year out, I was thanking him for leaving. And he's like, You're you're welcome. And I'm like, no, like I'm dead serious. Like I lost so much of myself. I didn't even know that I loved cooking, but you left and, you know, I started cooking and now like I'm really good at it and I really love it. And, you know, I like just started getting back to all the things because, you know, to your point, when you first get married, you know, no matter what age it is, but especially if you're younger when you get married, you're not the same person that you are when you're older. And all you're thinking about is, I want to be the absolute best wife. Uh, you know, and then you have kids and you're like, well, I want to be the best mom. Well, if you're, you know, if you're being a mom, whether you're breastfeeding or not, like your boobs are no longer for, you know, sexy time. They're they're for your child. Like, you know, your body is for your child. And so it's really difficult. And so that can add a lot of strain. And so I see a lot of people that, you know, after they're they're going through those children, you know, raising times, that's whenever all of the issues start because, you know, you lose so much of yourself. So, you know, I really, you know, if you're listening to this and you're, you know, you want to try and make your marriage better, then, you know, keep dating your spouse, keep dating them, keep, you know, like keep the magic alive. Um, but if you're, you know, if you're like Lisa and you've just, you know, or my ex-husband and you've just reached that point where you're like, I just don't love you. Please, please do them the favor of telling them because there is no reason to stay in a marriage that you're not truly happy in, because all that's gonna do is make you resent that person and it's gonna make that person continue to stay small. And it's not fair to either one. So I hope that brings you a little comfort.

Building A Better Second Marriage

SPEAKER_01 13:52

It does. Thank you for that. Um, and you know, it's interesting because I think that like you, my ex was thinking the same thing, right? Well, what did I do wrong? How how can I fix this? Um, and there really wasn't anything, he didn't do anything wrong, right? It's just that we were just not a good fit. And it's so interesting because I I remember saying to him, I don't want to be married anymore. And I didn't think I ever wanted to get married, like ever again. I was done. But I said, You deserve to be with somebody who's absolutely crazy about you. And in the back of my head, I said to myself, and that is never gonna be me. Um, and sure enough, he found somebody, he's remarried, he's very happy. And I gotta tell you, now coming out of this and looking back in the rear view mirror and being remarried, I look at my relationship so differently now, you know, like little things. My ex and I, we didn't talk emotionally, like with deep connection. It was always on the surface, you know. And, you know, my my husband and I now it's a daily occurrence where like we really have real conversations, and I absolutely love it. Um, because I didn't have that in the past. I think that was one of the things that maybe, you know, changed in both of us is that we didn't just didn't have much in common or we weren't really interested in hearing what the other one had to say, but I'm so cognizant of it now. I'm so cognizant of doing the things that make a great relationship. You know, I tell my husband all the time how much I love him because I never did that in the first the first time around. And I'm noticing too that I I like to do things for him, not because I feel like I have to, but because I want to. And little things like like if my ex would drop a plate or drop a glass, right? Oh, I'd get so annoyed. But this time around, right, I accept the flaws and the imperfections. It's just not a big deal. Um, but I have become a better person because I've been able to look in that rear view mirror and correct, I think, some of the things that maybe I didn't see at the time, but that I see now. And then also just growing the way that or growing intentionally for the way that I want to live out the rest of my life, you know, and that means giving to another person, which I gotta be honest with you, I think that I was so unhappy that I was only thinking about myself selfishly and not really giving back to anybody but myself, but not in the right ways, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 16:40

Yeah, no, that absolutely makes sense. And I love that uh, and you know, I'm remarried as well, and uh, you know, I do the same thing, you know, I like uh, you know, because my husband uh now was also married previously. And so, you know, we both kind of sometimes we'll be like, ooh, PTSD, you know, like if we react a certain way to something that, you know, that is said or done or whatever. Um, but I just think that it's huge that you found a partner that now allows you to kind of grow in the manner that you want, supports you. And I think that's a huge thing. And I think whenever, you know, a lot of times when marriages go bad is because one or the other spouse is not okay with the other one growing and isn't supporting and you know, isn't isn't their biggest cheerleader. And your spouse should be your biggest cheerleader. Like, you know, they should be like your mom.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

Oh, absolutely. You know, it's I think it's interesting too that when you're 21, you don't know yourself, you don't know who you are, right? Because honestly, you just haven't lived long enough, right? But when you're 50 and 55, now you have this time behind you, these experiences. And I do think that when you're more comfortable with yourself at that age, you make maybe better choices in the relationships that you pursue. Um, in my younger years, I would have never pursued um the person that my new husband is today. That just was not part of who I thought I was. And just for context, I was always in an executive role, like white-collar executives. That's who I thought that I was gonna be with, right? And, you know, my my husband now, you know, had a farm, a dairy farm. He grew up on a farm. He's like very southern Ohio. That was not somebody that I ever thought that I would have anything in common with. But looking at my relationship from a 30,000-foot view, he he fits me perfectly, right? And I never thought that I would find anybody like that. But I never gave myself the opportunity because I was on this track, right? Well, this is what you need to do. This is how we evolve as women, right? Um, with age comes wisdom. And I think if you're able to look at that rear view mirror and look back on what you've done and learn from that and be better, um, it does help you, I think, illustrate the life that you want to lead.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Yeah, I totally agree. Cause I still remember, you know, whenever I got married, I was, you know, almost 28. And I thought, oh my gosh, I know who I am. I know what I want. I'm not getting married young. And then, you know, at 35, I'm like, wait a second, I'm getting a divorce. What do you mean? Like I thought we were like, I thought this forever, you know, and um, and then realizing, wait, I'm I don't know who I am, you know, I don't know what I was compromising and being because, you know, how I was kind of repositioning myself and making myself smaller to fit into a space, but subconsciously, like I just didn't even know that that's what I was doing, you know, until, you know, I would look back. In fact, you know, my ex-husband actually helped me to see some of this stuff. Like he was like, Sarah, we never went out like just us. We always went out with other people. It's because I didn't really like hanging out with you. And I was like, oh, okay. And while that hurts to hear, of course it does. No one wants to hear that. It also was like, yeah, you know what? You're not who I want either. So why am I so sad? You know? Right. Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

So I think as women too, sometimes we don't want to, and this is for lack of a better term, admit defeat. For me, I knew I was unhappy for all that time, but it never dawned on me that I was unhappy because I wasn't in love with this person. Instead, I turned it around to be like, oh, well, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna fail at this marriage because I said it was forever. So therefore I'm moving forward. Um, and you know, I made a commitment, I'm sticking to it. I I think that overshadowed me just kind of centering myself to say, what is it really? I remember my ex asking me, do you want a divorce? Like five years before, I came to this decision. And I remember saying to my head, absolutely not. Like right off the tip of my tongue, absolutely not. Um, we're just going through a phase. But yet that phase had lasted for like, you know, 25 years at that point. Um all the signs were there, but I just didn't trust myself to know what I really wanted.

Kids, Divorce Fears, And Resilience

SPEAKER_00 21:37

Yeah. Do you think part of it um was that you stayed in it for so long for the kids?

SPEAKER_01 21:46

Maybe. You know, I was never one of those, my my parents were divorced, and so, you know, I I went through that experience. So I don't know if it was that. Um I really don't know if that was it. I don't know that I ever said to myself, oh, you have to stay together for the kids, right? Um I think honestly, it was more about I didn't realize, I was trying to find out why I was so unhappy. And it never dawned on me that I just didn't love the relationship I was in. At the time, I was going through a lot with my job as well. Um, and you know, I've said this before, we become a product sometimes of the culture that we're embedded in. And through that corporate culture, honestly, I became a person that I didn't recognize, right? I wasn't very nice. I was very short with everybody. I was tired all the time because I was traveling. And that I think also had a huge impact on my relationship. Um I think there were a couple things, but I don't know if it was because I wanted to stay together for the kids. Um I think that they also we raised them to be very independent, independent. And um, that was not my first. Concern. If I really think about it, I think my my concerns were more about, hey, why am I so unhappy? And oh, this is not about a marriage not working, right? Because that doesn't happen to me. I make it work, right? I'm the control freak just like you. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 23:20

Yeah. No, I love that. And I'm so glad that that wasn't a factor because I think that way too many women, uh, especially, uh, you know, this isn't against men or anything, but I think a lot of women stay in the marriage for their kids because they think, oh my God, like if if we divorce, like my kid's gonna be the child of divorce and they're gonna be so fucked up. And, you know, so we may as well stay together. And, you know, I I mean, that was my fear whenever that was my biggest fear whenever he said, you know, I don't love you and and I don't want to be with you anymore. My biggest fear was like, holy shit, what about our daughter? Like, we're gonna fuck her up. And guess what? We didn't. She's 18 now. She's known us apart longer than she knew us together. She gets to see him remarried and happy, and she gets to see me remarried and happy. And, you know, she's like, I can't even imagine you and dad together anymore. And I'm like, Yeah, I know, right? So I'm so glad that that wasn't um a piece for you.

SPEAKER_01 24:19

Yeah, no, that that was not. I was surprised though, about how my two children reacted because they were polar opposites. My youngest one was like, Oh, yeah, I saw this coming, right? He's like, I do what you need to do, mom, because you need to be happy. Um, that's my my hippie child, right? My my wild and free one. My oldest one, though, was like really on the fence about it. I was shocked by that because I really didn't think that either one of them had much of a stake in our relationship. I just never really thought about that. But my older one, I think, was going through um a breakup with a girl that he really loved. And then he was seeing his dad go through this. And I think there was a little bit of resentment there because we, you know, for that first six months, it was kind of touch and go with my oldest. Um, and both my kids were in their late 20s at the time that this happened. Um, but you know what? They overcame it, and they I think they see both parents happy. And, you know, like I I've even had my son's my son's um girlfriend say to me, I can't imagine you with your ex. Uh, you guys are just two totally different people. I can't imagine you with anybody other than who I'm with now. Um, and yeah, it's the kids are can be impacted, but it's how you relate to them, it's how you uh address the situation. Um, and they are very resilient and they will be just fine. I think sometimes it's better than them seeing you so unhappy, especially if you're like arguing and fighting and stuff. That's just never good for anybody. Nobody needs to be involved in that. That was not the case with mine. Um, but again, I was just I was a little shocked and taken aback by how different they reacted, especially because they were older. They weren't kids, you know, they weren't teenagers.

Friends Go Quiet After Divorce

SPEAKER_00 26:18

Yeah. No, exactly. And I'm so glad that that was the the case. And um, I'm sure it was like kind of a shock, especially to the oldest, because you know, he had known you or he or she had known you um for the longest together. And so I'm sure it was very, very difficult to see like all of that. So yeah. Now I know you mentioned that some of your friends or a lot of your friends, all of your friends just kind of disappeared. Did anyone like did anyone come to you and try and like bring some sense to you, quote unquote, or like talk you out of your decision or tell you that you were crazy because you had this perfect husband, or you know, because I just see that sometimes well-meaning people, uh, I say that very loosely, well-meaning people will try and talk you out of what they think is best for you. So they'll try and talk you.

SPEAKER_01 27:12

You know, it's so funny. The one person that totally impacted me of all people was my dad. My dad said, you know, Lisa, I just, I just don't want you to be alone. And I was like, wow, really, dad? I'm like, he I am an independent woman, right? But I was not afraid of being by myself, right? I I I felt I thought it was so weird for my dad to say that. Like I should stay with him so that I'm not alone. Now, you know, my dad now is in his late 70s, so maybe that's just part of that era. But I gotta tell you, most of my friends that I thought I had, right, I learned really quickly they were just acquaintances. They didn't care, they didn't care how I was feeling. They didn't care that um I think that they were a little taken aback that I left and hurt this other person. And maybe that's where that came from, especially because we would all hang out, you know, together as a big group. Um, nobody ever talked me out of it, but I gotta be honest, I was not in an emotional state where I was asking anybody what they thought, right? I was just like plowing ahead. Um, once that decision clicked in my brain, I was I was all in. So I didn't waffle. And therefore, I don't know that my friends, who I thought they were my friends, I didn't think I don't know that they tried to talk me out of it. Um, but the silence that occurs after is really hard. When you come to that realization that, you know, you thought you were friends with these people and you're really not. They don't want to spend time with you, they don't want to get involved, they don't want to be the go-between, as you know, um, that hurt. It hurt a lot. And I think it still hurts. And I am now very intentional with the relationships that I hold, right? I don't need to be friends with everybody like I did, right? Um, now I just need a couple people in my life that I really love, and that's enough for me. That was not the case back then, right? Needed to be surrounded by people to help me, you know, to help me have a diversion from the life I was leading.

SPEAKER_00 29:35

Yes. No, I totally think that's um, I think part of that also comes with just age and maturing. And uh, because I know I, you know, I used to care so much about what other people thought. And, you know, I needed to be in every room, and I, you know, I would get the worst FOMO if I didn't go to everything. So I was running myself ragged. And now I'm like, I've got two things on my calendar this week. I think we're good. Yep. You know, I totally get that.

SPEAKER_01 30:04

And I think that's just a part of our evolution.

unknown 30:08

Yeah.

Fear, Growth, And New Chapters

SPEAKER_01 30:08

Um, but I will say that I look back on the decisions that I made, and I'm I'm really glad I made them. You know, I mean, it sucks going through it, and nobody wants to be the bad guy, nobody wants to hurt somebody else. But at the same time, like I'm leaving, I'm living my best life right now, and I never would have had this opportunity had I not left the marriage. And I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. God puts things in front of us at different times in our lives to get us to the next whatever that is, the next chapter. And I would not be living this next chapter, right? I would not have left my job and started over doing something. I wouldn't have had my own business. Um, I wouldn't have had this like amazing relationship that I now have. I wouldn't have nine grandchildren like I do now, and five, you know, kids between his kids and mine. Um, it's just been fantastic. And I'm so I hate to say it this way, but I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to make that decision because I never would have been where I am now. Um, and that I think is an important point because sometimes I think fear makes us freeze and we stay in the same place for far too long out of fear, and we can't get to the life that we want to live. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:41

Yeah, I totally agree. And I think that's such a strong, you know, like that's such a strong point. Um, you know, just that sorry, I was turning do not disturb on because uh I didn't want to hear those dingings anymore. Um but no, I think that's such a good point though, because I do think that fear just it's you know, it it scares us so much that we just stay in one spot. And that's not even just in your marriage, that's also in, you know, in your job, in relationship relations, you know, things like that. Like just you get frozen in time. And, you know, it's like life is just good enough. But you know, if you can get to the other side looking back and doing that gap and gain thinking, um, you know, it's amazing because you go, holy crap, I would not be who I am today if I had just stayed frozen in that. And what a shame that is to this world, because we are put here for a reason. And if you're not living authentically yourself and doing what you were brought here to do, then you're just you're wasting your time and you're wasting your life.

SPEAKER_01 32:52

I I could not agree more. Um, you know, I also think that, and there was a point I was gonna make and I just lost it. That's okay. I'm in my late and my yeah, my menopause is kicking in. Um, what was I gonna say? Oh, I'm sorry. It's okay. Something about fear.

SPEAKER_00 33:15

Yeah. No, you're good. I think that I think you've hit on some really good points. And I think that, you know, anyone listening that is, you know, feeling the way you are, hopefully this has been, you know, a great, a great resource for them because they can feel not alone. And, you know, I think, I think again, sometimes, especially as women, we feel guilty for choosing ourselves over everything else. And we're conditioned to be the yes girl and the people pleaser and the good girl and you know, and all the things. And so, you know, rocking the boat and ending your marriage is not, you know, it's not being the good girl anymore. And you know, so I'm really glad that, you know, you're setting an example. I'm really glad, you know, like I said, I'm really glad that my ex set that example of, you know, hey, I'm not happy. I want out. Does it suck to hear? Of course it does. No one ever wants to hear that. But you know what? Like the ending, just as you said, everything happens for a reason. And, you know, just following that path and you know, accepting everything as it comes along for what it is, your life is gonna be so much better.

SPEAKER_01 34:26

Yeah, and you have no idea what's in store for you, you know, and so sometimes a change in perspective, right, can really help you get through the dark days because it's not easy, let's face it. And if you're contemplating this kind of a decision, you got a lot to think about. Um, but one of the things to think about is what's ahead, right? What is the life that I want to lead? Um, it's so important, and um, we can't let fear hold us back from achieving what we want to achieve. I know it sounds kind of cliche, but uh looking back on it, it was a tough decision, but the right decision.

Subscribe And Farewell

SPEAKER_00 35:09

Yeah, I totally agree. I totally agree. Lisa, thank you so much for taking time out of your day. I know you're super busy running an empire because you're a badass that created this amazing life. Uh, so thank you for taking time out to meet with us.

SPEAKER_01 35:25

Well, thank you for having me, Sarah. It was a pleasure.

SPEAKER_00 35:29

Yes. Thank you for everyone listening. And please make sure that you subscribe so you never miss another episode. And we'll see you next time on Thrive and Decide Guide to Divorce.