Solo Parent

Solo Parent
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Kids & Family
  • Updated Weekly

Being a single parent brings real pressure. You should not face it alone. The Solo Parent Podcast offers honest conversation, expert insight, and practical help for raising healthy kids while carrying the weight alone. Created by single parents for single parents, each episode speaks to the emotional, relational, and everyday realities of solo parenting. Hosted by author and Solo Parent founder Robert Beeson, alongside Elizabeth Cole, Vice President of Solo Parent and a single mom herself, this podcast has supported thousands of single parents worldwide. It is for single moms and dads navigating divorce, loss, or abandonment who want steadiness, hope, and connection. Solo Parent exists to make sure no single parent walks alone. Through daily support groups, articles, guided meditations, and a free dedicated app, Solo Parent provides steady, practical support for every stage of the journey. Listeners can engage beyond the podcast and find real community, daily encouragement, and tools built specifically for single parent life. Go to www.SoloParent.org or download our app, on any app platform, to learn more!

  1. How to Build a Core Community

    1d ago

    How to Build a Core Community

    This week we're discussing How to Build a Core Community. You know you need people. You've felt it, probably more in the last season of your life than ever before. But needing community and knowing how to build it are two very different things. It's easy to look around and feel like everyone else has their people figured out, while you're still trying to work out where you even fit. Whether you're starting over after loss or divorce, navigating an unplanned pregnancy, or simply realizing the friendships you had don't quite hold the shape of your life anymore, that ache of not having a solid crew around you is real. And it matters. Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, sits down with Elizabeth Cole, single parent, and Amber Fuller, a counselor with a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy (MMFT) and single parent, to talk honestly about what it takes to build community that actually holds. No guest this week, just three people who've lived it, comparing notes on what worked, what didn't, and what they'd tell their earlier selves about finding the right people. Key Insights from This Episode: Build a patchwork of people, not a single lifeline. Spreading your needs across multiple relationships is what keeps community sustainable for everyone. When people pull away, it's usually discomfort, not cruelty. Most people don't know how to stay present in someone else's pain, and that's different from not caring. Giving is what turns a group of people into actual community. Showing up for others, even in small ways, is what creates the kind of belonging you're looking for. And if you want to keep the conversation going, Robert, Elizabeth, and Amber are going live on July 19th at 7:00 PM Central to tackle another big community question: can men and women really just be friends? Head to soloparent.org/safepeople to save your spot. Stay Connected + Get Support: Download our Solo Parent App Join a Solo Parent Group Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    35 min
  2. Who Are Safe People?

    Jul 6

    Who Are Safe People?

    This week we're discussing Who Are Safe People?. When you're parenting on your own, the question of who to trust carries a lot of weight. You want connection. You need it. But after being hurt or let down, it's hard to know how much to share, how fast to move, or whether your read on someone is accurate or just wishful thinking. Most of us have let someone in before they'd really earned it. And most of us have paid for that in some way. In this episode, Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, sits down with Elizabeth Cole, single parent, and Amber Fuller, a counselor with a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy and single parent, to talk through what it actually looks like to identify safe people, build trust slowly, and become the kind of person others can feel safe with too. Key Insights from This Episode: Trust is built by reliability over time, not first impressions. Watching someone show up consistently across different situations is the only real way to know if they're safe. Loneliness and exhaustion lower your guard, and that's not a flaw, it's human. Understanding what's driving your need for connection helps you move toward people thoughtfully rather than reactively. To find safe people, you have to become one. Developing your own capacity for safety, presence without judgment, reliability, and the ability to make repair, is what makes you able to recognize it in others. Whether you're navigating new friendships, dating, or even professional relationships, the challenges single parents face around trust are real and specific. This conversation addresses some of the most common ones. Join Us Live: We're continuing this conversation in a free live webinar on Sunday, July 19th at 7:00 PM Central. The topic: Can men and women really just be friends? Register here: soloparent.org/safepeople. Stay Connected + Get Support: Download our Solo Parent App Join a Solo Parent Group Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    43 min
  3. A Solo Parent Story: From Numbing Out to Living Fully

    Jun 29

    A Solo Parent Story: From Numbing Out to Living Fully

    This week we're discussing From Numbing Out to Living Fully. The end of the day hits differently when you are parenting alone. The kids are down, the house is finally quiet, and instead of feeling relief, there is this hollow weight that settles in. So you reach for something, anything, to take the edge off. A drink, a show, a scroll, something sweet. It does not feel like a problem. It feels like survival. But over time, the things you are leaning on to get through the day start quietly working against you, leaving you more exhausted, more disconnected, and further from the version of yourself you actually want to be. Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent and co-host, sit down with Katrina Morriss, a licensed mental health nurse practitioner and single mom who has been part of the Solo Parent community since 2020. Katrina's story is not a tidy before-and-after. It is raw, honest, and the kind of account that makes you feel less alone in your own struggle. Together they walk through what it looks like to recognize the cycle, face the fear of what is on the other side of it, and find your way back to the moments that matter most. Key Insights from This Episode: Numbing and restoring are not the same thing. What feels like relief at the end of a hard day may actually be the thing keeping you stuck in exhaustion. The known hell feels safer than the unknown heaven. Fear of what healing requires keeps more solo parents in the cycle than the pain of staying in it. Presence for your kids is the fuel, not just the goal. The unregrettable moments with your children are what make the hard work of recovery worth sustaining. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: The Voice of the Heart by Chip Dodd Tony Evans Podcast  Stay Connected + Get Support: Download our Solo Parent App Join a Solo Parent Group Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    44 min
  4. How to Keep Control from Destroying Your Peace

    Jun 22

    How to Keep Control from Destroying Your Peace

    This week we're discussing How to Keep Control from Destroying Your Peace. Solo parenting puts you in a position where so much is genuinely outside your control. The other household. The court dates. How your kids are processing things you cannot fully see. And when that much is out of your hands, it is completely natural to tighten your grip on everything else. The schedule. The way the kitchen looks. The outcome of a conversation you have already rehearsed a dozen times. It feels like stability. It feels like you are doing something. But over time, that kind of control does not actually bring peace. It borrows against it. That tension is exactly what this conversation digs into. Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, Elizabeth Cole, single parent, and Amber Fuller, a counselor with a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy (MMFT) and single parent, sit down to work through what is really driving the urge to control, why letting go is not the same thing as giving up, and what it looks like in real life to hold things a little more loosely without losing yourself in the process. It is one of those conversations that has a way of naming things you have been feeling but have not quite had the words for. Key Insights from This Episode: Control is often a counterfeit for peace. It mimics stability but quietly works against the peace you are actually looking for. Letting go is not the same as giving up. The shift is from gripping tightly to holding loosely enough to stay present and adapt. "What if" lives in the future; "if only" lives in the past. Real agency only exists in the present, in the one next right step. Stay Connected + Get Support: Download our Solo Parent App Join a Solo Parent Group Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    39 min
  5. Making Peace with Our Past

    Jun 15

    Making Peace with Our Past

    This week we're discussing Making Peace with Our Past with Dr. Dan Allender. Most of us know our story. We could tell it in five minutes if someone asked. But knowing what happened and actually being free from it are two very different things. For a lot of solo parents, the past shows up uninvited, in a sharp reaction that didn't fit the moment, a fear that surfaces when things finally feel calm, a pattern with your kids you swore you'd never repeat. It doesn't mean you haven't tried. It means the trying might need to go a little deeper. And the longer we avoid that, the more the past quietly runs the present. In this conversation, Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent and co-host, sit down with Dr. Dan Allender, a clinical psychologist and author who has spent decades helping people face their stories honestly and find real freedom on the other side. His books The Wounded Heart, The Healing Path, and To Be Told have walked thousands through the hard work of understanding how the past is still shaping the present and what it actually takes to change that. Together they explore why avoidance keeps us stuck, how shame operates and what disarms it, and why grief and anger aren't problems to manage but forces that, held together, can finally move you forward. The conversation is honest, practical, and grounded in real experience from all three voices at the table. Key Insights from This Episode: Ignoring the past doesn't free you. It makes you reactive. The unaddressed past doesn't disappear, it shows up in your parenting, your relationships, and the moments you least expect it. Shame has to be faced, defied, and disarmed with kindness. Running from shame guarantees it follows you, but meeting it with defiance and then gentleness is what actually loosens its grip. Grief and anger belong together. Each one needs the other. Anger without grief hardens you, grief without anger drowns you, but held together they're what actually moves you forward. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Dr Dan Allender The Wounded Heart The Healing Path To Be Told Stay Connected + Get Support: Download our Solo Parent App  Join a Solo Parent Online Group Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    56 min
  6. Tips for Creating a Peaceful Home Base

    Jun 8

    Tips for Creating a Peaceful Home Base

    This week we're discussing: Tips for Creating a Peaceful Home Base Most solo parents are not struggling to love their kids well. They are struggling to create the kind of home where that love actually lands. Where kids feel safe, settled, and like they can exhale when they walk through the door. That gap between intention and reality is something almost every solo parent feels but rarely talks about out loud. A peaceful home is not something you either have or you don't. It is something you build, through the way you communicate, the way you listen, and the way you show up on the days when everything feels like too much. And it matters more than most of us realize, because when home feels unpredictable, kids do not just feel unsettled. They start filling the silence with their own story, and that story almost always ends with the same conclusion: something is wrong with me. Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, sits down with Elizabeth Cole, a single parent, and Amber Fuller, a counselor with a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy and a single parent herself, to talk practically about what it takes to build a peaceful home base. Not a perfect one. A consistent one. Key Insights from This Episode: What you say, and how you say it, changes everything. Kids fill silence with their own story, and that story almost always puts the blame on themselves. Listening well is more powerful than having the right answer. Empathy before action helps you understand what your child actually needs, not just what the situation appears to need. A peaceful home is a slow build, not a single decision. Consistency over time is what creates safety, and safety is what peace is made of. Stay Connected + Get Support: Download our Solo Parent App Join a Solo Parent Group Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    30 min
  7. Surviving Summer Chaos

    Jun 1

    Surviving Summer Chaos

    This week we're discussing Surviving Summer Chaos The school year gives solo parents a framework that helps them survive. The routines, the schedules, the predictable rhythm that makes life feel manageable. Then summer arrives and all of it shifts, fast. The magic of the season is real, but so is the pressure. Work does not slow down. The bills do not pause. And suddenly you are expected to hold everything together with more people in the house, less structure, and the quiet weight of doing it all on your own. In this episode, Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent, are joined by Marissa Lee, author and single parent, for a practical and honest conversation about navigating summer as a solo parent. Together they dig into the real challenges of the season and share what has actually worked in their own homes. Key Insights from This Episode: Structure is not a punishment for summer, it is a gift you give your kid. Simple daily rhythms, built with your child's input, can make the whole season more manageable for everyone. Letting go of control is a parenting skill that has to be practiced gradually. Summer is a natural proving ground for giving older kids more independence before you are forced to do it all at once. The best summer memories do not require money. They require presence, a little creativity, and the willingness to show up even when you are tired. Stay Connected + Get Support: Download our Solo Parent App  Join a Solo Parent Online Group Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    36 min
  8. Overcoming Toxic Thoughts

    May 25

    Overcoming Toxic Thoughts

    This week we're discussing Overcoming Toxic Thoughts. Most solo parents are not struggling because they are doing too little. They are struggling because the voice in their head will not let them believe what they are doing is enough. It is there before the day even starts, in the moment you realize you are the only one holding all of it together. It shows up when a hard conversation with your teenager goes sideways and you have no one to debrief with after. It is there when you are grieving a partner you lost and trying to keep things steady for kids who are grieving too. It surfaces when a grown child calls struggling and you wonder, quietly, if something you did years ago is the reason why. It is there at the end of a long day when the plan fell apart, the patience ran out, and the mental replay begins. Every misstep. Every thing left undone. Every version of yourself you think you are supposed to be but cannot quite reach. That voice sounds like fact. It has been running so long it feels like your own. But it is not. Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent and co-host, bring in Jon Acuff, New York Times bestselling author of Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking and host of the podcast All It Takes Is a Goal, for a conversation that is equal parts practical and freeing. Jon has spent over a decade studying the repetitive thoughts that quietly run our lives, where they come from, how to spot the ones that are lying to us, and what it actually takes to replace them. Whether you are parenting through loss, navigating life after divorce, or building your family on your own terms, and whether your kids are still small or grown and finding their footing, the internal noise of doing this without a partner is real. This conversation goes there. Key Insights from This Episode: Your Broken Soundtracks Have a Source. The repetitive thoughts holding you back did not appear out of nowhere, and knowing where they came from is the first move toward changing them. There Is a Three-Question Test to Tell Real Concerns from Toxic Overthinking. Not every hard thought is a lie, but there is a simple way to tell the difference between what is true and what is just loud. New Seasons Deserve New Scorecards. Measuring this chapter of your life against a different one is one of the quietest ways solo parents keep themselves stuck. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Jon Acuff Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking Procrastination Proof (released April 2025) All It Takes Is a Goal podcast by Jon Acuff That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs  Chip Dodd / 8 CORE Feelings framework  Stay Connected + Get Support: Download our Solo Parent App  Join a Solo Parent Online Group Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    47 min
See All (90)

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Being a single parent brings real pressure. You should not face it alone. The Solo Parent Podcast offers honest conversation, expert insight, and practical help for raising healthy kids while carrying the weight alone. Created by single parents for single parents, each episode speaks to the emotional, relational, and everyday realities of solo parenting. Hosted by author and Solo Parent founder Robert Beeson, alongside Elizabeth Cole, Vice President of Solo Parent and a single mom herself, this podcast has supported thousands of single parents worldwide. It is for single moms and dads navigating divorce, loss, or abandonment who want steadiness, hope, and connection. Solo Parent exists to make sure no single parent walks alone. Through daily support groups, articles, guided meditations, and a free dedicated app, Solo Parent provides steady, practical support for every stage of the journey. Listeners can engage beyond the podcast and find real community, daily encouragement, and tools built specifically for single parent life. Go to www.SoloParent.org or download our app, on any app platform, to learn more!

Information

  • Creator
    Solo Parent
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    90
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Solo Parent
  • Show Website
    Solo Parent

You Might Also Like