Leslie Mathews JD, MSW

11/30/2025

The secret to healing faster?
Let yourself laugh… even when life is still messy.

Joy doesn’t mean everything is fixed.
It means your nervous system finally feels safe enough to soften.

Let yourself smile.
Let yourself be loved.
Let yourself enjoy the moments that remind your body it’s allowed to feel good again.

Healing isn’t linear — but joy absolutely accelerates it. 💛

11/29/2025

You didn’t lose yourself.
Your nervous system was in survival mode, doing what it had to do.

Now that you’re healing, you’re meeting the version of yourself that was always underneath the stress, fear, and over-functioning.

This next chapter isn’t a rebuild —
it’s a recalibration.

Aligned. Regulated. Real.
A life that fits the woman you are now… not the one you had to be.

11/27/2025

I am so grateful for this beautiful life I have, and for all of those who I serve and support. I am not sure how I got here, but boy am I happy I found my way! Sending you all so much love and light!

Navigating Holidays Without Your Kids: Tips for Divorced ParentsIn this special pre-holiday episode, originally featured on both 'Pulling Threads' and the 'W...

11/26/2025

11/25/2025

The time has arrived… we need to talk about toxic gratitude.

Because somewhere along the healing journey, women were taught to:
✨ “Find the lesson”
✨ “Stay positive”
✨ “Be grateful it wasn’t worse”
✨ “Look on the bright side”

But here’s the truth:
You don’t have to pretend something was “a gift” for it to stop hurting.
Not everything was a lesson.
Not everyone came into your life for a reason.
Some things just… sucked.

And acknowledging that is not negativity — it’s honesty.
It’s nervous system regulation.
It’s emotional integrity.

So what does REAL gratitude look like when you’re healing?

🌿 1. Gratitude for your resilience — not the harm.
“I survived that” is not the same as “I’m glad it happened.”

🌿 2. Gratitude for your support — not your suffering.
Healing isn’t a solo sport.

🌿 3. Gratitude for who you’re becoming — not what you lost.
You can honor your growth without glorifying the pain.

🌿 4. Gratitude in the present — not forced meaning from the past.
Some things don’t need a spiritual explanation.
They just need to be felt and released.

Healing isn’t pretending.
It’s feeling the truth and letting that truth set you free.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for not being “grateful enough,” this is your invitation to stop bypassing and start being real. 💛

11/24/2025

One of the hardest parts of my divorce was noticing how quickly I’d ask for other people’s opinions instead of trusting my own.

Self-trust is a muscle — the more you use it, the louder it gets.
Start with one small decision today.

11/23/2025

Forgiveness isn’t saying it was okay.
It’s saying I won’t carry this weight anymore.

Forgiveness isn’t approval.
It’s release.

It’s the moment you stop letting someone else’s behavior live in your body…
in your nervous system…
in your decisions…
in your self-worth.

When you forgive, you’re not freeing them.
You’re freeing you.

You’re choosing peace over bitterness.
Presence over rumination.
Your life over your history.

Forgiveness isn’t a gift to the person who hurt you.
It’s a homecoming to yourself.

💛 Have you ever felt the difference between forgiving and excusing?

11/22/2025

A mentor once told me something on the golf course that changed how I handle failure, both in sport and in life:

“Don’t judge the shot. Learn from it.”

That one sentence shifted everything.
Because most of us don’t just judge the shot — we judge ourselves.

But golf… like healing… like rebuilding after divorce… is a game of presence, not perfection.

Every swing is feedback.
Every miss is data.
Every do-over is a chance to regulate, reset, and choose differently.

And honestly?
The moment you stop making failure mean something about your worth is the moment you start playing life with so much more freedom.

✨ What if your next “miss” is just information, not identity?