March 26, 2025 • 15 mins
This interview is with Elizabeth Cole, Vice-President of SoloParent.com. The site offers help to single parents trying to navigate the world as one with kids.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
All right, settle in ruminators. It's the second hour of
the Morning Show with Preston Scot. Great to be with
you this morning. Bright Bart's Jerome Hudson. Next hour and
a half hour from now, Riley Gaines will join us
on the program. But I am thrilled to have with
me vice president of Solo Parent the website soloparent dot org.
And if you're listening outside of Florida, just go to
(00:26):
the website. You'll find resources for your area. But for
those of you in Florida, you can go to solo
parent dot org slash Florida. But the vice president, Elizabeth Cole,
is with us. Elizabeth, good morning, Welcome to the program.
How are you.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Good morning, I'm doing well. How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:43):
I'm doing terrific. Where this Tell me where this started?
Give me the snapshot version.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, so, our CEO, Robert Beeson found himself as a
single dad for about eight and a half years after
his wife I've left him and his three girls and
he was a big time music executive, was not planning
on being a single dad, and then one day it
was just there. He was looking for resources and couldn't
(01:12):
find any, and he said, you know what, as soon
as I get you know, my feet under me and
get some health and all of that, I want to
do something about this because he just felt so isolated
and alone, and so he started solo parent in twenty seventeen,
and we've been, you know, trying to reach single parents
all over the country ever since.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I would imagine that because I mean, we all have
been touched by this in some way, shape or form,
whether it's directly or through friends or family. But the
way of becoming a solo parent is so varied and different.
I would imagine that it leads to different kind of
places that everybody's at when they begin this journey. So
(01:55):
how do you adjust to that simple starting point that
everyone starts learning from maybe a different place?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah, absolutely, I mean it's true. We have single parents
who are there through divorce, just like myself, through you know,
death of a spouse, through even adoption, maybe they've chosen
to become a single parent through adoption, unplanned pregnancy, lots
of different ways that single parents are kind of made,
(02:24):
if you will. And the biggest thing is that it
doesn't matter how you got to be a single parent.
We welcome and accept everyone who is parenting alone. And
the struggles may look a little different that we all have,
you know, very you know, common ground in terms of
(02:46):
loneliness and isolation, and you know, maybe we sweep things
under the rug because we're just trying to get through
day to day life. And the problem is is that
we when we do isolate ourselves and when we aren't
able to connect with people in a deep way, it
just it can have a trickle down effect to our kids.
And we've seen that, We've seen the tragic statistics that
(03:08):
are coming out of single parent homes, and so we
want to do everything that we can to provide the
community and support for single parents so that they know
that while they're yes, they may be struggling, it may
be surviving not thriving situation, but they're not alone and
there are people who understand and who get it.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
We're going to get into some of the specific ideas, programs,
resources and things that you guys offer and kind of
link to, but I'm just curious, you know, the person
that has been a single parent for a few years
now and it's been a tough go for them, versus
the person that's at the very beginning of that journey
in your experience, What are the differences in how they
(03:49):
kind of navigate once they recognize there are resources, there
is help.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah, well, I'll say we actually just did. Last week
was Nowtional Single Parent Day on Friday, and last week
we released a podcast about this topic. And we have
kind of three phases of solo parenting that we talk about,
and triage is the first one. So if you think
about the first time, like you've broken an arm, or
(04:16):
you're you know, anything that's happening, you're going into a
hospital and you're in triage, I mean, you are in
the thick of it. Everything is mayhem. You don't know
up from down, it left from right. You're just kind
of again, it's it's more than surviving it, or you know,
it's it's kind of worse than that. And so this
(04:37):
is like when you're unable to really like even get
through the day. You may not even want to get
out of bed. You're struggling to keep food on the
table because you know, whether it's your finances you haven't
gotten all of that figured out, or maybe just emotionally
and mentally you are just struggling. That's kind of that
triage stage. And I would say that like, and especially
(05:00):
my own experience. For some people, that triage stage may
last anywhere from six months to a year year and
a half, and then you move into the next phase,
which is the recovery phase.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Coming up to twelve minutes past the hour with me
Elizabeth Cole with Solo parent website soloparent dot org and
God bless you for creating a website that's actually easy
to navigate it friendly. We were talking about some steps
and stages here and we started with triage. You moveing
(05:32):
into recovery.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Now, yes, and so let's recovery with the recovery stage.
What we found and what we heard I mean, if
you listened to the podcast episode from last week, Andrews
shared his experience of moving from triage into recovery and
he really found that solo parent was the answer for
that for him. He was able to move into recovery
because he had community around him and people who understood
(05:55):
his experiences. But what recovery recovery looks like is kind
of you know you're out of the triage stage and
that you can get out of bed in the day.
You know you're putting food on the table, You're moving
through life, your job, is more stable, You're emotionally more stable.
You're able to show up to your kids in a
(06:16):
healthier way when they respond and react, But you're not
necessarily at your healthiest. You know, you're still kind of surviving.
Maybe you aren't able to see what the future looks
like yet. Maybe you haven't really gotten kind of fully
back on your feet. And let's be honest, after the
death of a spouse and after divorce, nothing's really the
same ever again. But you're able to kind of kind
(06:40):
of envision a future for yourself and for your kids.
And like I said, we've found that we really kind
of usher people from that triage into recovery stage. And
then the third stage is wellness. And this is where
you are, i mean, really able to use your story
(07:01):
to help other people. You're able to kind of be
level headed. You're you know, being more of a mentor
to those around you. All of us were human. You
make mistakes, and you know, two steps for one step back,
but you kind of know how to navigate life and
show up in a way that feels healthy and grounded
(07:23):
and in a way that you're able to just kind
of be there for other people. And like I said,
use your story to help others.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I would imagine that helping other people based on your
personal experiences kind of takes a little bit of the
staying out of the personal experiences. It brings some perspective
to those and helps with the healing process, and so
it's sort of like a circle that happens there.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Absolutely, I know for me, I needed to make purpose
out of the pain. And I went to Robert the CEO,
when I was kind of probably a year out from
my divorce. I went in and said, you know, I
just really feel like I need to be using my
story to help other people. And he was like, great,
let's do it. Let's put you to work, and so
(08:09):
and really it really has and really does for me personally.
And I'll say that I lead a group every Monday
online at eight pm Central nine pm Eastern, and you
can find that on our website as well, but I
lead those groups on Monday nights. And what I've seen
time and time again is it doesn't matter what phase
(08:32):
of parenting you're in or single parenting you're in, you
have something to offer to the group. And even for
people who are kind of in that wellness phase and
using their story to help other people. It's so amazing
how I know, for me, I'll hear people's stories that
are in triage and they're right in the thick of it,
(08:53):
and it helps me kind of go back and discover
things that maybe I didn't think about before, didn't healind
of takes me back there, and there's a healing that
happens even from interacting with people who are in the
triage stage, and then of course vice versa. The triage
stage are hearing some people who are in recovery and
wellness and they have a lot of hope and you know,
(09:15):
for where they're going, it kind of pulls them along
to say, Okay, I can get through this. If they
can do it, I can do it, you know. And
so it's just really the community aspect is so so
so important when we're talking about our single parent life
and just having people who understand.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Time moves fast. And so let's start talking some specifics
about the website with me as Elizabeth Cole with solo
parent and I know, I know we've got a ton
of single parents listening out there, and Elizabeth go through
some of the resources that people will find on the
(09:53):
website to be the most useful.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Yeah, so well, so aparent or as you said, and
we have everything there from our podcast if you just
want to tune in weekly. We fifty two weeks a year.
We have a new podcast that relates to the top
issues that single parents deal with. Obviously, that's free. We've
got our groups online in person, you can check those out.
(10:20):
We really want to provide online groups for single parents
because you know, childcare and figuring out the timing and
all of that is really can be difficult for single parents.
So those online groups are a great free resource and
a way to connect with other people. But we also
if you want to start a group in your area,
or maybe you're a pastor at a church, or you know,
you lead a nonprofit organization that serves single parents in
(10:43):
some former capacity, we have all the resources that you
need to start a group. So all of that information
is there as well, of course, and then we've got
our online course that we've just launched earlier this year
for free for Florida State residents, the Four Habits of
(11:04):
Successful Solo Parenting, and you'll find that there as well
for free. It's a seven module course. You can do
it at your own leisure. That sort of thing that
it takes you through kind of some four habits that
single parents can establish to kind of get through day
to day life and help become the best version of themselves,
(11:24):
not just for themselves in their communities, but also for
their kids. So we've got lots of free resources there,
but definitely come connect with us and learn more.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
I would Again I'm guessing, but the financial component and
the childcare component have to be the most frequently talked
about or maybe the biggest hurdles for single parents.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Absolutely, I mean, the financial strain on single parents is significant,
especially in the state of Florida. We have seen how
average income for single parents is around twenty seven thousand
a year for single parents in the state of Florida,
and that is significantly lower than the average household income
(12:16):
in America. And so the financial strain is real. And
then of course when it comes to childcare, I mean,
people are paying more in childcare than they pay for
their mortgage or for their rent payment, you know, and
it's just I mean, it's impossible for single parents to
cover all of those expenses, and so it is a
very real struggle. We don't necessarily, we don't we aren't
(12:39):
a benevolence organization. We focus more on the emotional mental
health right of single parents. But you know, there the
resources out there. You know, we can we can try
to make connections in any sort of way, but for
the most part, we're focused on that emotional and mental
health side of things. And so you need somewhere to
(13:00):
come and complain about your financial you know, straight and
all of that. We got to that we you know,
we aren't a benevolent organization.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Yeah, I mean, I think for many just knowing how
to navigate and knowing, for example, that there might be
programs that offer subsidies and help for childcare in certain circumstances.
I think just knowing you're not alone. You know, there's
an old expression misery loves company, and I think that
(13:30):
that awareness is really helpful to a lot of parents
out there that find themselves in this spot.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Absolutely, yeah, and we do we do cover you know,
in our groups, we talk about a lot of the
topics that we're covering every week, and from time to
time throughout the year, we'll talk about finances because we
know that you know how to make a budget even
or how to save when you can't make an end
meet you know, talking about those sorts of things together
(13:57):
is really helpful and giving ideas. And we have some
single parents who have really found habits and things that
they've been able to do to help start saving towards
retirement again and you know, start have a budget and
do these different things or how to make extra income
on the side. And our community is really robust and
(14:18):
that people are able to pull kind of pull things
together and say, hey, this is what I you know,
this is what works for me, maybe it'll work for
you too.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
That's where those shared experiences in that community that you've
talked about all morning, it matters so much. Elizabeth, thank
you for what you and the others are doing with
solo Parent. Appreciate the resources, and thanks for taking time
for us this morning.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Oh thank you. I appreciate you having me.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Thank you very much, Elizabeth Cole with US vice president
soloparent dot org slash Florida. And again, I think that
component we just hit on it there at the end.
Others and their experiences and ideas invaluable. Twenty seven past
the hour we come back. Riley Gaines will join us
next on the Morning Show with Preston Scott
All right, settle in ruminators. It's the second hour of
the Morning Show with Preston Scot. Great to be with
you this morning. Bright Bart's Jerome Hudson. Next hour and
a half hour from now, Riley Gaines will join us
on the program. But I am thrilled to have with
me vice president of Solo Parent the website soloparent dot org.
And if you're listening outside of Florida, just go to
(00:26):
the website. You'll find resources for your area. But for
those of you in Florida, you can go to solo
parent dot org slash Florida. But the vice president, Elizabeth Cole,
is with us. Elizabeth, good morning, Welcome to the program.
How are you.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Good morning, I'm doing well. How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:43):
I'm doing terrific. Where this Tell me where this started?
Give me the snapshot version.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, so, our CEO, Robert Beeson found himself as a
single dad for about eight and a half years after
his wife I've left him and his three girls and
he was a big time music executive, was not planning
on being a single dad, and then one day it
was just there. He was looking for resources and couldn't
(01:12):
find any, and he said, you know what, as soon
as I get you know, my feet under me and
get some health and all of that, I want to
do something about this because he just felt so isolated
and alone, and so he started solo parent in twenty seventeen,
and we've been, you know, trying to reach single parents
all over the country ever since.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I would imagine that because I mean, we all have
been touched by this in some way, shape or form,
whether it's directly or through friends or family. But the
way of becoming a solo parent is so varied and different.
I would imagine that it leads to different kind of
places that everybody's at when they begin this journey. So
(01:55):
how do you adjust to that simple starting point that
everyone starts learning from maybe a different place?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah, absolutely, I mean it's true. We have single parents
who are there through divorce, just like myself, through you know,
death of a spouse, through even adoption, maybe they've chosen
to become a single parent through adoption, unplanned pregnancy, lots
of different ways that single parents are kind of made,
(02:24):
if you will. And the biggest thing is that it
doesn't matter how you got to be a single parent.
We welcome and accept everyone who is parenting alone. And
the struggles may look a little different that we all have,
you know, very you know, common ground in terms of
(02:46):
loneliness and isolation, and you know, maybe we sweep things
under the rug because we're just trying to get through
day to day life. And the problem is is that
we when we do isolate ourselves and when we aren't
able to connect with people in a deep way, it
just it can have a trickle down effect to our kids.
And we've seen that, We've seen the tragic statistics that
(03:08):
are coming out of single parent homes, and so we
want to do everything that we can to provide the
community and support for single parents so that they know
that while they're yes, they may be struggling, it may
be surviving not thriving situation, but they're not alone and
there are people who understand and who get it.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
We're going to get into some of the specific ideas, programs,
resources and things that you guys offer and kind of
link to, but I'm just curious, you know, the person
that has been a single parent for a few years
now and it's been a tough go for them, versus
the person that's at the very beginning of that journey
in your experience, What are the differences in how they
(03:49):
kind of navigate once they recognize there are resources, there
is help.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah, well, I'll say we actually just did. Last week
was Nowtional Single Parent Day on Friday, and last week
we released a podcast about this topic. And we have
kind of three phases of solo parenting that we talk about,
and triage is the first one. So if you think
about the first time, like you've broken an arm, or
(04:16):
you're you know, anything that's happening, you're going into a
hospital and you're in triage, I mean, you are in
the thick of it. Everything is mayhem. You don't know
up from down, it left from right. You're just kind
of again, it's it's more than surviving it, or you know,
it's it's kind of worse than that. And so this
(04:37):
is like when you're unable to really like even get
through the day. You may not even want to get
out of bed. You're struggling to keep food on the
table because you know, whether it's your finances you haven't
gotten all of that figured out, or maybe just emotionally
and mentally you are just struggling. That's kind of that
triage stage. And I would say that like, and especially
(05:00):
my own experience. For some people, that triage stage may
last anywhere from six months to a year year and
a half, and then you move into the next phase,
which is the recovery phase.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Coming up to twelve minutes past the hour with me
Elizabeth Cole with Solo parent website soloparent dot org and
God bless you for creating a website that's actually easy
to navigate it friendly. We were talking about some steps
and stages here and we started with triage. You moveing
(05:32):
into recovery.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Now, yes, and so let's recovery with the recovery stage.
What we found and what we heard I mean, if
you listened to the podcast episode from last week, Andrews
shared his experience of moving from triage into recovery and
he really found that solo parent was the answer for
that for him. He was able to move into recovery
because he had community around him and people who understood
(05:55):
his experiences. But what recovery recovery looks like is kind
of you know you're out of the triage stage and
that you can get out of bed in the day.
You know you're putting food on the table, You're moving
through life, your job, is more stable, You're emotionally more stable.
You're able to show up to your kids in a
(06:16):
healthier way when they respond and react, But you're not
necessarily at your healthiest. You know, you're still kind of surviving.
Maybe you aren't able to see what the future looks
like yet. Maybe you haven't really gotten kind of fully
back on your feet. And let's be honest, after the
death of a spouse and after divorce, nothing's really the
same ever again. But you're able to kind of kind
(06:40):
of envision a future for yourself and for your kids.
And like I said, we've found that we really kind
of usher people from that triage into recovery stage. And
then the third stage is wellness. And this is where
you are, i mean, really able to use your story
(07:01):
to help other people. You're able to kind of be
level headed. You're you know, being more of a mentor
to those around you. All of us were human. You
make mistakes, and you know, two steps for one step back,
but you kind of know how to navigate life and
show up in a way that feels healthy and grounded
(07:23):
and in a way that you're able to just kind
of be there for other people. And like I said,
use your story to help others.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I would imagine that helping other people based on your
personal experiences kind of takes a little bit of the
staying out of the personal experiences. It brings some perspective
to those and helps with the healing process, and so
it's sort of like a circle that happens there.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Absolutely, I know for me, I needed to make purpose
out of the pain. And I went to Robert the CEO,
when I was kind of probably a year out from
my divorce. I went in and said, you know, I
just really feel like I need to be using my
story to help other people. And he was like, great,
let's do it. Let's put you to work, and so
(08:09):
and really it really has and really does for me personally.
And I'll say that I lead a group every Monday
online at eight pm Central nine pm Eastern, and you
can find that on our website as well, but I
lead those groups on Monday nights. And what I've seen
time and time again is it doesn't matter what phase
(08:32):
of parenting you're in or single parenting you're in, you
have something to offer to the group. And even for
people who are kind of in that wellness phase and
using their story to help other people. It's so amazing
how I know, for me, I'll hear people's stories that
are in triage and they're right in the thick of it,
(08:53):
and it helps me kind of go back and discover
things that maybe I didn't think about before, didn't healind
of takes me back there, and there's a healing that
happens even from interacting with people who are in the
triage stage, and then of course vice versa. The triage
stage are hearing some people who are in recovery and
wellness and they have a lot of hope and you know,
(09:15):
for where they're going, it kind of pulls them along
to say, Okay, I can get through this. If they
can do it, I can do it, you know. And
so it's just really the community aspect is so so
so important when we're talking about our single parent life
and just having people who understand.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Time moves fast. And so let's start talking some specifics
about the website with me as Elizabeth Cole with solo
parent and I know, I know we've got a ton
of single parents listening out there, and Elizabeth go through
some of the resources that people will find on the
(09:53):
website to be the most useful.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Yeah, so well, so aparent or as you said, and
we have everything there from our podcast if you just
want to tune in weekly. We fifty two weeks a year.
We have a new podcast that relates to the top
issues that single parents deal with. Obviously, that's free. We've
got our groups online in person, you can check those out.
(10:20):
We really want to provide online groups for single parents
because you know, childcare and figuring out the timing and
all of that is really can be difficult for single parents.
So those online groups are a great free resource and
a way to connect with other people. But we also
if you want to start a group in your area,
or maybe you're a pastor at a church, or you know,
you lead a nonprofit organization that serves single parents in
(10:43):
some former capacity, we have all the resources that you
need to start a group. So all of that information
is there as well, of course, and then we've got
our online course that we've just launched earlier this year
for free for Florida State residents, the Four Habits of
(11:04):
Successful Solo Parenting, and you'll find that there as well
for free. It's a seven module course. You can do
it at your own leisure. That sort of thing that
it takes you through kind of some four habits that
single parents can establish to kind of get through day
to day life and help become the best version of themselves,
(11:24):
not just for themselves in their communities, but also for
their kids. So we've got lots of free resources there,
but definitely come connect with us and learn more.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
I would Again I'm guessing, but the financial component and
the childcare component have to be the most frequently talked
about or maybe the biggest hurdles for single parents.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Absolutely, I mean, the financial strain on single parents is significant,
especially in the state of Florida. We have seen how
average income for single parents is around twenty seven thousand
a year for single parents in the state of Florida,
and that is significantly lower than the average household income
(12:16):
in America. And so the financial strain is real. And
then of course when it comes to childcare, I mean,
people are paying more in childcare than they pay for
their mortgage or for their rent payment, you know, and
it's just I mean, it's impossible for single parents to
cover all of those expenses, and so it is a
very real struggle. We don't necessarily, we don't we aren't
(12:39):
a benevolence organization. We focus more on the emotional mental
health right of single parents. But you know, there the
resources out there. You know, we can we can try
to make connections in any sort of way, but for
the most part, we're focused on that emotional and mental
health side of things. And so you need somewhere to
(13:00):
come and complain about your financial you know, straight and
all of that. We got to that we you know,
we aren't a benevolent organization.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Yeah, I mean, I think for many just knowing how
to navigate and knowing, for example, that there might be
programs that offer subsidies and help for childcare in certain circumstances.
I think just knowing you're not alone. You know, there's
an old expression misery loves company, and I think that
(13:30):
that awareness is really helpful to a lot of parents
out there that find themselves in this spot.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Absolutely, yeah, and we do we do cover you know,
in our groups, we talk about a lot of the
topics that we're covering every week, and from time to
time throughout the year, we'll talk about finances because we
know that you know how to make a budget even
or how to save when you can't make an end
meet you know, talking about those sorts of things together
(13:57):
is really helpful and giving ideas. And we have some
single parents who have really found habits and things that
they've been able to do to help start saving towards
retirement again and you know, start have a budget and
do these different things or how to make extra income
on the side. And our community is really robust and
(14:18):
that people are able to pull kind of pull things
together and say, hey, this is what I you know,
this is what works for me, maybe it'll work for
you too.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
That's where those shared experiences in that community that you've
talked about all morning, it matters so much. Elizabeth, thank
you for what you and the others are doing with
solo Parent. Appreciate the resources, and thanks for taking time
for us this morning.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Oh thank you. I appreciate you having me.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Thank you very much, Elizabeth Cole with US vice president
soloparent dot org slash Florida. And again, I think that
component we just hit on it there at the end.
Others and their experiences and ideas invaluable. Twenty seven past
the hour we come back. Riley Gaines will join us
next on the Morning Show with Preston Scott
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Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.