Susan Guthrie welcomes journalist and author Kelly James for a powerful, candid conversation about the financial realities and career reinvention that often accompany gray divorce. Kelly brings humor, vulnerability, and a generous heart as she reflects on starting over at 52, returning to the corporate world after decades as a freelancer, and navigating the emotional load of single parenting.
Together, Susan and Kelly explore the truth behind the fears, the unfair expectations, the unexpected challenges, and the surprising strengths that emerge when life takes a turn you never planned for.
What You’ll Discover in This Episode- The financial reality of starting over in midlife is real and heavy, but not impossible
- Reinvention in your fifties isn’t about dramatic leaps, in fact, Kelly explains how losing a financial safety net pushed her back into corporate life after 20 years as a freelancer
- How the emotional load can be heavy, but but one courageous choice at a time can help you steer your own life
EPISODE RESOURCES: Article: Gray Divorce Is Different: Financial Realities No One Tells You and the Episode FREE Downloadable Resource: The Midlife Divorce Financial Reset Checklist
More About Our Special Guest: Kelly K. James "escaped from the law" more than 25 years ago to become a fulltime freelance journalist. The former attorney is the author of books including The Book That (Almost) Got Me Fired: How I (Barely) Survived a Year in Corporate America; Writer for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success, and Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money, Second Edition. She's now a full-time legal content manager and part-time freelancer who works, writes, plays 8-ball, and attempts to golf from her home outside Chicago, which she shares with two teens, a rescue pup, and an extra-chunky spoiled cat.
Kelly's Website and Book:
The Book That (Almost) Got Me Fired: https://amzn.to/48kPmNA
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellykjames
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Susan E. Guthrie®, Esq. is one of the nation’s leading family law and mediation experts, with more than 35 years of experience helping individuals and families navigate divorce and conflict with clarity and compassion. She is the Immediate Past Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, a best-selling author, and a sought-after speaker, trainer, and practice-building consultant.
Susan recently appeared as the featured expert on The Oprah Podcast, where she shared her insights on gray divorce and the changing landscape of relationships. Her expertise has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Washington Post, NewsNation, and NBC’s Chicago Today, among many others.
As the creator and host of the award-winning Divorce & Beyond® Podcast, ranked in the top 1% of all podcasts worldwide with more than 3.4 million downloads, Susan brings together top experts and powerful personal stories to help listeners move through divorce and beyond with confidence, insight, and hope.
Learn more about Susan and her work at susaneguthrie.com.
Divorce & Beyond is a Top 1% Overall and Top 100 Self-Help podcast designed to help you with all you need to know to navigate your divorce journey and most importantly, to thrive in your beautiful beyond!
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