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June 22, 2021 71 mins

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From the age of 16, Staci Bartley was in the Relationship School of Hard Knox. She found herself pregnant at the age of 16. And, to do the "responsible" thing, she and her then-boyfriend (21 at the time) decided they would get married. A year later, she would end up a divorced single mother. However, at 21, she would expect a second child with a new man in her life, and, together, they decided to get married.

It would take a lot of heartbreak and breaking down to recognize that the effort to attain the perfect family and life contained within the constraints of a white picket fence was too much for her 13-year marriage to take. She would find herself, by this time, a single mom of 5. And,  this time, she decided she would enter into any future relationships on her terms and that she would never marry again.

But life had other plans for her, and although Staci did ultimately find her happily ever after, it wasn't without a lot of relationship road-rash along the way.

Listen in on my conversation with Staci, Relationship Expert, and Mediator, to learn why and how the relationships we choose to enter into can be the most beautiful, trying, and teachable experiences of our lives. And, you can bet that grief has a whole lot to do with what we're talking about today. There is something for everyone to relate to in this episode. 

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This episode is sponsored by Do Grief Differently™️, my twelve-week, one-on-one, in-person/online program for grievers who have suffered any type of loss to feel better. Click here to learn new tools, grief education, and the only evidence-based method for moving beyond the pain of grief.

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