HomePodcastsDear 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
My Coach Dawn295 EpisodesAug 20, 2026
This isn’t a breakup pep talk. It’s a full-body recalibration for women navigating life after divorce. Dear Divorce Diary is a podcast for women dealing with grief, loneliness, anxiety, anxious or avoidant attachment, and identity loss after divorce — especially when quick fixes, positivity, and spiritual fluff no longer work. I’m Dawn Wiggins, therapist, coach, and homeopath, and this show goes where most divorce advice won’t: into your nervous system, your unspoken grief, your buried rage, and the parts of you that shut down just to survive. Through honest conversation, somatic tools, EMDR- and IFS-informed work, and nervous-system support, each episode helps you feel instead of perform healing — and rebuild safety, confidence, and self-trust from the inside out.
Episodes
372. The Divorce Money Blocks You Don’t Know You Have: How Loss Changes Your Relationship With MoneyAug 20, 20261514Divorce changes your relationship with a lot of things.Love. Trust. Safety. The future.And sometimes… money.Because money isn’t just money. It can represent security, freedom, worthiness, belonging—and whether or not you believe there will actually be enough.In this VIP re-release, we’re digging into the subconscious money beliefs you may not even realize you’re carrying: scarcity, feeling ineligi
371. What Are You Still Carrying That Doesn't Belong in Your Life After Divorce?Aug 18, 20263907There are things you learned to carry because, at one point, you had to.The responsibility. The mental load. Other people's expectations. Keeping everyone okay. Being the strong one. Being the woman who could handle it.But just because you needed that version of yourself then doesn't mean you have to keep being her now.This week, Dawn sits down with Alexis Contos, founder of The Breadwin
Ep. 370 Dating After Divorce: The Questions You Need to Ask Before You Get AttachedAug 13, 2026333Dating after divorce is a whole different world.Dating apps. Men holding fish. Men who apparently have never taken a decent selfie. Threesomes. Ethical non-monogamy. And the occasional man who looks way better in person than his profile would have you believe.But underneath all of the chaos is a much more important question:How do you know who you're actually dealing with before you get attac
369. A Year After Divorce: 3 Women Tell Us What It Took to Become Themselves AgainAug 11, 20263148What does it actually take to become yourself again after divorce?Today, Dawn is away—which means Joy and Coach Tiffini have been left unsupervised. And they invited three women from the current A Different D Word cohort to take over the mic with them.Christianna, Kelly, and Jo came into this year in very different places.One was in free fall after the end of a 30-year marriage. One was already in
Ep. - 368 10 Things Nobody Ever Taught You About Emotions (And It's Making Divorce So Much Harder)Aug 6, 2026231Learn more about A Different D Word and apply here ✨Divorce has a way of exposing everything you were never taught.Not because you're broken.Not because you're "too emotional."And certainly not because you're failing at healing.The truth is, most of us were never taught how emotions actually work.We were taught to push them down.To "be strong."To stop crying.To
367. Will I Ever Be Done Healing After My Divorce... or Does My Ex Get to Haunt Me Forever?Aug 4, 20262668Learn more about A Different D Word and apply here ✨Have you ever caught yourself thinking..."I'm so tired of healing."You went to therapy. You read the books. You journaled. You listened to the podcasts. You learned about attachment styles, your nervous system, boundaries, and trauma.So why does it still feel like your ex is taking up space in your mind?In this episode, Dawn, Coac
Ep. 366 - Why Can't I Hear What I Really Need After Divorce? (A Guided Journaling Exercise)Jul 30, 2026240Learn more about A Different D Word and apply here ✨Have you ever asked yourself what you really need... and drawn a complete blank?After divorce, many women become experts at anticipating everyone else's needs while slowly losing touch with their own. The voice that plans, solves problems, overthinks, and keeps everything together gets so loud that the quieter parts of us barely get a chanc
365. Why You Can't Trust That Everything Will Be Okay After Divorce (Yet)Jul 28, 20262735A Different D Word apply here ✨You keep telling yourself that everything is going to be okay...So why doesn't your body believe you?If you've read the books, listened to the podcasts, repeated the affirmations, and you're still waiting to feel calm, you're not failing. Your nervous system simply doesn't heal through information alone.In this episode, we're unpacking w
364. One Day, This Could Be You | What Building Secure Attachment Actually Feels LikeJul 23, 2026305Secure attachment isn't a feeling you suddenly arrive at.It's something you build.It's discovering that you can be overwhelmed, uncertain, emotional, imperfect... and still let yourself lean on other people.In this week's After the Mic, we're reflecting on what happened during our annual A Different D Word retreat—not because we want you to wish you had been there, but bec
363. Dear Divorce Diary... I Said Yes Again - Even Though I Promised Myself I'd Say NoJul 21, 20262834Have you ever heard yourself say "Sure!"... while every part of you was screaming "Absolutely not."You promised yourself you wouldn't text him.You wouldn't overcommit.You wouldn't rescue everyone.You wouldn't have sex just to keep the peace.You wouldn't keep saying yes when your body was begging you to say no.And then... you did it anyway.If you've
Ep. 362 Why Does Everything Good for Me Feel Like a Chore After Divorce?Jul 16, 2026241You know the things that would probably help.The walk.The boundary.The therapy session.The earlier bedtime.The journal sitting untouched on your nightstand.So why does it feel so hard to actually do them?If you've ever found yourself reaching for your phone instead of your healing, texting your ex when you knew better, pouring another glass of wine, avoiding the hard conversation, or putting
361. Three Core Ingredients of Letting Go, Moving On & Manifesting a Life You Love After DivorceJul 14, 20261423You thought healing would mean feeling better by now.Maybe you've been to therapy. Read the books. Listened to the podcasts. Journaled your heart out. Maybe you've done everything you're "supposed" to do after divorce and you're still wondering:Why do I feel so stuck?In this episode, Dawn shares the three core ingredients she believes every woman needs to truly let go
Ep. 360 - The Deep Rest Your Divorce Recovery Needs | Retreat Yoga NidraJul 9, 2026189What if the most healing thing you could do today wasn't another journal prompt, podcast episode, or breakthrough conversation?What if it was rest?In this special Dear Divorce Diary VIP episode, we're sharing one of the most requested practices from our Myrtle Beach retreats: a guided Yoga Nidra experience designed to help your nervous system soften, settle, and remember what safety feel
359. Why Is Letting Go After Divorce So Hard When He Acts Like None of It Happened?Jul 7, 20262631Have you ever looked at your ex and thought:"How are you okay?"How are you dating?How are you posting vacation photos?How are you laughing with friends?How are you acting like our entire marriage didn't just fall apart?Meanwhile, you're still carrying the grief, the questions, the memories, and the heartbreak.In this live episode recorded at our Myrtle Beach retreat, we're
358. What If I Don't Fit In After Divorce?Jul 2, 2026256You almost don't go.The workshop.The support group.The retreat.The community event.The coffee date.The thing you secretly want to say yes to.Because what if it's awkward?What if everyone already knows each other?What if you don't fit in?What if you need alone time?What if people think you're weird, too quiet, too much, too emotional, not emotional enough?After divorce, many wom
357. Why Does Scrolling Dating Apps After Divorce Sound Like a Better Idea Than Going to Bed?Jun 30, 20262647It's late.You're tired.You know you should put your phone down and go to sleep.Instead, you're opening Bumble. Or Hinge. Or Facebook Dating. Just to "see who's out there."Again.If you've ever found yourself scrolling dating apps after divorce when you weren't actually ready to date, this episode is for you.Because most of the time, you're not looking fo
Ep. 356 What Do I Do With Everything I Never Got to Say After Divorce?Jun 25, 2026261There are things you never got to say.The words you swallowed to keep the peace.The questions that never got answered.The anger you weren't allowed to express.The grief that still catches in your throat.Maybe it's your ex.Maybe it's a parent.Maybe it's someone you've loved deeply and lost.Maybe it's a version of yourself that disappeared somewhere along the way.In thi
355. Why Do I Feel So Out of Control Around Food & Weight Since Divorce?Jun 23, 20262341Maybe you're eating more.Maybe you're eating less.Maybe you're thinking about food all the time.Maybe you've gained weight, lost weight, or feel like your body doesn't respond the way it used to.And maybe you're wondering why something that once felt manageable suddenly feels so complicated.In this episode of Dear Divorce Diary, Dawn, Tiffini, and Joy explore the ofte
354. Why Do I Feel Responsible for Everyone Else's Happiness After Divorce?Jun 18, 2026192This week, we're taking you behind the scenes and into the very real family dynamics we're navigating in our own lives right now.Because healing doesn't magically make difficult people easy.It doesn't erase guilt.It doesn't eliminate family pressure.And it certainly doesn't stop other people from expecting you to sacrifice yourself to make them feel better.In this can
353. Why Do I Need Wine to Turn My Brain Off After Divorce?Jun 16, 20262767You finally have a quiet night.The kids are gone.The house is calm.Nobody needs anything from you.So why can't you relax?Why does your mind keep racing?Why does the silence feel uncomfortable?And why does that glass of wine suddenly feel like the only way to take the edge off?In this episode, Dawn, Tiffini, and Joy explore the deeper reasons so many women find themselves reaching for wine aft
Ep. 352. Divorce Recovery Isn't Just Healing or Understanding. It's Learning to Surrender.Jun 11, 2026234You've done the therapy.Listened to the podcasts.Read the books.So why are you still hurting?In this special episode, Dawn shares why understanding alone isn't always enough to create change—and why true healing sometimes asks us to lift our gaze beyond ourselves.As someone with a history of religious trauma, Dawn never expected prayer to become part of this podcast. But after years of h
351. Why Did I Text Him Back? Divorce, Self-Abandonment & The Pain I Couldn't Sit WithJun 9, 20262716You told yourself you weren't going to text him.You meant it.Then your phone buzzed... or the loneliness got louder... or the pressure inside became impossible to ignore.And before you knew it, you hit send.In this episode, Dawn, Coach Tiffini, and Joy explore one of the most frustrating post-divorce patterns women experience: reaching for false connection when what they're actually crav
Ep. 350 - I Know the Divorce Was Necessary... So Why Do I Still Feel Guilty? | Guided MeditationJun 4, 2026208Divorce guilt has a way of showing up long after the paperwork is signed.Maybe you feel guilty about ending the marriage.Maybe you feel guilty for staying too long.Maybe you feel guilty for being angry, setting boundaries, disappointing people, or wanting more for your life.And sometimes the hardest part is that guilt can feel like proof that you're still a good person.In this guided healing
349. Why You've Done So Much Healing... But Still Feel Stuck in the Same Divorce PatternsJun 2, 20262284You've read the books.You've listened to the podcasts.You've been to therapy.You know your attachment style, your triggers, your patterns, and exactly why you do what you do.So why do you still find yourself reacting the same way?Why do you still answer the text?Why do you still overthink the conversation?Why do you still tolerate things you know aren't good for you?In this epi
Ep. 348. The Loneliness Divorce Creates | A Guided Healing MeditationMay 28, 2026225Divorce loneliness is different.It’s not just missing a person.It’s missing the rhythm your body got used to.The future you thought you were building.The version of you that existed before survival mode took over.And sometimes the hardest part?Your nervous system still feels abandoned long after your mind has decided the relationship needed to end.In this special guided healing meditation, Dawn sh
347. - Why Do Smart Divorced Women Keep Doing Things That Make Them Feel Worse?May 26, 20261167You know what would help.The walk.The boundary.Going to bed earlier.Not texting him back.Turning off the phone.Booking the therapy session.Saying no.Asking for support.So why does it still feel so hard to choose those things in the moments that matter most?If you’ve ever found yourself doom scrolling instead of sleeping, people pleasing instead of speaking up, reaching for the wine, texting your e
EP. 346 - Marriage Taught You to Ignore Your Needs | What Self-Care Actually Looks Like After DivorceMay 21, 2026212“Self-care” sounds cute… until life gets hard.Because what does self-care actually look like when:your child needs you,your nervous system is fried,the house is a mess,grief is still grief-ing,your to-do list is breathing down your neck,and everyone still seems to need something from you?In this deeply honest Thursday Cocoon VIP conversation, Dawn, Joy, and Tiffini pull back the curtain on what se
345. The Divorced Woman’s Guide to Questioning Everything | Divorce, Healing & the Systems We Were Taught to TrustMay 19, 20262671Divorce has a way of cracking open more than just your relationship.It can make you question everything.The marriage you believed in.The coping strategies that used to work.The advice you’ve been given.Even the healing systems you were taught to trust.Because sometimes what’s most disorienting after divorce isn’t just heartbreak.It’s realizing the old answers don’t seem to work anymore.In this dee
Ep. 344. Divorce & Kids: The Nervous System Toolkit We Wish We Had SoonerMay 14, 2026236Divorce doesn’t just break hearts.It impacts nervous systems.And when your child is struggling after separation or divorce… most parents are left asking:What do I actually DO?In this Cocoon VIP episode of Dear Divorce Diary, Dawn, Joy, and Coach Tiffini walk you through the exact body, mind, spirit, and nervous system tools they wish they’d had sooner while helping their own children navigate divo
343. The Divorce Parenting Mistakes Even Loving Moms Make… And What Kids Actually NeedMay 12, 20262610Divorce can make moms do some wild things in the name of love.Overprotect.Overcompensate.Buy more.Say yes when we mean no.Try to fix every feeling.Avoid our child’s pain because it activates our own guilt.But what if the thing your child needs most after divorce… isn’t more protection?In this deeply honest episode of Dear Divorce Diary, Dawn, Producer Joy, and Coach Tiffini unpack the parenting mi
Ep. 342 - I Keep Abandoning Myself When I Hurt | A Sleep Meditation for Divorce Anxiety & HeartbreakMay 7, 2026186If you’ve been trying to hold it all together while quietly falling apart inside…this episode is for you.Because sometimes after divorce, the hardest part isn’t the heartbreak itself.It’s realizing how quickly you leave yourself when the pain gets too big.You disconnect.Overthink.Obsess over your ex.Numb out.Push through.Care for everyone else while abandoning the parts of you that are hurting the
341. Still Angry at Your Ex? It’s Not About Him Anymore | Divorce & ResentmentMay 5, 20262194If you’re still angry at your ex… this episode is going to challenge the way you see it.Because what if the resentment you feel isn’t really about him anymore?In this episode of Dear Divorce Diary, we unpack why anger can feel so intense—and why it often sticks around long after the relationship ends.Through a powerful moment sparked by a viral reel, this conversation opens up something deeper: ho
Ep. 340 Your Ex Moved On… And Your Body Took It Personally | Divorce Triggers & Nervous System HealingApr 30, 2026221You see your ex move on.A new relationship.A happy photo.Someone casually mentions they seem “so good.”And suddenly your body reacts.Tight chest.Racing thoughts.Shame.Anger.What familiar spiral of:Why am I still here?Why does this still hurt?Why does it feel like I’m back at day one?It looks like jealousy.But often, it’s your nervous system interpreting their moving on as rejection… all over again
339. Why Your Ex Moving On Makes You Question Your Worth | Divorce HealingApr 28, 20261149You see the photo.The new relationship.The vacation.The smile that looks a little too easy.And suddenly, your entire body reacts.Not because you want them back.But because it feels like proof.Proof that they’re happier.Proof that they’ve moved on.Proof that somehow… you were the problem.This is one of the deepest wounds in divorce healing:when their next chapter makes you question your worth.In th
Ep. 338 - Why You Keep Choosing People Who Don’t Choose You | Divorce Patterns & Self-WorthApr 23, 2026219You don’t just “end up” in relationships where you’re not chosen.You were trained for them.In this VIP episode of Dear Divorce Diary, we unpack the deeply rooted pattern of waiting to be chosen—and why it doesn’t start in your marriage… it starts much earlier.We’re talking about: The childhood dynamics that quietly taught you to accept crumbs How never being prioritized shapes who you choose (and
You Were Finally Feeling Better… So Why Does It Feel Like Hell Again? | Divorce HealingApr 21, 20262763You were finally starting to feel better…The anxiety wasn’t constant.The grief wasn’t consuming every moment.You even had flashes of feeling like yourself again.And then—out of nowhere—You’re right back in it.The heaviness.The spiral.The doubt.👉 “What is wrong with me?” 👉 “Why am I back here again?” 👉 “Is this even working?”If that’s where you are right now, this episode is going to change how you
Ep. 336 You Thought Divorce Was the Hard Part… But Self-Doubt Is What’s Keeping You StuckApr 16, 2026276You made it through the divorce.The papers were signed.The hardest conversations happened.You survived the part everyone warned you about.So why do you still feel… stuck?In this Thursday premium panel rant, we go beyond the obvious pain of divorce and into the part no one prepares you for:What happens when the external crisis is over… but your internal world hasn’t caught up.Because it’s not your
335. Why Can’t I Let Him Go? …It’s Not What You Think | Divorce Identity & GriefApr 14, 20262170You thought you were past this.You had more good days.You weren’t thinking about him as much.You finally felt like maybe… you were moving forward.And then out of nowhere—the heaviness comes back.You’re thinking about him again.You feel shut down, exhausted… maybe even defeated.And the question hits:“Why am I here again?”In this episode, we unpack the moment so many women experience in divorce grie
Ep. 334 Your Body Says Stop…But Divorce Deadlines Won’t Wait: Nervous System Relief When You Want to CollapseApr 9, 2026212Moment 2,374 in divorce no one prepares you for...You’re sitting there—staring at the email, the paperwork, the numbers—and your whole body says:I can’t do this.Your chest tightens.Your stomach drops.Every instinct in you says: run away.But the deadlines don’t stop. And you are too responsible.And suddenly you’re caught in that impossible space between: – what your body is begging for – and what y
333. Is It Regret… or Divorce Grief? Why Leaving a Marriage Can Feel Like a MistakeApr 7, 20263180There’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 divo
332. Beautiful Badass Mode Activated: Step Into Your Power & Own TodayApr 2, 2026299Good morning, you beautiful badass!Beautiful Badass Mode: Activated.This Thursday Premium EP is your quick 3-minute power shot to flip the switch and step fully into your power.You are the most powerful woman — full stop. Any thought today that says anything less? Kick that shit to the curb.Call deep upon your power and step into the truth of who you are: a wild, growing, expanding woman who can m
331. “You're Not Crazy": Why Your Body Feels Off After Divorce (Even When Labs Say You're Fine)Mar 31, 20262541Your labs are “fine.”But your body feels anything but.If you’ve been feeling exhausted, foggy, inflamed, or just… not like yourself after divorce—this episode is going to land in a very real way.Because what you’re experiencing isn’t random. And it’s not just “stress,” “aging,” or something you need to push through.It’s your body responding to something deeper that hasn’t been addressed yet.In thi
Ep. 330 Behind the Mic: The Parts of Post-Divorce Sex & Desire We Usually HideMar 26, 2026229This Behind the Mic episode goes deeper than Tuesday’s conversation ever could.Once the public recording stopped, the three of us got brutally honest about the parts of post-divorce sex and desire that most women feel too ashamed, confused, or exposed to say out loud.We talk about:The intoxicating “drug” of being wanted again — and why it can feel like medicine (until it doesn’t)Using a transition
329. Divorce Grief & Loneliness: That “I Just Want to Feel Wanted” FeelingMar 24, 20263066There’s a kind of loneliness after divorce that no one really prepares you for.Not just emotional loneliness…but physical loneliness.The absence of touch.The absence of affection.The absence of being desired.And in that space, something can sneak in quietly:I just want to feel wanted again.In this episode, we go straight into the tension most women feel but rarely say out loud—how attention from m
Ep. 328 Divorce Anxiety: When You Can’t See Your Future, Do ThisMar 19, 2026229There’s a moment after divorce that almost no one prepares you for.Not the chaos.Not the legal process.Not even the grief.But the moment when everything finally gets quiet…and you realize:“I have no idea what my life is supposed to look like anymore.”In this premium episode, Coach Tiffini steps in with something different.Not more advice.Not more overthinking.But a guided experience designed to he
327. Divorce, Litigation, and the Nervous System: Why You Feel Like You’re Falling ApartMar 17, 20262277Divorce isn’t just emotional.It’s legal.It’s procedural.And for many women… It’s where everything starts to feel like it’s unraveling.In this episode of Dear Divorce Diary, we’re talking about something that doesn’t get enough attention:👉 What divorce litigation actually does to your nervous system.Because the women we work with who are still in active litigation? They’re almost always the most dy
Ep. 326 - Why So Many Divorced Women Don’t Trust Their Own IntuitionMar 12, 2026299Many divorced women quietly carry the same fear:“What if I can’t trust my own judgment?”After a relationship ends, it’s common to question everything — your choices, your instincts, even your ability to recognize what’s healthy and what isn’t.But for many women, that loss of self-trust didn’t start in the marriage.It started much earlier.In this premium coaching episode, Tiffini works with one of
325. Divorce and the Death of the Future: Grieving What Was Supposed to BeMar 10, 20262393Divorce grief isn’t always about the person.Sometimes it’s about the future you thought was guaranteed.In this episode, Dawn, Producer Joy, and Coach Tiffini unpack one of the most disorienting parts of divorce recovery: grieving the life you thought you were building.The marriage.The identity.The future that felt certain.Because when divorce happens, many women don’t just lose a partner — they lo
Ep. 324 - The 10 Women Living Inside Your Divorce - Which One Are You?Mar 5, 2026256Divorce doesn’t create just one version of you.It creates many.One moment you’re grieving.The next you’re furious.Then suddenly you’re nostalgic for a relationship that hurt you.Then you’re trying to pull yourself together and be the strong one.Many women think this means something is wrong with them.It doesn’t.It means your nervous system is trying to process a profound emotional rupture.Because
323. There Is No Meal Train for Divorce Grief: Grieving Someone Who’s Still AliveMar 3, 20262546When someone dies, there’s a script.When you get divorced, there isn’t.No ritual.No defined role.No socially approved space to grieve someone who is still alive.In this episode, we unpack why divorce grief is neurologically and socially different from death — and why so many women feel stuck for years without understanding why.We talk about:The three ways divorce grief disrupts the nervous systemW
Ep. 322 - They Only Hear Me When I’m Angry: Codependency, Suppressed Rage & Healthy Conflict After DivorceFeb 26, 2026179Hi love.Have you ever felt like no one listens…until you lose it?You ask calmly.You explain clearly.You regulate yourself.And nothing changes.But the moment you explode? Suddenly, everyone’s paying attention.In this premium Behind the Mic episode, Tiffini, Joy, and I unpack the dynamic that hit a nerve in the office this morning:Why do some systems only respond to anger?We talk about:– The pattern
321. The Divorce Diet: From Midnight Bingeing to Appetite Loss - What Your Body Is Really Asking ForFeb 24, 20262169You’re either eating everything in sight to numb the ache…or staring at food like your body forgot how to be hungry.Welcome to what so many women quietly call the divorce diet.After divorce, your nervous system is on high alert. Grief, resentment, fear, and mental load don’t just affect your thoughts — they change your biology.In this episode of Dear Divorce Diary, we unpack:• Why cortisol and adr
Ep. 320 - Brené Brown’s Shame Question That Changed My Divorce Healing ForeverFeb 19, 2026199One line from Brené Brown’s Atlas of the Heart hit me like lightning during my own post-divorce unraveling—exposing the exact shame trigger I’d carried for years, the hidden identity fueling quiet resentment, self-criticism, and that exhausting push-pull of “too much” versus “not enough.”In this powerful episode, I take you straight into the moment it landed (page 30, in the section on resentment)
319. Divorce Wake-Up Call: Why Your Marriage Ended & How Masculine-Feminine Polarity Can Heal the Next Chapter – GS Youngblood InterviewFeb 17, 20262944Divorce isn’t just an ending—it’s a sacred disruption, a call to reclaim what’s been missing: true polarity, grounded masculine leadership, and the feminine surrender that lets you finally soften without losing yourself.When I read GS Youngblood’s The Masculine in Relationship: A Blueprint for Inspiring the Trust, Lust, and Devotion of a Strong Woman, my nervous system exhaled. I felt seen in ways
Ep. 318 - Divorce Unfairness: The Lie We Tell Ourselves That Keeps Us Stuck & Resentful (Premium Panel Rant)Feb 12, 2026260This is us. Moms who’ve lived it — sitting together having a real, unfiltered conversation about the one thing that keeps so many of us stuck: the feeling that it’s all so damn unfair.We talked about the hard parts of co-parenting after divorce — the uneven load, the chronic illness with no support, the special-needs kids mostly on one parent’s shoulders, the guilt, the waiting for him to step up
317. Divorce Co-Parenting Anxiety: Why Being the Bigger Person Is Killing Your Healing (And What to Do Instead)Feb 10, 20261940You keep it together.Calm texts. Steady schedules. Polite handoffs.But every time his car pulls up, your body betrays you: heart races, chest tightens, breath goes shallow.That’s not just “leftover divorce stuff.” That’s anxiety living in your nervous system—and it’s been quietly growing every time you swallow the unfairness to stay the “bigger person.”He’s got the new life.You’re carrying the kid
Ep. 316 - After Divorce: The Part of Me That Keeps Accepting Less Than I DeserveFeb 5, 2026192This Thursday, you’re invited into something sacred and real.One of our most cherished community members — the one who shows up honest, even when life feels like a rocket ship up her ass — sat down with Coach Tiffini for a live, unfiltered IFS coaching session.She came in carrying the familiar post-divorce exhaustion: extra work responsibilities dumped without warning, barely time to eat, resentme
315. Divorce Left You Toothpick-Eyelid Tired? Why Sleep Doesn’t Recharge Your Cells AnymoreFeb 3, 20262609Hi, love—welcome to Dear Divorce Diary, where midlife women move beyond talk therapy to process grief held in the body, release what's braced inside, and reclaim the confidence divorce tried to steal. I’m Dawn Wiggins, therapist, coach, integrative healer, and the woman who once lay awake thinking, “I should feel better than this… but my body never got the memo.”Toothpicks holding your eyelid
Ep. 314 - What to Do When You’re "Divorce Exhausted" but Can’t Drop the BallJan 29, 2026240Thursday episodes are for when your body won’t do what your mind understands.If you’re exhausted after divorce but still feel like you can’t drop the ball… If rest makes you anxious instead of relieved… If part of you believes that if you stop managing everything, it will all fall apart…This episode gives you something to do in that moment.Not a mindset shift. Not a pep talk. Not “just rest more.”
313. Divorce, Faith, and the Cost of Marrying an Under-Functioning ManJan 27, 20262590After divorce, women are often told to “step into their masculine energy” — be strong, decisive, productive, self-sufficient.But what if you’re not choosing strength at all?What if your body simply doesn’t expect help to arrive? And, do you know what to do about this?In this episode of Dear Divorce Diary, we talk about why so many women feel stuck in over-functioning after divorce — and why what l
EP. 312 - Behind the Mic: Divorce, Dissociation & Trauma...What Happened to Us?Jan 22, 2026203Behind the Mic is where we slow the conversation down.In this premium episode, we speak candidly about dissociation during and after divorce—not in clinical terms, and not from a distance, but from inside our own lived experience.This is a quieter, more intimate conversation about the ways women cope when life becomes overwhelming… and how easy it is to miss what’s really happening while you’re bu
311. Overeating, Screen Time, and Emotional Numbing Aren’t the Problem During Divorce But This Is...Jan 20, 20262587If you’re in divorce recovery and keep reaching for food, screens, or emotional numbness, it’s easy to assume the problem is discipline.It’s not.In today’s episode, we talk about what’s actually running underneath those patterns: everyday dissociation — the high-functioning, easy-to-miss kind that hides inside coping, productivity, and “getting through the day.” Divorce doesn’t just end a relation
Ep. 310 - Divorce Anxiety & Overwhelm: A Guided Reset for Letting Go Without Falling ApartJan 15, 2026195If you’ve been holding yourself together because it feels like the only way to stay functional, this guided reset is for you.Divorce anxiety and overwhelm don’t come from weakness or lack of coping skills....they come from carrying too much responsibility for too long (often without enough support).This Thursday, Premium Healing Tool offers a gentle, body-based reset designed to help you release i
309. Divorce Hypervigilance & Overanalyzing: The Cost of Being the Only Adult In the RoomJan 13, 20262192Hypervigilance doesn’t come from wanting control.It comes from realizing—often too early—that no one else was going to handle it.After divorce, many women find themselves overanalyzing everything: conversations, tone shifts, finances, social dynamics, parenting decisions, other people’s moods. Not because they’re anxious by nature—but because their bodies learned that vigilance was the price of st
Ep. 308 Divorce Panel Rant: If You Tell Her to Calm Down… You’ve Missed the PointJan 8, 2026210If someone has ever told you to calm down after divorce—and it made everything inside you feel louder, sharper, or more volatile—you’re not broken.You’re responding to a loss of connection.In this Thursday Panel Rant, Dawn and the crew get cheeky, honest, and deeply real about why “calm down” is one of the fastest ways to shut a woman down—and why it so often backfires in relationships after divor
307. What If This Is My Life Now? Divorce Anxiety, Trust Wounds, and Your Nervous SystemJan 6, 20262739What if this life after divorce never gets better?What if this is just how it is now?What he ruined everything? What if I can't be healed?If those thoughts have been looping in your mind after divorce, this episode is for you.In the Season 5 premiere of Dear Divorce Diary, we’re opening a powerful six-week series devoted to naming the thing under the thing—the deeper, often invisible forces t
306. Day 12: A New Year Blessing for the Part of You That’s So Tired Of DivorceJan 2, 2026304This is not a lesson about divorce healing.It’s not advice.It’s a pause.Day 12 of the 12 Days of Divorce Christmas is simply a blessing—offered to you exactly as you are.If these last 12 days stirred grief, relief, exhaustion, hope, or something you can’t quite name, this episode is here to hold that with you.No fixing.No reframing.No pushing forward.Just a few quiet moments of being witnessed.You
Ep. 305 Day 11: After Divorce, New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work — Here’s What DoesJan 1, 2026226If New Year’s resolutions have never worked for you...especially after divorce, it’s not because you lack discipline, motivation, or follow-through.It’s because the version of you who survived divorce is not wired to safely become the woman you’re trying to create.After divorce, most women try to change their lives by changing their behavior.But behavior never sticks when the nervous system doesn’
Ep. 304 Day 10: Why You’re So Hard on Yourself After Divorce (Especially on New Year’s Eve)Dec 31, 2025194New Year’s Eve has a way of turning self-criticism up to full volume after divorce.The comparisons.The sense that you should be further along.The quiet question of what’s wrong with me that this still hurts?If you find yourself being unusually hard on yourself today, this episode isn’t here to tell you to “think positive” or try harder.It’s here to explain why this happens—and what your nervous sy
303. Day 9: Divorce & the Holidays | Why Asking For Help Feels So ThreateningDec 30, 2025588The holidays after divorce don’t hurt because you’re single.They hurt because they force you to confront how unsafe it feels to need support.In this Day 9 episode of 12 Days of Divorce Christmas, we talk about the hidden, hardest part of life after divorce—asking for help. Not logistically, but emotionally. Not politely, but vulnerably.If feeling safe, seen, and supported came naturally to you, th
Ep. 302 - Day 8 - Divorce, Holidays & New Years: Why Recreating Traditions After Divorce BackfiresDec 29, 2025189In this Day 8 episode of 12 Days of Divorce Christmas, Coach Tiffini joins me to unpack what actually happens inside your nervous system when you try to bring old traditions into a new life after divorce...especially in this in-between week between the holidays and the New Year.Through an IFS (Internal Family Systems) lens, we talk about the protective parts that step in when traditions carry grie
Ep. 301 - Day 7: Loneliness After Divorce | When the Wave HitsDec 28, 2025188How ya doing babe? We're on day 7 of "The 12 Days of Becoming HER Again" and it's all pretty raw.Today we’re talking about loneliness after divorce...not as something to fix or outrun, but as something that moves in waves.For many women, loneliness doesn’t stay constant. It rises. It crests. And when it hits, it can feel overwhelming.In this episode, Joy and I talk about:Why lo
Ep. 300 - Day 6: Feeling Like an Outsider After Divorce | Christmas Cards & ComparisonDec 27, 2025185Today's convo is about a specific kind of holiday pain after divorce... the Christmas cards knowing exactly how to **send you.The smiling families.The matching outfits.The quiet comparison that starts to creep in and makes you feel like you no longer belong to the world you used to be part of.In this episode, Joy and I talk about:Why Christmas cards trigger comparison so deeply after divorceH
Ep. 299 Day 5: Missing My Kids During the Holidays After DivorceDec 26, 2025195If you’re here today, it means your kids aren’t with you...and that absence lands in the body, not just the heart.This episode is for the moms navigating holidays, weekends, or long stretches without their children after divorce. The quiet. The ache. The way your nervous system doesn’t know where to settle when the people you’re bonded to aren’t home.Joy shares from lived experience what it’s like
Ep. 298 Day 4: Christmas + Divorce | A Quantum Meditation to Shift Loneliness in Your Nervous SystemDec 25, 2025194Christmas after divorce can hit your body before your mind ever catches up.You can know logically that other people’s celebrations have nothing to do with you—and still feel the ache, the comparison, the quiet grief in your chest when you wake up.Today’s episode is different.This is a short quantum healing track designed to help your nervous system release the emotional charge that gets activated
Ep. 297 - Day 3: Going to the Holiday Party Alone After Divorce | How to Prepare Without Losing YourselfDec 24, 2025199Welcome to Day 3 of the 12 Days of Divorce Christmas...also known as the 12 Days of Becoming Her Again.Today we’re talking about one of the hardest moments after divorce: going to the holiday party alone.The explaining.The questions you don’t want to answer.The way your body tightens when you walk into a room where you used to belong as part of a couple.For many women, this isn’t just social anxie
296. Day 2: Quiet House After Divorce | Nervous System Relief When the Silence Feels Too LoudDec 23, 2025486Welcome to Day 2 of the 12 Days of Divorce Christmas...also known as the 12 Days of Becoming Her Again.Today we’re talking about something no one prepares you for after divorce: when the house is too quiet.Not peaceful quiet.Not restful quiet.The kind of quiet that feels heavy, deafening, and impossible to sit in.When the house feels too quiet, most of us instinctively want to:distractdissociatege
295. Day 1: Divorce During the Holidays | Nervous System Support When You Feel Like You Can’t Do ThisDec 22, 2025946Welcome to Day 1 of the 12 Days of Divorce Christmas...also known as the 12 days of becoming her again.If you’re listening today, there’s a good chance part of you feels like: “I can’t do this.” Not the holidays. Not the decisions. Not the weight of doing this alone.This episode isn’t here to convince you otherwise.It’s here to help you understand that when you feel like you can’t, it’s not weakne
Ep. 294 - Divorce Anxiety 😟 Calming an Overloaded Nervous System with EFT Tapping and IFSDec 18, 2025231After divorce, many women aren’t just grieving...they’re carrying too much in their nervous system.Too much responsibility.Too much self-doubt.Too much pressure to hold it together.That load doesn’t live in your thoughts. It lives in your body.In this episode, Dawn guides a somatic practice that blends EFT tapping with IFS-style parts work to help the nervous system release what it’s been holding.
293. Feeling Stuck After Divorce — Nervous System Patterns That Leave You Scattered and UnsafeDec 16, 20252343The holidays can make everything feel heavier — especially when you’re freshly divorced or still deep in the weeds of it all.In this episode of Dear Divorce Diary, we talk about three hidden patterns that often stall divorce healing and leave women feeling unsafe, unmoored, and scattered, even when the marriage is over and you’re trying to move forward.This conversation is a teaser for Season 5 -