Latest / Magic Divorce Club Podcast / Ep 11: What if the "Fairytale" isn’t what you really want?
Transcript
- 0:01SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Magic Divorce Club podcast.
- 0:05This is your space to successfully navigate your divorce with
- 0:10confidence and create
- 0:11SPEAKER_00: a roadmap to the life of your dreams.
- 0:15SPEAKER_00: I'm your host Hannah Harvey.
- 0:16I'm the author of How to Divorce Sober and I have helped
- 0:20thousands of women to
- 0:21SPEAKER_00: process the trauma of divorce and step into an exciting future.
- 0:27Please like and subscribe because this really helps my little
- 0:31podcast to grow and
- 0:33if you would like more from me you can subscribe at
- 0:36magicdivorceclub.substack.com
- 0:40SPEAKER_00: for a host of other support tools.
- 0:45hello and welcome to the magic divorce club it's me hannah oh
- 0:50and today i would
- 0:52like to talk about the fairy tale so this is like i guess you
- 1:01take disney plus the
- 1:04SPEAKER_00: 90s and all of the things that we were sort of
- 1:09I don't want to say trained,
- 1:10but trained to want and believe was the right path to take.
- 1:19And this is no shade on anybody who wants it because I was
- 1:22fully there as well.
- 1:23SPEAKER_00: And I still completely believe in love.
- 1:29SPEAKER_00: I believe in spending your time with somebody who...
- 1:35SPEAKER_00: you know, completes you, quote unquote, air quotes going on there.
- 1:39SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I do believe in all this stuff.
- 1:44SPEAKER_00: But what happens when you either get the dream that you want and realise,
- 1:52SPEAKER_00: oh no,
- 1:54SPEAKER_00: this is not what I wanted.
- 1:58SPEAKER_00: Or somebody snatches it away.
- 2:00SPEAKER_00: Because that's basically what we're dealing with in divorce is going...
- 2:04huh,
- 2:05I thought I wanted something or I really wanted something and I
- 2:12don't have it anymore.
- 2:14So I wanted to sort of look at that today and also I really
- 2:20want to take you
- 2:20through a visioning exercise because I know when you have this
- 2:27dream either
- 2:28SPEAKER_00: snatched away or you're like,
- 2:31SPEAKER_00: I don't want this anymore.
- 2:33SPEAKER_00: It can feel very sticky and uncomfortable.
- 2:37And you might feel like you can't imagine a world or a life
- 2:46where you're happy again.
- 2:48SPEAKER_00: And so I want to take you through this kind of visioning exercise where,
- 2:54SPEAKER_00: you know,
- 2:55SPEAKER_00: if you go into it,
- 2:56SPEAKER_00: you might start to get this glimpse of,
- 2:58SPEAKER_00: oh,
- 2:58SPEAKER_00: maybe
- 3:00SPEAKER_00: Maybe there is something better after all of this.
- 3:02SPEAKER_00: So that's what we're going to do today.
- 3:06SPEAKER_00: If you are driving or whatever,
- 3:07then maybe save the last little bit for when you're not driving
- 3:11because I don't
- 3:12SPEAKER_00: want you to close your eyes or crash.
- 3:14SPEAKER_00: Okay.
- 3:16SPEAKER_00: So, yeah.
- 3:18SPEAKER_00: My personal story around this is I was literally living in my dream life.
- 3:28SPEAKER_00: Like, it was even bigger than my dream house.
- 3:31SPEAKER_00: It was more than I could ever have possibly imagined.
- 3:37SPEAKER_00: And some of this was the dream of my ex-husband.
- 3:39SPEAKER_00: It was like, I want to have the biggest house in the area.
- 3:42SPEAKER_00: We're going to do it up.
- 3:47SPEAKER_00: We're going to make it amazing.
- 3:48SPEAKER_00: Then we're going to live there.
- 3:49SPEAKER_00: And, you know, it had the view.
- 3:53SPEAKER_00: It was a great two-star listed building.
- 3:56SPEAKER_00: And...
- 3:57SPEAKER_00: We spent a lot of time and money.
- 4:01SPEAKER_00: Like when I had my youngest, who is now six, she'll be seven soon.
- 4:04SPEAKER_00: We were right in the middle of a renovation project.
- 4:10SPEAKER_00: And when she was born,
- 4:12we had like the old kitchen and a couple of bedrooms to live in
- 4:17and the rest of the
- 4:18SPEAKER_00: house was just rubble and plaster and just a nightmare.
- 4:25SPEAKER_00: It was not a fun time.
- 4:29SPEAKER_00: But by the time it was finished, it was exquisite.
- 4:35SPEAKER_00: Like, oh, just Pinterest, eat your heart out.
- 4:40SPEAKER_00: We had amazing like parquet flooring.
- 4:44SPEAKER_00: The kitchen was this extension with like a big glass window.
- 4:50SPEAKER_00: The nicest kitchen I'd ever seen.
- 4:53SPEAKER_00: The irony is that by the time that kitchen was finished,
- 4:59SPEAKER_00: So were we.
- 5:00And literally the next day the house went on the market to be
- 5:05sold because we were done.
- 5:08SPEAKER_00: But boy, did I try and make that situation.
- 5:14SPEAKER_00: I wanted it to work.
- 5:16SPEAKER_00: I desperately wanted to be happy.
- 5:21SPEAKER_00: And so I would do so much work around
- 5:27SPEAKER_00: Like feeling gratitude and feeling grateful and being like,
- 5:32SPEAKER_00: if I can feel grateful,
- 5:33SPEAKER_00: I can make this work.
- 5:35SPEAKER_00: I can make us work.
- 5:39SPEAKER_00: But I just didn't.
- 5:40SPEAKER_00: Like the more we lived in that house and the more we got into our story,
- 5:46SPEAKER_00: the number and more lost and more anxious and more depressed I felt.
- 5:52SPEAKER_00: And I just...
- 5:55couldn't connect I don't know what it was about that whether it
- 5:58was the house or
- 5:59just our relationship but I just couldn't connect the two to
- 6:02being oh I feel really
- 6:05happy here and to be honest like if you've read my book you'll
- 6:08know that there was
- 6:08a lot of things going behind you know on in the background
- 6:12around drugs and alcohol
- 6:14SPEAKER_00: um so I couldn't really feel safe and so uh yeah it came that kind of um
- 6:23SPEAKER_00: I connected it to,
- 6:27SPEAKER_00: like,
- 6:28SPEAKER_00: I was in that fairy tale house and it was so beautiful,
- 6:32SPEAKER_00: but the fairy tale,
- 6:33SPEAKER_00: sadly,
- 6:34SPEAKER_00: was Bluebeard.
- 6:36so if you know the story of bluebird beard he's like the young
- 6:39girl marries the
- 6:40wealthy man and he gives her the keys to every room in the
- 6:45house except he says you
- 6:47can go in any room here are the keys you just can't go in the
- 6:51room where this key
- 6:52fits and it's like a little scary skull key so obviously when
- 6:56he goes out she is
- 6:58SPEAKER_00: like
- 7:01SPEAKER_00: I'm going to go find that room.
- 7:03SPEAKER_00: So she goes around the whole house,
- 7:05SPEAKER_00: tries to find the room,
- 7:07SPEAKER_00: unlocks the door,
- 7:08SPEAKER_00: and inside is every dead wife this guy has ever had.
- 7:14SPEAKER_00: And as soon as she's unlocked the door,
- 7:17SPEAKER_00: the key gets this stain on it that she just can't remove.
- 7:21SPEAKER_00: So when Bluebeard comes home, he's like, you've been in the room.
- 7:27SPEAKER_00: But luckily, somebody comes and rescues her.
- 7:29SPEAKER_00: So it's all good.
- 7:31SPEAKER_00: But yeah,
- 7:34SPEAKER_00: the idea is that the room represents a place within us,
- 7:40SPEAKER_00: our psyche,
- 7:42SPEAKER_00: where we won't let ourselves go.
- 7:46SPEAKER_00: So you can go everywhere else, but you're not allowed to go in this room.
- 7:50SPEAKER_00: And that is kind of what the fairy tale became for me.
- 7:55SPEAKER_00: It was like,
- 7:57SPEAKER_00: Everything's amazing.
- 7:58SPEAKER_00: Everything looks lovely on the inside and on the outside.
- 8:02SPEAKER_00: But I will not allow myself to go into that room where I'm not happy.
- 8:12SPEAKER_00: And I'm not,
- 8:13SPEAKER_00: you know,
- 8:13where I'm kind of silencing myself and not being true to myself
- 8:17and keeping secrets
- 8:18and keeping shame because I didn't want to own the fact that I
- 8:24wasn't happy and I
- 8:25SPEAKER_00: needed to move on.
- 8:27So if you're in that place right now where you're like,
- 8:31why am I not happy with this?
- 8:35SPEAKER_00: Like, I should be.
- 8:37SPEAKER_00: This is everything I ever wanted.
- 8:39And I still feel empty or I still feel like I'm not enough or
- 8:47doing enough or being enough.
- 8:51SPEAKER_00: You're allowed to feel these things.
- 8:53SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you.
- 8:57SPEAKER_00: And it doesn't mean that the fairy tale wasn't yours.
- 9:01It just means there's certain things that you're maybe not
- 9:05owning right now or
- 9:07SPEAKER_00: allowing yourself to look at.
- 9:11You know,
- 9:12once I did look at this stuff,
- 9:13I'm like,
- 9:13oh yeah,
- 9:15I'm really not happy.
- 9:16SPEAKER_00: This is not my fairy tale anymore.
- 9:19And I am ready to give up all of this in order to live the life
- 9:25that I'm supposed to be living.
- 9:28SPEAKER_00: And it's not an easy thing to do.
- 9:30It's not easy to,
- 9:32quote unquote,
- 9:33have it all and then go,
- 9:34no,
- 9:35I've got to get out of here.
- 9:36SPEAKER_00: But it's not a popular choice.
- 9:39SPEAKER_00: That's definitely for sure.
- 9:40You know,
- 9:41with the people that you're with,
- 9:43getting divorced is,
- 9:47it's hard,
- 9:48isn't it?
- 9:48SPEAKER_00: Like the stuff that we're going to have to do that just is so difficult.
- 9:54SPEAKER_00: But
- 9:56so worth it it's so worth it to have a life where you feel so
- 10:02connected to yourself
- 10:04that you're no longer numbing like I would numb with alcohol
- 10:07with food I would then
- 10:11starve myself and then you know like all of this stuff to try
- 10:14and distract from the
- 10:15fact that I wasn't living the life that I was meant to live and
- 10:19now it's a nice
- 10:21SPEAKER_00: little three up three down like it's
- 10:24It's okay that the dream can change from something huge to
- 10:29something small.
- 10:30And now I talk to you from a place where I'm trying to dream up
- 10:34my next house
- 10:35SPEAKER_00: because I would like to blend my family with my boyfriends.
- 10:40SPEAKER_00: That's not an easy transition to make.
- 10:48SPEAKER_00: But that's what I'm trying to manifest.
- 10:50SPEAKER_00: This is going to be easy.
- 10:51So what I started to realize as I was moving through my divorce
- 10:55is that being,
- 10:58SPEAKER_00: you know,
- 11:00SPEAKER_00: solely driven by the stuff that you're surrounded by,
- 11:03SPEAKER_00: you know,
- 11:03SPEAKER_00: it doesn't matter if I'm unhappy because at least I've got all this.
- 11:07SPEAKER_00: It's never, ever, ever going to be sustainable.
- 11:13SPEAKER_00: because we have to be happier on the inside as well.
- 11:17SPEAKER_00: And that comes from the connections that we make,
- 11:19SPEAKER_00: the experiences that we have,
- 11:22SPEAKER_00: the people we surround ourselves with.
- 11:24SPEAKER_00: It doesn't come from stuff.
- 11:26SPEAKER_00: And the crucial thing I found is that it's important to have goals.
- 11:32It's important to have things that you're striving towards so
- 11:36that you,
- 11:37it gives you momentum.
- 11:38SPEAKER_00: It makes you move.
- 11:39SPEAKER_00: It makes you take steps forward.
- 11:42SPEAKER_00: but it's not actually about the destination.
- 11:45SPEAKER_00: You kind of have to let go of like, that's the thing that I want.
- 11:50It's actually the process of trying to get to the thing where
- 11:55the magic really,
- 11:56really happens.
- 11:57SPEAKER_00: That's where the cool stuff happens.
- 11:59So if I think about when I was trying to find love,
- 12:05so when I was properly going,
- 12:06right,
- 12:08SPEAKER_00: This is not working using the old dating apps.
- 12:11I am dating absolute idiots who are breaking my heart and not
- 12:17being what I deserve.
- 12:19SPEAKER_00: And so me going, right, I want to find the love of my life.
- 12:25The process of trying to get to that destination actually took
- 12:29me on the wildest ride.
- 12:32SPEAKER_00: And when I finally leaned into it and stopped searching...
- 12:36SPEAKER_00: that's when the most amazing things happened.
- 12:38SPEAKER_00: I have made so many friends from that journey.
- 12:41And it was things like,
- 12:42I just had a really strong calling to get in the sea.
- 12:45SPEAKER_00: So I would get in the sea every day.
- 12:47SPEAKER_00: And then I started to make really beautiful friendships and connections.
- 12:52SPEAKER_00: And then yes, in the end, I did find love.
- 12:54SPEAKER_00: And I was very specific about exactly what I wanted to find.
- 12:59SPEAKER_00: But I would never have got there
- 13:02SPEAKER_00: And had all of this amazing stuff happen in the middle.
- 13:05SPEAKER_00: If I hadn't just gone.
- 13:06SPEAKER_00: And going to give up.
- 13:08SPEAKER_00: Like fixating on the destination.
- 13:11SPEAKER_00: And just follow the urges.
- 13:13SPEAKER_00: Follow the nudges of the universe.
- 13:15SPEAKER_00: This is what you need to do next.
- 13:18SPEAKER_00: And really leaning into that.
- 13:19SPEAKER_00: Because it genuinely is.
- 13:22SPEAKER_00: The journey not the destination.
- 13:24SPEAKER_00: And often when you're doing things like manifesting.
- 13:27SPEAKER_00: People will say this or something better.
- 13:30SPEAKER_00: So that you aren't.
- 13:32fully attached to it has to be this one thing so as we kind of
- 13:39you know as you're
- 13:40moving through your divorce you might feel like you're totally
- 13:47losing the fairy
- 13:48tale that you thought you wanted or you might still be attached
- 13:52to it you might be
- 13:53going well that didn't work with this guy so maybe if I go with
- 13:55that guy it will
- 13:56SPEAKER_00: work like
- 13:59It's okay to let some of that stuff go and go,
- 14:02I was brought up in the 90s.
- 14:05Perhaps the fairy tale I thought I wanted actually isn't the
- 14:09one that is going to
- 14:10SPEAKER_00: serve me as a woman with gorgeous children in 2025.
- 14:15SPEAKER_00: That's okay to let that vision that you thought you wanted go.
- 14:21SPEAKER_00: It doesn't have to be completely.
- 14:23SPEAKER_00: I remember sitting in therapy and crying my eyes out because I was like,
- 14:27SPEAKER_00: I had this,
- 14:28SPEAKER_00: I don't know why,
- 14:29SPEAKER_00: I had this vision of like a man standing by the fridge,
- 14:36like next to a notice board or something and actively being
- 14:41involved in me and my
- 14:42SPEAKER_00: kid's life.
- 14:43And I remember sitting there crying and thinking,
- 14:45that's what I really want.
- 14:48imagine i want someone who is also going to hold the mental
- 14:52load of all of this
- 14:54stuff we're trying to do for our kids god i cry in every bloody
- 14:57podcast but it was
- 14:59that moment and realization because i was going no i don't want
- 15:02that anymore these
- 15:03these guys don't exist i'm just going to be on my own forever
- 15:06and then realizing no
- 15:08SPEAKER_00: i really do want to do life with somebody else but it can't be
- 15:13SPEAKER_00: on the old fairy tale terms.
- 15:16SPEAKER_00: It needs to be on this new one where it's a partnership,
- 15:20SPEAKER_00: not just two people coexisting and breaking each other.
- 15:26SPEAKER_00: So what I would really love for this,
- 15:37SPEAKER_00: you know,
- 15:37SPEAKER_00: for the rest of this little episode is just to take you through
- 15:43SPEAKER_00: a bit of a visioning idea around letting some of this stuff go.
- 15:50SPEAKER_00: Because I know at the beginning of divorce,
- 15:52SPEAKER_00: it's like,
- 15:55SPEAKER_00: it's just heartbreaking knowing that the promises you made,
- 16:01SPEAKER_00: the dreams that you had have been crushed and shattered.
- 16:08SPEAKER_00: And, you know, one of my clients this week was like,
- 16:13SPEAKER_00: I just feel like I'm going to be on my own forever.
- 16:15SPEAKER_00: And I know that feeling, but you're not.
- 16:20SPEAKER_00: You're not.
- 16:21SPEAKER_00: It's just you're, you know, letting go of certain ideals right now.
- 16:28So what I invite you to do is to get yourself into a
- 16:32comfortable position.
- 16:33SPEAKER_00: If it's safe for you to close your eyes, then do.
- 16:36If it's not,
- 16:37continue with what you're doing,
- 16:39but just try and soften yourself.
- 16:41SPEAKER_00: your shoulders down into your lower back.
- 16:46SPEAKER_00: Just gently going inside.
- 16:48And just with every exhale,
- 16:55allowing your shoulders,
- 16:57your jaw,
- 16:58the sides of your neck to relax.
- 17:04SPEAKER_00: And taking slow, comfortable breaths.
- 17:16SPEAKER_00: Staying connected to your breath for a few more moments.
- 17:21You may be listening to the sound of your breath going in and
- 17:26out of your nose.
- 17:30SPEAKER_00: Maybe you can see colors as you breathe in and out.
- 17:41SPEAKER_00: Perhaps you're connected to the way that your breath feels
- 17:45SPEAKER_00: as your chest rises and falls.
- 18:00Just noticing the contact with the ground,
- 18:02feeling gently held and secure.
- 18:16SPEAKER_00: If you'd like to come into the magic divorce clubhouse,
- 18:22SPEAKER_00: imagine it like a huge building surrounded by a protective layer.
- 18:29SPEAKER_00: And as you walk inside,
- 18:33you feel any connections or things that don't belong to your
- 18:38body fizzling away.
- 18:43SPEAKER_00: And you immediately feel protected and safe as you walk inside.
- 18:48SPEAKER_00: You find your space with your name on it.
- 18:51And you settle down in that space wrapping yourself up in a
- 18:59blanket which is made
- 19:02SPEAKER_00: of compassion and loving kindness.
- 19:05SPEAKER_00: And you settle down and allow yourself
- 19:13to feel safe and held next to you there's a photo album you
- 19:34pick it up and place it in your lap
- 19:41SPEAKER_00: And as you open the first page, you see an image of yourself.
- 19:53And you're completely free of this constant pressure to hold it
- 19:58all together.
- 20:02You're smiling and you can tell that this was taken when you
- 20:07could sleep really well.
- 20:10SPEAKER_00: and you're enjoying having time with your kids.
- 20:21SPEAKER_00: And there's more images where you look calm.
- 20:33You look like you're not second guessing yourself anymore and
- 20:37you look so confident.
- 20:43And this is taken at a time when you could open an email from
- 20:49your ex or his lawyer
- 20:51SPEAKER_00: and not spiral.
- 20:54SPEAKER_00: Just put it back in its box and continue with being there for your kids,
- 21:02SPEAKER_00: knowing exactly what you need to do next.
- 21:09SPEAKER_00: These pictures of you with your family
- 21:16your friends where you're no longer afraid of your future you
- 21:24look certain and
- 21:26proud of yourself and you look excited about what's next and
- 21:39there's a picture of
- 21:40SPEAKER_00: you doing something that you could only dream of now
- 21:50SPEAKER_00: You've achieved one of your biggest goals.
- 21:54SPEAKER_00: And you look so happy and proud.
- 21:58And you know this was only possible because you liked yourself
- 22:03again and you stood
- 22:04SPEAKER_00: up for what you deserved.
- 22:08SPEAKER_00: You proved to yourself that you could do it.
- 22:12SPEAKER_00: You could create this beautiful new life for you and your kids.
- 22:21Allow this feeling to seep into your body,
- 22:27drawing it in through your heart.
- 22:32SPEAKER_00: And as you exhale, sending that energy to every cell of your body.
- 22:39SPEAKER_00: Because this is not a fairy tale.
- 22:42SPEAKER_00: This is your life.
- 22:44And this is completely possible when you start to give yourself
- 22:49permission to go for it.
- 22:56SPEAKER_00: Drawing your hands up to your heart space.
- 22:59SPEAKER_00: Just take a few more breaths.
- 23:06SPEAKER_00: Arriving back in your space, in your room, wherever you are right now.
- 23:13SPEAKER_00: Keeping this feeling with you.
- 23:14SPEAKER_00: And then gently blinking open your eyes.
- 23:25SPEAKER_00: You may want to write down what came up.
- 23:28SPEAKER_00: What could you see?
- 23:29SPEAKER_00: What were the dreams that you saw yourself achieving?
- 23:33SPEAKER_00: And I love to do this and I did it every day going through divorce.
- 23:40SPEAKER_00: I would do it as if it's already happened.
- 23:42SPEAKER_00: So I'd write down gratitudes for the stuff I wanted as if it's happened.
- 23:47I am so happy and grateful that my kids are happy and safe and
- 23:52they are surrounded
- 23:53SPEAKER_00: by people that love them.
- 23:55SPEAKER_00: I am so happy and grateful.
- 23:58I have written a book and created a community of women who are
- 24:03supporting each
- 24:04SPEAKER_00: other and going on to create the life of their dreams.
- 24:07I literally write this stuff down because that's what I want to
- 24:11do and achieve in my life.
- 24:13SPEAKER_00: And I want to support you guys through it too.
- 24:16SPEAKER_00: So I'd love to hear what came up for you.
- 24:19SPEAKER_00: Just send me a little email saying this is what I saw or
- 24:24SPEAKER_00: This is for a moment I got a glimpse of this.
- 24:28SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you want to write to me and say I couldn't see anything.
- 24:31SPEAKER_00: That's okay.
- 24:32This is a process that takes time to allow your body and your
- 24:37mind to truly believe
- 24:39SPEAKER_00: that it's possible for you,
- 24:40SPEAKER_00: that you can change your fairy tale and get a new one.
- 24:44SPEAKER_00: And you are not going to be on your own forever unless you choose to be.
- 24:48SPEAKER_00: Because that is also a choice that is available to us now.
- 24:51We don't have to have a man or a woman or whoever it is that
- 24:56you're into in your life.
- 24:57You can go on and have an incredible life and be an incredible
- 25:02parent to your kids on your own.
- 25:05SPEAKER_00: Like that is something you can choose.
- 25:07SPEAKER_00: You don't need anybody else to make you enough.
- 25:11SPEAKER_00: You already are enough.
- 25:15SPEAKER_00: So let go of anything that's no longer serving you.
- 25:19And,
- 25:20you know,
- 25:20this is your invitation to step into a future that you get to
- 25:25choose.
- 25:27SPEAKER_00: And I would love to support you in this if you would like me to.
- 25:32SPEAKER_00: Next week, I'm opening up one-to-one spots.
- 25:37SPEAKER_00: I haven't got many, like there's limited spaces available.
- 25:41But I really want to work with people on a one-to-one level
- 25:44with this stuff and
- 25:46really get to know you and your situation and how we can turn
- 25:51this around and get
- 25:53SPEAKER_00: you to that life of your dreams,
- 25:55even if you don't know what that life of your dreams looks like
- 25:57right now.
- 25:58SPEAKER_00: So if you'd like that support with building your confidence,
- 26:04SPEAKER_00: your clarity,
- 26:05SPEAKER_00: feeling calm through your divorce,
- 26:08SPEAKER_00: you know where I am.
- 26:10SPEAKER_00: Okay,
- 26:10SPEAKER_00: my darlings,
- 26:11SPEAKER_00: have a lovely rest of your week and yeah,
- 26:15SPEAKER_00: hopefully see some of you for Magic Monday on Monday.
- 26:22SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for listening.
- 26:24SPEAKER_00: And if you could subscribe and leave a review, that would be amazing.
- 26:29SPEAKER_00: For all of your tips and tools,
- 26:32head over to magicdivorceclub.substack.com and you can find
- 26:40everything that you
- 26:41SPEAKER_00: need there.
- 26:42SPEAKER_00: You've got this and I've got you.