What Belle Burden's "Strangers" Taught Me About Divorce, Identity...

https://shaunawardencoaching.com/.../what-belle-burdens...

I just finished reading Strangers by Belle Burden on my way home from the beach.

What started as a casual summer read quickly became something more.

While I couldn't relate to the world of Harvard educations, hedge fund wealth, and international travel, I found myself relating to something much deeper: the questions that often follow the end of a marriage.

Was it my fault?

What did I do wrong?

Who am I now?

And perhaps the hardest question of all:

Am I enough on my own?

One of the things that struck me most about Belle's story was her realization that some questions simply don't have answers. The search for an explanation can become its own form of grief.

As I read, I couldn't help but think about the women I work with every day—women rebuilding after divorce, questioning their worth, and learning to use their voices again.

I shared a few reflections from the book, including why I think so many women are afraid to speak up and what I hope our daughters learn from watching us navigate life's hardest seasons.

I'd love to know: Have you ever read a book that felt like it was written just for you at exactly the right time?

— Shauna