Tag: Life Transitions

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Gray Divorce and Retirement: Redefining Your Life and Identity (Ep. 105)

Gray Divorce and Retirement: Redefining Your Life and Identity (Ep. 105)

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There are moments in life when everything shifts at once: your identity, your roles, and your plans for the future.

What happens when the life you expected changes, and you’re left asking what comes next?

In this episode, I sit down with Oona Metz, LICSW, CGP, licensed clinical social worker and certified group psychotherapist, to talk about the emotional journey women face during divorce and how it connects to retirement planning. We explore the role of shame in financial decision-making, the power of community through support groups, and how women can begin to rebuild their identity. Oona also shares practical ways to reduce overwhelm, reconnect with purpose, and move forward with clarity.

Key takeaways:

  • How shame around money can prevent women from asking questions or seeking guidance after divorce
  • Why support groups help women feel less isolated and more connected during life transitions
  • The emotional impact of gray divorce and identity shifts tied to an empty nest and retirement
  • Simple exercises that help women reconnect with purpose, meaning, and personal identity
  • Why asking for help and building a trusted support system is essential during uncertain times
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Eric Blake: 

Connect with Oona Metz: 

About our Guest: 

Oona Metz is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, a Certified Group Psychotherapist, and a Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association. She brings 30 years of experience working with individuals, families, and groups. Her private practice offices are located in Brookline and Arlington, Massachusetts. She is actively involved in numerous committees and boards related to group therapy and is committed to ongoing learning in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Her practice focuses on individual adults and group therapy. She specializes in working with women+ who are navigating life transitions. Whether transitioning from college to graduate school or into the workforce, beginning or ending a relationship or job, becoming a parent or adjusting to an empty nest, or coming out to family and friends, she views these experiences as opportunities for reflection, insight, and meaningful change.

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Making Better Divorce Decisions to Protect Your Financial Future (Ep. 104)

Making Better Divorce Decisions to Protect Your Financial Future (Ep. 104)

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Divorce can feel overwhelming, especially when emotions and financial uncertainty collide.

How do you make clear decisions when everything feels uncertain? And how can the right guidance help you avoid costly mistakes along the way?

In this episode, I sit down with Carolyn Daly, Managing Partner at Cohen Seglias, to talk through how women can approach divorce with clarity and structure. We cover the importance of understanding your assets, avoiding emotional decisions, and working with the right professionals early. Carolyn also shares how alternative processes like mediation can reduce stress and costs, along with practical ways to move forward with confidence and protect your financial future.

Key takeaways:

  • Why understanding all assets early helps avoid confusion and poor decisions during divorce settlements
  • How emotional attachment to the house can lead to long-term financial strain and missed opportunities
  • The importance of reviewing tax implications, especially capital gains, when dividing investment assets
  • Why delays in the process often increase stress, conflict, and overall costs for both parties
  • How mediation and arbitration can offer more control, reduce conflict, and speed up resolution timelines
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Eric Blake: 

Connect with Carolyn Daly:

About our Guest: 

Carolyn Daly is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Seton Hall University School of Law. She is admitted to practice in both New Jersey and New York, with a primary focus on New Jersey, and is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Matrimonial Law Attorney.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and previously served as president of the New Jersey Chapter. Carolyn is an active member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, including its Family Law Section and Family Law Executive Committee. She also serves on the New Jersey Courts’ Supreme Court Family Practice Committee.

Her professional involvement extends into the community, where she volunteers with the battered women’s legal assistance project. She has also contributed to the Morris County Child Support Partnership Committee, participated in a domestic violence task force, and supported the Morris Family Justice Center.

Carolyn has written for the New Jersey Family Lawyer, including an article titled “College Contribution: A Contrarian View,” and contributed a chapter titled “What To Do When Your Spouse Says “I’m Out of Here!” to a book focused on navigating financial crises.

Her practice is centered on family law matters, including divorce, custody, domestic violence, grandparents’ rights, and non-dissolution issues. She is also a trained mediator and an AAML-certified arbitrator.

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Finding Strength Through Uncertainty and Rebuilding After Divorce (Ep. 102)

Finding Strength Through Uncertainty and Rebuilding After Divorce (Ep. 102)

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Facing major life changes can feel overwhelming, especially when the future is unclear and the stakes are high.

How do you move forward when fear, finances, and identity are all shifting at once?

In this episode, I chat with Claudia Porter, CFP®, CDFA®, Wealth Advisor at RFG Advisory, about navigating divorce, financial uncertainty, and rebuilding life with purpose. She shares her personal journey from feeling financially powerless to taking control, the mindset shifts that helped her move forward, and how small steps can create momentum. 

Claudia also explores the importance of support systems, journaling for clarity, and empowering women to take an active role in their financial lives.

Key takeaways:

  • How financial control in relationships can limit independence and decision-making during major life transitions
  • Why taking one step at a time can help reduce overwhelm and build confidence in uncertain situations
  • The role of journaling in creating clarity, distance, and better decision-making during emotional periods
  • How building a trusted support team can provide guidance, perspective, and accountability when it matters most
  • Why participating in financial conversations early can help avoid stress and uncertainty later in life
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Eric Blake: 

Connect with Claudia Porter:

About our Guest: 

Claudia was born and raised in West Germany.

She is a Certified Financial Planner® and has been in the financial industry for 11 years and partnered with RFG Advisory in March, 2025 to go independent.

She has a Master’s Degree in Teaching English and French from the University of Göttingen and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Braunschweig Technical University. In 2014, she left academia to return to her earlier passion for financial planning and wealth management to make a more significant impact in people’s lives. For Claudia, “Success is not what you get, but the positive impact you make in other people’s lives.”

She is the author of 2 books, “Women, Wealth, and Winning” and “On The Other Side: A Woman’s Guide to Rediscovering Strength and Success Beyond Adversity”.

Claudia has 4 boys, 3 of whom are in college, 1 is still in high school.

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Clearing the Mental Clutter During Big Life Changes (Ep. 98)

Clearing the Mental Clutter During Big Life Changes (Ep. 98)

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When life feels noisy, the real issue is not always a lack of time; it is often a lack of clarity.

The biggest decisions in life rarely get solved by doing more. They get solved by cutting through the clutter, focusing on what matters most, and taking one small step at a time.

In this episode, I talk with Jill Beck, founder of Go Long, about why so many women stay stuck during major life transitions and how accountability, clarity, and small actions can help them move forward. Jill shares her own path out of high-pressure corporate life, why women often put themselves last, and how her text-based coaching helps make hard changes feel more manageable.

Key takeaways:

  • How Jill’s health journey and corporate experience led her to help women through major transitions
  • Why fear, perfection, and helping others can keep women from facing the changes they need to make
  • How text-based accountability can make hard decisions feel more manageable
  • The value of narrowing your focus, understanding your why, and being willing to get uncomfortable
  • Why breaking a big task into smaller steps can reduce overwhelm and create momentum
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Eric Blake: 

Connect with Jill Beck: 

About our Guest: 

Jill Beck worked at one of the top investment banks, traveled extensively, and built what many would describe as a dream career.

Behind the scenes, she was exhausted, overwhelmed, and neglecting her own well-being. She was working 90+ hour weeks, skipping meals, relying heavily on Diet Coke, and getting very little sleep.

Even after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, she continued pushing forward. She told herself she would focus on her health when things slowed down, but that moment never came.

It was not until she reached a breaking point that she realized something had to change. She began making small, intentional adjustments, focusing on what she could do instead of trying to meet every expectation at once.

Today, at 53, she is in the best shape of her life. She takes active vacations with her husband, hikes regularly, and wakes up feeling energized about her day.

What made the difference was not a complete overhaul overnight. It came from simplifying, focusing, and creating space for herself without guilt.

Now, she helps others take a similar approach through practical, personalized steps that align with their life, goals, and priorities.

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Divorce, Identity, and Financial Clarity After 50 With Mardi Winder (Ep. 90)

Divorce, Identity, and Financial Clarity After 50 With Mardi Winder (Ep. 90)

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Divorce later in life is not just a legal event; it is an emotional and financial turning point that reshapes identity, confidence, and long-term planning.

In this episode, I sit down with Mardi Winder, a strategic divorce consultant and founder of Positive Communication Systems, to discuss what really happens before, during, and after a gray divorce. 

We explore why so many women feel stuck in fear, how financial uncertainty can drive costly decisions, and why clarity must come before action. I also share how retirement planning and divorce strategy need to work together so women can move forward with confidence, not confusion.

Key Takeaways:

  • Why high-conflict divorces often create a loss of identity after the process ends
  • How fear around money keeps women stuck or leads to poor settlement decisions
  • Where strategic divorce coaching fits alongside legal and financial professionals
  • Why financial clarity should come before hiring attorneys
  • How early guidance can prevent costly mistakes in the first months of divorce
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Eric Blake: 

Connect with Mardi Winder: 

About our Guest: 

Mardi Winder is a Strategic Divorce Consultant and trusted authority for high-achieving individuals navigating separation and divorce. She is known for helping clients reduce the emotional and financial costs of the process by strengthening decision-making, communication, and conflict management during high-stakes transitions. With more than 30 years of experience, Mardi brings deep expertise in high-conflict, complex, and high-asset divorces. Her background spans mediation, executive and leadership coaching, conflict resolution and mediation, emotional intelligence, and strategic communication, allowing her to support clients in maintaining clarity, confidence, and control throughout divorce and beyond.

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Finding Your Financial Footing After Life’s Biggest Transitions with Tony Steuer (Ep. 88)

Finding Your Financial Footing After Life’s Biggest Transitions with Tony Steuer (Ep. 88)

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Major life transitions can leave you feeling lost and uncertain about your financial future.

How do you move forward when everything feels overwhelming? What questions should you even be asking when you’re navigating divorce, widowhood, or any significant financial change?

In this episode, I sit down with Tony Steuer, Author and Host of The Get Ready Podcast. Tony shares his perspective on why so many people freeze when facing financial decisions and how reframing your relationship with money, treating it like learning a new language, can transform confusion into confidence. We discuss practical steps for getting organized, recognizing red flags in advice you receive, and giving yourself permission to ask for help without shame.

Key Insights:

  • Why acknowledging overwhelm is the essential first step before making any financial decisions
  • The concept of financial fluency and how treating money like a new language removes shame from the learning process
  • Red flags that signal potentially harmful financial advice, including time pressure and isolation tactics
  • Simple organizational steps to inventory your financial life and understand what you actually have
  • How working with fee-based insurance consultants can provide unbiased reviews of existing policies
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Eric Blake: 

Connect with Tony Steuer: 

About our Guest: 

Tony Steuer, CLU, LA, CPFFE, is an internationally recognized financial preparedness advocate, award-winning author, podcaster and fintech advisor who is changing the way we think about money. Tony is the host of The Get Ready Money Podcast. Tony developed the Get Ready Movement to empower and educate people on all areas of personal finance. He is an Advisor at Insurance Nerds and Dingo Technologies, an expert content reviewer for Nerdwallet and Bankrate as well as a member of The Forbes Advisor Insurance Advisory Board. Tony is a five-time recipient of the Excellence in Financial Literacy Education Award as well as a member of the ThinkAdvisor’s LUMINARIES Class of 2022 as a Finalist in Thought Leadership & Education. Tony served as a long-term member of the California Insurance Department Curriculum Board.

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