Thanks for joining us for Season One! Hope to "see" you again for Season Two starting in May of 2024. Be sure to follow and select the notifications icon so you don't miss new episodes. If you would like to be a guest on the podcast, please reach out to either RickGuardstone@gmail.com or DivorceRecoveryStories@gmail.com. Until next time, I hope you are well.
I apologize for the background noise in this one (I have a young dog). Moving forward all interviews will be done by web or in a more sound controlled environment. George a religious blue collar man is a great example on the difference a strong support system can make. Even so, the hardships of Divorce are still very real. Since his divorce, George has remarried and happily remained so for the last 18 years.
After accusations made by opposing counsel, I lose composure and let more of my emotions out than I intended.
During a pretrial hearing my heart rate spikes to 161 beats per minute. The stress is real.
“If we don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist” Married for 28 years with two kids; Zack recounts the events that led to his divorce four years ago and the many lessons he's learned since then. Zack re-married a few months ago.
"Nothing is more important than knowing you are enough" A public speaker and life coach; "Anne" shares the story of her impactful first marriage and the lessons she has learned since then about her self, her former spouse, her current spouse and people as a whole. If you would like to work with Anne, she can be reached at lpstarr@gmail.com
Brock has been divorced for 2 years. During that time he has remarried and gained full custody of his children. Brock met his former spouse at the end of high school after the death of his mother. They were together for about 10 years and had three children. Their separation has been contentious. Towards the end of our time, Brock shares lessons he's learned, his feelings on anger, and the new positive direction his life is taking.
This is my Christmas Day rant by the firepit. The holidays can be tough if you're on your own for the first time. But its also a chance to maximize your own interest and reconnect with loved ones. If you're are having an especially tough time, please reach out to the crisis hotline. You are not alone.
The second half of Keira's story. She will walk us through meeting her current husband, his children and dealing with his former spouse. You will get to hear her feelings on having a new instant family and how she feels about her future.
In this episode, we explore how divorce can echo through life. "Red", now 56, shares her perspective on her parents troubled marriage and the fallout from their divorce. This led to financial instability, abuse, and a number of long term issues. It still affects her own relationships. Today, she is able to have a relationship with both her parents, though more limited with her father. As we close, she shares what it was like to hear one parent talk badly about the other.
This episode is marked as explicit. Keira’s own parents were divorced, and her story is heavily influenced by the fallout. Both sides of her extended family were religious, but her parents were not. She refers to her stepparents as “Step-Monsters”. Her experiences opened the door to becoming a pathological liar, drug use, and other issues that eventually led to rehab. Her own marriage had issues around alcohol and anger. Keira walks us through how she met her former spouse and the conditions around their marriage and divorce.
Married for 22 years, then remarried a year later. Calvin is the youngest of eight siblings. He is the son of a stay-at-home mom and a military father turned literature professor. Calvin met his former spouse after serving a mission for his church. After 14 years of marriage and two children, things started to change. Eventually, his wife came out as bisexual which led to a change in religious values and contributed to the end of their marriage. Today, Calvin is grateful his wife ended their marriage. He can see a lot of positives that came from his divorce. Calvin remarried about a year later and is very happy. After the scripted questions are over, Calvin shares how social media, pornography, and his wife’s depression affected his first marriage.
"B" tells us about four long term relationships whos endings include drug use, affairs, blackmail, and a suicided attempt. He talks about closing his heart to romance and opening it to other types of love including that of his grand children.
After a difficult situation and divorce, Laurie has managed develop an enviable relationship with her former spouse. She walks us through some of the pitfalls her marriage faced and the mental shifts she made to improver her life and support a relationship between her children and their father.
Dane, a 31 year old hospital worker, shares how his wife's affair affected him and lead to their divorce. He talks about moving on, dating again, and letting go of anger. Please note this episode was before better audio equipment was available to us. At times, dogs can be heard in the background.
This episode has its own cover art showing a screenshot of my heart rate monitor on the morning of court a court day. The three top readings show my resting heart rate increasing as the hearing time approaches (109, 114, 123). The three bottom readings are from the previous month for a baseline (82,70,87). In these short but insightful thirteen minutes, I record my thoughts and emotions on one of many court days to hopefully prepare you for what you may experience.
JaNae, who has been separated from her husband for over a year, talks to us about her marriage, the separation and where she found support. At this time her divorce is not yet final. We expect this to be her first episode with a follow up in 6 months.
Kathleen, a bubbly mother of two, is now eleven years removed from her marriage. She shares her own shortcomings going into the relationship and her surprising view of alimony along with her feelings on dating, remarriage and lessons learned.
Our host is interviewed by “Hazel”. Almost 8 years divorced. We discus how outlook on life has changed and lessons learned.