Meet Beth Carroll

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Beth Carroll a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Beth , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience wasn’t something I was born with, it was built over time, shaped by the people I love and the curveballs life threw at me. Growing up, I watched my parents navigate some really tough seasons. When I was in high school, my mom, already in her 40s, decided to become a Presbyterian pastor. She went back to school while raising two teenagers and supporting my dad through a major career upheaval. His corporate division shut down and he lost his job. He didn’t fall apart though. Instead, he rebuilt his career and began again. Watching them showed me that resilience isn’t just about surviving. It’s about choosing to rebuild, even when it’s scary.

My mom, more than anyone, taught me what quiet strength really looks like. She lost her own mother when she was just 15, but she never let that grief define her. With my dad traveling constantly for work, she was often parenting on her own, but she never complained. She just did what needed to be done, day in and day out. Watching her, I learned that resilience isn’t always loud or dramatic—it’s about showing up, with strength and purpose, even when no one is watching.

I had to draw on that when I hit my own wall in college. I felt completely lost and disconnected, and eventually made the decision to leave school during my junior year. At the time, it felt like failure. I moved to Oregon to work as a nanny for my aunt, hoping a change of scenery would help me figure out who I was. Looking back, that detour was exactly what I needed. It gave me space to breathe, to reflect, and to rediscover my curiosity, especially about psychology, which I’d started to explore in college. When I eventually returned home, I went back to school, with a new sense of clarity and determination. That chapter taught me that sometimes, the most meaningful growth happens when life doesn’t go according to plan.

But nothing could have prepared me for the series of losses that came all at once. Within just 19 months, my world changed completely. My dad was diagnosed with a rare, fast-moving cancer and passed away only four months later. Just four months after losing him, my husband walked out on our 25-year marriage, which also meant losing my job in his family’s business. Then, as I was still reeling, the pandemic hit. In the midst of that upheaval, I lost my mom to COVID. It felt like everything was falling apart at once—my parents, my marriage, my work, my sense of stability. My children were 15 and 21, and they needed me to stay upright, even when I felt like I was falling apart. There were days when I wanted nothing more than to collapse, but I kept going because I had to. That’s when I discovered a strength in myself I didn’t know I had.

In the midst of all that grief, I found myself facing a huge, daunting question: Now what? That question eventually led me to Tucson, Arizona – a place I’d never even visited before. At 53, I packed up my life and started over. It was terrifying, but it was also exactly what I needed. Starting fresh in a new place reminded me that resilience isn’t just about surviving the hard times. It’s about being willing to begin again, even when you’re scared.

To me, resilience means bending without breaking. It’s about allowing yourself to grieve what’s been lost, taking a deep breath, and still finding the courage to take the next step forward. Through all the upheaval, what kept me grounded was my love for my family and the belief that there is always something ahead worth moving toward.

Now, I pour everything I’ve learned into my work as a coach. I help women in midlife navigate the shock and heartbreak of unexpected divorce because I’ve walked that path myself. I know how disorienting it is to lose everything you thought was permanent. But I also know what’s possible on the other side: a renewed sense of purpose, unexpected strength, and a future you may not have imagined.

Looking back, I realize my resilience was shaped by watching my parents rise above their own challenges, but it was truly forged in the moments when I had to do the same. It comes from facing loss, uncertainty, and heartbreak, and choosing to keep going – not perfectly, but with as much courage as I can gather. That’s what I help other women discover: the strength to rebuild, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

After going through a sudden and heartbreaking divorce at the end of a 25-year marriage, I found myself completely untethered. The life I’d been living was gone. I had to figure out who I was now and what came next. That process wasn’t easy, but it led me to becoming a certified coach and helping other women navigate the shock and upheaval of an unexpected midlife divorce, which is a very meaningful and important part of my life.

I work with women who never imagined they’d be starting over in their 50s or 60s. Most of them have spent decades in long-term marriages, pouring themselves into being wives, moms, and caretakers, losing track of their own needs and desires along the way. When the marriage ends, it’s not just the loss of a partner. It’s the loss of identity, of security, and of the future they thought they were building. I’ve lived that too, and I deeply understand how disorienting it is.

What lights me up about this work is watching these women come back to themselves for the first time in years. I get to see the transformation as they move from feeling stuck and heartbroken to rediscovering who they are beneath all the roles they’ve carried. It’s so much more than just surviving divorce. It’s about learning to love yourself again and recognizing your true worth. It’s about uncovering new purpose, rekindling passion, and opening up to a world of fresh possibilities.

What sets my approach apart is the way I blend subconscious reprogramming with somatic healing, so my clients can process what they’re going through on every level—mentally, emotionally, and physically. I use a powerful method called Rapid Reprogramming to help shift the limiting beliefs that keep people stuck in pain or self-doubt. This work creates real, lasting change and opens the door to authentic transformation. Alongside that, I incorporate somatic tools to help release trauma that’s been stored in the body, because true healing isn’t just something that happens in your mind; it’s a full mind-body experience.

Most of my work is one-on-one coaching. I’m committed to creating a safe, judgment-free space where women can be completely honest about what they’re feeling and believing. That’s how we get to the root of what’s really causing their pain. I don’t offer generic advice or surface-level solutions. Every session is deeply personal and tailored to the woman in front of me including her story, her needs, and her healing journey. Together, we reconnect her to her voice, her worth, and her power to rebuild. I’ve watched women who felt completely abandoned and broken begin to soften, shift, and come alive again. That part never gets old. The healing that happens after this kind of divorce isn’t just empowering, it’s liberating. Witnessing that transformation is one of the greatest honors of my life.

I truly believe that what feels like the end can actually be the beginning of something more aligned and meaningful. That’s been true in my own life, and I see it every day in the women I work with. Watching them move from just surviving to feeling hopeful and excited about the future is nothing short of incredible.

In addition to my 10-week coaching program, I offer a Belief Breakthrough Audit. It’s a great way to experience my process on a smaller scale. Clients respond to a set of reflection prompts, send their writing to me, and receive personalized insight into the beliefs that may be keeping them stuck. It’s often the first spark of healing and clarity.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, there are three qualities that carried me through the hardest season of my life and helped me rebuild: adaptability, self-trust, and hope.

Adaptability became my lifeline when everything changed at once. In the span of about a year and a half, I lost my 25-year marriage, both of my parents, and the job I’d held in my husband’s family business. Suddenly, I had to reimagine my entire future from the ground up. I moved to Tucson without ever having stepped foot here before. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. For me, adaptability wasn’t about being fearless; it was about being willing to move forward, even when my legs were shaky and my heart was racing. I was scared, but I kept going.

Learning to trust myself became my compass. I had to make big decisions on my own—selling my house, managing my parents’ estate, starting over in a city where I didn’t know a soul. It wasn’t that I didn’t need or want support, but I realized that no one else could do this for me. I had to believe in my own ability to figure things out as I went. That self-trust didn’t appear overnight, but it grew stronger every time I faced something hard and kept moving forward.

And then there was hope. Hope kept me breathing, even in the depths of grief. I held on to the belief that things could get better, even when I couldn’t see how. My background in psychology helped, but so did reaching out for support, especially working with a coach when I couldn’t carry it all alone. For a while, I was stuck in a loop, replaying everything that had happened. It wasn’t until I discovered subconscious reprogramming and somatic work that I finally felt something shift. I started to feel myself coming back to life.

For anyone in the early days of this kind of loss, especially those going through an unexpected divorce after decades of marriage, here’s what I want you to know:

First, please remember: this is not your fault, and it does not define you. I spent far too long feeling ashamed and broken, when what I really needed was to remember who I was before the ground gave out beneath me.

Second, surround yourself with people who are truly in your corner. Not everyone will be able to support you in the way you need, even if they love you. The friends and family who listened without judgment and didn’t try to fix me were the ones who helped me heal the most. And when I found a group of women going through the same thing, it felt like oxygen. Many of them are still by my side today.

Third, trust that something new can come from this, even if you can’t see it yet. Seek out stories, podcasts, and shows that lift you up. Take the tiniest next step -maybe it’s as simple as getting a new hairstyle or trying something you’ve always been curious about. Start noticing what makes you feel even a little bit alive again. There’s no timeline, and no single right way to heal. But you don’t have to stay stuck in the pain forever.

For me, talk therapy had its place, but it often kept me circling the same old stories and stuck in anger. What really helped me move forward were modalities that allowed me to process my experience without staying trapped in it. Subconscious reprogramming, somatic work, and having dedicated support just for me made all the difference. Working with a coach, having structure and homework, helped me feel less like I was spinning in survival mode and more like I was finally finding my way back to myself. I could feel myself letting go and moving forward.

This kind of divorce can feel like your entire identity has been erased. But it can also be the beginning of something deeply true and freeing. Adaptability, self-trust, hope, and the right kind of support made all the difference for me, and it’s what I now help other women discover in themselves.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

My ideal client is a woman in her 50s or 60s, and sometimes in her late 40s, who’s gone through an unexpected divorce after a long-term marriage. She’s often spent decades putting her family, home, and sometimes her partner’s career ahead of her own dreams and identity. Now, with everything she thought was stable suddenly gone, she’s left asking, “Who am I, and what comes next?” She’s tired of carrying so much pain, even though the initial shock has faded.

The women I work with are usually six months to a few years out from the end of their marriage. The disbelief has started to wear off, and they’re beginning to accept that life isn’t going back to the way it was. Many have tried talk therapy or leaned on friends, but still feel stuck, like they’re just surviving, not truly living. That’s often when they reach out to me. My ideal client is done living in survival mode. She’s ready to stop spinning in the pain, the story, and the shame. Even if she doesn’t know exactly what the future holds, she knows she wants more than this. She’s open to doing the work, even if she’s skeptical at first, because nothing else has worked so far. The subconscious reprogramming and nervous system healing that I offer – requires trust, vulnerability, and a willingness to show up for yourself. The women who thrive in my program are those who are ready to go deeper, who are curious about how they got here, and who are committed to finding their way forward.

Many of these women have spent years believing their role was to take care of everyone else. Now, for the first time in a long time, they’re ready to focus on themselves. That’s a powerful shift.

There’s a particular kind of shame that comes with being left in midlife. It’s a heaviness that isn’t often talked about. My clients often carry beliefs that they’ve failed, or that they’re no longer wanted or needed. I help them challenge those stories and remember their worth outside of the roles they’ve played.

What I love about working with women at this stage of life is the depth they bring. They’re wise, resilient, and they’ve already survived more than they give themselves credit for. They’re not broken. They’re becoming. My role is to help them reclaim the parts of themselves they lost in their marriage, and step into a new season with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bethcarrollcoaching.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethcarrollcoaching/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550705971239

Image Credits

Claire Harvey