159. Taking Care of Business & Yourself in a Divorce with Casey Gromer

12/07/22 • 56 min

I’m finding more and more entrepreneurs who are navigating divorce while trying to keep their businesses afloat. And that’s not just because I’m a couples therapist. I think many people have finally gotten to the point where what they’ve been doing isn’t working or they’re just not happy, and they decide that divorcing is the right path forward.

That’s the case for this week’s podcast guest, Casey Gromer, fractional CMO and host of the Female Founders Breaking Boundaries podcast. Casey is sharing her story of recently getting divorced while still trying to show up in exactly the same way in her business.

I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you that this just isn’t possible. Even in an amicable split, there’s so much going on and so many life changes that you have to give yourself some grace for taking care of yourself.

I’m so grateful that Casey was willing to share her story and her struggles because I know she is not alone in this journey.

Throughout the episode, Casey and I reference my interview on her podcast where we talk more about the emotional side of divorce. Find a link to that episode below!

About Casey Gromer:

Casey Gromer is a 20-year business and marketing expert. As an MBA, she is widely regarded as a go-to source for visionary women entrepreneurs who dream of building businesses to run without them. She is passionate about creating a more equitable landscape for women in business and working to remove common barriers that hold them back.

Casey is podcast host of Female Founders Breaking Boundaries where she encourages women to forgo stale, inflexible business advice in favor of more realistic, workable ways of running their business while still achieving success. Additionally, Casey is the author of “A Fresh Wave of Marketing,” a no-nonsense guide to simplifying the creation of business and marketing strategy.

As founder of C-Suite Boutique, Casey currently serves women entrepreneurs in an advisory role. Under her leadership, clients have scaled their businesses while working less and spending more time doing things they love. The industries she’s supported include retail, e-commerce, service businesses, and manufacturing.

Links and Resources:

Time Stamps:

[0:50] - Casey’s previous episode
[1:36] - Who is Casey
[2:09] - Double podcast and Casey’s story
[4:09] - Foundations of Focus course is on presale
[6:03] - The impact that going through a divorce has on your business
[7:34] - Where Casey is in this process
[9:31] - In stage of life where divorce is more prevalent
[10:35] - Even if you were the one to initiate the divorce, you still haven’t processed it all
[11:01] - The reality of starting the process of divorce
[12:20] - The waiting to return to normal
[13:28] - Different stages of the divorce process
[17:07] - Being upset doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision
[18:25] - You want to achieve goals, but things feel crappy right now
[20:17] - Now that I know what’s happening, how can I proactively restructure work
[22:48] - We discount the impact this stuff has on us
[23:29] - Adding tasks to your list that you might not have been doing before
[26:16] - Letting go of your partner’s income
[30:04] - Let go of some of your work and outsource it
[32:30] - Fear that your reputation is being tarnished
[34:51] - Set expectations with clients and know you’ll recover if they leave
[36:40] - Getting insurance is expensive
[38:13] - The euphoria is gone
[40:41] - You don’t have to be superhuman
[41:45] - What she’s thinking about as she moves forward
[44:23] - Reassess and let go of the “have to”
[45:44] - You can’t work your own magic on yourself
[48:25] - You “should” know something but it’s not the same when you’re in it
[49:05] - Hairstylists don’t cut their own hair, tattoo artists don’t give themselves tattoos
[53:26] - What’s happening is normal; learn from Casey’s mistakes

I’m so grateful that Casey was willing to share her story and her struggles because I know she is not alone in this journey.

Throughout the episode, Casey and I reference my interview on her podcast where we talk more about the emotional side of divorce. Find a link to that episode below!

About Casey Gromer:

Links and Resources:

Time Stamps:

[0:50] - Casey’s previous episode
[1:36] - Who is Casey
[2:09] - Double podcast and Casey’s story
[4:09] - Foundations of Focus course is on presale
[6:03] - The impact that going through a divorce has on your business
[7:34] - Where Casey is in this process
[9:31] - In stage of life where divorce is more prevalent
[10:35] - Even if you were the one to initiate the divorce, you still haven’t processed it all
[11:01] - The reality of starting the process of divorce
[12:20] - The waiting to return to normal
[13:28] - Different stages of the divorce process
[17:07] - Being upset doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision
[18:25] - You want to achieve goals, but things feel crappy right now
[20:17] - Now that I know what’s happening, how can I proactively restructure work
[22:48] - We discount the impact this stuff has on us
[23:29] - Adding tasks to your list that you might not have been doing before
[26:16] - Letting go of your partner’s income
[30:04] - Let go of some of your work and outsource it
[32:30] - Fear that your reputation is being tarnished
[34:51] - Set expectations with clients and know you’ll recover if they leave
[36:40] - Getting insurance is expensive
[38:13] - The euphoria is gone
[40:41] - You don’t have to be superhuman
[41:45] - What she’s thinking about as she moves forward
[44:23] - Reassess and let go of the “have to”
[45:44] - You can’t work your own magic on yourself
[48:25] - You “should” know something but it’s not the same when you’re in it
[49:05] - Hairstylists don’t cut their own hair, tattoo artists don’t give themselves tattoos
[53:26] - What’s happening is normal; learn from Casey’s mistakes

Previous Episode

158. Are You Stealing Your Own Rest Time?

It’s that time of year again. You know, the time when you’ve blocked off the holidays so you can relax and enjoy them with your family. But then a client needs something from you so you decide to “just” work that one day.

In reality, that one call or one day will most likely turn into you completely cannibalizing your time off. So when it’s time to go back to work in the new year, you’re frustrated and frazzled before your butt even hits your office chair.

This year, give yourself permission to actually take time off. And while you’re at it, don’t overburden yourself with home projects that you want to get done. Stop stealing your own rest time!

Links and Resources:

Join the Inner Circle

Time Stamps:

[0:49] - It’s holiday fatigue time
[1:32] - The worst part of it all
[2:17] - Stop cannibalizing your holidays
[3:43] - we’re not looking at the bigger picture cost of that
[4:58] - what’s the real ROI of taking on some work during your time off
[7:20] - question working during your down time and ask a friend
[9:56] are we expecting ourselves to still be productive during down time

Next Episode

160. My Neurodivergent Brain with Annie Ruggles

What happens to the business owner who has obsessive-compulsive disorder? They figure out how their brains work and end up growing an amazing business and hosting an informative and entertaining podcast.

Okay, not everyone does that but this week’s guest, Annie Ruggles, sure does.

This week’s episode is the first in a series called My Neurodivergent Brain, where I talk to neurodivergent business owners...diagnosed with OCD, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and more. We talk about their experience in life and business, what their diagnosis looked like, how it’s impacted their business and life, and how they found their superpowers.

Annie has come to embrace her OCD and views her compulsions as grounding and self-soothing most of the time. She looks at her behavior and thoughts as sometimes self-protective and sees OCD as benefiting her client work.

I hope that today’s episode, and the rest in this series, help you to embrace your own neurodivergence and start to see ways you can embrace your uniqueness as a superpower that not everyone gets to experience.

About Annie Ruggles:

For over a decade, Annie has harnessed her Hulk-like disdain for hard-sales, tacky self-promotion, and overly competitive sleazeballs as inspiration to help people find better ways to grow their small businesses.

She has guided hundreds of people toward making deeper connections, lasting impressions, and friendlier, more lucrative transactions and conversations. Her pride and joy is her podcast, Too Legitimate to Quit: Instantly Actionable Small Business Strategies with a Pop Culture Spin. Visit her website and follow her on Instagram.

Links and Resources:

Episode 128: Stop Avoiding the Ask and Start Selling with Annie Ruggles
Non-Sleazy Sales Academy
Too Legitimate to Quit Podcast
On Boundaries, Burnout, and So I Married an Axe Murderer
The Coach Who Would Not Sell
Join Inner Circle
Foundations of Focus for Entrepreneurs: Focus on what matters to you without burning out

Time Stamps:

[4:21] - Welcome to Annie
[6:44] - Annie’s diagnosis and how she got there
[9:49] - There’s a beating up of yourself because you think you’re not good enough
[12:44] - Being OCD vs. a pain in the ass
[15:50] - Stress exacerbate the symptoms
[16:27] - When done right, compulsions are grounding and self-soothing behaviors
[18:48] - Is it compulsion or impulsivity from ADHD
[21:19] - How long ago Annie received her diagnosis
[22:02] - “Unwanted thought syndrome”
[22:40] - Self protective behaviors sabotage us
[28:02] - The benefits of OCD in client work
[30:35] - Ride the wave - when you’re activated you’re on fire
[33:22] - How COVID impacted small business
[34:28] - She can work next to people, but would not choose that
[35:31] - leaning into energy
[37:03] - We became entrepreneurs because we wanted that control
[38:55] - what do you need today in order for your brain to work as an asset, not a hindrance
[42:42] - If you’re resonating with these ideas, go to the doctor to get a diagnosis
[44:05] - Caution is helpful as self-protection unless it starts to mess with your quality of life
[44:31] - Give the thought a gentle kiss
[47:05] - More about Annie