Episodes

Many of us grow up believing in the fairytale ending — that finding the right partner will lead to happily ever after. But life sometimes takes us down a very different path. In this powerful episode of Bent Not Broken, Coach Deborah Griffiths speaks with Heather Krueger, a liver transplant survivor whose incredible story inspired the Hallmark movie Once Upon a Christmas Miracle. At just 25 years old, Heather was told she had less than a 50% chance of surviving two more months due to autoimmun...

In this bonus coaching episode, Deborah unpacks two powerful concepts from her conversation with Melinda Perry: the 5:1 positive parenting ratio and the importance of owning your part in divorce. Learn how five intentional positives can repair one negative moment, how accountability transforms co-parenting, and how to break generational divorce patterns. If you’re navigating divorce and raising children, this episode gives you practical tools to lead with emotional maturity and resilience. 💬 ...

Melinda Perry returns to the show to share powerful insights on divorce, blended families, and raising resilient children.. An award-winning industry leader, Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, bestselling author, and founder of Happy Girls Don’t Do That, Melinda brings both professional expertise and personal experience as a third-generation child of divorce. In this episode, we discuss how divorce can be handled with maturity and intention — and how the choices parents make deeply impact their...

In this bonus coaching episode of Bent Not Broken, I break down the key takeaways from my conversation with Marita Littauer Tedder and show you how to apply personality awareness to your own healing journey. Based on insights from Wired That Way, we revisit the four core personality types—Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy, and Phlegmatic—and explore how understanding your wiring can help you: • Reclaim your identity after divorce • Stop losing yourself in relationships • Recognize emotional nee...

In this episode, I sit down with author and speaker Marita Littauer Tedder, co-author of Wired That Way, to explore how understanding personality differences can transform your relationships. Rooted in the classic four temperaments first identified by Hippocrates, we break down the four personality types—Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy, and Phlegmatic—and how they influence communication styles, emotional needs, conflict patterns, and attraction. We discuss: • Why opposites attract (and how to...

In this bonus episode of Bent Not Broken, Deborah shares powerful coaching insights on how to prepare emotionally and financially before filing for divorce. Divorce isn’t just paperwork — it’s a life transition. The mindset and financial clarity you bring into the process can determine your long-term peace and stability. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why your post-divorce vision should guide your decisions • The importance of understanding your finances before negotiating • How rushing a...

In this episode, I’m joined by Chattanooga divorce mediator, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, and bestselling author Brenda Bridges, founder of Bridging Divorce Solutions. We talk about how to navigate divorce without destroying your finances — and why divorce doesn’t have to mean court battles, massive legal fees, or emotional warfare. Brenda shares: • The biggest financial mistakes people make during divorce • How a simple pension oversight cost tens of thousands in legal fees • When ...

In this bonus coaching episode of Bent Not Broken, Deborah dives deeper into her conversation with Tiffiny Newton to unpack trauma bonding, narcissistic abuse recovery, and rebuilding self-trust after emotional abuse. If you’ve ever questioned your intuition, second-guessed your decisions, or wondered why leaving felt so hard, this episode is for you. You’ll learn: Why trauma bonding feels like addiction How gaslighting rewires your confidence The power of defining your personal “line in th...

Six years after leaving an abusive relationship, Tiffiny Newton turned her pain into purpose. As founder of New Tide Consulting LLC and co-founder of Ignite Her Inc., she now empowers women to recognize emotional abuse, create safe exit strategies, and rebuild their confidence and independence. In this powerful episode of Bent Not Broken, Tiffiny shares her experience with love bombing, gaslighting, coercive control, trauma bonding, financial abuse, and the five times she tried to leave before ...

After my powerful conversation with Paquita Reddish, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what it truly means to be refined—not ruined—by life’s hardest seasons. In this coaching-style bonus episode, I talk about why healing and building don’t happen in separate chapters. They grow together. You don’t have to wait until you feel “fully healed” to start rebuilding your life, your confidence, or your purpose. We explore: Why fear often shows up right before transformation The difference bet...

What if the fire meant to break you actually refined you? In this powerful episode, I’m joined by Paquita Reddish, a survivor of domestic violence, depression, and deep personal struggle who transformed pain into purpose through faith, healing, and entrepreneurship. Paquita is the CEO of Blessed Divine Creations, LLC, a motivational speaker, and a devoted mother of three who is building legacy-centered spaces for Black women in business. Paquita shares the pivotal moment with her daughter that...

In this bonus coaching episode, Deborah expands on key insights from her conversation with Karen and explores how the stories we carry—often shaped by divorce, illness, trauma, and people-pleasing—can quietly keep us stuck. This episode focuses on awareness, breath, and gentle mindset shifts that help women reconnect with themselves and begin rewriting limiting beliefs such as “it’s too late,” “I can’t,” or “I should be further along.” Deborah offers a grounding reflection and simple coaching p...

In this episode, I’m joined by Karen Theimer, a Freedom Coach, Breathwork Facilitator, and wellness expert with nearly 20 years of experience helping women reclaim their confidence and sense of self. Karen shares her journey through divorce, a cancer diagnosis, burnout, and feeling stuck—and how those wake-up calls led her to healing through breathwork, mindset shifts, and holistic wellness. We explore confidence after 50, letting go of guilt and people-pleasing, regulating the nervous system, ...

In this bonus episode of Bent Not Broken, Deborah offers grounded coaching for anyone navigating high-conflict divorce, legal abuse, or parental alienation. Building on the conversation with Lisa Johnson, this episode explains why high-conflict divorce is not “normal” divorce and how trauma responses, self-doubt, and exhaustion often show up during custody and court battles. Deborah shares practical insights on regaining strategic oversight of your case, working with an attorney without giving ...

In this episode of Bent Not Broken, Deborah speaks with Lisa Johnson, co-founder of Been There, Got Out and a leading voice on high-conflict divorce and legal abuse. Lisa shares insights from lived experience and landmark legal work—her self-represented case, published in the Connecticut Law Journal, is now legal precedent, and her testimony helped expand domestic violence laws to include coercive control. Together, they unpack red flags of high-conflict divorce, financial abuse and hidden ass...

In this Bent Not Broken bonus episode, Coach Deborah goes deeper into the themes sparked by her conversation with Kira Hartley Klinger—exploring what really happens when your voice has been silenced for years and how self-trust is rebuilt after toxic relationships. This episode is for anyone who resonated with Kira’s story of emotional shutdown, self-silencing, and learning to “keep the peace” at the expense of their identity. We unpack why losing your voice is often a survival strategy, not a ...

Today’s guest is Kira Hartley Klinger, an entrepreneur, author, and creative force whose journey proves it’s never too late to reinvent your life. Kira shares her powerful story of spending 23 years in a toxic marriage where she slowly lost her voice—learning to stay quiet to keep the peace. In this honest and inspiring conversation, she opens up about the moment she finally said “I’m done,” and what it took to rebuild her life, her confidence, and her sense of self. We talk about reclaiming y...

In this bonus coaching episode of Bent Not Broken, Deborah reflects on her conversation with Linda Grizzley, host of the Real Money Real Life Podcast, and helps listeners integrate the emotional and financial realities of life after divorce. Divorce doesn’t just change relationships—it impacts confidence, self-trust, and our relationship with money. In this short coaching session, Deborah explains why financial avoidance is so common after divorce and why awareness—not fear—is the first step to...

In this episode, Deborah sits down with Linda Grizzely, a financial wellness speaker, personal finance educator, and host of the Real Money, Real Life podcast. After divorcing following 23 years of marriage, Linda found herself navigating finances she hadn’t managed in years—conflicting advice, financial stress, and survival mode. That experience reshaped how she now supports women through a judgment-free, human-centered approach to money. Together, they explore why financial healing must be p...

In this Bent Not Broken bonus coaching episode, Coach Deborah expands on key themes from her conversation with Chris Cushing, a US Air Force veteran and entrepreneur, focusing on intuition, self-trust, and living authentically. This episode explores why so many people ignore early red flags, say yes out of obligation, and follow societal expectations instead of their inner knowing. Through trauma-informed coaching, Deborah explains why pausing is a powerful act of healing and how listening to y...

In this powerful episode of Bent Not Broken, Coach Deborah sits down with Chris Cushing, a US Air Force veteran, entrepreneur, and founder of VA Victory, to discuss living authentically after divorce, navigating military life, and breaking free from societal expectations. Chris shares her honest journey of entering a marriage she knew wasn’t right, serving in the Air Force overseas in England, becoming an instant stepmom, and ultimately coming out and choosing truth over comfort. She opens up a...

In this Bent Not Broken bonus coaching episode, host Deborah Griffiths builds on her conversation with Gail Showalter, offering practical guidance for women navigating life after divorce and emotional betrayal. This episode reframes betrayal as trauma—not failure—and focuses on how real healing happens through small, intentional steps. Deborah shares insight on stabilizing after heartbreak, rebuilding self-trust, and using clarity—not confidence—to move forward. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, ...

In this inspiring episode of Bent Not Broken: Life After Divorce, host Deborah Griffiths speaks with Gail Showalter about divorce recovery, single motherhood, and reinvention after betrayal. Gail shares her powerful journey from a picture-perfect life to becoming a single mom of three after infidelity shattered her marriage. Through grief, financial uncertainty, and emotional isolation, she rebuilt her life step by step—returning to college, becoming a teacher, and later founding Single Moms Em...

In this powerful episode, Coach Deborah sits down with Jonathan Aslay, one of America’s leading midlife self-love and life coaches. After surviving divorce, financial collapse, and the heartbreaking loss of his 19-year-old son, Jonathan discovered a truth many of us struggle to see: Most people aren’t struggling with dating. They’re struggling with self-worth and self-love. Jonathan shares how grief reshaped his understanding of love, why so many women date from a wounded place, and how trauma ...