NOLA CONFIDENTIAL

A FOUR PART SEMINAR SERIES FOR PERSONAL GROWTH AND EMPOWERMENT

Your guided path to graceful living.

Session 1: Thriving through separation and Divorce

Session 2:Managing your family, your finances, and your sanity through holidays

Session 3: It’s all about you: Holiday Makeovers: makeup artists, facial plastic surgeons, lash and eyebrow bar, yoga tutorial, hair stylist, etc.

Session 4: Wrap up and the way forward

NOLA CONFIDENTIAL

SESSION 1 OF 4:

THRIVING THROUGH SEPARATION AND DIVORCE

Featuring

Supportive Expert Speakers

Resettlement and Real Estate Solutions

Child Psychology Experts

Life Coaching

Health and Beauty Experts

9 AM – 5 PM

Complimentary round trip luxury coach transportation provided round trip from Washington, DC to The Farm. Breakfast served prior to boarding the luxury coach, refreshments and lunch provided at the Farm.

$50 per session or $175 for the 4-part Series

Register online at

For more information contact:

Hope Sullivan at 240-277-1465

During the seminars, all participants are encouraged to speak openly and honestly so that healing and growth can be achieved. Therefore, to protect our privacy, each participant is required to sign a confidentiality agreement to ensure that all issues that are discussed are kept strictly confidential.

NOLA CONFIDENTIAL, Inc. Presents:

A 4-Part Series of Seminars tailored to guide us through the challenging passages of our lives.

Here at NOLA, Inc., a business development and personal empowerment consulting group, we have all experienced the passages of life firsthand, and we acknowledge the benefit of sharing our challenges and learning from others what techniques worked to help them navigate the tougher transitions of their lives.

THE NOLA CONFIDENTIALconcept materialized when we recognized that so many of us go through the very same process when we face life shifting experiences, like separation and divorce, and that each of us seem to be seeking the same thing during our personal crisis: a way to make it through the crisis while keeping our dignity, our family, our options, and our future in tact.

As it relates to the dissolution of a marriage, all of us seem to experience the same emotions, on some level, as we navigate the rough waters of a divorce. It became obvious to us that there is a need for a forum for these women, and men, to express their fears, their concerns about their children, their questions about how to rebuild their financial security, and their desire to be a part of a community of like-minded individuals, so that they know that they are not alone and that there is life after divorce.

Through our personal experiences, we eventually learned that we were not alone and because we want you to know that you are not alone, weare grateful to offer you an invitation to participate in a special series of gatherings to bring you emotional relief, build your knowledge and self-confidence, and introduce you to one another – a bond born out of love for oneself and love and compassion for others.

Should you take advantage of it, NOLA CONFIDENTIALwill help you thrive and growthrough the process of divorce and ensure that you keep your dignity and your pride, care for your family, while providing you with personal and professional networks and options for you to consider as you create a new future for you and your family.

THE NOLA STRATEGY

Our goal is walk with you on your transformation and life passage, and to further empower you to reach your personal best life through powerful, information packed presentations and Q & A opportunities with experts in fields such as:

  • legal counsel,
  • financial planning,
  • personal banking,
  • real estate and resettlement,
  • psychology,
  • spiritual enrichment and meditative techniques
  • personal fitness
  • health and well-being
  • life coaching,
  • beautyand skincare
  • and fashion consulting

Session Series Dates:

October 18, 2014, November 18, 2014, December 18, 2014, January 18, 2015

You may register online at: or call and register with Robbie Exantus. She’ll gladly take your information and walk your through the online registration process.

In the meantime, we have created a short “divorce handbook” to help you through the troubling times you might be experiencing. We hope these tips help you through the trying times, and we hope that you refer back to these tips whenever things get difficult. Know that in the end, you will triumph over this chapter of your life and this experience will build you into a more resilient and powerful person over the long term.

Stay strong, stay focused, and most of all, register now for the Nola Seminars.

TIPS FOR SURVIVING THROUGH A DIVORCE:

If you are a divorced mother, you’ve had to heal from the pain of your divorce and most likely take on the responsibility of doing the majority of the childcare. You also have to put food on the table and a roof over the family’s head. On top of those things, you naturally want to explore the possibility that at some point in the future you will share the journey of your life with a special person. Confidentially, we can admit that each of us truly wants a fulfilling life that we can share with another.

Those are the five most common challenges facing divorced mothers today. As with any other life challenge you meet them head on and don’t let the dust settle under your feet. Doing that is easier with support and advice so we have put together some tips that will help you meet those daily challenges and move past your divorce and onto a rich, rewarding new life.

Nola Confidential is a source of hope, community, information, support, and order for your life after divorce or some other event brings chaos into your world. We are a community of men and women who have been where you are now, felt what you feel now, and know what might help you right now. We offer confidential support services to help you through the process and to ensure that at the other side of your passage, you can stand strong and ready for your life ahead.

Here are some basic tips to help you right away. We invite you to join us at the next Nola Confidential Seminar, held monthly in Bethesda, Maryland. Confidentially, of course.

Healing the Pain of Divorce:

Part of moving on to a new life is healing the pain left from the old one. Staying stuck in old pain limits one's possibilities. The links below lead you to articles and information that will guide you along on your path to healing.

Everyone who goes through a divorce experiences pain and grief, but some may be more profoundly affected. Some do not cope as well as others. Divorce can be a traumatic experience and healing from it takes time. There are some ways you can help yourself move through the healing process.

Difficulty: Hard

Time Required: Depends on the person

Here's How:

  1. Develop a support system. Find those friends and family support systemwho will be there to see you through the times when you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen. A clergyman or professional counselor may be helpful, as you can talk openly and confidentially. After a divorce, your true friends won’t be hard to recognize, because they will be willing to help you adjust to the changes. Seek a divorce recovery group in your community, so that you can interact with others going through the same emotions.
  2. Seek professional help if needed. Some people get stuck in the pain of divorce, and may experience depression, whether mild or severe. In that case, it is imperative to seek professional help, through your family doctor or a licensed therapist. Don’t try to carry your burden alone.
  3. Lean on your faith. People who have a religious base may find this is the time they rely deeply on their faith. Even those who don’t consider themselves religious can lean on their faith that healing is taking place, and that they have the strength to pass through it.
  4. Let yourself feel your emotions. Now is not the time to try to hold in your feelings. Cry when you need to. Express your fears. Voice your anger. Holding in your emotions or trying to convince yourself you are fine when you aren’t is not healthy for you emotionally or physically.
  5. Journal. Many people find that journaling gives them a safe place to process their thoughts and feelings. Choose a journal and set a time of the day when you can write uninterrupted. This may be a time of discovery for you and of the deeply seated feelings you didn’t even realize you had. The key to successful divorce journaling is just to keep doing it. Find a safe place to keep your journal so you can have access to it but feel it is safe from others. After some time has passed, you can look back at how much you have grown emotionally, and all that you have accomplished.
  6. Don’t isolate. Accept the offers to go to lunch with your friends. Take a day and go out window shopping or sightseeing in your community, and ask someone along. Spend time with family and friends and don’t allow yourself to become isolated. Some time alone is good for everyone, but don’t overdo it.
  7. Be patient with yourself. For a while it may seem you take two steps forward and one back. Allow yourself the time it takes to heal the emotional wounds. Deal with them now so they don’t show up in your life in other ways later. Don’t expect the pain to go away too quickly, but allow yourself all the time you need. This is a very individual process. Don’t compare your progress with others.

Tips:

Divorce is very painful, but the wounds do heal if you effectively deal with the thoughts and emotions that result. Reach out when you need help, and keep moving forward.

When you are in the middle of the divorce process, it is hard to imagine life after divorce. Especially a full, rewarding life. Unbelievably you will get past all the legal, financial and emotional aspects of divorce and things eventually get better. As hard as it is to look forward with hope during divorce, doing so will help you cope with the stress of divorce. Below are seven tips that will help you feel encouraged instead of discouraged.

1. Find Yourself a Good Listener:

The one thing you are going to feel the need for is communication. You will heal through the ability to share your feelings about what you are going through and how it is affecting your life. Find a friend, one who gives good advice, can be objective and is willing to let you know if your actions are doing you harm. Don't talk to your children about your problems, they have their own divorce issues to deal with. A trusted friend and confidant will be priceless when it comes to coping during divorce.

2. Journal, Journal, Journal:

I can't express to you how important I believe journaling to be when it comes to dealing with emotions. Splurge and buy yourself a pretty journal and write daily about your feelings and what happened during the day. Journaling will give you a sense of independence because it will keep you from becoming too dependent on friends and relatives to sooth your raw emotions.

3. Forget About Revenge:

As sweet as it may be, focusing on getting revenge keeps you from focusing on rebuilding your life. Let's face it,it takes two to make a marriage and two to destroy a marriage. Sure, he/she may have played a larger role in the destruction of the marriage, what you should focus on is coming to terms with the role you played. Accept responsibility, let go of your anger and get on with the fine art of living.

4. Put More Energy Into Your Professional Life:

If marital problems caused problems in your career now would be a good time to focus on work and those areas of work that have suffered. Focusing energy on work will help take your mind off divorce problems. It will also give you structure and routine and during stressful situations, you need both. Be careful not to use work to keep from facing and dealing with problems. It's good therapy but should not take the place of any work that needs to be done toward personal growth.

5. Broaden Your Horizons:

Take advantage of being single and free. Try things you've always wanted to try but couldn't because you were tied down. Take an exotic vacation alone, start singing and find a voice coach, join a Swing Dancing class, go skydiving or, maybe something as simple as a night out every week with friends. Open yourself up to new ideas and lifestyles. In the process, you may find an inner you, you didn't know existed.

6. Get a Roommate:

If you are having financial problems consider sharing your space with a roommate. You will feel less lonely and less stressed financially. Make sure it is someone you are compatible with and that you can share activities with outside the home. If you are a single parent, you might consider finding a roommate with children about the same age as your children. Building a bond with another single parent can be a positive experience for you and your child/children.

7. Get Out and Get Social:

Get out of the house! No sitting home staring at four walls allowed. Join a divorce support group or a singles group for divorced people. Doing enjoyable things with people who have been through the same experience can be good therapy and fun also. Fill your home with people and laughter. Before long you will be ready to enter the world of dating after divorce. Don't push the dating too soon after your divorce, but do get out and make contacts so that when you are ready to start dating again the pool of available men/women will be larger.