Solo Parent

Solo Parent

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. Loving Our Inner Child

    3D AGO

    Loving Our Inner Child

    This week we're discussing Loving Our Inner Child Even when you are doing your best as a parent, old reactions keep surfacing. You respond bigger than the moment calls for. Patterns you thought you had outgrown show back up. In this conversation, Robert Beeson, Founder & CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent, sit down with Michelle Chalfant, licensed therapist, holistic life coach, and author of The Adult Chair, to talk about the inner child, what it is, why it still shapes your daily life, and how doing this work can bring more peace to you and your home. A lot of solo parents are trying so hard to show up well, but underneath the effort are old beliefs quietly running the show. Harsh self-talk, disproportionate reactions, triggers that seem to come out of nowhere. These things matter because they do not just affect you. They shape the environment your kids grow up in. Understanding where they come from is the first step to changing them. Today, we cover three main points: The inner child is not a concept. It is a part of you. From birth to about age six, we form a roadmap of beliefs about ourselves and the world. That roadmap does not disappear when we grow up. It keeps running in the background, shaping how we parent, how we respond, and what we believe we deserve. The good news is it can be updated. Triggers are gifts in disguise. When something sets you off, it is not really about what just happened. It is a belief from early childhood rising to the surface. Michelle walks through a practical process for following that trigger all the way down to its root, transforming it, and climbing back up with something new and true in its place. Reparenting your inner child does not take hours. Consistency matters more than duration. A two-minute check-in, a quiet question, a moment of gentleness toward the younger version of yourself. These small acts begin to repair old wounds and slowly change the patterns you bring into your parenting. This work is not about going back and reliving the past. It is about finally giving that younger part of you what it needed, so the adult you are today has more room to breathe, more steadiness to offer, and more peace to pass on. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Michelle Chalfant: The Adult Chair The Adult Chair by Michelle Chalfant Free inner child guided meditations and journaling prompts: theadultchair.com/innerchild The Michelle Chalfant Show podcast Metamorphosis Live Event (Charlotte, NC) — use code SOLO for $200 off: theadultchair.com/liveevent The Adult Chair Inner Child Course: theadultchair.com Stay Connected + Get Support: Download our Solo Parent App  Join a Solo Parent Online Group Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    58 min
  2. Even If: Trusting God Through the Fire

    FEB 16

    Even If: Trusting God Through the Fire

    This week we're discussing Even If: Trusting God Through the Fire Life as a solo parent rarely feels clean or compartmentalized. You can be deeply grateful for your kids and still feel overwhelmed. You can trust God and still feel disappointed. You can be functioning on the outside while quietly unraveling on the inside. In this episode, Robert Beeson, Founder & CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent, sit down with Bart Millard, lead singer of MercyMe and songwriter behind the multi-platinum hit "I Can Only Imagine," along with Shannon Millard, co-author of Even If: Trusting God Through the Fire. Together, they talk about chronic hardship, depression, loss, and what it looks like to keep showing up when healing does not happen the way you hoped. Many solo parents wrestle with silent comparisons, believing they should not complain because someone else has it worse. Others feel emotionally absent but do not know how they got there. Some carry disappointment with God but feel afraid to say it out loud. These struggles matter because unspoken grief turns into isolation, and isolation quietly drains your strength, your presence, and your hope. In This Episode, We Focus On: Gratitude and grief can coexist -  You do not have to choose between being thankful and being honest about what hurts. Gratitude does not cancel grief. Both can live in the same space, and naming that tension is part of healing. Healing begins when you say it out loud -  Isolation keeps pain powerful. Whether through counseling, community, or one trusted friend, speaking your struggle breaks shame and reminds you that you are not alone. Presence matters more than perfection -  Your children do not need flawless. They need your willingness to return, repair, and keep showing up. Consistent presence builds safety and trust over time. Holding grief and gratitude together is not about pretending everything is fine. It is about staying engaged in your life and your parenting even when it feels messy. You are not weak for struggling, and you do not have to walk this road alone. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Even If: Trusting God Through the Fire by Bart and Shannon Millard I Can Only Imagine 2 "Even If" "Make It Well" Porter's Call Stay Connected + Get Support: Download our Solo Parent App  Join a Solo Parent Group Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    45 min
  3. Love as a Boundary

    FEB 9

    Love as a Boundary

    This week we're discussing Love as a Boundary Setting boundaries can feel especially difficult when you are a solo parent. You are carrying more, managing more emotions, and often trying to protect your children from further pain. In this conversation, Robert Beeson, Founder & CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent, are joined by Dr. Henry Cloud, clinical psychologist, leadership expert, and bestselling author of Boundaries, to talk about how healthy limits actually strengthen relationships, protect your peace, and help your children grow. Many solo parents wrestle with the same tensions. Saying yes out of guilt. Overcompensating for what their kids have been through. Feeling exhausted but unsure how to change long-standing patterns. These struggles matter because without boundaries, burnout, resentment, and chaos slowly replace the calm and stability every family needs. Today, we cover three main points: Why boundaries are not selfish Boundaries define where you end and someone else begins. When you protect your time, energy, and emotional health, you are not choosing yourself over others. You are creating the capacity to love well and consistently. Why love requires limits Love without structure often leads to resentment or enabling. Healthy limits protect relationships and allow generosity and connection to flourish in a sustainable way. Why boundaries help children grow Children need loving limits to develop responsibility, emotional regulation, and respect for others. What feels hard in the moment often prepares them for a healthier future. Healthy boundaries are not about controlling others. They are about taking responsibility for what is yours and building a home where both you and your children can thrive. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Dr. Henry Cloud Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud Stay Connected + Get Support: Download our Solo Parent App  Join a Solo Parent Online Group Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    1h 1m
  4. Dating Differently

    FEB 2

    Dating Differently

    This week we're discussing Dating Differently. Dating after divorce can feel layered and heavy for solo parents. Curiosity and hope often exist right alongside fear, grief, and loneliness. Add children into the mix, and the emotional stakes rise even higher. This conversation speaks directly to the pain of wanting connection while also protecting your heart, your healing, and your kids. Dating differently matters because the choices you make now do not just shape your future relationships, they shape your sense of stability, wholeness, and emotional safety at home. In this episode, Robert Beeson (Founder & CEO of Solo Parent) and Elizabeth Cole (single parent) are joined by Amber Fuller (counselor with a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy and single parent) and Josh Stimpson (single dad of 12 years) to explore what it looks like to date with honesty, intention, and care in this season of life. Today, we cover three main points: Dating when emotions feel mixed. How hope, fear, grief, and loneliness often show up together after divorce, and why naming that tension matters before making decisions. What being "ready" really means. How readiness is less about time passed and more about support, self awareness, and dating from wholeness instead of loneliness. Why kids change everything. How moving slowly and intentionally protects children's emotional stability and helps solo parents build healthier relationships. Together, these three points invite solo parents to approach dating with greater clarity and compassion. Rather than rushing decisions or shutting down connection, this conversation encourages slowing the pace, building strong support, and making choices that honor both personal healing and the emotional needs of children. Stay Connected + Get Support: Full Show Notes  Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    1h 1m
  5. Approaching the New Year with Confidence

    JAN 19

    Approaching the New Year with Confidence

    This week we're discussing Approaching the New Year with Confidence. When solo parents carry relentless responsibility, face constant self doubt, and feel defined by past failures, confidence can feel fragile or out of reach. That erosion matters because it shapes how we parent, how we see ourselves, and whether we step into a new season with hope or hesitation. Robert Beeson and Elizabeth Cole are joined by Amber Fuller, licensed professional counselor, to explore how confidence can become steadier and more grounded when it is built on self compassion, supportive community, and a clear sense of worth rather than perfection or performance.  Today, we cover three main points: Stop carrying it all alone. Why accepting your limits, practicing self compassion, and allowing support actually strengthens confidence rather than weakens it. Change the way you talk to yourself. How negative inner narratives undermine confidence and practical ways to notice, challenge, and replace them with words that are more true and life giving. Believe in your worth even when you fail. How mistakes and losses do not diminish your value, but can become teachers that deepen self awareness, resilience, and courage moving forward. Confidence grows when you stop measuring yourself against impossible standards. Perspective changes when you name what you are already doing well. Failure does not define you. It can refine you. Real confidence is rooted in worth, values, and the courage to show up honestly. Stay Connected + Get Support: Full Show Notes  Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    47 min
  6. Approaching the New Year With Renewed Perspective

    JAN 5

    Approaching the New Year With Renewed Perspective

    This week we're discussing Approaching the New Year with Renewed Perspective. For many solo parents, a new year does not arrive with excitement but with exhaustion, uncertainty, and a quiet fear that clarity cannot be trusted anymore. When past disappointments linger and the future feels fragile, it becomes easy to live in regret, worry, or self-blame. This episode speaks to the tension of living between what was and what might be, and why staying present, releasing control, and shifting perspective opens the door to peace and renewed hope. Today, we cover three main points: Staying present instead of living in the past. How ruminating on what-ifs and regrets fuels shame and keeps us from experiencing clarity and healing today. Finding peace in the middle of the "I don't knows." Why uncertainty triggers fear and control, and how grounding yourself in what you can do today creates stability even when answers are missing. Filtering life through gratitude, expectancy, and awareness. How choosing to notice what is good, expect growth, and stay aware reshapes your experience and helps you respond with steadiness instead of stress. Renewing perspective does not mean fixing everything at once. It means choosing presence over escape, trust over fear, and small intentional steps over overwhelm. Clarity grows when we stop borrowing pain from the past or fear from the future and learn to live fully in the day in front of us. Stay Connected + Get Support: Full Show Notes  Learn more about Solo Parent Follow us on Instagram

    39 min
5
out of 5
8 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!

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