What is
Divorced Girl Smiling?
It’s a place that connects people facing divorce with trusted, vetted divorce professionals, and it is meant to empower and inspire you through your divorce and after.
12 years
in business
7 Million
page views
Over 200k
Podcast Downloads
A worldwide community
of people like you
Welcome to the community! Divorced Girl Smiling is all about helping you feel like you’re part of a supportive, loving, caring community. The community is both those facing divorce and dedicated and trusted divorce professionals.
DGS is about offering support, listening, and helping you feel heard and understood. It’s about meeting and connecting with some of the best divorce professionals in the industry, so that you end up with a divorce outcome that makes you happy and keeps you healthy.
What people are saying about Divorced Girl Smiling
What’s the best way to increase your chances of having the divorce outcome you want and deserve?
Hire vetted, trusted divorce professionals. Here are the Divorced Girl Smiling trusted divorce professionals!
Divorce attorneys, divorce coaches, therapists, financial advisors, real estate agents, mediators, dating coaches, forensic accountants and more. Every one of my DGS divorce professional partners is either someone I work with personally or who I have worked with in the past, or someone who I have vetted extensively. I feel a certain loyalty and obligation to you-my DGS community, when it comes to making referrals to divorce professionals. I take it very seriously, and wouldn’t partner with any professional I didn’t think was ethical, experienced and/or dedicated to their profession.
Visit the Divorced Girl Smiling Trusted Professionals pagewhat’s the best way to
Feel Empowered?
My story
When I was going through a divorce in 2007-2008, I felt like I was on an island. I didn’t know anyone who was divorced, and I didn’t know how to find a divorce attorney or other divorce professionals. In fact, I didn’t even know what professionals I needed!
I had no family living in my same town, and my kids were 3 and 5. At 41 years old, I felt more alone than I ever had in my life. It was depressing and sad and embarrassing. I felt like everyone was talking about me and no one wanted anything to do with me.
I cried several times a day, I was angry, and felt bitter, cheated, scared, old and hopeless. I felt like things would never change, and like I would end up a lonely old woman. Back then, I wish I would have had a community-people to talk to, professionals who truly cared, people who understood how I felt, and people to validate me. To say things like, “I know how hard this is,” “You have every right to be a basket case,” and “I am here for you, even if you want to reach out at 3am when you can’t sleep.”
That’s why I started Divorced Girl Smiling.
I didn’t want anyone to feel alone and isolated. This site is my way of giving back to those who are where I was all those years ago, and to share what I know-what I did wrong and what I did right, and who I should have connected with professionally. In divorce, there are a lot of things you can’t control-your ex, his lawyer, and the judge in your case, to name a few.
What can you control?
Yourself, how you choose to tackle this battle, and the professionals you surround yourself with – people you trust and who have your back.
My life isn’t perfect, but it is GREAT.
I have a wonderful mission (Divorced Girl Smiling), two amazing young adult children, and a man I love so deeply my heart hurts. Getting here wasn’t easy and it took time, but it happened and it will happen for you, too if you: have patience, believe in yourself and make good, ethical decisions moving forward. Of course you will make mistakes and do some dumb stuff on your journey.
It’s OK. I can’t count the number of mistakes I made. That’s part of life.
Grab a cup of coffee, or a glass of wine, and listen to the podcast, check out my trusted divorce professionals, and browse the site anytime of day or night.
I’m here for you.
What Divorced Girl Smiling Isn’t:
- A MAN-HATING SITE
- A PITY PARTY
- A PLACE WHERE I PROMOTE DIVORCE – l’m romantic at heart and truly love the idea of marriage (but only if you’re with the right person).
I’ll leave you with a really funny divorce memory I have.
When I was first going through my divorce and feeling the worst about myself in every way, my then 4 year-old daughter walked into my bathroom just as I was getting out of the shower. She looked at my naked body and asked, “Mommy, why are your boobs so ugly?” Great. Just what I needed. Like I didn’t have enough self-esteem and bad body image issues. But, the point of this story is, if you don’t laugh, you’ll just cry. So, choose laughter!
I wish you all the best in health, wellness and happiness in your journey ahead!
With love,
Founder
Divorced Girl Smiling
In the media
Presenting at the National Association of Women Business Owners annual fundraising event.
On the WGN Morning News to Talk About Dating After Divorce
Talking About Dating After Divorce on WGN's Daytime Chicago
My Quote in Vogue's "Are you a Hopeless Romantic? Here are the Signs."
My Love Essentially syndicated column, published in the Chicago Tribune
My Articles and Interviews for the Huffington Post
My Articles for the Today Show
My Performance for the Glenview Education Foundation's “Dancing with the Local Stars”
My Guest Appearance on The Weekly Show on iHeart Radio with Melissa Forman
My Articles for The Good Men Project
My Articles in Better Magazine
My Articles for It's Just Lunch
My Articles for Live Fit Magazine
My Article for the National Association for Divorce Professionals
My Article for DatingAdvice.com
After spending almost 10 years dating after divorce, Jackie Pilossoph, Founder of Divorced Girl Smiling, has stories. Lots of them.
And now, she’s going public with them in her new book,
Who Let the Dogs Out?
