Episode 73 - Stop Telling Me to Relax!!

Today I'm joined by Veronica Welch, a single mum of 15 years and host of the podcast 'Stop Telling Me to Relax - For Single Moms Who Don't Have Time to Chill'. While there may be other podcasts out there who discuss parenthood, Veronica's episodes are unique in that they cover all aspects of being a single parent, including the messy moments that don't get as much coverage.We begin with a look at our lives, in particular Veronica's upbringing in what she describes as "the Huxtable house" with a reference to her very normal, nuclear family existence which was akin to The Cosby Show, with two professional parents, a sister and a suburban life that seemed much like the typical American household.Veronica talks about her inherent shyness, describing herself as very much an introvert who preferred reading over the thought of hanging out at the mall or dating. After graduating from high school and then moving to college, Veronica then talks of the struggles of missing home and 'putting herself out there' as she looked to make friends in a new environment. This took a further turn when her father passed suddenly, throwing her life into turmoil and dealing with emotional pain that her and her friends were unfamiliar with.At just 24 years of age and fresh out of college Veronica began a relationship and quickly fell pregnant, moving in with a man who seemed more intent on continuing his hard-partying lifestyle than putting efforts into being a dependable partner and father. Following several issues between them, Veronica made the decision to call off the relationship and moved into a place of her own in preparation for the birth of her son.While circumstances had changed to a point that Veronica had neither imagined or really chosen, she was determined to build a life for herself and be a solid mother to her son - this meant a great deal of sacrifice, lonely nights and having to grow up fast in order to meet their needs without the support of a partner. It is these moments that Veronica talks about in her podcast and that have spurred to on to greater success in her professional life as well as intrinsically.Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.https://open.spotify.com/show/4aAdbPrTjEEnwco5jII65U?si=b0fdeb92cdad49ddhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-harmony-time-to-talk/id1792776061Check out Veronica's work below:https://open.spotify.com/show/2JIRqNQREzQhzuFbkQPbrn?si=403804d7bb9e4c49Instagramstoptellingmetorelax (@stoptellingmerelax) | TikTok