Real Talk on Forgiveness and Moving Forward after Infidelity with Ann Evanston

In this episode of The Art of Imperfect Adulting, Amy Stone speaks with Ann Evanston—Bay Area-based self-love expert and coach—to explore relationship crossroads, personal transformation, and what happens after a breach of trust in a long-term partnership. Ann shares her very personal journey of staying and doing the work in her marriage after discovering her partner was seeking connection elsewhere, offering a unique, candid perspective on forgiveness, rebuilding, and the ongoing “practice” of loving partnership.About the Guest:Ann M. Evanston, MA is a Warrior-Preneur, master-level performance coach, and unapologetic champion of women in their 40s and 50s who are done putting themselves last. With over two decades of experience helping women find their voice, own their power, and take up space—Ann leads the Self-Love Evolution movement, guiding midlife women to reclaim their worth, desires, and personal fire. She’s been featured in The Huffington Post, Spark & Hustle with Tory Johnson, and named one of the “Top 6”  consultants by About.com. Ann is the author of The Self-Love Evolution for Women Guide & Journal and Unscripted: How Women Thrive, as well as several high-impact eBooks for bold businesswomen ready to break the rules and rise.Main Topics Covered:Discovering betrayal and the immediate aftermath.How Ann and her husband rebuilt trust and connection.The importance and process of intentional relationship work (“the practice”).The impact of shame, societal judgment, and making unconventional choices in love.The evolving nature of long-term relationships—sex, menopause, and continuing to choose each other.Ann’s framework for self-love and community-building for women.Quote from the Episode:“You may think we’re this perfect couple, but you don’t know what we go through every day to be that couple.” — Ann EvanstonTimestamps: [00:00:05] Intro and welcome; Ann’s Bay Area home and garden passion[00:02:45] Ann’s relationship backstory and living situation[00:09:04] Discovering her husband’s online activities[00:11:20] Addressing betrayal, confrontation, and mutual decision to rebuild[00:12:40] The experience and shock of discovery[00:23:16] Intentionally rebuilding—why forgiveness comes before trust[00:24:29] Creating weekly date nights, “the practice,” and intentional communication[00:29:24] Ann’s menopause journey and changes in partnership[00:32:06] Disney’s myth of “happily ever after” vs. real relationships[00:36:11] Ann’s choice to stay, fear of judgment, and supporting women’s choices[00:44:47] Ann’s current work, retreats, and how listeners can connectSpecial Offer from the Guest:Free excerpt of Ann’s book The Self-Love Evolution for Women https://connect.warrior-preneur.com/SLENote from the show: Guest offers are often limited-time and limited quantity. If you have an issue redeeming the guest offer please reach out to the guest or vendor directly.If you love the show and you'd like to support it directly you can tip the host here https://imperfect-adulting.captivate.fm/supportIf you have a story to share and you'd like to be a guest on The Art of Imperfect Adulting, here are the steps for how you can make that happen. Pitch yourself at https://www.imperfectadulting.com/be-a-guestNever Miss a Moment of Imperfect AdultingWe invite you to join our email community and let us bring the podcast directly to you! As a subscriber, you'll receive notifications about new episodes, exclusive offers from our amazing guests, and easier access to any of the important links mentioned on the show—no more scrambling to write down websites or remember special codes.Why subscribe?Stay up-to-date without checking your podcast appGet guest offers delivered straight to your inboxAccess all important links in one convenient placeCatch the highlights even when you don't have time to listenAre you ready? Join us at https://www.imperfectadulting.com Here are a few resources that Amy uses to make all this great content. These are affiliate links :-)For livestreaming and recording ECamm https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=amy69Podcast hosting and distribution: Captivate FM https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=ntczmwi Website hosting with Siteground https://www.siteground.com/?referrer_id=9115590Ai Transcription Tool: Castmagic https://get.castmagic.io/ugrmjjrt8ofjFor Email I recently switched to Beehiiv https://www.beehiiv.com?via=Amy-Stonebefore that I used Kit. Books I like and books written by show guests on Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/lists/podcast-guest-authors