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Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships

Solo Parent

Release Date: 12/22/2025

Dating Differently show art Dating Differently

Solo Parent

This week we’re discussing Dating Differently. Dating after divorce can feel layered and heavy for solo parents. Curiosity and hope often exist right alongside fear, grief, and loneliness. Add children into the mix, and the emotional stakes rise even higher. This conversation speaks directly to the pain of wanting connection while also protecting your heart, your healing, and your kids. Dating differently matters because the choices you make now do not just shape your future relationships, they shape your sense of stability, wholeness, and emotional safety at home. In this episode, Robert...

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Approaching the New Year with Stability show art Approaching the New Year with Stability

Solo Parent

This week we’re discussing Approaching the New Year with Stability. When life feels chaotic in the middle of already full days, solo parents can slip into survival mode just trying to keep everything from falling apart. That constant reactivity wears down our nervous systems, impacts how we show up for our kids, and leaves little room to breathe or think clearly. This conversation focuses on why stability matters so deeply for single parent families and how small, intentional choices can create steadiness at home, in our minds, and in our daily rhythms. Robert Beeson and Elizabeth Cole are...

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Approaching the New Year with Confidence show art Approaching the New Year with Confidence

Solo Parent

This week we’re discussing Approaching the New Year with Confidence. When solo parents carry relentless responsibility, face constant self doubt, and feel defined by past failures, confidence can feel fragile or out of reach. That erosion matters because it shapes how we parent, how we see ourselves, and whether we step into a new season with hope or hesitation. Robert Beeson and Elizabeth Cole are joined by Amber Fuller, licensed professional counselor, to explore how confidence can become steadier and more grounded when it is built on self compassion, supportive community, and a clear...

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Approaching the New Year with Intentionality show art Approaching the New Year with Intentionality

Solo Parent

When you are the only parent in the home, life often feels reactive instead of chosen. Every decision, every emotion, every consequence lands on your shoulders. That constant pressure can leave you feeling scattered, exhausted, and unsure how to move forward with clarity or hope. This conversation speaks directly to the pain of trying to parent well, grow personally, and stay grounded when mistakes feel costly and the future feels uncertain. Intentionality matters because it helps solo parents move from survival to direction, even when life feels chaotic. In this episode, Marissa Lee (author,...

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Approaching the New Year With Renewed Perspective show art Approaching the New Year With Renewed Perspective

Solo Parent

This week we’re discussing Approaching the New Year with Renewed Perspective. For many solo parents, a new year does not arrive with excitement but with exhaustion, uncertainty, and a quiet fear that clarity cannot be trusted anymore. When past disappointments linger and the future feels fragile, it becomes easy to live in regret, worry, or self-blame. This episode speaks to the tension of living between what was and what might be, and why staying present, releasing control, and shifting perspective opens the door to peace and renewed hope. Today, we cover three main points: Staying...

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Rewind: The Three Phases of Solo Parenting show art Rewind: The Three Phases of Solo Parenting

Solo Parent

This week we’re discussing The Three Phases of Solo Parenting Solo parenting does not move in straight lines. Some days you feel steady, and other days you are pulled right back into overwhelm. That is why naming where you are matters. When you understand the phases of triage, recovery, and wellness, you can recognize your progress and offer yourself compassion. This week, Robert and Elizabeth revisit a listener favorite featuring three Solo Parent group leaders whose stories bring clarity, honesty, and hope for anyone navigating this journey. Today, we cover three main points: What triage...

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Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships show art Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships

Solo Parent

This week we’re discussing Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships Healthy connection is something many solo parents long for, but most of us weren’t given a clear model of what it looks like. Between past trauma, unhealthy relational patterns, and the fear of repeating old mistakes, it can feel confusing to know when a relationship is safe, sustainable, or simply too costly for our emotional wellbeing. Today’s conversation with Licensed Professional Counselor, Laurie Lokey, matters because it gives practical ways to identify real health, real safety, and real growth within ourselves...

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When Christmas Comes Through Unlikely People show art When Christmas Comes Through Unlikely People

Solo Parent

This week we’re discussing When Christmas Comes Through Unlikely People Today, we cover three main points: • How God works through unlikely beginnings • Why your story still carries worth even when life feels heavy • How the message of Christmas offers hope to weary hearts Every solo parent knows what it feels like to wonder whether their life still has impact, especially in seasons filled with comparison, busyness, and unmet expectations. This conversation with Curtis “CZ” Zackery, author of Soul Rest and founder of Find Rest, matters because it reveals a truth many of us forget:...

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Rediscovering the Magic of Christmas show art Rediscovering the Magic of Christmas

Solo Parent

This week we’re discussing Rediscovering the Magic of Christmas For many solo parents, the holidays stir up more ache than wonder. What once felt magical can now feel heavy with reminders of loss, changed traditions, and the pressure to hold everything together for our kids. Hosts Robert and Elizabeth are joined by Marriage and Family Therapist, Amber Fuller, and together they unpack why this season can feel so complicated and why reconnecting with moments of sweetness, shared magic, and childlike awe matters more than ever. Today, we cover three main points: How to look for the sweetness...

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Conquering Loneliness During the Holidays show art Conquering Loneliness During the Holidays

Solo Parent

This week we’re discussing Conquering Loneliness During the Holidays. For solo parents, the holidays can magnify loneliness in surprising ways. Maybe you are watching your child leave for the other home on Christmas morning, sitting in a quiet house that used to feel full. Maybe you are surrounded by family and noise, yet painfully aware that you are the only one without a partner by your side. Maybe old traditions feel broken or impossible now, and you are not sure how to make new ones that actually feel like you.  Today, we cover three main points: Naming and normalizing holiday...

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More Episodes

This week we’re discussing Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships

Healthy connection is something many solo parents long for, but most of us weren’t given a clear model of what it looks like. Between past trauma, unhealthy relational patterns, and the fear of repeating old mistakes, it can feel confusing to know when a relationship is safe, sustainable, or simply too costly for our emotional wellbeing. Today’s conversation with Licensed Professional Counselor, Laurie Lokey, matters because it gives practical ways to identify real health, real safety, and real growth within ourselves and in our relationships with others.

Today, we cover three main points:

  • What a healthy relationship actually feels like and why it always begins with the relationship you have with yourself.
  • How to recognize red flags and green flags when dating or navigating close relationships.
  • Why modeling health for your kids matters even if you are not dating at all.

These pain points matter because many solo parents were never shown what healthy connection looks like. Without a clear blueprint, it is easy to mistrust our instincts, blame ourselves, or repeat familiar patterns that keep us stuck. By naming what feels confusing, learning how to recognize safety, and growing in self-awareness, we begin to build relationships that support healing instead of draining it.

Laurie reminds us that healthy connection begins within. When we do our own work, we show up grounded, honest, and present. We stop performing. We stop shrinking. We stop blaming. That shift changes everything: how we date, how we communicate, and how our kids learn what love looks like. Even if we are not dating, our growth becomes a living amends to our children, showing them that it only takes one healthy parent to change a family’s story. 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

Licensed Professional Counselor, Laurie Lokey

Additional Resources: