Solo Parent
Being a single parent brings real pressure. You should not face it alone. The Solo Parent Podcast offers honest conversation, expert insight, and practical help for raising healthy kids while carrying the weight alone. Created by single parents for single parents, each episode speaks to the emotional, relational, and everyday realities of solo parenting. Hosted by author and Solo Parent founder Robert Beeson, alongside Elizabeth Cole, Vice President of Solo Parent and a single mom herself, this podcast has supported thousands of single parents worldwide. It is for single moms and dads navigating divorce, loss, or abandonment who want steadiness, hope, and connection. Solo Parent exists to make sure no single parent walks alone. Through daily support groups, articles, guided meditations, and a free dedicated app, Solo Parent provides steady, practical support for every stage of the journey. Listeners can engage beyond the podcast and find real community, daily encouragement, and tools built specifically for single parent life. Go to www.SoloParent.org or download our app, on any app platform, to learn more!
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Emotional Stability
04/20/2026
Emotional Stability
This week we're discussing Emotional Stability with Dr. Chip Dodd When you are the only adult in the house, pushing through stops being a choice and starts being a reflex. Feelings get quieted because there is no margin for them. But survival mode and actually living are two very different things. One keeps you functional. The other is what you were made for. And until you understand the difference, it is easy to mistake getting through the day for being okay. Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent and co-host, sit down with Dr. Chip Dodd, a counselor, speaker, and author with over 30 years of experience serving others through emotional health and recovery. His book Voice of the Heart has become foundational for many solo parents trying to understand their own emotional landscape. Together they walk through all eight core feelings, not as burdens to manage, but as gifts that, when understood, move us toward healing, connection, and a fuller life. Key Insights from This Episode Survival mode is not a failure, but staying there keeps you from the life you were made for. Reducing emotion to get through the day is a natural grief response, but remaining in that place over time recreates the very isolation you are trying to escape. Your feelings, even the painful ones, are not signs of weakness. Each of the eight core emotions has a purpose and a direction, designed to move you toward healing, connection, and ultimately a life lived more fully. Needing other people is not a liability. Dependency resilience, the capacity to lean on others and on God, is one of the most powerful qualities a human being can develop, and it grows in community. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Voice of the Heart Living With Heart Podcast The Voice of the Heart Center hosted by Alex Courington Solo Parent previous episode with Dr. Chip Dodd Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Creating a Stable Home for Our Kids
04/13/2026
Creating a Stable Home for Our Kids
This week we're discussing Creating a Stable Home for Our Kids. The deeper fear most solo parents carry isn't about logistics. It's the worry that the tension, the grief, the moments of emotional checkout just to survive the day, are quietly shaping who their kids are becoming. And underneath that fear lives a question worth asking out loud: is one parent really enough to give a child real stability? The answer is yes. Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, Elizabeth Cole, a single parent, and Amber Fuller, a counselor with a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy and a single mom herself, work through that question with honesty and care. What creates stability for kids isn't a two-parent household. It's about presence, self-awareness, and the rhythms you build at home. Solo parents navigating this topic know the weight of it. The pressure to be both mom and dad. The anxiety about what happens in a home you can't control. The struggle to hold routines together when your own emotional reserves are running low. Key Insights from This Episode: One present parent is enough. Your kids don't need a two-parent household to feel secure. They need you, consistently showing up. Self-awareness is the foundation. You can't offer emotional stability to your kids if you haven't first done the work of knowing what's happening inside you. Routines are how kids learn the world is safe. The rhythms and rituals you build at home aren't just organizational. They are how your kids develop a sense of security. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Stay Connected + Get Support:
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How to Find Stability When Nothing is Stable
04/06/2026
How to Find Stability When Nothing is Stable
This week we’re discussing How to Find Stability When Nothing is Stable. You are holding more than most people will ever see. The bills, the decisions, the late-night worries, the questions your kids ask that you don’t have answers to. And somewhere underneath all the managing and the doing is a feeling that doesn’t have a clean name: a low-grade unsteadiness, like the ground beneath you is just slightly off. Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, joins Elizabeth Cole, single parent and co-host, and Amber Fuller, a counselor with a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy and single parent herself, for an honest conversation about what it actually takes to feel grounded when life keeps shifting. Amber brings both clinical insight and personal experience to the table, speaking not just as a therapist but as someone who has navigated the same uncertainty solo parents know well. This conversation gets honest about what actually sits at the center of why stability feels so out of reach for solo parents. Unprocessed grief quietly blocks forward motion, keeping you stuck between the life you lost and the one you’re trying to build. The instinct to stay busy or numb out works against you, pushing away the very stillness that restores steadiness. And when a real, pressing crisis lands with no partner to call on, knowing how to take one grounded step forward can make all the difference. Key Insights from This Episode: Naming what you’re carrying is the first step toward putting it down. Unprocessed grief doesn’t disappear when ignored; it becomes the weight that quietly keeps you from building what’s next. Inner stability is built by plugging back into a grounding source, not by solving everything at once. Whether it’s prayer, stillness, or a simple morning ritual, returning to something steady is what keeps you anchored. Small, repeatable anchors create the predictability that stability is actually made of. You don’t need to fix everything; you need a few things you can count on, and the courage to ask for help when the problem is bigger than you. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Quality Time with Your Kids as a Single Parent
03/30/2026
Quality Time with Your Kids as a Single Parent
This week we're discussing Quality Time with Your Kids as a Single Parent You were there. Physically on the floor, in the room, at the table. And yet somewhere between the Legos and the dinner cleanup, you realized your mind had been somewhere else the entire time. That feeling, of showing up but not quite arriving, is one of the hardest parts of solo parenting to talk about because it carries so much guilt with it. Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, sits down with Elizabeth Cole, single parent and co-host, and Amber Fuller, a counselor with a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy (MMFT) and single parent, to get honest about why real connection with your kids can feel so hard to access, and what it actually takes to close that gap without overhauling your life. This conversation names the pressures most solo parents feel but rarely say out loud. Feeling physically present with your kids but emotionally somewhere else entirely, and not knowing how to fix it. Believing quality time has to look a certain way, and carrying the weight of falling short of that picture. Not knowing how to build genuine connection when your schedule, your energy, and your emotional reserves are all running low. If any of that sounds familiar, this one is worth your time. Key Insights from This Episode: Emotional capacity, not a packed schedule, is what gets in the way of real presence. The emotional weight of solo parenting can quietly drain the reserves you need to actually show up for your kids. Quality time isn't about the activity, it's about your kids knowing they matter to you. When your children feel seen, safe, and loved, that connection becomes the secure base they spring from into the rest of their lives. Micro moments and small rituals already inside your routine are enough. You don't need a bigger schedule or a better plan; you need to recognize the connection opportunities you're already walking past every day. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: CNBC Article: Chip Dodd: Dan Siegel: Stay Connected + Get Support:
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The One Parenting Skill That Changes Everything
03/23/2026
The One Parenting Skill That Changes Everything
This week we’re discussing The One Parenting Skill That Changes Everything. There are nights when you replay the whole day. The sharp word before school. The moment you lost patience and immediately wished you could take it back. As a solo parent, guilt settles in fast. It sits with you through dinner, through bedtime, through the quiet after the kids are asleep. You wonder if the damage is already done. But what if the thing you’re most afraid of admitting is actually the very thing that could change everything? Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, sits down with Elizabeth Cole, single parent and co-host, and Amber Fuller, a counselor with a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy and single parent herself, to talk honestly about repair: what it is, what gets in the way, and how to actually do it. This conversation gets honest about something most solo parents feel but rarely say out loud. The guilt from past mistakes can sit for a long time when you don’t know where to begin. Shame, survival mode, and never having seen repair modeled growing up all make it harder. And even when the desire is there, knowing what to actually do in the moment is its own challenge. Key Insights from This Episode: Repair is one of the most powerful gifts you can give your child. When a parent owns a mistake, it builds trust, validates a child’s feelings, and shows them that being human is not something to be ashamed of. Toxic shame, lack of modeling, and the pace of solo life are the biggest barriers to repair. Naming what gets in the way is the first step toward not letting it stay in the way. Real repair follows four steps: Admit, Acknowledge, Accept responsibility and Apologize, and Act differently. Words begin the process, but changed behavior over time is what makes repair real. Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Growing Up with a Solo Parent
03/16/2026
Growing Up with a Solo Parent
This week we're discussing Growing Up with a Solo Parent. One of the heaviest things a solo parent carries is not a task or a bill or a hard conversation. It is a question. The one that surfaces when the house is finally quiet and you have a moment to think. You wonder whether the circumstances your kids are growing up in, the things they are missing, the instability, the absence, the gaps you cannot fill on your own, will cost them something down the road that no amount of love can make up for. Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent, sit down with Andy Marshall, entrepreneur, Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame inductee, and candidate for Williamson County Mayor. Andy's childhood was marked by instability, abuse, and loss. The odds were stacked against him in every direction. What he became anyway is worth paying attention to, not because his story wraps up neatly, but because of what it reveals about resilience, community, and the quiet ways God can work through even the most broken circumstances. For solo parents carrying the weight of what their kids might be missing, this conversation offers something more useful than reassurance. It offers perspective. Key Insights from This Episode: Children are shaped not only by what they have at home but by the people outside it who choose to see them. The adults who showed up consistently for Andy, coaches, neighbors, volunteers, quietly rebuilt what his home life was tearing down. Routine and predictability are not just practical tools. For kids in unstable homes, the simple consistency of a meal time or a homework check can feel like the first real safety they have known. A hard childhood does not have to become a tragic story. In the right hands, and with even one person who believes in you, the pressure and the struggle can become the very thing that builds something lasting. Nobody gets through a childhood like Andy's unscathed. But he closed by saying he doesn't look back on his life as a tragedy. He looks back on all the ways God placed people in his path to get him exactly where he was meant to be. That is something worth holding onto. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Co-Parenting with Purpose
03/09/2026
Co-Parenting with Purpose
This week we're discussing Co-Parenting with Purpose Co-parenting can bring out some of the hardest moments in this whole solo parent journey. You are trying to raise kids alongside someone you may still be hurt by, and the stakes feel enormous because they are. In this conversation, Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent, sit down with Traci Koster, a family law attorney, Florida state legislator, single mom, and co-founder of Tampa Bay Pro Bono Partners, to talk honestly about what collaborative co-parenting actually looks like in real life, not just in theory. Traci has lived this from both sides of the table. She knows the research, she knows the law, and she knows what it costs personally to keep showing up with intention when it would be easier not to. This conversation is full of practical wisdom and the kind of honest, imperfect storytelling that makes you feel less alone. A lot of solo parents want to co-parent well but are not sure how to get there, especially when the other person is not always meeting them halfway. These three areas are where the real work lives. Today, we cover three main points: Keeping kids out of the conflict takes more than staying quiet. It means actively building the other parent up, using a consistent mantra when kids try to play messenger, and being honest with yourself when your own insecurities are driving the reaction. Avoiding negative talk is only half the work. Children's identities are shaped by both parents, and when you speak poorly about your co-parent, your kids absorb that as something said about themselves. Stability comes from intention, not perfection. Whether it is the language you use around both homes, the way you handle belongings, or the moments when you show up somewhere uncomfortable for your kids' sake, small consistent choices create the sense of belonging your children need. Nobody gets this right every time. Traci does not claim to. But returning to the same intention, of keeping your kids at the center, is what makes the difference over time. That is something every solo parent can build toward. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: , family law attorney and Florida state legislator (co-founded by Traci Koster) Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Raising Healthy Kids When You're Doing It Alone
03/02/2026
Raising Healthy Kids When You're Doing It Alone
This week we're discussing Raising Healthy Kids When You're Doing It Alone. Solo parenting means making every call yourself. Every hard conversation, every boundary, every moment you are not sure you handled it right. And somewhere underneath all of that doing is a fear that rarely gets spoken: what if the way I am showing up is actually hurting them? That question deserves a real conversation. Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, sits down with Elizabeth Cole, single parent and co-host, and Amber Fuller, a counselor with a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy and single parent herself, to get honest about what healthy parenting actually looks like when you are the only one holding it all together. This episode speaks directly to the fears most solo parents carry quietly. Three specific tensions come up that are worth naming: parenting from fear instead of awareness and not knowing the difference, carrying unhealed pain that spills over onto your kids without realizing it, and trying to figure it all out alone when perspective is exactly what you need. If you have felt any of those, this one is for you. Key Insights from This Episode: Your internal world shapes your parenting more than you realize. The fear, stress, and unprocessed pain you carry does not stay contained; it finds its way into how you parent every day. The five Rs of stability give solo parents a practical framework for raising healthy kids. Respect, Relationships, Rules, Responsibility, and Risk each play a distinct role in building security and resilience for you and your kids. Blind spots don't fix themselves. Getting curious, asking questions, and inviting perspective from trusted people around you is one of the most courageous moves you can make as a parent. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Loving Our Inner Child
02/23/2026
Loving Our Inner Child
This week we're discussing Loving Our Inner Child Even when you are doing your best as a parent, old reactions keep surfacing. You respond bigger than the moment calls for. Patterns you thought you had outgrown show back up. In this conversation, Robert Beeson, Founder & CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent, sit down with Michelle Chalfant, licensed therapist, holistic life coach, and author of The Adult Chair, to talk about the inner child, what it is, why it still shapes your daily life, and how doing this work can bring more peace to you and your home. A lot of solo parents are trying so hard to show up well, but underneath the effort are old beliefs quietly running the show. Harsh self-talk, disproportionate reactions, triggers that seem to come out of nowhere. These things matter because they do not just affect you. They shape the environment your kids grow up in. Understanding where they come from is the first step to changing them. Today, we cover three main points: The inner child is not a concept. It is a part of you. From birth to about age six, we form a roadmap of beliefs about ourselves and the world. That roadmap does not disappear when we grow up. It keeps running in the background, shaping how we parent, how we respond, and what we believe we deserve. The good news is it can be updated. Triggers are gifts in disguise. When something sets you off, it is not really about what just happened. It is a belief from early childhood rising to the surface. Michelle walks through a practical process for following that trigger all the way down to its root, transforming it, and climbing back up with something new and true in its place. Reparenting your inner child does not take hours. Consistency matters more than duration. A two-minute check-in, a quiet question, a moment of gentleness toward the younger version of yourself. These small acts begin to repair old wounds and slowly change the patterns you bring into your parenting. This work is not about going back and reliving the past. It is about finally giving that younger part of you what it needed, so the adult you are today has more room to breathe, more steadiness to offer, and more peace to pass on. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: The Adult Chair by Michelle Chalfant Free inner child guided meditations and journaling prompts: The Michelle Chalfant Show podcast Metamorphosis Live Event (Charlotte, NC) — use code SOLO for $200 off: The Adult Chair Inner Child Course: theadultchair.com Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Even If: Trusting God Through the Fire
02/16/2026
Even If: Trusting God Through the Fire
This week we’re discussing Even If: Trusting God Through the Fire Life as a solo parent rarely feels clean or compartmentalized. You can be deeply grateful for your kids and still feel overwhelmed. You can trust God and still feel disappointed. You can be functioning on the outside while quietly unraveling on the inside. In this episode, Robert Beeson, Founder & CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent, sit down with Bart Millard, lead singer of MercyMe and songwriter behind the multi-platinum hit “I Can Only Imagine,” along with Shannon Millard, co-author of Even If: Trusting God Through the Fire. Together, they talk about chronic hardship, depression, loss, and what it looks like to keep showing up when healing does not happen the way you hoped. Many solo parents wrestle with silent comparisons, believing they should not complain because someone else has it worse. Others feel emotionally absent but do not know how they got there. Some carry disappointment with God but feel afraid to say it out loud. These struggles matter because unspoken grief turns into isolation, and isolation quietly drains your strength, your presence, and your hope. In This Episode, We Focus On: Gratitude and grief can coexist - You do not have to choose between being thankful and being honest about what hurts. Gratitude does not cancel grief. Both can live in the same space, and naming that tension is part of healing. Healing begins when you say it out loud - Isolation keeps pain powerful. Whether through counseling, community, or one trusted friend, speaking your struggle breaks shame and reminds you that you are not alone. Presence matters more than perfection - Your children do not need flawless. They need your willingness to return, repair, and keep showing up. Consistent presence builds safety and trust over time. Holding grief and gratitude together is not about pretending everything is fine. It is about staying engaged in your life and your parenting even when it feels messy. You are not weak for struggling, and you do not have to walk this road alone. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Love as a Boundary
02/09/2026
Love as a Boundary
This week we’re discussing Love as a Boundary Setting boundaries can feel especially difficult when you are a solo parent. You are carrying more, managing more emotions, and often trying to protect your children from further pain. In this conversation, Robert Beeson, Founder & CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent, are joined by Dr. Henry Cloud, clinical psychologist, leadership expert, and bestselling author of Boundaries, to talk about how healthy limits actually strengthen relationships, protect your peace, and help your children grow. Many solo parents wrestle with the same tensions. Saying yes out of guilt. Overcompensating for what their kids have been through. Feeling exhausted but unsure how to change long-standing patterns. These struggles matter because without boundaries, burnout, resentment, and chaos slowly replace the calm and stability every family needs. Today, we cover three main points: Why boundaries are not selfish Boundaries define where you end and someone else begins. When you protect your time, energy, and emotional health, you are not choosing yourself over others. You are creating the capacity to love well and consistently. Why love requires limits Love without structure often leads to resentment or enabling. Healthy limits protect relationships and allow generosity and connection to flourish in a sustainable way. Why boundaries help children grow Children need loving limits to develop responsibility, emotional regulation, and respect for others. What feels hard in the moment often prepares them for a healthier future. Healthy boundaries are not about controlling others. They are about taking responsibility for what is yours and building a home where both you and your children can thrive. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Dating Differently
02/02/2026
Dating Differently
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 Beeson (Founder & CEO of Solo Parent) and Elizabeth Cole (single parent) are joined by Amber Fuller (counselor with a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy and single parent) and Josh Stimpson (single dad of 12 years) to explore what it looks like to date with honesty, intention, and care in this season of life. Today, we cover three main points: Dating when emotions feel mixed. How hope, fear, grief, and loneliness often show up together after divorce, and why naming that tension matters before making decisions. What being “ready” really means. How readiness is less about time passed and more about support, self awareness, and dating from wholeness instead of loneliness. Why kids change everything. How moving slowly and intentionally protects children’s emotional stability and helps solo parents build healthier relationships. Together, these three points invite solo parents to approach dating with greater clarity and compassion. Rather than rushing decisions or shutting down connection, this conversation encourages slowing the pace, building strong support, and making choices that honor both personal healing and the emotional needs of children. Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Approaching the New Year with Stability
01/26/2026
Approaching the New Year with Stability
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 joined by author and single parent Marissa Lee to explore practical ways stability can grow even when life feels unpredictable. Today, we cover three main points: Creating stability at home starts with support. A stable home begins with a steady mind. Intentional rhythms anchor chaotic days. Stability does not require perfection or rigid control. Small, repeatable patterns build trust over time. Presence matters more than length of time. A regulated parent creates a more regulated environment. When expectations are realistic and rhythms are clear, both parents and kids gain room to breathe. Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Approaching the New Year with Confidence
01/19/2026
Approaching the New Year with Confidence
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 sense of worth rather than perfection or performance. Today, we cover three main points: Stop carrying it all alone. Why accepting your limits, practicing self compassion, and allowing support actually strengthens confidence rather than weakens it. Change the way you talk to yourself. How negative inner narratives undermine confidence and practical ways to notice, challenge, and replace them with words that are more true and life giving. Believe in your worth even when you fail. How mistakes and losses do not diminish your value, but can become teachers that deepen self awareness, resilience, and courage moving forward. Confidence grows when you stop measuring yourself against impossible standards. Perspective changes when you name what you are already doing well. Failure does not define you. It can refine you. Real confidence is rooted in worth, values, and the courage to show up honestly. Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Approaching the New Year with Intentionality
01/12/2026
Approaching the New Year with Intentionality
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, and single parent) joins Robert and Elizabeth to explore how intentionality shapes parenting, emotional health, and long-term growth. Today, we cover three main points: Starting with the end in mind. How clarifying your values and direction helps you live with purpose without trying to control outcomes. Why mistakes matter. How failure, repair, and humility actually strengthen growth for both parents and kids. Keeping the bigger picture in view. How intentional choices, even small ones, help solo parents stay steady when daily life feels overwhelming. Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Approaching the New Year With Renewed Perspective
01/05/2026
Approaching the New Year With Renewed Perspective
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 present instead of living in the past. How ruminating on what-ifs and regrets fuels shame and keeps us from experiencing clarity and healing today. Finding peace in the middle of the “I don’t knows.” Why uncertainty triggers fear and control, and how grounding yourself in what you can do today creates stability even when answers are missing. Filtering life through gratitude, expectancy, and awareness. How choosing to notice what is good, expect growth, and stay aware reshapes your experience and helps you respond with steadiness instead of stress. Renewing perspective does not mean fixing everything at once. It means choosing presence over escape, trust over fear, and small intentional steps over overwhelm. Clarity grows when we stop borrowing pain from the past or fear from the future and learn to live fully in the day in front of us. Stay Connected + Get Support:
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Rewind: The Three Phases of Solo Parenting
12/29/2025
Rewind: The Three Phases of Solo Parenting
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 looks like and how to take the next right step when life feels impossible. How recovery helps you stabilize even when triggers still surface. What wellness feels like when confidence returns and you can begin to dream again. Solo Parent online group leader, Cari Baker, describes triage as the season when life feels unbearable and every moment is marked by shock, secrecy, and survival. Her honesty reminds solo parents that this stage is not failure. It is the beginning of healing. Recovery begins when the chaos settles and a new normal takes shape. Solo Parent online group leader, Andrew Diakos, shares how community became the turning point that moved him out of isolation. His goal is not perfection but shortening those triage moments by repairing quickly, apologizing when needed, and staying present with his kids. Recovery is learning how to move forward without shame. Wellness is not about having an easy life. It is about having steadier footing. Solo Parent online group leader, Lana Craig, found wellness through small projects that rebuilt her confidence after losing her husband. With the help of trusted friends, she rediscovered desire, imagination, and possibility. Wellness is the moment you realize you can create a life you look forward to. Stay Connected + Get Support We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions .
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Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships
12/22/2025
Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships
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: Additional Resources:
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When Christmas Comes Through Unlikely People
12/15/2025
When Christmas Comes Through Unlikely People
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: God uses ordinary, unexpected people and moments to carry his hope into the world. Even when you feel behind or overlooked, you are not outside the story God is telling. Resources Mentioned In This Episode: by Curtis “CZ” Zackery: This book reveals how our misaligned view of rest has its roots in an identity that is out of rhythm with God. : This organization (founded by Curtis “CZ” Zackery) offers personalized coaching, spiritual care, leadership support, and Bible study guidance designed to help individuals and organizations regain balance in their lives.
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Rediscovering the Magic of Christmas
12/08/2025
Rediscovering the Magic of Christmas
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 in real time How to make magic as a family How to recover a sense of childlike awe The holidays can stir up complicated emotions. Even when we show up with a smile for our kids, there can still be an ache underneath. This conversation invites you to notice small moments of sweetness as they come, to create simple pockets of magic together, and to let yourself play again. Rediscovering Christmas starts with presence. Solo parents juggle more than most people realize, which means entire magical days may be rare. But magical moments are always within reach. Looking for them on purpose softens the heaviness and reminds us that goodness still threads its way through the hard. Making magic as a family does not require perfection or elaborate plans. Generosity, serving others, spontaneous traditions, and small acts of kindness often matter far more than anything wrapped in a box. Kids remember being together, laughing, and breaking out of the usual routine. Recovering childlike awe means loosening our grip on getting everything right and allowing room for lightness. When we give ourselves permission to be playful or engage in simple traditions, awe naturally resurfaces. It might be as small as watching Christmas lights, sharing a silly moment, or reviving a tradition your kids secretly still love. More than anything, the magic of Christmas is found in connection. Not flawless execution or perfect gifts, but being present with the people we love in the ways we can. Even in seasons of change, sweetness still exists. It often appears in the smallest moments. Stay Connected + Get Support We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions .
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Conquering Loneliness During the Holidays
12/01/2025
Conquering Loneliness During the Holidays
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 loneliness Moving toward connection, even when it feels awkward Creating and reframing traditions that fit your life now In this episode, Marissa Lee, author and single parent, joins Robert and Elizabeth to discuss the fact that these moments matter because they press on grief, expose the ache of what has been lost, and can easily convince you that you are the odd one out in a world that seems to be celebrating. Stay Connected + Get Support: We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions .
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Learning to Protect Your Most Valuable Resources
11/24/2025
Learning to Protect Your Most Valuable Resources
This week we’re discussing Learning to Protect Your Most Valuable Resources As solo parents, it can feel like our time, energy, money, and even our words are always up for grabs. We pour out for our kids, our work, our communities, and even good things like church or helping friends, until we suddenly realize we are running on empty. In this episode, we talk honestly about the pain of feeling constantly depleted, the resentment that can grow when we overgive, the guilt that surfaces when we try to say no, and the anxiety that comes from feeling like our money and schedule are always out of control. These things matter because if we do not treat our lives as sacred, no one else will, and our kids will learn from whatever example we set. Today, we cover three main points: Why holding things sacred matters How boundaries help protect what really matters Practical ways to hold things sacred in everyday life If you are exhausted from giving and feel like there is nothing left for you, you are not broken or failing. You may simply be pouring from a cup that has not been refilled in a very long time. Learning to hold your time, energy, and money as sacred is not selfish. It is a way of honoring the fact that your life and your story matter. When you protect what is valuable in you, you are better able to show up with patience, clarity, and tenderness for the people you love most. You have permission to pause, to say no, and to build new patterns that match the kind of life you know you are worth living. Stay Connected + Get Support: We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions .
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The Truth We Don't Want to Face
11/17/2025
The Truth We Don't Want to Face
This week we’re discussing The Truth We Don’t Want to Face. When betrayal, ongoing conflict, or a child’s escalating behavior keeps reopening old wounds, it’s easy to reduce people to their worst moments. That mindset feels protective, yet it shrinks our capacity for peace, models bitterness to our kids, and keeps us tethered to pain. Marissa Lee, author and single parent, joins Robert and Elizabeth to unpack how learning to separate a person’s worth from their actions helps us heal, set clearer boundaries, and stay grounded in dignity—ours and theirs. Today, we cover three main points: Contempt dehumanizes. What contempt looks like, how it spreads in our homes and culture, and why it leaves relationships stuck. Compassion expands our capacity. How extending dignity to others softens the shame within us and frees our energy for what matters. Practical ways to see worth. Simple, repeatable steps to move from judgment to curiosity, from reactivity to agency, including naming our feelings, resetting expectations, and choosing actions that align with our values. Seeing someone’s humanity isn’t excusing harm—it’s refusing to let contempt define you. Curiosity builds bridges; ask “why” before deciding “who” someone is. Your children feel how you speak about the other parent, and honoring their other parent protects your child’s sense of self. Boundaries require agency—state what you will do and follow through. Resources Mentioned In This Episode – Research from Dr. John Gottman on how contempt is one of the strongest predictors of relationship breakdown. Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff – A book exploring how self-compassion can heal shame and foster emotional resilience. – A guide to setting healthy limits that protect your peace and relationships. – A parenting resource offering practical tools for setting structure, building connection, and guiding kids through emotional growth. We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions .
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You're Worth A Life Reimagined
11/10/2025
You're Worth A Life Reimagined
This week we’re discussing the idea that You’re Worth a Life Reimagined Divorce can make it feel like your story is over…like joy, purpose, and belonging are things of the past. The shame and stigma can convince you that you’re somehow disqualified from hope. But what if your worth didn’t end with that loss? What if you’re still fully capable of building something new, beautiful, and whole? Today, we cover three main points: How to reimagine a life you still deserve How to create belonging for your kids in a new season How the church can better support solo parents and those healing from divorce Lysa TerKeurst, President and Chief Visionary Officer, Proverbs 31 Ministries, shares her story of heartbreak and resilience, describing the end of her 29-year marriage as the “death of the future” she thought she’d have. Through small, faithful steps, she learned to rebuild her life piece by piece. She reminds us that God’s heart is not against those who’ve endured divorce but for their protection and restoration. Lysa also challenges churches to move beyond fear and become safe places for single parents, places where people can heal, belong, and find hope again. And for parents navigating the aftermath, she offers this reminder: different doesn’t mean bad. Creating new traditions and inside jokes can restore stability and joy for your children, even when life looks unfamiliar. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: • by Lysa TerKeurst with Dr. Joel Muddamalle and Jim Cress: A compassionate, biblically grounded guide that helps readers navigate the pain, shame, and loneliness of divorce while discovering hope, healing, and a renewed sense of purpose in God. • : A global, faith-based organization that equips women to know the truth of God’s Word and live it out with confidence in everyday life. Stay Connected + Get Support: We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions .
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Knowing Your Worth Even When You're Broken
11/03/2025
Knowing Your Worth Even When You're Broken
This week we’re discussing Knowing Your Worth Even When You’re Broken Many single parents carry old stories that say you will never measure up. Those messages show up as shame from past failures, comparison to intact families, and a drive to perform or please. Left unchallenged, they shape how you parent, relate, and see yourself. In this episode, Amber Fuller, a counselor with a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy (MMFT), joins Robert and Elizabeth to unpack the distorted “cracked mirrors” we often look into, and how to start seeing ourselves through the truth of our worth. Today, we cover three main points: Cracked mirrors that distort worth Shifting perspective to a truer source Stepping into everyday worth Your worth is not a prize you earn. It is a reality you return to. When old stories shout, treat them as cracked mirrors, not final verdicts. Choose one simple practice today that moves you toward truth, like writing down a moment you showed up with honesty or tenderness. Share it with a safe person. Small, repeated choices will reshape your reflection over time, and the life you are building from worth will feel more grounded, more connected, and more you. Stay Connected + Get Support We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions .
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What to do When Self-Care Seems Impossible
10/27/2025
What to do When Self-Care Seems Impossible
This week we’re discussing What to Do When Self-Care Seems Impossible Solo parents often feel squeezed by nonstop responsibilities, financial strain, cultural pressure to be endlessly strong, and isolation that makes help hard to ask for. “Self care” can even feel like a trigger when planning it adds guilt on top of exhaustion. These pain points matter because chasing idealized me time can keep us stuck. Reframing care as something we sometimes practice with our kids helps restore connection and models healthy boundaries in real life. Today, we cover three main points: Why me time is not always realistic for solo parents How “us care” builds connection and rest at the same time Practical ways to create shared rhythms of care with your kids If “me time” feels out of reach, do not wait for perfect conditions. Choose one small shared rhythm this week, make it simple, and repeat it. Presence is the point. When care becomes something you practice together, home can feel safer for your kids and more restorative for you. Stay Connected + Get Support: We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions .
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When Self-Preservation Keeps You Stuck
10/20/2025
When Self-Preservation Keeps You Stuck
This week we’re discussing When Self-Preservation Keeps You Stuck Many single parents build needed walls after loss or overwhelm. Those walls help you breathe again, yet they can start to box you in. This episode addresses three pain points that keep you stuck: survival patterns that outlive their purpose, mistaking safety for thriving, and the courage it takes to reengage with people and opportunities. This matters because healing asks for compassion toward what protected you and small, steady risks that help you grow. Today, we cover three main points: How to know when self preservation has outlived its purpose Why feeling safe is not the same as living fully How to honor the past and choose the future When you can honor the ways you once kept yourself safe without letting them define what comes next, healing begins. Growth doesn’t happen in comfort, it happens when you stretch toward something new while remembering you can always return to your safe place when you need it. Stay Connected + Get Support: We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions .
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Three Things Robbing You of Self-Care
10/13/2025
Three Things Robbing You of Self-Care
This week we’re discussing the Three Things Robbing You of Self-Care Many single parents are told to “take care of yourself,” yet what looks like rest can quietly drain us. Performance disguised as self care, doing everything alone, and endless comparison often leave us more depleted, ashamed, or isolated. Add in escapism, toxic positivity, or rumination, and we miss what our hearts actually need. These patterns matter because they stall healing, strain relationships, and keep us stuck in survival when what we really want is peace, presence, and energy for what matters most. Today, we cover three main points: Three survival mechanisms disguised as self care The hidden costs of false self care How to tell healthy from harmful Self care does not have to be fancy to be faithful. Pay attention to what leaves you more present, more connected, and more at ease, and keep choosing that. Stay Connected + Get Support: We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions .
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Why Self-Care Can Trigger Single Parents
10/06/2025
Why Self-Care Can Trigger Single Parents
This week we're discussing Why Self-Care Can Trigger Single Parents For many single parents, the idea of self-care doesn’t feel like a gift. It can feel selfish, unrealistic, or even triggering when you’re already carrying the full weight of responsibility. This conversation explores the complicated relationship single parents often have with self-care, why it sometimes feels like a weapon, why the myths around it can be harmful, and how to redefine it in a way that actually builds resilience. Today, we cover three main points: When self-care gets weaponized The myths of self-care Redefining self-care for real life When you’ve been told to just “take more time for yourself,” it can feel dismissive. But when self-care is redefined as everyday disciplines and intentional choices that align with your real needs, it becomes a tool for healing and strength, not shame or guilt. Stay Connected + Get Support: We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions .
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How to Create Adventure at Home
09/29/2025
How to Create Adventure at Home
This week we’re discussing How to Create Adventure at Home Life as a single parent can feel like pure survival. The weight of responsibilities, constant demands, and unexpected setbacks can strip away joy and leave us feeling stuck. Our guest, Helen Smallbone, co-founder of MUMLife, author, and mother of seven, shares how reframing hardship into adventure can cultivate presence, gratitude, and resilience for the whole family. Today, we cover three main points: How survival mode robs us of presence and joy. Why reframing hard circumstances into adventure builds resilience for us and our kids. The role of gratitude and perspective in unlocking creativity and hope. When we live in survival mode, our ability to notice joy or wonder gets clouded. Helen describes treating an empty, furniture-less house like a family “camping trip,” which turned scarcity into connection and play. She reminds us that kids do not need perfection. They need perspective. When we choose gratitude and invite them into the process, they often help us see God’s provision in ways we would miss. Resilience grows not by dodging pain but by facing it together, choosing a hopeful lens, and taking the next right step. Resources Mentioned In This Episode: : A ministry co-founded by Helen to create safe spaces where mothers encourage and uplift one another through authentic connection, biblical teaching, and shared experience. : A feature film inspired by the Smallbone family’s journey of loss, faith, and resilience, showing how God provided for them in unexpected ways. We want to answer any Solo Parent questions you may have. Submit your listener questions .
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