I Didn't Know Who I'd Be on the Other Side.

Imagine being twenty-five years into a marriage and then finding yourself standing at the edge of a choice you never thought you'd have to make. Not because you stopped caring. But because your body had been telling you something for years that your mind refused to hear.At some point you've probably asked: How do I trust myself when everything inside me is at war? And what happens to your identity when the life you knew is no longer the life you're living?Heather Sloan didn't see her divorce coming. After twenty-five years of marriage, two children, and a deep faith life, she found herself in what she now calls liminal space — that terrifying in-between where the old life is ending and the new one hasn't yet revealed itself. Her body knew the truth before her mind would accept it. Physical symptoms, sleeplessness, a fight-or-flight state that wouldn't calm — her body was sending signals she had been trained, through a lifetime of faith and self-sacrifice, to override.The night she finally moved out of the family home, a health issue that had plagued her for two years resolved itself overnight. Her body's message was clear: finally. You're listening.What she discovered in that season of outer chaos and inner transformation became the foundation of her book, Tour de Force: Emerge from the Split with Grace and Grit — a navigational guide for women going through divorce. Drawing on spiritual practices, the research of Brené Brown, and her own training Heather shares practical tools: discernment skills for decision-making, a simple daily review practice for building self-awareness, and a reframe of boundaries that stopped her cold — the most compassionate people, research shows, have the strongest boundaries.Her message to anyone in the middle of it right now: I'm sorry, because I know it's hard. And also — congratulations. There is a beautiful life waiting on the other side. You don't have to be able to imagine it yet. Just hold on to the hope that others are holding out for you. Keep looking for the lights you can see. Take the next step.GuestHeather Sloan is an author, coach, and spiritual director trained through SoulFormation's Academy of Spiritual Formation and School of Spiritual Direction. Educated at Westmont College and The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, she has worked as a public health nurse and Peace Corps Volunteer. She is the author of Tour de Force: Emerge from the Split with Grace and Grit, a practical guide for women navigating divorce.Connect with HeatherWebsite: https://www.theheathersloan.comInstagram: @theheathersloanFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573971909851ResourcesTour de Force: Emerge from the Split with Grace and Grit by Heather SloanFree Divorce Prep Checklist.Divorce Gift Kit (book, journal, candle, chocolates + personal note):Previous episode with Heather Sloan