Solo Parent Life | Single Parent | Divorce | Single Mom

Latest Episodes:

19: Dating After Divorce with Dr. Jill Gross Feb 02, 2017

Show notes

If you're a recently divorced parent and unsure if you're ready to begin dating, or if you'd like to find out how to know when the time is right, listen in to today's show and find out from the guest speaker, Jill Gross, what you can do to ensure that you're well prepared for meeting a possible new partner.

Jill is a psychologist, living in Seattle and she's the single mom of two kids, aged 12 and 14. She has been divorced for about eight years and during that time, she developed a system, which is effective when it comes to playing the dating game. Jill should know, as she found herself a new partner that way and they have been together for the last three years. Join Robbin and Jill today, for the first half of a two-part series about dating and being a single parent and find out how to know when you're ready to date.

Today, Jill and Robbin discuss:

Some sound advice for single moms and dads, about where to start with the dating game.
How Jill relates to the problems experienced by single parents.
Dealing with the grief of divorce when dating.
The HOW to do it- Honesty Openness and Willingness to try. (Melody Beattie)
Dating from a place of adding value, rather than filling a void.
The end of a marriage can feel like a death and it often requires mourning to come to terms with it.
Why it can take you a couple of years to work out your 'stuff' after your marriage ends.
Using support or interest groups to be with people who are going through the same thing as you are.
Getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new, something that scares you a little, even.

Links:

Robbin's website: www.soloparentlife.com -This is where you sign up for the Solo Parent Life Weekly Newsletter.

www.drjillgross.com

Resources:

Robbin suggests: www.meetup.com

18: Managing Stress as a Single Parent with Dr. Melanie Greenberg Jan 26, 2017

Show notes

Would you like to learn to deal with stress on demand, in the moment? Or to be an example to your kids of how they can cope with challenging times? Then listen in to today's guest, Dr. Melanie Greenberg and learn about how you can transform life's stresses to positive motivation.

Melanie is a psychologist, coach, speaker, and author, who helps people to manage the stress in their lives. She has recently written a book called The Stress Proof Brain, due to be released at the end of January. Join her and Robbin today, as they discuss ways that you can get back to the present and connect with your kids, when feeling stressed, overwhelmed and flooded with negative feelings.

Today, Melanie talks to Robbin about:

•The effects of stress on the brain.

•The value of mindfulness.

•How you can raise resilient kids.

•Techniques for you to move out of stress and into observation.

•Using your breath as an anchor for mindfulness.

•The value in having a daily mindfulness practice.

•Deep breathing to ground you quickly.

•Building your mindfulness muscle.

•Changing your relationship with negative thoughts.

•Breaking the cycle of ruminant thoughts.

•Dancing with your kids and coloring yourself calm.

•The ripple effect of practicing mindfulness.

Links:

Melanie's website: www.drmelaniegreenberg.net

17: Diary of a Single Dad with Nick Bender of the Single Parent Podcast Jan 19, 2017

Show notes

Nick Bender, the guest on today's show, is the twenty-seven-year-old single dad of a gorgeous five and a half-year-old son. He also has a podcast, called Single Parent Podcast, a nitty gritty bare bones kind of show, offering great suggestions to single parents about all aspects of single parenting.

Today, Nick talks to Robbin about how much he loves living the life of a single parent. He also talks about his podcast, how it came about, his motivation in doing it and how it has helped him to grow into becoming a better co-parent. Listen in and find out how you too, can create a better life for yourself and your child, going solo.

Listen to this episode as Nick and Robbin talk about:

What Nick has learned about the court system and how it can help you.
How his podcast has helped him to better articulate his thoughts and feelings around being a parent.
Nicks “recording studio” in his car.
The amount of energy it takes to be a single or a co-parent.
How he came to love his single parent life by embracing it.
Why Nick thinks it's easier to be a co- parent than to be married with kids.
Why it's really important to spend time alone.
The 3 things Nick recommends to make co-parenting so much easier:
1) Develop trust
2) Be flexible
3) Don't sweat the small stuff
Being flexible, yet maintaining firm boundaries.
How in the past, Nick's need to avoid conflict outweighed his need to be honest.
How much easier life can become when you learn to brush (the small) things off.
How children feel the weight of unspoken resentment between parents.
How changing your attitude for the better will feed through to the other co-parent and that they are likely to start doing the same.
You cannot control other people.

Links:

Find Single Parent Podcast is on iTunes and on Facebook.

Nick on Facebook: Nick Bender

Robbin's website: soloparentlife.com

To ask questions or leave feedback, go to: www.bit.ly\soloparentlife17

16: Being a Mindful and Productive Single Parent Entrepreneur with Dr. Elizabeth Bonet Jan 12, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to January and our theme of dealing with stress and anxiety! My guest today is Elizabeth Bonet, who hosts the podcast Hypnotize Me. She’s fast becoming a friend, sounding board, and supporter. She is a single mom, a psychotherapist, and hypnotist in private practice in south Florida---and she’s a former teacher of prenatal yoga. From her wide range of experiences, Elizabeth is here to share advice about being mindful and productive as an entrepreneur. Join us!

What you’ll hear in this episode:

How entrepreneurship gives freedom and flexibility to single moms
Elizabeth’s tips for managing stress:
- Recognize it
- Regroup
- Check in with others
- Set limits around work
How meditation can help manage stress—even just five minutes!
Elizabeth’s “car meditation” breathing exercises
Why the podcast, Hypnotize Me? To learn more and help educate others
Benefits of hypnotherapy, including help with trauma, anxiety, depression, and smoking cessation
“Inner child” work, through hypnotherapy
Stress management from the inside out
Finding support in online groups and forums
Elizabeth’s tips for time management:
- Schedule your day for self-care
- Know your own energy and patterns

Resources:

Insight Timer Meditation App

www.drlizhypnosis.com

15: Organize Your Life for Greater Fulfillment with Heather Sontag Jan 05, 2017

Show notes

My guest today is Heather Sontag, who created the company called Serene Space. She goes into people’s homes to help them organize spaces, de-clutter, and manage their time. Her work goes beyond the simple organizing of STUFF, though, because she helps people from the inside out as they find their life’s purpose and organize their LIVES. Great tips are oozing from this conversation, so join us!

What you’ll hear in this episode:

As a mom of two and a business owner, Heather works hard to help other busy moms
How to de-clutter and improve your time management
Getting your kids involved
Tips for organizing kids’ chores to foster independence
Connecting with your own inner guidance
Exercises to connect with positive body emotions
“Better it, bag it, or barter it”---advice from Martha Beck
Common struggles for women that they don’t even realize!
How to care and nurture yourself in little ways
Daily, weekly, and monthly mindfulness
How being grounded leads to better decisions
Why we all need “re-do’s”
Clear boundaries and priorities
Learn when to say YES and NO
Empowerment from being selective about saying YES
Letting things go

Resources:

www.ssorganize.com (Find Heather’s blog, newsletter, and information about classes!)

Upcoming Events:

Envision and Empower Your Ideal Life- January 18th

Beyond Motherhood, quarterly call- February 2nd

14: End of Year Reflections 2016 Dec 29, 2016

Show notes

Join Dr. Robbin Rockett, a psychologist, consultant and host of Solo Parent Life, on the last episode of the show for 2016.

Solo Parent Life currently has more than twelve hundred listeners from all over the world! In this fourteenth episode, she reflects on the recent holiday weekend and honestly shares about her current life situation and her intentions for the coming year.

Listen in as Robbin talks about:

The unnecessary pressure she puts on herself and how she deals with it.
The importance of being mindful and taking time out when the family is together.
How you don't have to do it all and it will still be good enough - it's not about being perfect.
That being mindful allows you to relax.
How being real and honest can take the pressure off.
Her gratitude for having started Solo Parent Life and how it's growing.
Some upcoming podcasts in this series, featuring charismatic Nick Bender, a single dad, Dr. Melanie Greenberg, a psychologist who has written a book called 'The Stress Proof Brain' and Heather Sontag who organizes homes and offers workshops to help mothers deal with stress and anxiety.
Her goals for 2017.
How you can reach out to her and offer her feedback on the kind of topics that will benefit you on her show in 2017.
Questions that you may have that she can answer in a Q&A episode in 2017.
Some things she's learned through doing Solo Parent Life podcasts this past year, that she intends carrying forward into the new year.

Links:

Robbin's website: http://southernmarinpsychology.com/solo-parent-life-podcast/

To ask questions or leave feedback, go to: www.bit.ly\soloparentlife14

13: Creating Space for Teenage Expression with Lorraine Platt, MA, LMFT Dec 22, 2016

Show notes

Today’s guest is Lorraine Platt. She and her husband co-own Teen Solutions and they focus on lots of different issues that teenagers deal with. Admittedly, Lorraine started out being afraid of teenagers, but the more she worked with them, the more she fell in love with them. Lorraine and her husband focus on mentoring services for teens, which is so needed as teens are growing up in these challenging times.

Listen to this episode as Lorraine also discusses:

Why same-sex mentoring is so important
The issues that can be uncovered when teens are free to talk openly about anything
How social media is pressuring teens today
A parents job is to raise and launch their children. Find out what that means!
Why it’s important to take an interest in who your teenager is
Phone use and boundaries plays a big role in developing relationships with your teen
Does your teen want to spend time with you, even when they act like they don’t?
Dad’s have some advantages as a single parent that Moms don’t have
Teenagers are under the pressure of perfection, so we have to counteract that as parents
Encouraging your teen to express themselves as who they want to be to the world

Connect with Lorraine:

www.teensolutionstherapy.com

12: Creating a Win-Win with Collaborative Divorce with Suzan Aiken Dec 15, 2016

Show notes

My guest today is Suzan Aiken, a family law attorney who works with families going through divorce. She raised her son as a single mother and then helped raise three stepchildren in her blended family. Suzan helps families get through divorce in a respectful and healthy way, through collaborative divorce. Join us to learn more about this low conflict way to divorce!

What you’ll hear in this episode:

How collaborative divorce is different as a conflict-resolution process
When both parties agree NOT to go to court
The team effort
How mediation factors into collaborative divorce
The holistic picture
The language around collaborative divorce
Parenting plans that are customized for each family
When collaborative divorce WON’T work
Feeling “heard” in the divorce process
Working with couples on prenuptial agreements with a different approach
Regrouping and revisiting prior arrangements
Suzan’s tips:
- Separate your emotions from the legal system
- Arrive at a resolution with positive, constructive efforts
- Take a holistic look at the big picture
Suzan’s recent appointment as president of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, active in 20 countries and multiple languages

Resources:

www.aiken-sinaiko.com

11: Understanding Collaborative Divorce with Ann Buscho Dec 08, 2016

Show notes

Welcome to an enlightening conversation with my guest, Ann Buscho. Ann is Psychotherapist practicing in CA, who is the mother of three and stepmother of three. We’ll learn more today about the technique called “collaborative divorce,” but we’ll also discuss ways to reframe the language we use around divorce and its many-faceted issues that affect both adults and kids. I think you’ll find this conversation helpful in many ways. Join us for this incredibly insightful interview!

What you’ll hear in this episode:

Why Ann decided to focus her work primarily on adults—after years of working with children
What is “collaborative divorce”?
Why collaborative divorce can be a great option instead of going to court
The health and welfare of the family are the primary focus
The language—it doesn’t have to be the language of “the broken home”
Maximizing the time with your kids
Language: Peace-building vs. Adversarial
Why collaborative divorce is an interest-based process
Divorce: 95% emotional and 5% legal
“Ripping off the bandage”
What to talk about in front of the kids
Why kids need reassurance
Self-care and the single parent
How different rules cause conflict
The “loyalty bind”
Why kids need to hear good things about BOTH parents
The choices we make
Be curious about your kids’ feelings
Helping kids accept step-parents and new partners
Why your kids DON’T need all the details

10: Career Counseling for Solo Parents with Lisa Trustin Dec 01, 2016

Show notes

New widows and stay-at-home moms who suddenly find themselves alone after the loss of a spouse or a divorce will need all the support they can get. If you are a widow or a divorced mom, the process of vocational analysis or evaluation is the scientific way to assess your employability and wage-earning capacity especially if you have not had any previous employment or have been unemployed for quite a while.

Robin’s guest is Lisa Trustin, a career counselor and coach. She counsels people seeking to redefine or reinvigorate their careers or explore the possibilities of returning to work. After the assessment, the client receives a report which includes the interpretation and free consultation.

Show Notes

How the interview process is the best start to evaluate a client’s employability
How her assessment helps the client re-enter the job market after an absence
How it helps the client find more success in any current job
How she helps solo parents in a litigated family law case
Method of career planning appropriate to the individual’s circumstances
Career counseling as support platform for solo parents
The most effective strategy of helping parents
The criteria for exploring the
Resources for the client
Training provided to clients include
- Creating resume
- Using social media
- Creating an account in LinkedIn
- Social networking
If somebody needs to work, there’s work for him.
How to avoid anxiety’s in job search
There are programs to join for the elderly solo parent
Lisa finds it fun and fulfilling to support people every step along the way

Resources

http://www.lisatrustin.com/

FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lisa-Trustin-MA-ABVE-Vocational-Evaluation-Expert-Career-Counselor-1507712092788583/?fref=ts

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