#5SmartReads - June 5, 2023

Olivia Howell is the co-founder and CEO of Fresh Starts Registry, the first and only platform for everything you need to begin again, including divorce or breakup, moving, career changes, stepping into your truth, or starting again after grief. After her own divorce in 2019, Olivia had an 'aha moment' when she realized that we celebrate weddings and babies with a registry, but in the moments we really need to restock our life, like divorce, job loss, or any brave decision and major life change, we need the support, both in the form of support items for your home and the experts who become our hype team. From there, Fresh Starts Registry was born, the first Support Registry and Divorce Registry - and the only platform which aggregates support experts for all life changes and supports the Fresh Starts Experts in their marketing, business, and public relations.

Olivia is also the co-host of the top rated podcast, A Fresh Story, and the co-author of Simple Scripts to Support Your People: What to Say When You Don't Know What to Say.

What To Do When A Contractor Asks To Speak To Your Husband (Family Handyman)

Isn't it interesting how so many of the domestic concerns are managed by women, and yet when it comes to working on the structural issues of a house, people often turn to the male figure to discuss issues?

When I was having work done on my house years ago, my ex-husband wasn't involved at all in terms of the day to day management of the updates to the house, because he was at work all day! I was home, dealing with the people working, buying the tools, getting the paint...and still - still!

When someone would come to the house to give an estimate for work, they would always ask to talk to my husband or ask if I should talk to my husband. Fresh Starts Expert Kat Christie is a licensed contractor and DIY Expert, and passionate about empowering women to feel confident in speaking about home improvements and having a full understanding of what's happening.

She had the chance to chat with Family Handyman about her tips for how to handle it when a contractor asks to speak with your husband. Her tips are super empowering and I'd bookmark this one to save for later and share with other women you know!

Tristans, Baileys, Dawsons- The Names Of The 90s Inspired By Good-Haired Boys (Romper)

I am forever fascinated by the way pop culture influences our society - particularly when it comes to within the walls of our homes - and specifically as it pertains to our family life!

I absolutely loved this piece on how the names of the handsome movie characters in the 90s are influencing the name choices for boys in the last 30 years! As someone who was named after multiple pop culture references (Olivia is loosely from Olivia Walton in the Waltons, and my middle name, March, is sort of from Little Women), I think so many of us are influenced by pop culture when it comes to naming our children!

My older son's middle name, Sawyer, is from Tom Sawyer, and my younger son Wyatt Watson, is both from Wyatt Earp and Doc Watson. Were there any pop culture references when you picked out the names for your kids or were YOU named after someone in pop culture?

What Is A ‘Married Single Mom’ (Parents)

When I came across this piece from Parents, I had to stop and read it - and I have many thoughts!

I was very much a married single mom - meaning, I was married, and yet handled and managed quite literally everything - all of the emotional, mental, psychological labor. It nearly killed me. And, while I know this isn't true for everyone (but, I'll be honest, it is true for my circle of friends) - being an actual solo mom is 100x easier than a married single mom.

I appreciated that this article dug into the meaning behind the phrase - and why it could bother actual single moms to hear married moms call themselves single moms (it does bother us, FYI). This piece also addresses the topic of Weaponized Incompetence, which I could talk about forever, and was first discussed by my friend Laura Danger (follow her for more on this topic!).

A very interesting read - especially as we head into summer, and the kids are home...

Remarkable Good View Of The Titanic Shipwreck Is Here, Thanks To Deep-Sea Mappers (NPR)

My grandmother was fascinated by The Titanic. In fact, when the movie came out, she took us to the theater and snuck tuna sandwiches in because the movie was so long. It was a core memory, and though she isn't on this side of the veil any longer, I was excited to come across this piece from NPR and knew she would love to have read it.

A deep sea-mapping company has created the first-ever full-sized digital scan of the Titanic, revealing an entirely new view of the world's most famous shipwreck. It's wild to me how we can use technology to explore history in such a new and exciting way!

With this new mapping, they can start to identify what exactly happened to the ship, with more detail - and truly see the big picture of the event. Because the site of the disaster is hard to get to - and very dark - they have never before been able to see such precision in the details!

Celebrity Astrology Lauren DeGolia Breaks Down Summer 2023 (The Fashion Spot)

Thought I would end these on a fun note! Celebrity astrologer and Fresh Starts Expert Lauren DeGolia dug into summertime horoscopes for The Fashion Spot and I love her positive spin on all of these!

Lauren is a fantastic astrologer and clarity consultant, and happens to also be a fashion expert having spent years working for a major fashion corporation, so I love how she weaves fashion, fun, and astrology together. As she says about me, a Pisces, "Amplify your presence this summer by embracing breezy fabrics and delightful details." I'm all about the linen overalls this summer, so she's right! What astrological sign are you?