Now What? Podcast

Four months out of a relationship breakdown, Rachel finds herself saying something she never thought she'd say: I'm never doing this again.She gets it now. The bitterness. The wall. The absolute certainty that closing off is safer than trying again.But she also knows there's a question worth sitting with — one that's harder than it sounds: is this protection, or is this avoidance? Because they feel identical from the inside. And the research says they have very different costs.Hannah Rose Keys is back. Six months ago she was done with men entirely. Something shifted. This is that conversation.Now What is hosted by Rachel Maksimovic. Follow @hannahrosekeys Follow @rachel.maksimovic & @nowwhat.podcast on Instagram.

Tara Pavlovic is a Gold Coast-based content creator and mum of two who recently announced her separation — and the response from women everywhere made it clear this conversation needed to happen.Rachel and Tara get into what the lead-up to leaving actually looks like from the inside. The years of therapy. The panic attacks. The couples counselling that didn't save the marriage but mattered anyway. The Fiji holiday they booked because they knew they could still have a good time together. And the moment Tara's body made the decision before her mind was ready to.They also go somewhere neither of them planned — into what it does to a woman's sense of self when she realises her version of the marriage and his were two completely different realities. And what it means to lose trust in yourself so completely that you can't imagine ever choosing again.Honest, raw, and at times genuinely surprising. This one will probably make you cry at least once.In this episode:Why the hardest part of leaving isn't what comes after — it's the decision itselfWhat couples counselling actually does when it doesn't save the marriageHow alcohol can hold a relationship together — and what happens when it's goneThe moment the panic attacks became impossible to ignoreWhy she doesn't believe anyone will truly love her nowWhat it feels like to lose all trust in yourself after a marriage endsWhat Tara would say to any woman sitting in that dark place right nowFind Tara: @tarapavlovic Now What is hosted by Rachel Maksimovic. Follow @rachel.maksimovic & @nowwhat.podcast on Instagram.

Rachel sits down with Kylie to talk about the parts of single motherhood and dating again that don't get said out loud enough — the fallout when a significant relationship ends and your kids are caught in it, the survival mode that masquerades as a personality, and the stories women tell themselves to excuse behaviour they should be walking away from. Kylie is five years out from her separation, has lived through a second major breakup, and speaks with the kind of hard-won clarity that only comes from actually doing the work. This is an honest conversation about blended families, self-trust, and what it really takes to be open to love again without losing yourself in the process.

Catie Gett is a Melbourne-based naturopath, founder of The Staple Store, and single mum to her daughter Scout. She has spent her career making food and health accessible to people who can't afford a 20-step morning routine — and this conversation goes places neither of them expected.Rachel and Catie get into what survival mode actually costs you. Why the wellness industry has made health aspirational instead of accessible. Why telling women to self-care without changing any of the actual conditions they're living in is just another layer of guilt. And what it feels like to look back on your daughter's early years and realise you don't remember them — because you were so deep in stress you weren't really there.Rachel also gets honest about where she's at right now. And somehow, by the end of it, finds one thing she can actually change.This one is for every woman standing at the bench feeding her kids breakfast while she has nothing but a coffee. It's practical, it's honest, and it will probably make you cry at least once.In this episode:Why the wellness industry has made health a purchase, not a rightWhat survival mode does to your body — and your memoryThe breakfast change that shifted everything for KatieWhy "have you tried yoga?" is some of the most expensive free advice women getThe specific cruelty of heartbreak when you're parenting aloneFind Catie: @thestaplestoreNow What is hosted by Rachel Maksimovic. Follow @rachel.maksimovic & @nowwhat.podcast on Instagram.

In this episode, Rachel sits down with Stephanie, the creator of The Divorce Diaries, who began documenting her divorce and court experience in real time from the US. Together they unpack what it’s really like to navigate a legal system when money, representation, and support feel out of reach, and the financial whiplash of going from being a stay-at-home mum to having to provide again almost overnight.Stephanie shares the turning points that made her leave, the layers of betrayal she uncovered, and why choosing to “settle” wasn’t giving up, it was a decision to step out of the chaos and protect her kids’ wellbeing. They talk co-parenting when communication is tense, how to stay grounded when things are done to derail your day, and the practical ways Stephanie rebuilt her strength through small daily acts of self-care, perspective, and boundaries.This is a candid conversation for anyone entering separation, facing court, or trying to rebuild a life that feels stable, safe, and yours again.Find Stephanie @stylewith.stephanie

Amy didn’t set out to become a voice for single mums online. She started by sharing her running. Then she posted one honest video about single motherhood and it blew up, not because it was dramatic, but because it told the truth: stop feeling sorry for her. Her life is good. And 18 months ago, she was in the hardest place of her life.In this episode, Amy speaks candidly about the slow heartbreak of postpartum expectations not being met, the moment she realised she couldn’t stay, and the stigma she had to unlearn about what being a single mum means. She also shares what it was like growing up raised by a single mother herself, how that shaped her fear of repeating history, and why she now sees her choice to leave early as its own kind of cycle-breaking.There’s no sugar-coating the early months. Amy describes them as hell: moving constantly, sleep deprivation, living out of bags, and navigating a legal battle while trying to stay present for her son. She talks about the unexpected things that helped her heal, including community, friendship, and a relationship that showed her what respectful love can look like, even if the timing wasn’t right to keep it.The conversation goes deep into the parts of single motherhood that aren’t always said out loud: weekend triggers, watching families together, grieving the dream you had when you fell pregnant, and the ongoing ache of knowing your child didn’t choose this. It also explores identity, boundaries, and the conscious decision not to make your child your whole world, especially when you know the pressure that can put on a son.Amy shares what her co-parenting structure looks like, how she uses the little time she gets to refill her cup, and what she’d say to a newly single mum who feels like dreams and goals are a lifetime away.This episode is for the woman in the thick of it. The woman comparing her life to the families at cafes. The woman just trying to survive the day. It’s a reminder that single motherhood is brutally hard, but it can also be the making of someone.