What do you do when you’re staring down a new year and your life looks nothing like what you imagined? When you’re navigating post-separation abuse, family court chaos, or the long tail of coercive control, the idea of setting goals or creating a “new year plan” can feel impossible — or irrelevant.

In this episode, Sybil talks about how to begin again when you’re stuck in the thought “this is not the life I signed up for”. Instead of pretending everything is fine or forcing resolutions you don’t have the energy for, Sybil offers a grounded, compassionate way to approach the start of a new year.

You’ll hear about:

• Why it’s normal to feel stuck or resentful heading into a new year
  • — especially when you’re still in a battle you didn’t choose.
• How to shift from overwhelm to clarity
  • by identifying what you want now, not what you thought your life would be.
• Understanding what’s in your control — and what’s not
  • so you can stop pouring energy into dead ends.
• How to identify small wins
  • and why these matter so much more than big goals when you’re carrying a heavy load.
• Creating momentum through micro-actions
  • that fit your season of life, your capacity, and the reality you're living in.
• A gentle way to start the year
  • without bypassing the grief or frustration of where you are.

This episode is for anyone who is beginning a new year in survival mode, in a hard chapter, or while parenting in the midst of ongoing post-separation abuse. You don’t have to rebuild your entire life right now — but you can start with one clear step that’s within your control.

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...

Take a listen to this episode that listeners come back to frequently.

If you are a survivor in the battle ground of family court, would you say that your attorney is representing you well?

Do you feel heard?

Or maybe you do not have the financial means to even hire an attorney.

And so you find yourself going pro se. Representing yourself in family court. This can be extremely scary and it is possible that you will be able to do an even better job going pro se than with an attorney. On this episode of I have a conversation with Casey Brinkman on how she was able to turn her case around to finally be able to protect herself and her children when she got rid of her attorneys and became pro se.

Casey shares her best tips for representing yourself well as well as what a family court coach/consultant can do to help you on this journey. We discuss the importance of documentation, knowing your rights, doing the right research, how to get evidence in as evidence, and more.

Casey is a dedicated protective mother who spent nearly five years navigating the complexities of the family court system. For just under three years, she worked with an attorney, but it wasn’t until she took on her case pro se in the last two years that she was able to truly have her voice, and her children’s voices, heard. Through her persistence and determination, Casey successfully turned her case around to protect her children, a journey that sparked her passion for helping other protective moms facing similar challenges.

Today, Casey channels her experience and expertise into helping other mothers become strong and effective litigants, whether working with an attorney or representing themselves pro se. Her mission is to inspire and equip protective moms to navigate the legal system with confidence, ensuring their children’s best interests remain the top priority.

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...

I'm sharing this episode again as it's one that many of you listen to frequently.

If your parenting plan is not working or there has been a change in yours or your child’s lives to where the parenting plan no longer reflects the actual needed arrangements for the child, what do you do?

If you are coparenting with a narcissist, broaching a change in the parenting plan can feel extremely scary. You know that it will be a catalyst for increased engagement and conflict. So, what steps can you follow that will help minimize the conflict and increase the likelihood of a change?

A change in circumstance might be (not an exhaustive list):

• A change in address outside of the parenting plan agreement
• A change in school
• A change in the child’s medical or mental health providers
• A change in the child’s needs that the current parenting plan does not address
• A loss of job that will have an impact on the current parenting plan
• Abuse or Neglect
• Co-parent is not following the orders AND it is causing harm to the child

If you feel like you need to broach a change in the parenting plan, there are some steps that you can take that will protect you and will increase the likelihood that the plan will be modified.

• Send the initial message to “put the concern on your co-parent’s radar”
• Start to accrue data and evidence that the concern is negatively impacting your child and what needs to happen to remedy this
• Send a second email stating that the problem is still present, share some of the data, and then write a clear ask of what needs to be done to remedy the situation.
• Be prepared for your ex to fight back and be an A-hole
• Be prepared for the next possible steps in a worst case scenario

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...