My guest in this week's episode met the future father of her child when they were in college. They formed a firm friendship which, over time, developed into a relationship, and eventually marriage. They ended up being together for over ten years.
One day, six years into their relationship (and completely out of the blue), my guest's (then) husband told her that he wanted to take up crossdressing. Over time, her husband came out as transgender.
Throughout this time, they had a son (who is now five).
In this episode, my guest discusses how she handled her husband becoming a woman, becoming a lesbian (by default), and why they broke up - and it’s not what you think!
This is her story.
This is a Part 1 of a two-part episode. Part 2 will be released next week.
Links mentioned in the episode:
To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com.
Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.
Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.
In this episode, we hear from Hayley who last spoke to us in January 2019. In episodes 131 (Part 1), 132 (Part 2), and 133 (Part 3) she shared her story and experience with sudden wife abandonment and the grief that she experienced for the 12 months following.
Hayley thought her relationship with her husband had been a fairytale. They had been together for more than nine years. They had travelled, enjoyed hiking and doing things together in the outdoors, had just finished renovating a home and had just had a baby. Hayley was very much in love. So when her husband's demeanour changed and he then casually told her that he didn't love her anymore, her whole world stopped. But, as shocking as this story is, ultimately it’s a story of hope and one woman's strength. Hayley shared how she dealt with her grief and how she climbed out of the depths of despair.
In this episode, we catch up on what she has been doing in the 12 months since we spoke, and it is nothing short of amazing!
Hayley decided that she was not going to let 2019 be as bad as 2018. She spontaneously bought a motor home and then spent 5 months on the road, with her three-year-old daughter, driving 13,000 km around Australia.
She tells us all about the trip and how pivotal it was in her healing. She talks about the people she met, things that went wrong and how she overcame them, and about the highlights... riding a bike around Uluru with her daughter, making her way through Litchfield National Park, exploring Kakadu and looking for crocodiles, travelling through the outback, swimming with turtles off Fitzroy Island, and so much more. She also shares how she managed the long car drives with a toddler, and how she managed to do everything solo.
Also in this episode, Hayley updates us on the situation with her ex-husband. She tells us about the discovery of her ex having twins with the woman he had has an affair with (and finding out about it via Instagram) and how she overcame the sadness and jealousy that she felt about him having the big family that she always wanted, and how she now sees it is a blessing.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Listen to Part 1 with Hayley (Episode 131) HERE.
Listen to Part 2 with Hayley (Episode 132) HERE.
Listen to Part 3 with Hayley (Episode 133) HERE.
To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com.
Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.
Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.
A quick update for you!
Links mentioned in the episode:
To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com.
Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.
Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.
Welcome to the third, and final instalment of Dapnee's incredible story.
In Part 1 of Dapnee's story, we talked about what was going on her 17-year-old life: she had recently graduated high school and had been accepted into a dream university, she wanted to study physics and saw a future as a research scientist, and she had moved into the dorms and started college life. She was excited to begin the next chapter, and the future looked bright.
Things then took a turn and she told us about the night she got raped at a college party, how the Police handled the situation (terribly), and what happened in the weeks following the rape.
In Part 2 we learned about how she discovered she was pregnant three months after the rape, and although she was shocked and scared, it also brought hope and light into a time of her life when she was at her lowest, how she made the decision to keep the baby, being a pregnant teen, suffering from PND, life as a new single mum, and so much more.
Part 3 is the final instalment of our chat. Just when you think things could not have got worse for Dapnee, they did. We talked about how struggling financially led Dapnee to put in a claim for child support, and how this resulted in the unthinkable. Her rapist filed for custody of her daughter.
Dapnee did everything she could, but ultimately the court ruled that he had a right to his daughter. Dapnee faced co-parenting with her rapist.
Dapnee shares:
“When all the odds were against me, you gave me a reason” ~ Unknown.
I have been so honoured to share Dapnee's story over the last three weeks. One that she has never told completely to any of her loved ones. It is a sad story, but Dapnee brings strength, beauty, and bravery, and she is now in a really good place. Dapnee is a true inspiration. She is a go-getter, she is positive, she has drive, she is unstoppable.
*Please note this episode and topic may act as a trigger for some people, and this episode is not suitable to listen to within earshot of children.*
Links mentioned in the episode:
It is advised to listen to Part 1 and Part 2 first.
To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com.
Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide.
Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.