Now What? Podcast

Four months out of a relationship breakdown, Rachel finds herself saying something she never thought she'd say: I'm never doing this again.
She gets it now. The bitterness. The wall. The absolute certainty that closing off is safer than trying again.
But she also knows there's a question worth sitting with — one that's harder than it sounds: is this protection, or is this avoidance? Because they feel identical from the inside. And the research says they have very different costs.
Hannah Rose Keys is back. Six months ago she was done with men entirely. Something shifted. This is that conversation.

Now What is hosted by Rachel Maksimovic. Follow @hannahrosekeys Follow @rachel.maksimovic & @nowwhat.podcast on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tara Pavlovic is a Gold Coast-based content creator and mum of two who recently announced her separation — and the response from women everywhere made it clear this conversation needed to happen.

Rachel and Tara get into what the lead-up to leaving actually looks like from the inside. The years of therapy. The panic attacks. The couples counselling that didn't save the marriage but mattered anyway. The Fiji holiday they booked because they knew they could still have a good time together. And the moment Tara's body made the decision before her mind was ready to.

They also go somewhere neither of them planned — into what it does to a woman's sense of self when she realises her version of the marriage and his were two completely different realities. And what it means to lose trust in yourself so completely that you can't imagine ever choosing again.
Honest, raw, and at times genuinely surprising. This one will probably make you cry at least once.

In this episode:
Why the hardest part of leaving isn't what comes after — it's the decision itself
What couples counselling actually does when it doesn't save the marriage
How alcohol can hold a relationship together — and what happens when it's gone
The moment the panic attacks became impossible to ignore
Why she doesn't believe anyone will truly love her now
What it feels like to lose all trust in yourself after a marriage ends
What Tara would say to any woman sitting in that dark place right now

Find Tara: @tarapavlovic
Now What is hosted by Rachel Maksimovic. Follow @rachel.maksimovic & @nowwhat.podcast on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel sits down with Kylie to talk about the parts of single motherhood and dating again that don't get said out loud enough — the fallout when a significant relationship ends and your kids are caught in it, the survival mode that masquerades as a personality, and the stories women tell themselves to excuse behaviour they should be walking away from. Kylie is five years out from her separation, has lived through a second major breakup, and speaks with the kind of hard-won clarity that only comes from actually doing the work. This is an honest conversation about blended families, self-trust, and what it really takes to be open to love again without losing yourself in the process.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catie Gett is a Melbourne-based naturopath, founder of The Staple Store, and single mum to her daughter Scout. She has spent her career making food and health accessible to people who can't afford a 20-step morning routine — and this conversation goes places neither of them expected.

Rachel and Catie get into what survival mode actually costs you. Why the wellness industry has made health aspirational instead of accessible. Why telling women to self-care without changing any of the actual conditions they're living in is just another layer of guilt. And what it feels like to look back on your daughter's early years and realise you don't remember them — because you were so deep in stress you weren't really there.

Rachel also gets honest about where she's at right now. And somehow, by the end of it, finds one thing she can actually change.
This one is for every woman standing at the bench feeding her kids breakfast while she has nothing but a coffee. It's practical, it's honest, and it will probably make you cry at least once.

In this episode:
Why the wellness industry has made health a purchase, not a right
What survival mode does to your body — and your memory
The breakfast change that shifted everything for Katie
Why "have you tried yoga?" is some of the most expensive free advice women get
The specific cruelty of heartbreak when you're parenting alone

Find Catie: @thestaplestore
Now What is hosted by Rachel Maksimovic. Follow @rachel.maksimovic & @nowwhat.podcast on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Rachel sits down with Stephanie, the creator of The Divorce Diaries, who began documenting her divorce and court experience in real time from the US. Together they unpack what it’s really like to navigate a legal system when money, representation, and support feel out of reach, and the financial whiplash of going from being a stay-at-home mum to having to provide again almost overnight.
Stephanie shares the turning points that made her leave, the layers of betrayal she uncovered, and why choosing to “settle” wasn’t giving up, it was a decision to step out of the chaos and protect her kids’ wellbeing. They talk co-parenting when communication is tense, how to stay grounded when things are done to derail your day, and the practical ways Stephanie rebuilt her strength through small daily acts of self-care, perspective, and boundaries.
This is a candid conversation for anyone entering separation, facing court, or trying to rebuild a life that feels stable, safe, and yours again.

Find Stephanie @stylewith.stephanie

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.