Now What? Podcast

What happens when you leave a marriage that, from the outside, looked like a good one?
This week I’m joined by Zoe George, better known as The Subtle Mummy. You might know her from Big Brother, her pranks, or the hilarious moments with her Greek parents. Growing up in a culture where divorce just wasn’t an option, Zoe never expected to be the one to walk away. Her marriage wasn’t full of fighting or yelling. There was friendship and fun. So when she found out things she couldn’t come back from, she had to ask herself a hard question: is this enough to leave?
We talk about telling her parents on Christmas Day and not getting the support she hoped for, nearly staying because she was terrified of losing control over her kids’ lives, and why she has a strict no sleepovers rule (and the story that proved her dad right). Zoe also opens up about fighting to keep the family home, being self-employed with an income that changes every month, and caring for her dad through his dementia diagnosis.
And of course we get into dating again. From the guy who squeezed two dinner dates into one night, to seeing rejection as protection, to why she’d get married again but never have another wedding.
It’s honest, it’s funny, and it’s a reminder that life after divorce can be so much better than we’re told it will be.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I found out I’d be raising my son on my own, one of my biggest worries was what it would mean for him not to have a dad around. So I was so excited to sit down with Dr Billy Garvey to talk about it.
Billy is a developmental paediatrician, co-host of Pop Culture Parenting and author of two books on children’s mental health and raising boys. He was also raised by a single mum, who came over from Ireland on her own and worked three jobs to keep a roof over her boys’ heads.
We talk about what kids actually need from us (spoiler: it’s not a second parent), why the quality of male role models in a boy’s life matters more than how many there are, and what you can do when you can’t control what’s happening in the other house. We also get into the “golden boy” dynamic, why mums need to stop putting themselves last, and why you can let go of the guilt about screens.
Billy finishes with a message to single mums that had me in tears. If you’re a solo parent raising a boy, this one’s for you.
Content note: This episode includes discussion of family violence and abuse, and Billy briefly talks about a time he didn’t want to live. Please look after yourself while listening.

Dr Billy Garvey
Buy Billy's latest book: Ten things I wish you knew about raising boys
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meghan McTavish is a writer, mum and founder of The Plotline Journal, who’s been called a “divorce influencer” for her honest, often hilarious take on life after marriage. Having rebuilt her own life after divorce, she talks openly about losing herself in a relationship, dating again, and learning to stop shaping herself around what someone else wants.
In this episode, we get into the real stuff: the difference between wanting to stay and being scared to leave, why Megan has stepped away from dating apps, and how becoming friends with men has been healing for her in rebuilding her trust in men. We also talk about her shift from shared care to full-time parenting, the pressure to be chosen, and whether you can love your life as a single mum and still want partnership. There’s room to want love, protect your peace, and still be figuring it all out.
Meghan McTavish:
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode talks about domestic and family violence, including sexual violence, as well as grief and loss. Please look after yourself while listening.

Zoe Marshall was barely an adult when two things happened at once. Her mum, a solo mum and her whole world, was dying of cancer, and she'd just met the man who would go on to abuse her.
This week I sat down with Zoe, author, speaker, podcast host and founder of Arise, to talk about how abusive relationships actually start, and why strong, smart women still end up in them. Zoe shares what it was like to be controlled down to what she wore and how she did her hair, the pros and cons list that finally helped her see it clearly, and what it really takes to leave when you have no money, no car and nothing that's yours.
She also has a message for anyone who has a friend or sister who keeps going back. Please don't stop answering the phone.
Then we get into the good stuff. Zoe talks about being raised by a solo mum, and her words for every single parent worried they're putting too much on their kids honestly made us both cry. We also talk about identity, people pleasing, why healing is never really "done" and how to start when you don't know where to begin.
This one is raw, honest and full of hope. I hope it lands for you the way it did for me.

Find Zoe:
Ariise
Content note
This episode talks about domestic and family violence, including sexual violence, as well as grief and loss. Please look after yourself while listening.
If you need support:
1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 (24/7)
Lifeline: 13 11 14
If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauren Hunter is the founder of Cinqe Matchmaking Australia, and after years of sitting across from single men and women, she's seen exactly what's going wrong in dating, and what actually makes it work. Lauren is also a mum of two who went through her own divorce and had to learn to date again after marriage and motherhood.
In this episode, we get into the real stuff: what dating looks like after divorce and as a single mum, why the apps have people so burnt out, what men and women are actually asking for (and how different that is from what we assume), chemistry versus real compatibility, and whether the checklists we build for ourselves are actually helping us or just keeping us stuck. Lauren doesn't sugarcoat any of it, and this conversation will hit differently depending on where you're at in your own story.

Find Lauren Hunter's instagram here:
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.