S3E8: Get Divorced Without Losing Your Mind with Olivia Howell

Most people don’t realize how much emotional and practical support you need when going through a divorce, until they're in the thick of it.

Olivia Howell, a pioneering founder of the first-ever divorce support ecosystem, reveals how her personal journey through divorce inspired the groundbreaking Fresh Starts Registry, founded by Olivia and her sister Genevieve "Jenny" Dreizen. This first of its kind platform offers free resources, expert advice, and a community for people navigating life’s most difficult transitions, demonstrating that healing, hope, and fresh starts are possible no matter how overwhelming the stakes.

In this episode, listeners will discover how Olivia’s own childhood experience with divorce fueled her understanding of what people really need to break free from emotional abuse, financial hardship, and social isolation. You’ll learn about the unspoken emotional challenges people face when divorcing from abusive relationships, and how societal conditioning keeps many stuck in silence and shame.

Olivia emphasizes the importance of healing in community, and how social media, support groups, and expert networks can radically change the narrative around divorce, turning it from failure into a transformative beginning. You’ll get her candid advice on when to consider dating again, the importance of taking your time to heal, and that how divorce can also be a doorway to authenticity, strength, and freedom.

Divorce can take people through one of life's deepest trenches, but Olivia is dedicated to helping people make it through to the other side with peace, clarity, and sanity.

ABOUT OLIVIA HOWELL
Olivia is a nationally recognized divorce educator, visionary founder, clinical hypnotherapist, and the CEO and co-founder of Fresh Starts Registry, the premier expert-led divorce support network.

Through Fresh Starts, she provides access to vetted experts, divorce registries, educational resources, and a robust media ecosystem designed to guide people through the emotional, financial, and logistical realities of starting over — all with trauma-informed care at the center.

She is the author of the Fresh Starts Divorce Guide book series — including What to Consider When You’re Considering Divorce, Divorce Dictionary, and How to Get Divorced as a Stay-At-Home Parent — and serves as host and producer of several acclaimed podcasts. With an extensive background in marketing, PR, and content creation, Olivia also supports professionals in expanding their influence through podcasting and connection-based publicity.

Her writing has appeared in New York Magazine, Newsweek, and Business Insider, and she is frequently quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and Scary Mommy, among others. A solo mom of two tween boys, Olivia brings warmth, clarity, and lived experience to every conversation — and when she’s not advocating for people rebuilding their lives, you can find her crafting or listening to her favorite 90s music.

Find Olivia on Instagram or Threads using @oliviahowell
Find Fresh Starts Registry on Instagram or Threads using@freshstartsregistry
Learn more about Fresh Starts Registry at freshstartsregistry.com

ABOUT THE HAPPILY NEVER AFTER
The Happily Never After is a podcast that features stories of big endings that led to personal breakthroughs. While endings can hurt, they also provide opportunities to heal and grow, and sometimes, they even set us free. Endings can offer an opportunity to begin anew, in a better way, and that’s what we’re here to talk about.

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