June 2024 wasn’t loud — it was the month everything got quiet enough for the truth to finally settle in.
This episode is about presence, clarity and the painful but powerful lessons you learn when someone you once trusted stops showing up.
I share what it felt like to walk into my sister-in-law’s father’s celebration of life with my boys and my mom by my side — while he chose to stay home.
It was a moment filled with family, support, and love… and at the same time, a moment filled with the silence of his absence.
June was also the month my boys began noticing things for themselves.
They watched who was consistent.
They watched who avoided.
They watched the choices being made — and they formed their own opinions without me saying a word.
This episode is for anyone who has ever had to show up alone, carry the emotional weight of a family, or teach their kids what love and loyalty look like when life gets hard.
If you’ve ever been the steady one in a storm someone else created, this episode will sit close to your heart.
If this episode hits close to home, make sure you read this month’s blog:
“Showing Up When They Don’t — A Truth Every Woman Learns the Hard Way.”
You’ll find it on my website under the Blog tab.
✨ Connect with Me:
Instagram: @MommaDramaAndTraumaTikTok: @MommaDramaAndTraumaFacebook: Momma Drama & TraumaYouTube: Momma Drama & TraumaWebsite & Blog: www.mommadramaandtrauma.com
✨ Song of the Episode
“The Story” — Brandi Carlile
This song captures the quiet strength and emotional clarity of June — the month I realized that showing up, even when I had to do it alone, was shaping my boys more than anything I could ever say. It holds the same raw honesty and steady resilience that moved through every moment of this episode.
As always, you are strong, you are worthy, and your story matters. Until next time, take care of you.
May was the month where everything seemed to hit at once — the pain, the truth, the pressure and the patterns I didn’t want to see but couldn’t ignore anymore. This episode takes you inside the month my divorce should have been finalized… but wasn’t. The month he backed out at the last minute. The month I realized he wasn’t trying to save anything, he was trying to wear me down.
It’s also the month my kids’ quiet pain finally came to the surface.
The month I had to face the reality that I couldn’t protect them from every hurt, and I couldn’t keep fixing what wasn’t mine to fix.
And the month I finally said the words I’d avoided for years:
“I can’t do this anymore.”
In this episode, I’m sharing:
✨ The emotional fallout of him backing out of our agreement✨ How the kids reacted when everything suddenly changed at his house✨ Why I stayed in the fixer role for so long — and what made me finally let it go✨ The birthday weekend that hurt my kids more than anyone realized✨ The quiet moment I decided to start choosing peace over chaos
If you’re tired of holding everything together… if you feel like you’re doing the emotional lifting for everyone… if you’re learning to let go of what you didn’t break, this episode is for you.
📢👉 If this episode speaks to you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick rating on Spotify — it helps the podcast reach more women who need these conversations.
🎶 Listen to the “May Healing Playlist” here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2fFxTwNUL3bIMi7aOPFW7a?si=UmvCfWQXToyLxPZzA2k9GA&pt=9012beb9bfb20f0e6bdc44ad2a31f8b0&pi=VDXxjCpSQpGpK
And as always —
You are strong, you are worthy, and your story matters.
Until next time, take care of you. 💗
Happy Thanksgiving Week, y’all. 🧡🦃
This special episode is a little different — and honestly, that feels right for a holiday that brings up so many emotions. Today, I wanted to share a moment of hope with you… the quiet kind that shows up even when life feels heavy or complicated or different than it used to be.
For anyone navigating the holidays after heartbreak, betrayal, divorce, grief, or major life change — you are not alone. Holidays don’t look the same after your world turns upside down… but that doesn’t mean they can’t hold something meaningful, something soft, something new.
In this special Thanksgiving episode, I’m reflecting on:
the tenderness of holiday seasons after loss
the unexpected moments of hope that arrive quietly
the truth that healing doesn’t skip the holidays
gratitude in the middle of the messy, imperfect parts
allowing yourself to feel exactly what you feel
If today feels heavy, weird, lonely, overwhelming or unexpectedly quiet… this episode is for you.
Wishing each of you peace, strength, a moment of light, and a reminder that your story still matters — even on the hard days.
Happy Thanksgiving. 🧡
In this raw and powerful episode, I open up about Month 9 after discovering the affair—April 2024. This was the month I took real steps toward building a new life. I signed up for real estate classes, went on my first date in over 25 years, and started visualizing a future without my husband in it.
But it wasn’t all forward motion. Mediation brought on a deep emotional weight—dividing time with my kids, sorting through years of shared life, and facing moments of tension and heartbreak. I share it all: the hope, the heaviness, the hidden victories, and the emotional truth behind the scenes.
This is the month I stopped waiting for closure and started creating my own. I share journal entries, real text messages, and reflections you won’t hear anywhere else. It’s messy. It’s honest. It’s me—learning to let go and rise on my own.
📌 Spotify Episode Description
In this eighth month after discovering my husband’s affair, everything started to shift — emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
The conversations became shorter. The hope started to fade. And my walls started going up.
I was still showing up for the boys, still trying to hold it together on the outside. But on the inside, I was falling apart — crying in silence, spiraling, and finally starting to pull away from the man who had already left me long before I admitted it to myself.
In this episode, I share the raw truth of what that month looked like — from the confusion of mixed signals, to the quiet pain of parenting through heartbreak. I talk about finding support in unexpected places, like my friend Christie and beginning to research real estate classes as the first real step toward my own independence.
If you're in the middle of your own “month eight,” if you're trying to reclaim yourself while still drowning in grief, this episode is for you.
💬 Let’s talk about what it really means to pick up the pieces — even when you don’t feel ready.
🎧 Listen to Momma Drama & Trauma on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
📲 Follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook @MommaDramaandTrauma
🌐 Visit www.MommaDramaAndTrauma.com to explore the podcast, blog, and healing tools — and stay tuned for a weekly newsletter coming soon!
February 2024 — Month Seven after the end.
The month everything started to look a little clearer, even if it still hurt.
In this episode, Jenny opens up about finding herself again after months of heartbreak, betrayal, and emotional exhaustion. February began with pain — a Super Bowl weekend that revealed how deeply things had changed within her family — but it slowly turned into a month of awakening.
She shares the moment she realized she’d been pouring her energy into someone who no longer cared, the journal entries that helped her release her anger, and how she started focusing on healing for herself and her three boys.
It wasn’t an easy month — it was messy, emotional, and real — but it was also the start of something new.
The month she stopped trying to fix what broke her, and started rebuilding herself.
If you’re in that place where you’re trying to find your footing again after betrayal or loss — this episode will remind you that clarity can hurt… but it’s the first step toward freedom.
If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who might need a reminder that clarity, even when it hurts, is a gift. 💫
Follow Momma Drama & Trauma on Spotify and YouTube so you never miss a new episode — and come join me on social @ Momma Drama and Trauma for daily encouragement, healing reflections, and behind-the-scenes moments from my journey.
January 2024 didn’t feel “new.” It felt like the stillness after a storm, the kind where the air still smells like rain. I wasn’t crying every day anymore, but the grief had settled deeper. In this episode, I read the letter I wrote to my husband—word for word—naming what broke, what I own, and what I’m learning to release.
This is also the month Momma Drama & Trauma was born: late-night journaling turned into a space for honesty, healing, and connection. I talk about the fog after betrayal (that numb middle space between heartbreak and healing), the tiny unclench in my chest that felt like the first real breath, and the early signs that I was coming back to myself.
If you’re sitting in your own “after,” I hope this gives you language for it and a little light.
In this episode:
Reading the letter (accountability, grief, and boundaries)
The fog after betrayal & why “not okay yet” is still progress
The quiet birth of Momma Drama & Trauma as a creative lifeline
Early acceptance: hurting and healing can exist together
Share your moment: What helped you breathe again for the first time? Comment a 💙 and tell me.
Connect with me:
IG & TikTok: @momma_drama_and_trauma
YouTube: @MommaDramaTrauma
If this episode spoke to you, follow the show, rate it on Spotify, and drop a 💙 with one line about your own “first breath” moment. Share this with a friend who needs gentle courage today.
One year ago, on October 22 of 2024, my divorce became official.
In this very special episode, I’m pausing my story timeline to reflect on what life has looked like since that day — the peace I’ve found, the lessons I’ve learned, and the growth that’s come from letting go.
I take you back to that moment in the Sold in the Lou office when I saw the word “finalized” appear on CaseNet — and I talk about the mix of emotions that flooded in. Relief, sadness, gratitude, and closure all at once.
From helping my kids adjust to our new normal, to learning to forgive, to finding my own strength and peace, this year has truly changed everything.
I also share what healing really looked like — the messy, beautiful, everyday moments that brought me back to life — and how Momma Drama & Trauma has helped me heal by giving my pain a purpose.
And finally, I look ahead: to the next chapter, to my boys’ bright futures, and to my continued journey as a woman, a mom, and a creator who is finally living again.
If you’re in the middle of your own heartbreak or rebuilding season, I hope this episode reminds you that you’re stronger than you think — and that there is life, peace, and joy waiting for you on the other side. 💛
If this episode spoke to your heart, please follow Momma Drama & Trauma wherever you listen, and share it with someone who might need to hear it.
✨ New episodes every week — raw stories, real healing, and honest conversations about motherhood, heartbreak, and rebuilding your life.
🎙️ We’ll pick back up with January 2024 in the next episode.
Hey there, and welcome to Momma Drama & Trauma.
In Episode 11, I open up about one of the hardest parts of my journey — that point where I was trying to let go, but still losing hope in the process. The moments where I could finally see that the life I had been clinging to wasn’t coming back, and I had to face the truth that things would never be the same again.
This episode is about surrender. About realizing that letting go isn’t a single decision — it’s something you have to do again and again until the pain starts to loosen its grip.
I talk about the exhaustion that comes from trying to fix what’s already broken, the fear of starting over, and the small, quiet moments where I learned how to breathe again.
If you’ve ever found yourself standing in that space between holding on and moving forward, I hope this episode reminds you that healing doesn’t happen all at once — it happens breath by breath, day by day.
🎧 Press play, take a deep breath, and walk this part of the journey with me.
In this week’s Truth Talk Thursday, I’m getting real about something that I think a lot of us feel but rarely say out loud — what it’s like to fall apart after holding it all together for too long.For years, I convinced myself that control was safety — that if I could plan enough, stay busy enough, hold everyone and everything together, then maybe life wouldn’t fall apart again. But the cracks always find their way through.This episode, “Cracks, Control & Coming Undone,” is about that moment when the mask slips — when exhaustion takes over and you realize you’ve lost touch with yourself somewhere between surviving, caretaking, and keeping peace for everyone else.I open up about feeling completely disconnected from who I was — not just as a wife or mom, but as a woman. I talk about what it’s like to break down, to come undone, and how surrender — true surrender — doesn’t mean giving up, it means letting go of what was never yours to carry in the first place.And most importantly… it’s about finding your way back to yourself.Not the old you, but the real you — the one underneath the noise, the chaos, and the fear. The one who craves peace, simplicity, and a quiet life filled with meaning, not pressure.If you’ve ever been the strong one — the one who fixes, manages, and holds it all together — this episode is for you. 💔✨🧡 Giveaway ReminderTo enter the drawing for the Momma Drama & Trauma Self-Care Bundle Giveaway, you must comment under the official video on my YouTube channel titled “Momma Drama & Trauma Self-Care Bundle Giveaway”.Here’s the link to comment: https://youtu.be/ZmXfnGXE_ggLeave what part of this episode resonated with you the most — that’s how your entry gets counted.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe and share with your friends (if this episode touched you, it probably means others will benefit too)📲 Follow me on Instagram / TikTok / Facebook🎧 Listen to the full podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
In this episode, I open up about what it feels like when the cracks start to show — when control, the one thing that always felt safe, begins to slip away. I talk about the moments when I felt completely disconnected from myself… when I couldn’t recognize who I was anymore.
Control used to make me feel secure — it was my safety net when everything else fell apart. But this episode is about realizing that holding on too tightly can sometimes make you break. It’s about the exhaustion that comes from pretending you’re okay, the loneliness of trying to hold everything together, and the quiet strength that comes from finally admitting you can’t.
If you’ve ever felt like you were coming undone — like your grip on life, love, or yourself was slipping — this one’s for you.
🎧 Press play, take a breath, and walk with me through the cracks, the chaos, and the courage to let go.
This week’s Truth Talk Thursday is about the in-between space — when you’re no longer who you were, but not yet who you’ll be. I share what it felt like to be the “third wheel” with friends, to show up at my kids’ events no longer a wife, and to face holidays that looked the same on the outside but felt so different on the inside.
I talk about the tough conversations with my boys, an emotional text on my dad’s death anniversary, and how I’m learning to create a new place that truly fits me. Over the past couple years, healing and forgiveness have changed things — even bringing moments of unexpected help and kindness.
#TruthTalkThursday #DivorceHealing #MommaDramaAndTrauma #StartingOver #HealingJourney
November 2023 — Month Four. The month I asked myself: Where do I fit?
The house was falling apart, and so was my marriage. Repairs piled up, but instead of my husband showing up, it was his brother stepping in. Symbolic? Absolutely. Everything was crumbling — the home we built, the family we created, the life I thought I knew.
This month brought the first fights about money, watching him spend on someone else while I carried the weight of bills, sports, and the kids. I felt anger, betrayal, and disappointment — but I also found a strange clarity. I began to detach. I wasn’t fully free yet, but I was starting to take steps toward protecting myself.
Through it all, my boys gave me strength. Ryan’s last basketball season, Derek’s battles on the wrestling mat, Carson finding escape in time with friends — they reminded me why I couldn’t give up. And then November 17th came, the one-year mark of losing my dad. I reached out to my husband, hoping for comfort, but got only three words: “Yes, I know. Sorry.” Another layer of grief on top of the rest.
But even in the middle of all this, I survived. I kept moving. And that survival became something I could be proud of.
If you’re in your own “month four” right now, I want you to know — you’ll be okay too. The light breaking through the darkness? It only grows brighter.
From October 16–31, 2023, I lived inside two silences: my mom’s quiet in a hospital room, and my husband’s silence as he pulled further away.
In this Truth Talk Thursday, I share about:
Caretaking my mom through pneumonia and the heaviness of hospital silence.
The pain of realizing he could leave work early for her, but never for me or the boys.
Why anger became my survival.
What it means to grieve holidays, and why Halloween 2023 looked so different.
I walked away with three truths I’ll carry with me:
Silence can be sacred. Anger is a messenger. Joy hides in the ordinary.
#MommaDramaAndTrauma #TruthTalkThursday #JennyKuemmel #YourStoryMatters #LifeAfterDivorce #HealingAfterBetrayal #DivorceSupport #SurvivingInfidelity
October 2023 was the month everything collided — betrayal, business, motherhood, and fear of loss. In this episode of Momma Drama & Trauma, Jenny opens up about the breaking point when the mask finally came off.
Her mom was hospitalized with two dangerous bacterial infections, leaving Jenny terrified of losing her after already losing her father and her marriage. At the same time, she was still running a business, parenting three teenage boys through slipping grades and heavy emotions, and navigating betrayal after betrayal from her husband.
From being asked to sign away money for a new house, to overhearing her boys admit how “weird” it felt when both parents were in the same room, to the heartbreak of skipping Halloween decorations that once brought her son Carson so much joy — this was the month where guilt, grief, and anger pushed her to the edge.
Jenny also shares the October 18th note that marked a turning point in her anger, the moment she filed for divorce, and the symbolic irony of October 31st becoming her legal filing date. With raw honesty, she reflects on parenting in the storm, discovering her strength, and why sometimes blocking someone is survival.
If you’ve ever felt crushed by betrayal, exhausted by parenting through chaos, or guilty for not being enough — this episode reminds you that showing up, even imperfectly, is strength.
This week on Truth Talk Thursday, I’m diving deeper into Episode 7 of Momma Drama & Trauma: When the Fantasy Faded and Reality Set In.
This part of my journey wasn’t about one dramatic moment — it was about the little cracks that built up: the awkward Homecoming Parade, confusing conversations that gave me no answers, promises that didn’t hold up, and the painful reality of living in limbo.
I talk about how anger is really unprocessed hurt, how betrayal shows up in your body, and the shift from holding onto fantasy to finally seeing reality.
If you’re navigating betrayal, heartbreak, or the aftermath of a broken marriage, I hope this episode reminds you that you’re not alone — and that your healing matters.
💙 Don’t forget to listen all the way to the end for details about my Momma Drama & Trauma Self-Care Bundle Giveaway!
October marked Month Three after discovering my husband’s affair — and it was the month the fantasy really began to fade.
This episode takes you inside the chaos of homecoming weekend, the awkward tension of standing beside him at the parade, the ceiling fan conversation that gave me false hope, and the painful reality of parenting through betrayal. I share raw journal entries, real text messages, and the weight of sitting at my kitchen table filling out divorce paperwork — not filing yet, but facing the truth that my 24-year marriage was unraveling.
It was a month of confusion, heartbreak, and strength I didn’t know I had. The parade. The photos. The paperwork. The grief. The beginning of letting go.
If you’ve ever felt the moment when reality sets in — when you realize the person you loved isn’t coming back — this one’s for you.
✨ Content includes:
Homecoming parade + dance weekend (neighbors, photos, family moments that felt like snapshots on borrowed time)
Ceiling fan + office conversation (the night he promised to always be there)
Journal entries + texts (raw, unfiltered)
Parenting in a minefield (trying to protect the boys while not betraying myself)
Walking therapy + Dr. Denise’s grief chart
Business stress + financial fear
Thanksgiving flashback after my dad’s death — the red flag moment I didn’t see
The heaviness of divorce paperwork — the cliffhanger
💬 Let’s walk through this together. Because even in the darkest months, hope flickers — and you are not alone.
#DivorceHealing #BetrayalTrauma #HeartbreakRecovery #MomLife #CoParenting #InfidelityRecovery #HealingJourney #SingleMomStrong #RebuildingLife #TraumaHealing #StrengthAfterBetrayal #MommaDramaAndTrauma
In this Truth Talk Thursday, I open up about one of the hardest episodes I’ve ever recorded.
I cried through telling the stories of losing my dad, my marriage, and eventually the family I had been part of for more than 22 years.
This episode is about compound loss — how grief doesn’t just take one thing, it takes layers: a father, a partner, traditions, even the extended family that once made life feel full.
I share what it was like to parent through that brokenness, how holidays and anniversaries suddenly felt smaller and lonelier, and the weight of showing up for my kids while grieving myself.
And as I reflect on my own story, I can’t help but notice the grief in the world around us — from senseless acts of violence to the lasting heartbreak of September 11th. Grief touches all of us, in ways we expect and in ways we never see coming.
If you’ve ever felt the heaviness of loss, I want you to know you’re not alone.
💙 You are strong. You are worthy. Your story matters.f, I want you to know you’re not alone.
In this episode, I open up about one of the hardest stretches of my journey. From the breaking point where I finally said out loud, “We are not a family anymore,” to the shower rage that left me trembling, to the heartbreak of crawling into a cold bed where my husband once lay, I share the raw reality of living through betrayal and divorce.
I talk about revamping my bedroom to reclaim my space, facing what would have been our 22nd wedding anniversary, and how awkward it felt sitting across the bleachers at football games — wanting him there for the kids, but aching inside every time I saw him. I also reflect on the first celebration apart, the moment I signed a birthday card “Love, Mom” instead of “Mom and Dad,” and how those little things hit harder than I ever expected.
This episode also takes you inside my first steps toward divorce — meeting with attorneys, filling out overwhelming paperwork, and realizing I was starting to dismantle 22 years of a life we built together.
It’s heavy. It’s honest. It’s me — still standing, still fighting, still moving forward.
If you’re in this season yourself, I hope my words remind you that you are not alone. You are stronger than you feel right now, and there is life and love waiting for you beyond this heartbreak.
In this week’s Truth Talk Thursday, I open the door on the first half of September—the month where shock met reality.Labor Day weekend hit like a freight train. The hotel. The event we’d planned to attend together. The moment I realized I’d been replaced—and why I couldn’t stop watching the little location dot on my phone even though it only hurt.Inside this episode:Labor Day weekend: when “we” became themThe dot: knowing vs. healingOur Monday blowup (texts + calls) and the camper invite I didn’t takeWhen fair-fight rules get weaponized & telling the truth to my kidsThe rental house search (a line in the sand I didn’t want to see)Silence at night, business-trust cracks, and arguing about their marriageThe “good person” refrain—and my answer to itMoving to an alternating-weekend schedule for stabilityWhat actually helped: this week’s Boundary ToolkitWant the Boundary Toolkit 👉 DM me “BOUNDARIES” on Instagram/Facebook or email MommaDramaandTrauma@gmail.com with subject “Boundaries Kit.” I’ll send it directly.Optional: Ask for my Weekly Inspirations and I’ll include the signup link.#TruthTalkThursday #HealingAfterBetrayal #DivorceHealing #RebuildingTrust #SelfWorth #MommaDramaAndTraumaContent note: infidelity, strong emotion, adult language.This podcast isn’t therapy or legal advice. If you’re in crisis, please seek professional support.