You Already Know: The Season Before Divorce

Send us Fan Mail “Sometimes the loudest truth in your life doesn’t shout. It whispers until you’re finally ready to listen.” In this week’s episode, Dr. Nicole shares a powerful solo reflection on the stages of knowing, the quiet internal journey that happens long before any life-changing decision is made. She opens up about her personal story, revealing how intuition, surrender, and subtle shifts in behavior led her to the truth she could no longer ignore. She walks through the four stages of knowing, The Whisper, The Release, The Drift, and The Silence, showing how clarity unfolds over time and why many stay stuck even when they already know what needs to change. This episode speaks to anyone holding onto something that no longer aligns, struggling between what is and what they know deep down. If there’s a quiet voice you’ve been trying to silence, this is your reminder to trust it. The peace you’re looking for may be on the other side of letting go. Song of the week: How Will I Know by Whitney Houston Topics Covered: 00:00:00 – Episode snippet 00:02:20 – The cost of choosing and why it’s worth it 00:05:27 – Stage 1: Spiritual Knowing (The Whisper) 00:08:09 – Decisions are made long before action 00:10:35 – Episode Sponsor Break 00:13:10 – When you first knew 00:14:10 – Stage 2: Surrender Knowing (The Release) 00:19:58 – Getting honest with yourself 00:24:50 – Stage 3: Behavioral Knowing (The Drift) 00:27:00 – Choosing self 00:33:10 – Choosing truth over pretending 00:39:42 – Stage 4: The Quiet Departure (The Silence) 00:46:40 – From knowing to doing 00:48:00 – False hope keeps you stuck 00:50:52 – Stop rescheduling joy 00:52:30 – Trust yourself Key Takeaways: “Pay attention to what you stop pretending, that is the beginning of your mind catching up.” “The sunk costs are not worth the cost of my joy.” “When we stay in the knowing and we don't move to the doing, we are rescheduling joy.” It’s Dr. Nicole’s birthday month and she’d love it if you bought her a “cup of coffee” to support the podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/drnicolepod *Want to join our membership community, the R&R Collective™? Apply today and get on the waitlist for when the doors re-open. bit.ly/yncapply Episode Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Your Next Chapter LLC. Book Dr. Nicole, TEDx and keynote speaker, to speak on life transitions, healing, and growth. Email [email protected] with “Speaker Request” to get started. About Your Host Dr. Nicole is a pediatrician, the owner of a successful healthcare consulting company, a riveting keynote and TEDx speaker, and the mom of two beautiful young adult daughters. From the outside, she appeared to have it all. But in 2023 she faced the most difficult challenge of her life- ending a 28-year marriage and navigating heartbreak, deception, and loss. Dr. Nicole is committed to creating a safe space where other women who have experienced a “divine disruption” can heal, recover, and THRIVE! Connect with Dr. Nicole: Web: https://yournextchapter.co/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/yournextchapter_co FB:https://www.facebook.com/yournextchapter.co Join our email community: https://yournextchapter.myflodesk.com/community Support the show