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Hey friend, it's Nicole, host of the Nicole Walters podcast.

Here's where we laugh, we cry, and we grant ourselves grace as we do life together. Let's get started.

Hey friend, so I had a conversation in mind that I wanted to talk about today because

it kind of deals with the previous chats we've been having around dating and divorce,

but before I give you that chat, I think I want to address something that I think is really

important for everyone, especially me to say out loud. It is not easy to go through transitions and

to discuss some of the hardest moments of your life publicly, and I recognize that it's my choice.

Make no mistake, I'm not so naive as to think that this isn't something I don't have to do.

The reason I do it is one, because I know I'm strong enough to do it, and two, because I absolutely

believe categorically, because I've been privileged enough to benefit from others doing this,

that God delivers you from suffering so that you can help deliver others who remain in that same

suffering. What has happened is that in sharing my story, I've noticed that one of the things that's

a recurring theme and a recurring message, and I honor it because I understand it, is that so many

people want to know why. They want to know why, because it seemed like everything was okay,

and it seemed like we were such a good match, or it seemed like my partner looked a certain way,

or seemed a certain way, or behaved a certain way towards me, or to the kids, or to our family,

and oh my goodness, that is just how could it be? Relationship goals, all of that. I think

what's tough is that, one, I've been pretty intentional about not talking about my marriage

specifically through the years. I've been on the internet now for 15 years, I've had a podcast

for three seasons, and I just really never spoke about my marriage. It was just not something I

talked about. If I did, I always was very intentional about addressing the imperfection within my

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