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Start Your Comeback: Rebuilding after Divorce, Empty Nest, and Loss of Spouse
Start Your Comeback: Rebuilding after Divorce, Empty Nest, and Loss of Spouse
Author: Toni Thrash
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© 2026 Start Your Comeback: Rebuilding after Divorce, Empty Nest, and Loss of Spouse
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I'm Toni and a certified Life Coach. Is there a major life transition benching you? Let’s create a winning game plan to move into your new adventure.
Your life only seems to be over, however, there’s still time on the clock.
Let’s get you off the bench to start your comeback.
122 Episodes
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I would love to hear from you! Send a text! In this episode, Toni sits down with Erica Richmond, author, speaker, and writing coach, for a powerful conversation about storytelling, grief, and writing from a place of safety. Erica is the founder of Open Sky Stories, the author of the Pixie Children’s Series, and the creator behind the forthcoming creative nonfiction manuscript Yelling at Dead People—a deeply honest collection of essays on grief, parenting, and survival after loss. Together, T...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! Stuck in a Relationship That Isn’t Working? A Negotiation Expert on Divorce, Dating After Divorce, and How to Decide Whether to Stay or Go What if the hardest part of a relationship isn’t the conflict—but the indecision? In this powerful episode of Start Your Comeback, Toni Thrash sits down with Dr. Merideth Thompson, social scientist, negotiation expert, and founder of Partner Lab, for an honest conversation about relationships that linger long af...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! Feeling stuck between “what now” and “who am I” after divorce can feel like standing on a field with the clock ticking and no play to run. We break the moment down and build it back up with intention, so you can stop surviving, start breathing, and move forward with purpose. We start by reframing the rebuild: it doesn’t begin with a five-year plan, it begins when you can breathe again. Toni shares the core mindset shift that changes everything—sub...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! Fear has a way of dressing up like anger, urgency, and endless what-ifs—especially when a marriage ends. We sat down with Dr. Lana Sneer, a licensed professional counselor, to unpack how to face the grief of divorce without letting it name your whole story. The throughline is simple but demanding: sit with fear long enough to hear what it’s saying, then move with intention toward hope, help, and a new vision. We talk about how fear crowds out heal...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! Divorce can yank the ground from under you and convince you that the only options are to fight harder or run faster. We take a different route with Dr. Lana Sneer, a licensed psychologist and school specialist with 35 years of experience, who shows why the first step is alignment, not action. Think of it like setting a broken bone: counseling doesn’t instantly heal the fracture, but it aligns the pieces so real healing can begin and future movement...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! What if the smartest move after divorce isn’t to reinvent everything, but to slow down and stabilize? We take you inside the quiet work that makes a comeback possible: calming your nervous system, reducing chaos, and rebuilding simple routines that help you survive the early months without burning out. No hype, no rushing—just clear steps to get your feet back under you and protect your energy while life resets. We start by getting honest about em...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! The calendar flips and the pressure spikes: fresh starts, big vows, and a quiet surge of people filing for divorce. We open the year by naming the truth behind “National Divorce Month” and offering a grounded path forward that resists urgency and centers clarity. Instead of racing to fix everything, we walk through eight practical steps that lower the emotional temperature, protect your kids, and help you make decisions you can live with tomorrow. ...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! Holiday peace isn’t about getting every plan right. It’s about repairing well when plans break. We lean into a simple, steady framework—calm, clarity, and compassion—to guide tense moments, last‑minute schedule changes, and the emotional load kids carry moving between homes. You’ll hear scripts that lower the temperature fast, from “here’s what’s happening, here’s what we can do” to “I’m sorry—let’s reset,” so you can lead your home with confidence...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! Perfection is a myth, and chasing it steals the best parts of the holidays. We dive into the real work of building connection in a blended family season, offering practical strategies to calm the chaos, honor meaningful rituals, and create a tradition that’s truly yours. Instead of trying to recreate the past or outshine the other home, we focus on a simple, repeatable anchor that kids can count on—because consistency, not spectacle, is what turns ...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! The holidays aren’t broken; they’re just loud. Between loyalty binds, old traditions, and schedules that feel like a playbook, blended families can hit December at a sprint and wonder why small sparks turn into big fires. We open the door on that pressure and lay out a simple plan to lower the heat without losing the heart of the season. We start by naming what’s real: kids carry competing loyalties, parents bring history, stepparents want to belo...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! The holidays have a way of exposing what’s tender. We set the scene at a real Thanksgiving table—the one with burnt rolls, a too-long prayer, and a determined dog—and talk directly to anyone carrying a diagnosis, a breakup, a job loss, or grief that hasn’t moved on your timeline. If your voice shakes when someone asks how you’re doing, you’re among friends here. I share why transitions rattle identity, relationships, and routines, and why they sti...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! What if your comeback doesn’t start on a stage, but at the edge of your bed with a two-line journal entry and a quiet prayer? We take a reflective lap through the “Little Things Matter” series and map the practical steps that turn heavy seasons into steady momentum—no grand reinvention required. We dig into the small anchors that hold you when life feels loud: making your bed, taking short walks, a five-minute prayer, a single verse, a gratitude n...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! Big life transitions can leave you staring into the mirror, wondering who’s looking back. We go straight to the heart of the comeback: rebuilding identity when the old labels don’t fit. From divorce to retirement to empty nesting and loss, we unpack a practical, faith-centered way to release what’s gone and build what’s next with clarity, courage, and small daily wins that actually stick. We start by naming the moment: titles are tools, not your w...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! Change has a way of shaking the ground under our feet, and that’s exactly where this conversation begins: with the honest wobble of faith during big life transitions. We unpack a practical path toward steadiness, not through grand spiritual marathons, but through a handful of small, repeatable choices that anyone can sustain. If you’ve felt overwhelmed by the idea of “doing faith right,” you’ll find relief in a simple rhythm designed to fit busy li...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! When life flips the script—divorce, retirement, an empty nest, or a full-blown reset—the question isn’t “How do I leap?” It’s “How do I move at all?” I walk you through a practical, compassionate approach to rebuilding momentum using small wins that are easy to miss and powerful to stack. Instead of measuring today against your old life, we redefine what counts: getting out of bed, paying one bill, calling a friend, breathing through a trigger. The...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! Big change can make even simple tasks feel impossible, but there’s a quieter path that actually holds: small, steady actions that bring your footing back. We kick off a four‑week series called The Little Things Matter by laying out six daily anchors that help you move through divorce, retirement, empty nest, loss, or a major identity shift without burning out or shutting down. First, we get practical about momentum: why a 20‑minute walk, a stretch...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! Stop letting the clock boss your confidence around. We turn a birthday week into a working blueprint for a comeback—one grounded in gratitude, courage, and small, repeatable steps. The theme is simple and strong: aging isn’t decline; it’s refinement. Instead of measuring ourselves against old photos or past versions, we reframe age as a data point that offers insight into what matters, who we trust, and what we won’t settle for anymore. We start w...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! The question isn’t “what’s next?” so much as “where does safety live now?” That’s where our conversation with Karla begins—mid-shock, mid-limbo—after she leaves her marriage, her home, and the routines that once defined her. Karla is a violinist with The OK Factor and the founder of The Inspired Foundry, and she brings the kind of honesty that disarms you: panic attacks during a tour stop, court emails that feel like alarms, and the way sharing dog...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! We explore how structure and routine become anchors when transition blows up your playbook, from empty nest and retirement to divorce and the loss of a spouse. Small, intentional habits become scaffolding that restores safety, momentum, and meaning. • why a blank slate overwhelms after a change • routines as practice drills that build confidence • empty nest strategies for connection and mastery • retirement anchors that restore purpose and variet...
I would love to hear from you! Send a text! Have you ever felt trapped in an impossible situation with no way out? That's exactly where we find Benaiah in one of Scripture's most overlooked stories – facing a lion in a pit on a snowy day. The symbolism couldn't be clearer: a predator stronger than us, nowhere to run, and treacherous conditions making every move dangerous. This powerful biblical account perfectly mirrors those major life transitions many of us face: divorce, retirement, job ...



