5SR - July 18, 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.

The One Thing You Should Do With Your Money If You’re Considering Divorce (Parade)

Since I started talking about my own divorce, I get DMs from women every single day asking how I "got out," and what they can do to support themselves in leaving their marriage.

First of all, I always remind them that step one is talking to a therapist and making a safe plan. Secondly, the question of finances always comes up. I was really honored to take part in this piece from Parade Magazine about how to protect your money when it comes to divorce – and my tip is probably not what one would call conventional, but it's something I feel very strongly about.

Having grown up in a family full of divorce, I instinctively always did this one thing, and honestly, thank goodness I did!! Check out this piece to read my recommendation when it comes to planning for divorce - and make sure to share the tip with anyone who needs it (which, as you will soon see, is everyone...)

The Singular Chaos Of A Second Child (Washington Post)

I happened to just have this conversation with Jenny the other day - about how I think we don't talk enough about the transition to two kids and how freaking hard it is - and then this article popped up in my Twitter feed. It was such a good read, and for so many reasons!

Going from one to two kids is a mental mind-you-know-what, and the support for second time parents is not the same as the first time around. As I told my friend Laura Danger, when discussing this article, it's much, much easier to ignore the fact that your partner isn't showing up in a balanced way with one kid, but when two kids are in the picture and your partner is not showing up to support you...you can't hide that anymore.

I'd love to know your thoughts on this piece! Was going from one kid to two incredibly difficult for you too?

I Didn’t Realize I’d Lose My In-Laws In The Divorce (Scary Mommy)

I know, I know, like duh, right? Of course you're going to lose people when you transition to divorce, and of course those people will be your in-laws, right? Not always!

I appreciated this piece from Scary Mommy because it talked about the stuff we don't talk about - who we really lose when we transition to divorce. When my ex-husband and I seperated, my father-in-law, whom I adored, was slowly dying from cancer, and when we divorced, I never got the chance to say goodbye, and it broke my heart. Believe me, I of all people know and understand how hot emotions can run during a divorce, but (and if you know me, you'll get this...), I think it's time to re-write some of these rules.

Like all relationships, they can change over time, and I've seen it with my own eyes in my family, with my grandparents and parents. It really all comes down to compassion and respect, divorced or married, it's time we start looking at the bigger picture.

Americans Spend Nearly 30% Of Their Income On Childcare- Here's Why That’s A Problem For Businesses (Chief)

When my friend Meg St-Esprit mentioned she was working on this piece for Chief, I was pumped to connect her to my long time mom friend Corona Pritchard, who is rethinking the world of HR, especially when it comes to women and mothers.

This piece was an eye-opening look at where our money is going and how it impacts the overall economy, especially when it comes to the future of families and the major childcare crisis we're in. A very important read!

What To Discuss With Your Aging Parents As They Get Older (Kiplinger) 

When my high school pal turned estate planning and elder law NYC attorney Mike Greenberg shared this piece on LinkedIn, I knew I had to share it with you all, as this is what he does all day for work, so it must be an important read!

As our parents get older, what is our job? What is our position? What should we be planning or preparing? I thought this piece was really informative without being emotional, and we all need a little help there! Have you had these conversations with your parents?