Starting April 6th we're kicking off a live run-through of the Next Chapter program inside the Turning community and this episode is the story of exactly where it came from.

The Next Chapter is Emma's signature coaching program: 20+ videos, a 100-page workbook, four workshops, and a community to go through it all with. It has previously been available for up to $1,000 — right now you can access it as part of your Turning membership for just $83/month, along with live coaching, guest expert sessions, daily resources and so much more.

If you've been listening to the podcast and wondering what it would look like to actually do the work, this is it.

👉 Join Turning here: https://turning.circle.so/checkout/your-turning-membership

The doors are open until midnight on April 5th.

This week's episode is a solo one, and it's a story Emma has never told in full before on the podcast.

It's about what happened after the big 2020 breakup (not the breakup itself, but what came next). And it's the story that explains exactly where the Next Chapter program was born.

It’s all about how you need to be a little more delusional and a little less realistic in order to build the life that you want.

In 2020, within the space of one week, Emma lost her relationship, her job, and her home — with zero savings and no idea what was coming. A few months later, despite being in debt and genuinely questioning everything, she said yes to a last-minute trip to a hilltop villa in Greece. Something told her she had to go.

That week changed everything.

In this episode:

• What rock bottom actually looked like (and why she was still trying to date through it)
• The journaling breakthrough that happened on a balcony overlooking the sea in Siphnos
• The bold, slightly delusional decision she made that week — and why it worked
• The link between building a life you love and finding a relationship
• Why looking for love from a low energy place keeps you stuck
• How exactly two years later, she met Ellie

This episode is for you if you're in a transitional moment right now. Maybe you're coming out of a breakup, questioning your career, thinking about solo travel, or just feeling like something needs to shift but you don't know where to start.

Sometimes the most responsible thing you can do is the thing that looks irresponsible from the outside.

https://www.turning30coach.com/turning-lp

This week I'm joined by Cole Zesiger, a breakup and relationship coach who has helped over 2,000 people navigate heartbreak.

After going through a divorce at 23 and jumping into a rebound relationship that also ended, Cole rebuilt his life from scratch and now teaches others how to do the same. He also just released his first book, Exes and No's: The Breakup Advice You Don't Want to Hear.

This is one of the rare episodes where we have a male guest, and I loved getting Cole's perspective on breakups, rebounds, and what it actually takes to be ready for love again.

What we cover:

• Why breakups are so devastating. It's not just losing the person, it's losing the entire future you imagined with them.

• The science behind heartbreak. Studies show that romantic rejection activates the same brain patterns as withdrawing from hard drugs. This explains why we do irrational things after a breakup.

• The truth about no contact. Why treating a breakup like a detox is often the fastest path to healing, and why it's also the best strategy if you genuinely want to get back together.

• Can you actually get back with an ex? Cole shares when reconciliation works, when it doesn't, and a story about a couple who reunited after divorce and are still going strong years later.

• The rebound trap. Why jumping into a new relationship too quickly often just delays the grief, and how Cole learned this the hard way.

• How to know when you're ready to date again. Not "fully healed" but "happy enough" with your life that you won't just take the first person who shows interest.

• The dating rules that keep you single. Why building a rigid checklist after heartbreak often backfires and screens out great people for meaningless reasons.

• How to talk about your ex on early dates. The difference between making your ex the main character of the story versus making yourself the main character.

Resources mentioned:

Cole's new book, Exes and No's: coachcolezesiger.com/exsandnos

Work with Cole: coachcolezesiger.com/booking

Cole on Instagram: @coachcolezesiger

Connect with Emma:

Instagram: @turning30coach

Join the Turning Community: https://www.turning30coach.com/turning-lp

If this episode helped you see breakups differently, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Think you need fireworks on the first date to know they're the one? In this episode, Emma challenges everything we've been taught about how love is supposed to feel at the start.

What we cover:

The difference between a fast burn and a slow burn, and why rushing through the early stages of dating often means skipping the check-ins that actually matter.

Why those "I just knew" stories you see on Instagram aren't the full picture, and what most love stories actually look like behind the scenes.

The dating masks we all wear. Even if you think you're being your authentic self, Emma explains why it takes time for the real versions of both people to show up.

How Emma and Ellie navigated the early days of their relationship, including why a three-week trip apart actually helped them.

Practical tips for slowing down without dragging things out, from choosing better date activities to reframing how you ask important questions.

Why going slow at the start often leads to things speeding up later, and how to trust that process when you're feeling the pressure of your 30s.

Connect with Emma:

Instagram: @turning30coach

Join the Turning Community: https://www.turning30coach.com/turning-lp

If this episode shifted something for you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with a friend who's in her dating era.