Starting over doesn’t always feel bold. Most of the time, it looks like picking up something familiar, like a book, a journal, or a forgotten dream, and doing it simply to feel like yourself again.
In this episode, I’m joined by Zibby Owens, an author, podcast host, and the founder of Zibby Media, who shares what it looked like to rebuild her life after divorce. At 40, with four young kids and weekends suddenly quiet, she didn’t launch into some grand reinvention. She started writing again. And then she kept going.
We talk about what happens when the life you’ve built no longer fits and how to begin again when everything feels uncertain. Zibby opens up about grief, rejection, single parenthood, and the slow return to her own identity. She shares how structure helped her move forward, how creativity gave her something to hold onto, and how including her kids in her work helped her feel more connected as both a parent and a person.
If you’re in a season of starting over, or even thinking about it, I think you’ll find this conversation both grounding and encouraging. Zibby’s story is a reminder that you don’t need to have it all figured out to begin. You just need one small step in the direction of who you are.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
04:05 Restarting Life After Divorce at 40
07:04 How Zibby Built a Media Career from Scratch
08:10 Living with Urgency and Purpose
12:08 Coping with Co-Parenting Grief
15:09 The Power of Small, Consistent Steps
17:04 Structure, Routine, and Mental Health
18:08 Reclaiming Identity After Motherhood
19:04 Involving Kids in Career and Purpose
23:35 Advice for Women Facing Divorce
Links
Connect with Zibby Owens:
https://www.instagram.com/zibbyowens/
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/totally-booked-with-zibby/id1366633318
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My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
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