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What if the person you're trying so hard to convince to choose you isn't even the right person for you? So often, we get caught up in proving we're worthy of someone's love, attention, or effort that we forget to ask ourselves whether they're actually right for us. In this episode of Wandering the Wild Mess, Heather gets real about the difference between fighting for a relationship and forcing one that isn't working. Through personal experiences with divorce, rejection, and learning to be alone, she explores why we hold on to people who aren't choosing us, and how fear of rejection can make us forget our own worth. Because there's a difference between putting effort into something meaningful and exhausting yourself trying to make something fit. You can want love without begging for it. You can feel rejected without questioning your worth. And you can walk away from something that isn't right for you, even when it hurts. If you've been chasing someone's attention, waiting to be chosen, or wondering why you keep holding on to something that keeps hurting you, this episode is for you. Sometimes we're so busy trying to be chosen that we forget we have a choice, too. In this episode:00:00 Why Are You Trying to Prove Your Worth?04:01 Stop Convincing Someone to Choose You08:01 Why Rejection Feels So Personal13:43 The Power of Knowing Your Worth19:46 Learning to Be Alone Without Settling23:45 Stop Forcing What Isn't Meant for You If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Make sure to join the email list here  Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected] more support as you start over? Download my free guide, How to Find Yourself After Divorce, here: https://stan.store/wanderingthewildmess

Do you actually miss your ex… or do you just miss having someone there? In this episode, we’re talking about the confusing space after a breakup where loneliness can sound a lot like longing. Because sometimes you’re not missing the relationship itself. You’re missing the familiarity, the routine, the comfort, the person you always texted, and the version of life you thought you’d still have. We get into why breakups can hurt even when leaving was the right decision, how fear and familiarity can pull you backward, and why starting over often comes with grief that has nothing to do with wanting the relationship back. I also share a simple therapist-recommended exercise to help you get honest about what you’re actually grieving: the person, the relationship, or just the emptiness they left behind. Because if you don’t get clear, loneliness can convince you to reopen doors that were meant to close. We talk about why holding on can block healthier love, how repeating old patterns keeps you stuck, and what it looks like to sit with loneliness long enough to heal instead of using someone familiar to avoid it. If you’ve been tempted to go back, questioning your decision, or wondering why you still feel attached to something you know wasn’t right for you, this episode is for you. Sometimes moving forward means accepting that missing someone and missing what they represented are not always the same thing. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Want more support as you start over? Download my free guide, How to Find Yourself After Divorce, here: https://stan.store/wanderingthewildmess Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected]

Have you ever felt stuck in life, knowing something needs to change, but somehow you keep finding yourself in the same patterns, having the same conversations, and telling yourself the same story? The truth is, nothing changes if nothing changes. In this episode of Wandering the Wild Mess, we're talking about why we stay stuck, why familiar patterns can feel safer than the unknown, and what it really takes to change your life. Drawing from my own journey of divorce, starting over, and rebuilding my life, I share the uncomfortable truth about personal growth: you can't keep waiting for someone else to change, repeating the same behaviors, or holding on to the life you're trying to leave behind and expect a different future. Real change requires different choices, new habits, a shift in mindset, and a willingness to get uncomfortable. We'll explore how to break old patterns, overcome the fear of change, build self-trust through small wins, and start becoming the person you want to be. Because starting over isn't just about leaving an old life behind. It's about changing the way you think, the choices you make, and the patterns you carry forward. If you've been feeling stuck, waiting for your life to change, or struggling to take that first step, this episode is for you. Sometimes the life you want requires you to stop living the way you always have. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected] More Support in the Starting Over? Get my free guide on “How to Find Yourself After Divorce” here:https://stan.store/wanderingthewildmess

I knew divorce was going to change my life. I just didn’t realize how much of my life would change with it. Divorce doesn’t just end a marriage. It can change your routines, relationships, future plans, identity, and even the way you see yourself. And when so much of the life you knew disappears at once, one question can get really loud: What do I do now? In this episode of Wandering the Wild Mess, I’m sharing what starting over after divorce actually looked like for me. From moving across the country and navigating an admittedly messy season of freedom, to rebuilding my career, finding structure again, strengthening my faith, and slowly figuring out what I wanted my life to look and feel like. We talk about the identity loss that can come with divorce, the unexpected loneliness of starting over, and why rebuilding your life doesn’t happen overnight. Sometimes the blank canvas feels so overwhelming that you spend a while just making messes before you’re ready to create something new. More than three years later, one of the greatest things divorce taught me is that I can trust myself. I know I can build a life on my own. I know I can start over. And I’ve also learned that being capable of doing life alone doesn’t mean I have to stop wanting someone to share it with. If you’re navigating divorce, heartbreak, a major life transition, or simply wondering what comes next, this episode is a reminder that you don’t need to have the entire next chapter figured out today. Sometimes starting over is simply being willing to meet yourself along the way. If you want to hear the episode, I started to realize that I may be ready for a shared life.... Go listen to 71. When They’re Not the One, Just the Preview: What They Came to Teach You If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Want More Support as You Start Over? I created a workbook to help: How to Find Yourself After Divorce:  Get the free guide Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected] the email list and find free mindset tools here :https://stan.store/wanderingthewildmess

The biggest lie about starting over is that you’re back at square one or even worse.. you're too far behind. This episode will show you why you are NOT!  You’re not starting from nothing. You’re starting with lessons, wisdom, experience, and a much clearer understanding of who you are, what you want, and what you want to do differently this time. And this life is NOT a race.  For the final episode of the six-part Starting Over Series, I wanted to bring back one of my most-listened-to episodes because I think it’s the perfect place to end this series. I talk about what rebuilding has taught me about identity, habits, routines, strength training, trying new things, and making changes before you necessarily feel ready for them. Because starting over isn’t just about rebuilding what was lost. Sometimes it’s an opportunity to build something completely different. If you’re navigating divorce, heartbreak, a career change, a move, an identity shift, or any season where life looks nothing like you thought it would, I hope this episode leaves you feeling excited about what could come next. Starting over isn’t the end. It might just be the beginning of a whole new adventure. This is episode 6 of 6 in the Starting Over Series. If you missed any of the previous episodes, go back and listen from the beginning of the series. And next week, I’m officially back with brand-new episodes of Wandering the Wild Mess. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and follow along: Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected] over after divorce? Download my FREE guide, How to Find Yourself Again After Divorce, with five things I wish I would have known while I was trying to figure out who I was again. Find the free guide here: https://stan.store/wanderingthewildmess

What happens when you’ve rebuilt so much of your life, but it still doesn’t look like you thought it would by now? In episode five of the Starting Over Series, we’re talking about a part of starting over that doesn’t get talked about enough: the lonely gap. It’s that strange space between how far you’ve come and the parts of your life that still haven’t arrived yet. Maybe you’re no longer grieving the relationship, the career, or the life that ended. Maybe now you’re grieving the timeline you thought your life would follow. In this episode, I talk about the difference between surviving and rebuilding, what it feels like to put your life back together brick by brick, and the complicated truth that you can genuinely love the life you’ve created while still longing for something more. Because healing doesn’t mean you stop having desires. And being grateful for your life doesn’t mean you’re never allowed to feel lonely in it. If you’re starting over and wondering why this in-between season can still feel so heavy, this episode is for you. This is episode 5 of 6 in the Starting Over Series, created to help you rebuild, rediscover who you are, trust where you’re going, and keep moving forward even when your life doesn’t look the way you once imagined it would. Need more support through the starting over? Get a free guide to help you "Find Yourself After Divorce" here: https://stan.store/wanderingthewildmess  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected]

When life doesn’t go according to plan, it can feel like you’ve lost your direction entirely. In episode four of the Starting Over Series, we’re revisiting one of the most-loved episodes of Wandering the Wild Mess and exploring what it really means to let go of control, release the future you thought you were supposed to have, and find direction after a major life shift. Whether you’re navigating divorce, heartbreak, a career change, or an identity transition, this episode will help you look at uncertainty differently. Feeling lost doesn’t always mean you’re on the wrong path. Sometimes it means the old plan no longer fits the person you’re becoming. Because letting go of the original plan isn’t giving up on your life. Sometimes the detour isn’t the delay. Sometimes the detour becomes the path. This is episode 4 of 6 in the Starting Over Series, created to help you shift your mindset, trust your path, and move forward wherever you are in your starting-over journey. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected] the email list and find free mindset tools here:https://stan.store/wanderingthewildmess

You can change your surroundings, your routines, and even the people around you—but if you’re still making decisions from an old version of yourself, it’s easy to recreate the same life in a different place. In episode three of the Starting Over Series, we’re talking about the identity shift that happens when who you were no longer fits, but you haven’t fully become who you’re meant to be next. Because starting over isn’t only about what you leave behind. It’s also about recognizing the beliefs, behaviors, and stories you’ve carried with you—and deciding which ones are no longer allowed to shape your future. In this episode, we explore: How your identity quietly shapes the choices you make Why changing your circumstances doesn’t always change your patterns What happens when you continue seeing yourself through the lens of your past How small, consistent choices help you become someone new Why feeling uncomfortable may be a sign that you’re growing—not that you’re on the wrong pathIf you’re rebuilding after divorce, heartbreak, loss, a career change, or any season that has made you question who you are now, this episode will help you look honestly at the version of yourself you’ve outgrown—and begin stepping toward the person you’re becoming. You don’t have to have your entire next chapter figured out. But you do have to stop letting an old identity decide what you believe is possible for your life. Wandering the Wild Mess is a podcast about starting over, finding yourself again, and learning to trust the path forward, even when life looks nothing like you thought it would. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected] the email list and find free mindset tools here:https://stan.store/wanderingthewildmess

What does it really mean to let go of your old life and fully step into the person you’re becoming? Letting go of who you were can sound freeing, especially when you know it’s no longer who you want to be. But as so many of us learn, wanting to become someone new is much easier than actually letting go of who we’ve been. Even when you know you’re ready for something new, there may still be parts of your old identity, familiar patterns, relationships, and the life you once imagined that you aren’t quite ready to release. But you can’t create a new life while keeping one foot in your old one. In Replay 2 of the six-part Starting Over Series, we explore why starting over after divorce, heartbreak, loss, or a major life transition requires more than physically walking away. Sometimes, we also have to release the familiar patterns, identities, relationships, and fears that keep us emotionally tied to the life we’ve known.  This episode is about choosing yourself—not out of selfishness, but because you can’t build a new life while still living in alignment with the old one. It’s about facing change, trusting what’s ahead, and making choices that reflect the future you say you want. If you’ve been caught between who you were and who you’re becoming, this is your sign to stop straddling both lives and go all in. If you enjoyed this episode, rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe to Wandering the Wild Mess on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected] the email list here: https://stan.store/wanderingthewildmess

What happens when the life you knew has fallen apart, and you’re left looking at the pieces, wondering, “Where do I go from here?” This is the first episode of a six-week Starting Over Series. Every rebuilding journey begins with something ending: a divorce, heartbreak, loss, career change, move, or a life that no longer looks the way you planned. Before you can rebuild, you have to acknowledge what was lost, look at what remains, and decide what comes next. Inspired by Stoic philosopher Zeno, whose literal shipwreck redirected him toward an entirely new purpose, this episode explores how adversity can become a turning point. Sometimes the experience that wrecks your plans also creates the opportunity to build a life more aligned with who you are becoming. In this episode: Starting over when life doesn’t go according to plan Turning adversity into growth and purpose Accepting what you cannot control Responding intentionally instead of reacting emotionally Walking away from what no longer serves you Finding inner peace during uncertain seasonsStarting over doesn’t begin once everything is fixed, and you finally have a plan. It begins in the wreckage, when you look at the pieces of the life you once knew and ask, “What can I build from here?” Follow Wandering the Wild Mess and join me each week as we revisit six episodes that tell the honest, emotional journey of starting over. You matter. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected] the email list and find free mindset tools here: https://stan.store/wanderingthewildmess

What does it look like when you stop trying to control everything on your own and finally let go and let God? If you know me, it's a little wild to be sharing this story, as I spent years trying to figure out the formula for a meaningful, fulfilling life. I turned to personal growth, mindset, manifestation, neuroscience, self-help... anything that could help me understand how to become the person I wanted to be, create the life I wanted, and trust where my life was going. But after years of searching for answers, the deepest peace I found came when I finally stopped believing I had to figure everything out on my own. I found God. In this episode, I’m sharing the very personal evolution of my faith.. from growing up Mormon, to questioning religion, identifying as agnostic and spiritual, and eventually finding my way back to God and building a relationship with Jesus that has profoundly changed my life. I talk about what trusting God’s plan actually looks like for me: surrendering the need to know exactly what comes next, taking the next right step without demanding to see steps two through forty-five, and learning that trusting your path feels different when you trust the One leading it. Because sometimes trusting God means moving when you feel called to move. And sometimes trusting God means leaving the space open long enough for Him to show you what’s next. If you’re starting over, searching for purpose, questioning what comes next, or exhausted from trying to figure out your entire life on your own, this episode is for you. You don’t need to see the whole path to take the next step. Sometimes you just need enough faith to take it. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected]

In the 100th episode of Wandering the Wild Mess, Heather sits down with her friend Sydney Smith for a full-circle conversation about starting over, divorce, identity, faith, friendship, and everything that has changed since the podcast began. Sydney was there before Wandering the Wild Mess was even a real podcast — including the night Heather finally bought the domain after years of talking about starting one. Together, they look back at the messy years after divorce, the fear of being seen, learning to sit with uncomfortable emotions instead of escaping them, and the unexpected ways starting over can completely change who you become. Heather also reflects on what listeners have taught her throughout 100 episodes, why helping even one person feel less alone has always been enough, how her faith has changed the way she carries difficult seasons, and why growth sometimes requires letting go of people, identities, and versions of life that no longer fit. Most importantly, episode 100 isn’t about having everything figured out. It’s about looking back at how far you’ve come while still trusting that there is more ahead. If you’re standing at the beginning of a new chapter, afraid to take the next step, this episode is a reminder to trust your path — even when it looks messy. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected]

Starting over can feel like everything has fallen apart, but sometimes, it happens because something beautiful is being built. What if the biggest starting-over moment of your life came from saying yes to love? In this episode of Wandering the Wild Mess, I sit down with my friend Celeste Leon to talk about the unexpected relationship that completely changed the direction of her life.  After meeting her now-fiancé while traveling in Miami, she found herself navigating long-distance, a partner going through a divorce, moving to a brand-new city, becoming a stepmom, leaving corporate life, and building an entirely new future she never could have planned. What inspires me most about Celeste is that every time life presents a new challenge, she doesn't assume she's on the wrong path; she looks for the next step, finds people who understand what she's going through, and believes that every problem has a solution. Today, Celeste is a speaker, confidence coach, entrepreneur, and founder of the Nashville Sip & Book Club, a growing community that has connected hundreds of women in Nashville. Find her in instagram: @CelesteLeon.Co and www.celesteleon.co In this conversation, you'll find more about: How to stop seeing challenges as signs you're on the wrong path. Becoming a stepmom and finding support in unexpected places. Building community when you're starting over in a new city. Why healthy relationships require two people committed to growth. How to stop seeing challenges as signs you're on the wrong path.If you're walking through a season that feels uncertain, I hope this conversation reminds you that you don't need a perfect past, or a perfectly easy path, to build a beautiful life. Sometimes the hardest chapters aren't signs to turn around. They're invitations to grow. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected]

Have you ever looked back at your life and realized you didn’t have one fresh start; you had several? And most of them were a lot messier than you expected? We often imagine starting over as one defining moment: the breakup, the divorce, the move, or the career change. But sometimes starting over happens again and again, with each new chapter taking away another piece of the life and identity you once knew. In this episode, we reflect on the many fresh starts that shaped my life, from losing a best friendship and changing careers, to navigating divorce, moving across the country alone, stepping away from corporate life, experiencing betrayal, facing loneliness, returning to work, and finally learning to stop running from your own truth. This is an honest conversation about losing your identity and trying to find it again, living in survival mode, rebuilding self-trust, finding faith, and realizing that starting over does not mean returning to the beginning. If your life feels completely off-plot from the story you thought you would be living, this episode is a reminder that even the messiest chapters can still be leading somewhere. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected] the email list and find free mindset tools here:https://stan.store/wanderingthewildmess

Divorce doesn't just end a relationship; it completely changes the way you see yourself, love, and the life you want to build. But if we never stop to understand why our relationships ended or what role we played, it's easy to repeat the same patterns and find ourselves in familiar situations that don't serve us. In this episode, I sit down with Brad Lowry to get a man's perspective about what really happens after divorce. From learning to set healthier boundaries and recognizing relationship patterns sooner to letting go of codependency, slowing down while dating, and building a life that doesn't depend on someone else to complete you, this conversation is about becoming someone who chooses differently the next time. Healing isn't about finding the right person as quickly as possible. It's about becoming the person who knows who they are, what they need, and what they're no longer willing to settle for. No matter where you are in your own starting-over journey, we hope this conversation reminds you that divorce isn't the end of your story. Sometimes it's the beginning of becoming the person you were always meant to be. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to rate the podcast five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. It really helps others find the show. Make sure to subscribe, follow, and share it with a friend who needs it! Stay connected and check out all the ways you can follow along! Host Instagram: @heatherdyann Guest Instagram: @bradlowreh Host Facebook: heatherdyanmorgan TikTok: @wanderingthewildmess Website: www.wanderingthewildmess.com Subscribe to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wanderingthewildmess Email the show: [email protected] the email list and find free mindset tools here : https://stan.store/wanderingthewildmess