Motherhood, Divorce, and Building a Writing Career | Rachel Sobel

Writer, author, and speaker Rachel Sobel—a self-professed smartass who lives life with complete candor shares her journey through an 18-year relationship that ended in divorce, becoming a single mother, and eventually finding love again with her husband Jason (whom she met on Match.com).

From recording in her closet to escape her kids, to leaving a toxic PR job to pursue writing full-time, Rachel opens up about finding her voice, setting boundaries, and staying authentic online. She discusses her work as a contributor for PopSugar, Mommy Nearest, and Scary Mommy, and her third anthology essay in Jen Mann's New York Times bestselling series. This conversation is packed with humor, wisdom, and real talk about motherhood, divorce, and reinvention.

KEYWORDS
Rachel Sobel, Every Soul Has a Story, Dara Levan, divorce, single mother, second marriage, dating after divorce, Match.com, writing career, authenticity, social media, motherhood, parenting, toxic work environment, PR, tech PR, freelancing, anthology, PopSugar, Mommy Nearest, Scary Mommy, Jen Mann, I Just Want to Hang Out with You, raising tweens and teens, self-care, Peloton, boundaries, trust, vulnerability, co-parenting, divorce recovery, reinvention, finding your voice, mental health, emotional wellness, humor, Jewish humor, authenticity, content creation, writer, author, speaker

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro with Dara Levan
0:34 - Recording from the closet
1:43 - Raising an 11-year-old "mini-30-year-old"
3:30 - Toddler tornado at age 3
5:10 - Two daughters, different dads
7:18 - Finding confidence as a mother
9:37 - Divorce and discovering identity
11:17 - Rebound relationships after divorce
12:43 - Dating as a single mother
15:23 - Meeting husband Jason on Match.com
17:35 - Surprises in second marriage
20:21 - Embracing the "crazy"
22:37 - From PR to full-time writer
24:03 - Leaving a toxic work environment
26:38 - Anthology and writing career
27:54 - Authenticity and social media
31:32 - Love/hate relationship with social media
33:36 - Trust, boundaries, and discernment
36:48 - Handling social media trolls
39:58 - Making time for intimacy
42:59 - Final advice: Don't give up
43:52 - Self-care with Peloton and cooking
45:03 - Closing and wrap-up

RESOURCES:

Dara Levan / Every Soul Has a Story:
• https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
• Website: daralevan.com
• https://whineandcheezits.com/

QUOTES:

"You only heal if you're willing to like relinquish control a little bit. And I'm very bad at that."
– Rachel Sobel

"Growth doesn't happen in the good times. You know, growth is really uncomfortable and that it's supposed to be."
– Dara Levan