A Fresh Story

There are moments that crack something open in you — moments you can't unhear, can't unsee, can't unfeel. For Lori Sugarman Lee, that moment came across a desk from an insurance agent who looked at her years of raising children, moving her family across continents, building communities from scratch, and sustaining a household with fierce devotion — and said, simply, "You're just a housewife. There's no loss." No loss. As if the thousands of hours she had poured into her family, her husband's career, her children's schools, her community organizations, amounted to nothing more than a footnote. That sentence didn't break Lori. It lit her on fire.A former marketing director for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts who had deliberately stepped away from a high-powered career to invest in her family, Lori had never once doubted the value of that choice — until society handed her its verdict. What followed was a journey of profound reinvention: she found Eve Rodsky's Fair Play system, took a Stanford course on Motherhood and Work, wrote a viral LinkedIn article called "I Don't Get Paid, So What Am I Worth?" — and then asked herself the most important question of all: What can I do that no one else is doing? The answer was a children's book. Not because her sons needed a bedtime story, but because she believed, deeply, that if we want to change how the next generation values care — how our daughters are treated, how our sons show up — we have to start before the patterns calcify. Our Home: The Love, Work and Heart of Family is that book. It's tender and illustrated and deceptively simple, and it is, at its core, a revolution wrapped in a picture book.In this conversation, Lori and Olivia explore what it truly means to value the invisible — the labor that keeps families alive and thriving but so rarely gets named, let alone celebrated. They talk about representation and why seeing your own family reflected in the pages of a book can quietly change a child's entire worldview. They talk about raising boys who understand that care is not a burden to be avoided but a gift to be given. And they talk about the cycle — the one that places the full weight of domestic life on daughters, generation after generation — and why a book, of all things, might be exactly the right tool to break it. If you've ever felt unseen in your own home, if you've ever wondered whether the work you do matters, or if you're raising children you hope will build a more equitable world — this episode is for you.

There is a specific kind of ache that comes from looking at your daughter and seeing yourself — not the version of yourself you've carefully curated, but the girl you tried to leave behind. That's where Melissa Fraterrigo's memoir begins: standing in a doorway, watching her twin daughters navigate the turbulent terrain of adolescence, and recognizing in their self-doubt, their body shame, their quiet suffering, the exact contours of her own girlhood in the 80s and 90s. The recognition didn't just move her. It sent her back — back through memory, back through culture, back through every lesson she'd absorbed and every wound she'd never quite named — to write The Perils of Girlhood, a memoir in essays that is at once an excavation of the past and a love letter to the next generation.What makes this book extraordinary is how deliberately Melissa chose the essay form — not to present a tidy narrative arc, but to honor the messy, nonlinear way that girlhood actually lives inside us. She wrote it the way memory works: pulled toward heat, toward the unresolved, toward the scenes that still ask something of us. She started in the middle — an essay about her father's temper and the people-pleasing survival strategy it produced — and spent five years finding where all the pieces truly belonged. Along the way, she wove in pop culture touchstones from Judy Blume to 80s sitcom dads, not as nostalgia but as evidence: this is what the air was made of back then, and we breathed it in, and here is what it cost us. She wrote herself into forgiveness — for her younger self, for the people who didn't always get it right — and found that the longer she sat with each chapter, the softer and more spacious her understanding became.In this warm, wide-ranging conversation with Olivia, Melissa reflects on what it means to trade the safety of fiction for the vulnerability of memoir, why this book belongs to readers of every gender and generation, and why one of her twin daughters has already read it — while the other has politely declined, which Melissa accepts with the grace of a woman who has learned that healing doesn't happen on a schedule. The Perils of Girlhood is ultimately a book about the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, how those stories get written for us long before we're old enough to hold the pen, and what becomes possible when we finally decide to rewrite them. If you're in any season of self-examination — a parent trying to break a cycle, a daughter still untangling her past, or simply a person curious enough to ask how you became who you are — this book is waiting for you.

Some people lose their footing early. For Jacque Gorelick, that unmooring came at eight years old, the morning her mother died. What followed was a childhood she describes as a snow globe someone had shaken and never set down — chaotic, rootless, and full of grief she didn't yet have words for. But grief has a way of waiting for us. And Jacque's memoir, Map of a Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Finding the Way Home (Vine Leaves Press, February 17), is the story of what happens when the past finally catches up — not to destroy us, but to ask us, at long last, to stop running.That reckoning arrived on an ordinary jogging trail. Jacque's husband's heart stopped mid-run while she walked nearby with their nine-week-old baby. In an instant, the fragile, beautiful life she'd worked so hard to build — the partner, the child, the sense of normalcy she'd spent decades chasing — was suspended somewhere between a hospital hallway and a prayer she didn't know she still knew how to say. What emerged in those hours of waiting wasn't just fear; it was a woman who finally let other people hold her. Friends showed up. Community formed. And Jacque — who, like so many children of disruption, had long ago decided that needing no one was the safest way to survive — began to understand that belonging is not something you're born into. It's something you build, one brave, tender act of trust at a time.In this conversation with Olivia, Jacque opens up about writing through trauma in stolen moments while her children were young, the music that carried her back into the hardest chapters, and the unexpected gift of sitting with her memories long enough to realize: they were real. She was there. And somehow, against every odd, she made it through. Map of a Heart is a book for anyone who grew up feeling like they didn't quite belong to a family, a place, or a story — and who's still quietly hoping to find one. It's for the person at the dinner table who doesn't know how to answer "what do you do for Thanksgiving?" without feeling a flash of shame. And it's proof that a life's map doesn't have to begin where your childhood ended.

In this episode of A Fresh Story: Simple Tips to Support Yourself, host Olivia Howell sits down with Meredith Beardmore — therapist, author, and YouTuber — whose entire practice is dedicated to helping women navigate the painful and often overlooked experience of loving someone with an addiction. With both professional expertise and personal lived experience, Meredith brings rare authority to a topic that affects millions of people silently. Whether you are currently in a relationship with someone struggling with alcoholism or narcotic addiction, or navigating life after leaving one, this episode delivers the kind of addiction recovery support and emotional resilience tools you need to begin putting yourself first.Meredith's core message is clear: the pain of loving an addict is valid, and self-care is not selfish — it is survival. She walks listeners through her top practical strategies, beginning with the critical importance of establishing personal boundaries and recognizing that your loved one's needs cannot continue to override your own. She strongly recommends Al-Anon and Nar-Anon — free, widely available support groups focused not on the addict, but on the loved ones — as essential tools for emotional resilience and starting over after an addictive relationship. Meredith also addresses the often-neglected foundation of physical wellbeing: sleep hygiene, nutrition, and regular self-care practices that protect your nervous system from the chronic stress that loving an addict produces. For those seeking therapy, she advises specifically asking for a clinician experienced with loved ones of addicts or, where unavailable, a therapist specializing in narcissistic abuse recovery — noting the significant overlap in patterns and tactics.Meredith is also the author of two powerful resources: Hey Addiction, Thanks for Nothing — a brutally honest self-help workbook for those currently loving an addict — and The Plan B Chronicles: Divorce, Defiance, Liberation, a memoir chronicling her own journey through divorce recovery and the path to finding herself on the other side. Her message to anyone listening who feels trapped, ashamed, or alone? Let go of the guilt. You cannot save someone from addiction. You can, however, save yourself — and there is an entire community ready to support you in doing exactly that.

When Elizabeth Wilson decided to start a family, she knew the road ahead wouldn’t be easy—but she never imagined how much it would ask of her heart, her body, and her marriage. As a lesbian woman navigating a system built for heteronormative couples, she encountered outdated forms, unnecessary counseling requirements, and a fertility process that felt more clinical than compassionate. But with grit and grace, Elizabeth pressed forward, carefully selecting a donor to match her wife’s features and beginning the emotionally and financially demanding journey toward conception.What followed was a rollercoaster: failed procedures, hormone shots that left her reeling, and a life-altering cross-country move timed with ovulation strips and overnight sperm deliveries. When she finally saw that positive pregnancy test, it felt like a quiet miracle. She gave birth to her daughter at home in a blow-up pool surrounded by midwives—but the birth of her child also marked the slow unraveling of her marriage. As she moved from new motherhood to navigating a divorce, Elizabeth found herself rebuilding once again, this time as a co-parent and part-time writer redefining what a healthy, supported life could look like.In this candid and powerful episode, Elizabeth shares the unfiltered truth about creating a family as a same-sex couple, the complexities of postpartum mental health, the inequities of co-parenting after divorce, and the unexpected beauty of starting over. Her story is one of resilience, reinvention, and radical honesty—reminding us that family is not defined by tradition, but by intention, love, and the courage to keep evolving.Learn more about Elizabeth: https://whisperedwisdompress.com/https://www.threads.com/@ewilsonwrites

There are stories you follow for so long that they weave themselves into your own becoming. This episode is one of them. From the opening minutes, Matt Logelin brings us back to the moment his life split in two—when joy and devastation arrived within hours of each other. He describes, with rare honesty, the day he became both a brand-new father and a widower at thirty, the surreal blur of hospital hallways, and the impossible grief of losing his high school sweetheart just one day after their daughter Maddie was born. His recollection is heartbreaking, vivid, and deeply human, a reminder that life can turn without warning—and that somehow, we still learn to breathe again.As Matt walks us through those early months, we hear the raw truth of parenting through shock, survival, and tenderness. He shares how he learned to raise Maddie alone, how strangers became lifelines, and why writing—despite his insistence that he hates doing it—became the thread that held him upright. His blog unexpectedly reached millions, offering a window into a life rebuilt mile by mile, record shop by record shop, midnight bottle by midnight bottle. What emerges is not a story about tragedy, but about devotion—the devotion of a young dad determined to give his daughter the rich, joy-filled life her mother would have wanted.And then comes the unexpected: new love on a Southwest flight, a blended family built with gentleness and humor, and two more daughters who helped rewrite everything he thought he knew about fatherhood. Matt shares how he navigated the complexity of loving again after loss, how his wife Lizzie embraced not just him but the entire constellation of his life, and why their family’s story—immortalized in his bestselling memoir and the Kevin Hart Netflix film Fatherhood—is ultimately about hope. By the end of this episode, you’ll feel it too: the truth that grief and joy can coexist, that families can be rebuilt, and that second chapters can be breathtakingly beautiful.

In this episode of Wake Up Fresh, Olivia Howell reframes emotional safety as a meaningful and worthy goal. Rather than equating growth with constant discomfort, this daily morning reflection encourages listeners to honor their need for steadiness, calm, and nervous system support.As part of a daily ritual focused on emotional wellness and self-trust, this episode supports anyone feeling pressure to push beyond their capacity. Olivia invites listeners to see safety as the foundation for sustainable growth, creativity, and clarity — not something to apologize for.Wake Up Fresh with Olivia & Jenny is a daily motivational podcast designed to help listeners begin their mornings with compassion, calm, and emotional grounding. New episodes release daily throughout January, alternating between Olivia Howell and Jenny Dreizen.

In this episode of Wake Up Fresh, Jenny explores the idea that boundaries don’t always arrive loudly or dramatically. As part of a daily morning ritual, this reflection encourages listeners to trust subtle signals of hesitation and honor quiet no’s before they turn into burnout or resentment.Designed for anyone learning to trust themselves more deeply, this episode supports emotional awareness, intuitive decision-making, and sustainable boundaries. Jenny reframes internal resistance as useful information rather than something to override.Wake Up Fresh with Olivia & Jenny is a daily motivational podcast focused on emotional wellness, boundaries, and beginning each morning with clarity and self-trust. New episodes release daily throughout January, alternating between Olivia Howell and Jenny Dreizen.

In this episode of Wake Up Fresh, Olivia Howell offers reassurance for anyone who feels pressure to move faster or accomplish more. This daily morning reflection reframes slowness as a valid and often necessary form of progress, supporting a more sustainable approach to personal growth.As part of a daily ritual focused on emotional wellness and self-trust, this episode encourages listeners to release urgency and choose a pace that supports their nervous system and overall well-being. Olivia reminds listeners that moving slowly does not mean standing still — it means moving forward with intention.Wake Up Fresh with Olivia & Jenny is a daily motivational podcast designed to help listeners begin their mornings with calm, clarity, and compassion. New episodes release daily throughout January, alternating between Olivia Howell and Jenny Dreizen.

In this episode of Wake Up Fresh, Jenny explores the emotional reality of change within relationships. As part of a daily morning ritual, this reflection reassures listeners that growth can require adjustment — both internally and externally.Designed for anyone navigating new boundaries or personal growth, this episode supports emotional steadiness by reminding listeners that others may need time to adapt. Jenny reframes discomfort as part of recalibration rather than a sign that change is wrong.Wake Up Fresh with Olivia & Jenny is a daily motivational podcast focused on emotional wellness, boundaries, and beginning each morning with clarity and self-trust. New episodes release daily throughout January, alternating between Olivia Howell and Jenny Dreizen.

In this episode of Wake Up Fresh, Jenny explores the habit of emotional over-functioning and the pressure to hold everything together. As part of a daily morning ritual, this reflection encourages listeners to release responsibility that doesn’t belong solely to them.Designed for anyone who feels like the organizer, fixer, or emotional anchor in their relationships, this episode supports healthier boundaries and shared responsibility. Jenny offers reassurance that letting go can create space for balance, rest, and more authentic connection.Wake Up Fresh with Olivia & Jenny is a daily motivational podcast focused on emotional wellness, boundaries, and beginning each morning with clarity and self-trust. New episodes release daily throughout January, alternating between Olivia Howell and Jenny Dreizen.

In this episode of Wake Up Fresh, Olivia Howell reframes the nervous system as a source of support rather than something to control or fix. As part of a daily morning ritual, this reflection encourages listeners to approach their bodies with curiosity and compassion, especially during moments of stress, anxiety, or emotional fatigue.This episode supports emotional wellness, nervous system awareness, and self-trust by helping listeners understand that physical responses are signals — not failures. Olivia invites listeners to listen to their bodies, prioritize safety, and build regulation through gentleness rather than force.Wake Up Fresh with Olivia & Jenny is a daily motivational podcast designed to help listeners start their mornings with calm, clarity, and emotional steadiness. New episodes release daily throughout January, alternating between Olivia Howell and Jenny Dreizen.

Some Fridays feel like a finish line. And some Fridays feel like the moment you realize you’ve been running the whole time—quietly, bravely, on fumes and faith—while the world keeps asking you to prove it counts. In this cozy, funny, unexpectedly tender weekly wrap-up, sisters Olivia Howell and Jenny Dreizen start with the kind of behind-the-scenes chaos that is modern life and somehow end up in the deep end of what it really means to rebuild yourself.Because the conversation turns, as it always does, toward the stories we’ve been told—and the ones people use to control us. Olivia opens up about the unnerving experience of “dream logic” being used as manipulation: how someone can cloak pressure in spirituality, how narrative-weaving becomes a weapon, and how hard it is to name what happened when it didn’t look like the usual kind of harm. Jenny calls it what it is: a form of spiritual abuse. And in that naming, there’s a small, steady permission slip: if your inner world was used against you, you’re not “dramatic.” You’re awake.From there, it’s the grounding stuff—the holy stuff, honestly: making an office feel like yours again, building tiny miniatures because your nervous system needs something gentle to hold onto, swimming because you remember your body is allowed to belong to you. Olivia shares a moment that will hit every working mom (and every entrepreneur) right in the chest: her kids asking when she’ll get a “real job,” as if building a company, holding dozens of divorce support consults, and keeping an entire community of people afloat is somehow… imaginary. The takeaway lands like a hand on your back: rebuilding isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s wallpaper and a calendar and a deep breath between calls—proof that your life is still yours, and you’re still becoming.

In this Simple Tips to Support Yourself episode of A Fresh Story, host Olivia Howell is joined by therapist and author Oona Metz to offer clear, practical guidance on one of the most difficult parts of divorce: talking to your kids when your co-parent refuses, avoids the conversation, or isn’t emotionally available. With nearly 30 years of clinical experience and more than 15 years leading divorce support groups for women, Oona brings calm, child-centered expertise to a moment that often feels overwhelming for parents.Oona breaks down actionable co-parenting strategies for navigating this conversation solo, including how to explain divorce in age-appropriate language, how much information is enough, and how to answer hard questions without blaming or oversharing. She explains why children don’t need perfect wording—they need emotional consistency, honesty, and reassurance—and how one regulated parent can create stability even in high-conflict or uncooperative co-parenting situations. These divorce recovery tips are especially helpful for single parents carrying the emotional labor of the transition.The episode also draws from Oona’s book, Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women, which focuses on the emotional realities of divorce rather than legal logistics. Listeners will leave with increased emotional resilience, practical scripts, and a key mindset shift: you don’t need agreement from your ex to protect your children’s emotional wellbeing. Presence, clarity, and care are enough.

In this episode of Wake Up Fresh, Olivia Howell explores the idea that protecting your energy is a necessary and compassionate practice — not a selfish one. As part of a daily morning ritual, this reflection invites listeners to reconsider boundaries, rest, and capacity through a lens of self-respect rather than guilt.This episode supports emotional wellness, burnout prevention, and healthier boundaries by encouraging listeners to honor their limits without over-explaining or apologizing. Olivia reframes energy management as an act of honesty and sustainability, helping listeners start the day feeling more grounded and supported.Wake Up Fresh with Olivia & Jenny is a daily motivational podcast designed to help listeners begin each morning with clarity, self-trust, and compassion. New episodes release daily throughout January, alternating between Olivia Howell and Jenny Dreizen.

In this Simple Tips to Support Yourself episode of A Fresh Story, host Olivia Howell is joined by therapist and Fresh Starts Expert Oona Metz to break down one of the most universal—and misunderstood—experiences of divorce and major life transitions: healing a broken heart. With nearly 30 years of clinical experience and more than 15 years leading divorce support groups for women, Oona brings clear, grounded, therapist-backed insight into what heartbreak actually does to the nervous system, emotions, and sense of identity.Oona shares practical, accessible strategies for divorce recovery and emotional resilience, including why heartbreak often comes in waves, how grief and relief can coexist, and what helps people move forward without rushing the healing process. Listeners will learn simple but powerful tools for emotional regulation, boundary-setting, self-compassion, and rebuilding trust in themselves—especially relevant for those navigating co-parenting, single parenting, or starting over after divorce. These tips are designed to be realistic, repeatable, and supportive during moments when emotions feel overwhelming.The episode also highlights Oona’s forthcoming book, Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women, which focuses entirely on the emotional journey of divorce—from heartbreak and identity loss to healing and renewal. Whether you’re in the early stages of separation or years into post-divorce recovery, this episode offers clear guidance and reassurance: a broken heart doesn’t mean you’re broken—and with the right support, healing is possible.🔗 Check out Fresh Starts Registry:The first & only divorce registry + support platform ➡ https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry

In this episode of Wake Up Fresh, Jenny explores the permission to change your mind without guilt or over-explaining. As part of a daily morning ritual, this reflection supports listeners in honoring evolving needs and trusting themselves as circumstances change.Designed for anyone navigating boundaries, decision fatigue, or people-pleasing, this episode reframes changing your mind as a sign of self-awareness rather than inconsistency. Jenny encourages calm, respectful adjustments that build self-trust and emotional steadiness.Wake Up Fresh with Olivia & Jenny is a daily motivational podcast focused on emotional wellness, boundaries, and beginning each morning with clarity and confidence. New episodes release daily throughout January, alternating between Olivia Howell and Jenny Dreizen.

In this episode of Wake Up Fresh, Olivia Howell offers a compassionate reminder that personal worth is not defined by productivity. As part of a daily morning ritual, this reflection encourages listeners to release hustle culture expectations and reconnect with their inherent value — even on days when energy is low or rest is needed.This episode supports emotional wellness, burnout recovery, and a healthier relationship with productivity. Olivia reframes rest, healing, and quiet internal work as meaningful and valid, reminding listeners that they do not need to earn their worth through output.Wake Up Fresh with Olivia & Jenny is a daily motivational podcast designed to help listeners start their mornings with clarity, self-trust, and compassion. New episodes release daily throughout January, alternating between Olivia Howell and Jenny Dreizen.

There’s a moment in the middle of the night, when the house is quiet and the questions feel loud, that this conversation begins. In this A Fresh Story: Book Talk episode, Olivia Howell sits down with therapist and Fresh Starts Expert Oona Metz, whose new book Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women was written for exactly that moment—when you need proof that someone else has been here, survived it, and is willing to sit beside you while you figure out what comes next. Oona doesn’t speak from theory alone. She speaks as a woman who has lived through divorce herself—twice—and spent decades walking alongside hundreds of women as they untangled their lives, identities, and hearts.Unhitched is not a how-to manual or a checklist. It’s a companion. The book gently guides readers from the earliest whispers of “Should I stay?” through the practical and emotional realities of telling people, supporting children, navigating grief, setting boundaries, and rebuilding a sense of self. Oona weaves clinical insight with deeply human language, making space for the messiness—the simultaneous relief and devastation, the shame that lingers quietly, the identity shift that no one prepares you for. In this conversation, she shares how years of running divorce support groups planted the seeds for the book, and why she felt compelled to write something that centered the emotional journey of divorce—something that didn’t exist when she needed it most.What makes this episode especially powerful is Oona’s vulnerability. Writing Unhitched required her to confront the shame she still carried as a therapist who had been divorced twice—and to model the very honesty she invites readers into. Together, Olivia and Oona talk about divorce as a life transition we don’t culturally prepare for, the quiet courage it takes to reach for help, and the healing power of knowing you’re not alone. This episode—and this book—are for anyone standing at the edge of a life change, wondering if it’s okay to open the door. You don’t have to walk through it yet. You just have to know there’s someone waiting on the other side.GRAB UNHITCHED HERE: https://amzn.to/4pBQvG9🔗 Check out Fresh Starts Registry:The first & only divorce registry + support platform ➡ https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry🎙 Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/divorcehappenspod/📬 Magazine: https://divorceguidemagazine.com/

In this episode of Wake Up Fresh, Jenny explores the difference between being nice and being clear. As part of a daily morning ritual, this reflection encourages listeners to practice honest communication without guilt or over-softening.Designed for anyone navigating boundaries, people-pleasing, or difficult conversations, this episode reframes clarity as a form of kindness. Jenny supports listeners in building trust, reducing misunderstandings, and starting the day with grounded, respectful self-expression.Wake Up Fresh with Olivia & Jenny is a daily motivational podcast focused on emotional wellness, boundaries, and beginning each morning with clarity and confidence. New episodes release daily throughout January, alternating between Olivia Howell and Jenny Dreizen.