From the Archives: How Leaving A 30-Year Marriage Opened The Door To Purpose

You can love your family, respect your culture, and still choose a different life. Carlene Humphrey sits down with her aunt, Liliana Guadagnoli, for a deeply personal conversation about what it takes to grow through change rather than simply endure it. Liliana shares her roots, from being born in Rome to building a life in Canada, and how those early chapters shaped her grit, her values, and her view of relationships.

We dig into the friendships that last decades, the ones you outgrow, and why choosing your people becomes even more important in midlife. Liliana also walks us through her career journey, including four decades at York University, side paths into entrepreneurship, and how community leadership helped her meet mentors and expand into spiritual work. If you’ve ever wondered how networking can feel more human and less transactional, this conversation offers a real blueprint.

The heart of the episode is Liliana’s story of separation after a 30-year marriage and the practical steps that helped her move forward: listening to your gut, getting legal advice, understanding your options, keeping records, and building an emergency fund so you’re not making decisions from fear. She also opens up about a serious car accident, surgeries, and recovery, and how health crises can become turning points that force clarity. We close with her work as a spiritual coach and Reiki master, plus the power of retreats, breathwork, and simple daily meditation to quiet the mental chatter and reconnect with what you truly want.

If this resonated, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more women can find these stories and tools. What’s one next step you’re ready to take?

Transcript

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Welcome And Guest Background

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to Diva Tonight with Carleen Humphrey, a relationship podcast with a focus on life, love, and friendship. This is the space where real conversations happen, stories are shared, and women in their 40s feel seen, heard, and inspired. Welcome to Diva Tonight.

Carlene 0:21

Hi, I'm Carlene, and this is Diva Tonight. I have with me my aunt, Liliana Guadagnoli. And she is here to talk about her journey through life and a little bit about her experiences and just about her background and being an entrepreneur. She's the author of this one lovely book that she sent me, Sights and Sighs, a collection of poetry by Donato and Liliana. And she also has an excerpt in this book here, almost 365 Empowering Stories. And Liliana has a chapter in there about who she is. And so Liliana, thank you so much for being on the show.

Liliana 1:09

Thank you so much, Carlene, for having me on the show. It's a pleasure to be able to share my experiences with others, you know. And uh sometimes people don't even have who to go to to turn to, you know, and so hopefully some of my ideas today will open and broaden their perspective on where they can go, perhaps, or what they can do.

Carlene 1:32

Yeah.

Liliana 1:32

So yeah, thank you.

Carlene 1:34

Thank you. Before we get started, just were you born here in Canada or were you born in Italy?

Immigration Roots And Early Lessons

Liliana 1:41

I was born in Rome, the capital of Italy. My parents moved there because my dad was working near the Vatican. And they then decided to come to the land of opportunity over here in Canada. And I was only 15 months. I was a baby, really, a t a young toddler. And my parents told me the stories of, you know, being on the ship for three weeks. They were both sick from motion sickness. And this couple from the States came. Uh they were on the uh boat and they came knocking at the door every time there was a meal, and they pick me up and bring me to eat and come back. So there's been a lot, a lot of lessons and a lot of experiences. Okay, I don't remember that part when I was small, but you know, I grew up in in Toronto area, GTA, and now I'm in Aurora. So it's a journey. It's just like a book with chapters, right? And that's exactly how it is. Our lives are like that.

Carlene 2:44

Yeah, my favorite saying is the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And so yeah, I mean, you you you came, you went, you saw, and and and you're and now you're thriving, right? So yes. What have you learned about your relationships from past to present? Like your relationship with your family

Choosing Friends And Finding Your Circle

Carlene 3:06

and with your friends. You pick and choose your friends, right?

Liliana 3:09

Yeah, and a lot of people say, and I will say this too, sometimes your friends are closer to you than your own family. And family sometimes may not see your own perspective, right? And so I've picked my friends throughout my journey. I've let go of friends that were not uh of my, I don't want to say liking, but aren't vibrating at the same energy as I am. And people don't understand, like somebody can walk right up to you and say, Hey, we really get along, you know, and then you can say that person is not gonna be my friend because they pick things up an event. So that's what I've learned through my journey. I picked and choose my friends, my friends who I can relate with, who I can rely on, and that's really important in life. Um, you can't be on your own. And for example, I can go to my mom for advice at the time. I was able to go to her, and sometimes I was not able to. So I knew who I could go to and and speak freely and get uh the information that I needed. So, like I said, some people in life, they come for a day, a week, a season, you know. Uh we all know that saying, right? And so those that stay with you are very precious. I have a friend who was my neighbor when I was growing up. I think we were eight or nine years old. We went to high school and then she went to a university. I went and did some university courses too. Do you know to this day we are still friends? Like that to me is something I cherish. I just love it, you know? And uh you you we both share milestones in life, and it's so, so, so important to have that group of friends that you can rely on and who can rely on you, and it's just absolutely gorgeous.

Carlene 5:05

Yeah, I can understand that because I have a friend that I've known since grade two, and you know, you say you can see certain things in people, and like I didn't think like we'd be friends into the future. I could not forecast that, but she's always been so artistic, and I'm like, she's either gonna be a director or um something along those lines. So she works in TV now, but like she's my designer, and so she's designed the logo and everything to do with my this show Diva Tonight. So it's interesting who you make friends with, like you just never know who's gonna help you along.

Liliana 5:42

Absolutely, absolutely, yeah. And they could be friends from school, like in my case, there could be friends from work, and the same thing. We've been friends since we were in our early 20s, and we still are in contact. You meet people, in my case, uh those that are highly spiritual, intuitive, you know. So I don't want to say they're different types of people, but these are people that share with you, or I share with them, you know, what's happening, you know, in my life. And it's just so important to have that group of people.

Career At York And Early Entrepreneurship

Carlene 6:16

Yeah. So in your life, you've had a change in career, like you've had various careers, right? You've worked at York University. Yes. And you've worked in multi-level marketing and you've changed careers. So did you know that you won't you were gonna work at York? Like, was that your plan? Like, I think they still have this program.

Liliana 6:38

It's uh program where businesses recruit students to work with them. It's a work study program, right? It's a few months. I think they still have it, and I think it's just absolutely amazing. So I went to York University, I can't remember which department it was, psychology or something. Any vent. Uh so I liked it so much that at the end of my school year, I applied, I got hired, and since then I was at York for like 40 years. So I went to various departments. You know, I even had an opportunity to train on computers, you know, which never thought it was gonna happen. But in the early 1980s, that's when the computer started coming out, and that's where I was then asked to work and to teach others because those and the techies have their own language, and it was so hard for us to understand them, and it came so natural to me. Anyway, so that's what happened. So for 40 years over there, I was there, and then I had some uh part-time positions, like being an entrepreneur in, like you said, it was a multi-level company, uh, level company. Uh, from there, I I learned you need to learn things if you want to be an entrepreneur, okay? And you would you're always gravitated to something you love. And that's what happened with me. And then I met someone who I will speak more about her if um you allow me later. She's the one that actually developed me into my spirituality, into my knowledge, expanding my intuitive um skills, you know. So then I got to learn and make friends with other people, entrepreneurs, right? And one of them is the the books that uh I'm in, you know, a two-time best-selling author on empowering women to succeed, and the other one uh almost 365 days. So you you grow your group of people that you associate with. And I think that's something that if you if somebody has in mind that they want to go

Awakening Spiritual Gifts And Mentorship

Liliana 8:50

through a s a certain pathway in their life, then get to meet people that are in that field so they know better how to to express themselves, how it really works. Okay. So that's what happened. Then I took early retirement from York University about 10 or 11 years now, and that's how it's 2010, 2011? Yeah, around there. And uh so the person I went into business with, her name is uh Maria Grazia Bevilacqua. Uh, we call her MG for short. And we went into business together for for about three years, and we both felt, because we're both intuitive, we felt that it was not a uh a good match for us. But let me tell you, I learned a lot through all that time. Like she's the one that actually trained me more, you know, uh, because I didn't have anyone in the spiritual world to be able to expand my knowledge in that area. Anyway, so once we left the business that we were both in, I then went into my own business, which I still have. And there's different things that I do in that business too, like being a spiritual coach, and I'm also a Reiki master, and and I work with a lot of people. So that's how things evolved.

Carlene 10:11

Yeah. So, you know, you say it's good to like network with people that are like-minded. So, how did you meet Maria Gruzia, MG? How were you able to like network with her, start the business? Like, I mean, obviously being at the right place in the right time, too, right?

Liliana 10:27

That's right, that's

Community Leadership And Meeting MG

Liliana 10:28

right. My relationship with my husband at the time wasn't working well, and I felt that I was always alone. And so I found other things to occupy my time. And one of them was being on uh a director's uh board with our social club, and then uh became president uh for one year in that social club in 2002, and then when I finished that, I went into an umbrella association called uh the Lazio Federation, it's an area of Italy, and they have a lot of these organizations in the city, right? And so uh being the vice president of this uh Lazio Federation that involves all the presidents of each of the different uh clubs within Toronto and GTA, right? So one of the main things is that the Lazio Federation includes all the presidents of these uh social clubs, and if a president can't go, then they appoint someone else on the board to go on their behalf. And in this particular evening, there were the elections for the Latio Federation, and she then was elected in to be part of the board of the Latvia Federation. Now, from that I got to know her a little bit more, obviously, when you're on committees and stuff, meetings every month or by weekend, whatever the case is, you get to know people, and that's where I discovered her gifts, right? And I said, okay, maybe you know we can expand on that. And that's what we did. And so she was training and teaching me how to use the skills that I didn't know how to develop, and from there we became best friends. I've known her now for uh 18 years, okay. And she's my go-to person now, if I have any questions on a spiritual level, on a life path changes, you know. So she's my person to go to for that. And uh that's how I got to meet her, and uh we've done a lot of things together. So her Italian is impeccable because she left here when she was 12 years old. Her dad brought uh their siblings to Italy. Um the father got remarried because the mom passed away uh when she was 12, and so she grew up there uh for about 10 to 15 years, uh, had a daughter, and then she wanted to come back here, whereas her husband at the time didn't want to, and so she just picked up and left. So this is what I mean about women taking on the role of

Marriage Realities And Cultural Expectations

Liliana 13:05

you know, empowerment and being able to do what your heart leads you to. So she came back here, and that's how her Italian was really great, you know. And so when I was the president, we had invited some youth from Italy that were coming here, and uh, she was sort of like my entrepreneur, you know, you know, translator I met. That's how things grew. And she did the same things I used to do at the university, putting on conferences, uh, workshops and stuff. So we kind of were hand in hand when it came to doing any kind of organization. So yeah. So that's how I got to meet her, how you know she helped me in my life. And that's why I say I'm sharing this only because that's what helped me. And it may help someone else who may be in the same situation as I was not knowing who to turn to or what to do.

Carlene 13:59

So I mean, we we are gonna talk about that because we haven't really gotten to the nitty-gritty. But another thing that's really important is there's there's a person behind who you are, because you're a mom. Um you were a wife, and you have two kids, which are my cousins, you know, Maria and Lorenzo. And so you were married. And so how long were you married for? 30 years. I know when when I hear you say that, I'm just like I'm I didn't realize how long because I I I mean, I know you through marriage, and like I just remember going to Nona's house. It's crazy. Sometimes I remember little things that Noah would get mad at me for. Yeah. In Italian families, like food is is everything. And and you know, I remember Nona, like, if I made up my face just a little bit, Liliana, she'd be like, you know, like, and I'm like, no, no, no, no, you know, it's good, it's good, you know. But um, we're married for 30 years, and obviously there were some high moments and low moments, exactly, and moments, you know, where we felt like this this might be time to part ways, right? And so what made you decide to do that?

Liliana 15:11

I just want to bring back to empowering women to succeed, bounce. I wrote my journey there because not only is it a healing point, it's also to um show others that maybe going through the same thing that, you know, hey, you know, it's what you want in life to be able to do that, okay? Now, about 15 years into the marriage, I knew it wasn't working the way I had thought. So, oh by the way, the title of that chapter was Until Death Do Us Apart. Anyway, I'm sorry I'm laughing. It's just I was uh I needed to have a good title, you know, uh, of that chapter. And you know, it it suits it. Now, what I want to say is until death do us apart, nowadays it's not death, it's just things don't work, and so you part with separate ways, right? So 15 years into the marriage, I said, okay, this is not working the way I want it to. My husband at the time uh wanted to be with his friends. He'd go

Planning A Separation And Legal Prep

Liliana 16:15

to the the club or the bar as they call it today, uh play cards with his friends, and you know, like we both worked during the day. So I'd come home and I wanted to be with my husband, and he wasn't there. Like he'd have a a dinner and then he'd rush off. So the kids kind of grew with me, okay? And uh I said to myself, this isn't working. So I tried to see what I could do. I wasn't as educated as I was when I actually did leave. Okay. And this is what I I'm telling the audience get your ducks put in a row, you know, and take the actions you need to take. Don't listen to other people, what they say to you, you know, and of course, if you still want to be in that marriage, then by all means get help. Okay, just don't be on your own. And so I wasn't able to to figure things out on my own. Uh I wasn't making a lot of income. Then you'd have to worry about finding a place to stay and so forth and so forth, right? So I made a decision at that point to say, okay, when my son turns 18, he'll be an adult, you know, and then I'll leave. And so to that date, it was after our 30th anniversary, to that date, what I did, and this is something I want to tell everybody too, always make sure you have a resource fund uh for emergencies. And that's what I learned from my mom. And I can't I couldn't understand. My dad would give her the money to go put to the bank or whatever it was, and she would take some of that money and store it somewhere else. Okay. He had no clue about it, and I said, you know what, that doesn't sound bad. Lo and behold, did I know I would have needed it, you know, but you have a resource funds there available for you if you actually needed an emergency. You don't have to tell everybody, everybody thinks, you know, you have to tell your spouse that you've got some money aside. I I didn't. I learned from my mom. Oh yes, I forgot to mention something important. After about the first 15 years, I said to my husband, you know, I want to uh separate. He just laughed it off. You know why? Because Italians don't separate, you deal with this situation. So I was the one that broke the generational curse, you know, that you can't divorce, you know, or separate it, which was my case. And uh he says, Go ahead, go ahead, go try it. And uh that's where I made the decision, I'll wait till my son was about 18. So at that point, I had a bit more resources. I knew which lawyer to go to, who knew the family law. This is so important to know. Uh, she would be guiding me, what I had to do. It was just phenomenal. It's like you need someone who's an expert in the field to be able to guide you, coach you, right?

SPEAKER_02 19:10

Yeah.

Liliana 19:10

And so I did that, and she said, okay, uh, let's give them the papers. You know, there's usually a reconciliation somewhere along the line to see if maybe things can work or whatever, right? But any event, he didn't think I was gonna go through with it. It took almost two years before he could sign the freaking papers. Sorry, uh, you can blue.

Carlene 19:32

No, no, that's fine.

Liliana 19:33

No, no. You can say freaking papers. It took so long. And half of the things, well, I shouldn't say half, some of the things I was paying myself, because you need to get finance records to show, especially if you're an entrepreneur. My husband was in his own business, so I had access to his finances because I was working temporarily, right? And so some of the the worth of some of the things we had in the house were very high because he liked doing things, things that he liked. And like he had his hobbies, right? Everybody Yeah, a lot of hobbies. And so he said, Okay, go ahead and do it. Anyway, when he realized that I was being serious about it, he still didn't believe it. We decided to get a separation because I didn't know what's the difference. I have a separation or I have to divorce. You know what the Lord said to me? A divorce gives you the opportunity to remarry. I said, Oh, really? After 50 years, you think I'm gonna go get married after all this? If I'm gonna be with someone, I'll live with them. And a lot of people are doing that now, you know. So who cares? You know, I wasn't gonna spend more money. So you have to really do a little bit of research as to what you want to do.

SPEAKER_00 20:43

Season four of Diva Tonight brings you incredible guests. Honest conversations, real experiences, and lessons we can all take with us. Diva Tonight, glamour

Accident, Surgeries, And Resilience

SPEAKER_00 20:56

for your ears.

Liliana 20:57

I just want to go back a sec. There's so many stories in between, and you need to understand them in order to know how I got to where I did get. I was in a car accident in 2008, and that uh brought a lot of consequences in my physique and my mental state and so forth, right? So the we had lawyers for that too. Why did you have lawyers for that? Because in order for it to be settled, uh to get something for it, for the pain and suffering, lawyers have to deal with it. We would not know what to have done with that. So it took that took two years as well. And so, in the meantime, my daughter had issues right at on the onset of the accident. Mine started showing up eight months later. And this is why they always say to people in accidents don't just sign papers off that you're okay. You need to give it time. And thank God I did. I had to have two surgeries a back surgery, uh, my sciatica was really bad, and then I I had a hip replacement. And that hip replacement, they were scheduled three months apart. And I don't know how about uh how other people think, but I figured, you know, you're having a uh surgery and things are just gonna go back to normal. Uh-uh. It doesn't just happen like that. Okay. So when I had the back surgery, this was in July, and the other one for the hip replacement was October, I had a pinched nerve, which is sciatica, and I went through hell. You know, physically, mentally, everything. I was on percocets, a lot of uh drugs, you know. I my family was not supportive. My daughter, she was dealing with with her own issues, so I couldn't rely on her, right? So there was really no one, and and I couldn't walk or stand or lie down for long periods of time for those of you that may have had sciatica before. And so when the surgery happened, I thought, oh, the next day everything's good. And then what happened, three weeks later, it all came back and I got upset. I said, maybe what the doctor specialist did didn't work. Apparently, I was told, and again, these are things that you pick up as you're in situations. He said to me, if it took you two years to get to where you are, it's gonna take two years for you to get to a certain state uh to be able to manage your life, right? And I said, Oh, so that's what it is. Anyway, so when uh I went home, I couldn't go up and down the 15 stairs flight upstairs. I was kind of confined in my room, okay? So whoever was around would bring me some food instead of me going downstairs, up and down the stairs, they'd bring me food. And my daughter at one point was trying to bring some lunch to me, and I had to wait for her, and I couldn't. Because when you're on uh Percocets or heavy-duty drugs, right, you need to eat, otherwise, there's gonna be a hole put in your stomach. So when she came, I had something, but then I said to myself, I can't be go through this every single day. And so one

Leaving Home And Building A New Life

Liliana 24:00

day I woke up and I said, Okay, Liliana, it's time to take the plunge, really. So it took me so long, almost 20 minutes, to get downstairs, those 15 stairs, because I would take one step, take a breather, and then go again. So I started doing that and I kind of pushed myself to the point where you know, you can do it. You know, I was giving positive affirmations to myself.

SPEAKER_02 24:28

Yeah.

Liliana 24:29

And I said to myself, okay, this is not gonna work when I have my hip replacement. It's not gonna work. So I went to my parents, I asked my parents, can I move in with you? And they absolutely, you know, they were there open hands and everything. Let me tell you, when I went to my parents after I had my hip replacement, I was there for three months, and that's when I say, put all your ducks in a row. I knew that the morning that I was going to for my hip replacement, I was not going to go back to my own home. And that was my put your ducks in a row. God sometimes, you know, does things for you, and you have to wake up, either take it or leave it, you know. And I took it. That's how I left. Okay. Yeah. And he always thought I was gonna go back. And I said, I'm sorry. And then on December.

Carlene 25:17

So you're saying that the opportunity for you to leave came up after you had taken care of like your health, in terms of like getting all this after the accident. So some tr something traumatic happened, and obviously you didn't plan for that to happen. Had that not happened, would you have left um in 2008? I I think it was in 2010.

Liliana 25:38

I may have taken a different course of action.

Carlene 25:41

Okay.

Liliana 25:41

Okay. I would have probably still I would have still have gone to the lawyers. Right. Okay. And she would have advised otherwise. And she may have even suggested, okay, move out, go to an apartment, get an apartment or something, you know? So I was at the beck and call of my lawyer at the time. And so, like I said, it was enough for me. It was enough. Okay. And when I left the house, it was a lot of negative energy. And when I went to my parents, it was like a breath of sunshine. It's like day and night. I don't know if I can describe it. Uh well.

Carlene 26:16

Well, you were in pain too, right?

Liliana 26:18

I was in pain, yes. Yes. And so it was a time in my life where I needed somebody to kind of take care of me to be able to convalesce without having interruptions from others, you know. So my parents were 80 at the time and bless their souls, you know, if it wasn't for them, that would not have happened, you know. So that's why I say to the viewers, you know, make sure you know what you want and stick to it. I've had people saying, you know, oh, don't uh leave, uh try to set uh work it out. It's like, hello. It's like you're not leaving living with this person. You don't know what I'm going through. So don't let others influence you. In your heart, what does your heart say? That's what you should follow. It was so, so hard to actually take action. And that's the one thing in life, whether you it's relationship, whether it's work or whatever it is, you you're still wanting to be an entrepreneur. Take the necessary actions and make sure that you follow through with it. That's my advice.

Carlene 27:24

Yeah. You know, it sounds to me like you took the necessary steps, but you kind of need a village too to help you along the way. Like, you know, a support system because I I'm not a product of divorce, so I don't know what that's like. But I think the one thing I you see it in a lot of movies in Hollywood and and like divorce can be like the hardest thing, you know, emotionally, especially because you've been with that person for such a long time. Like you got married to them, you had a family, you've been through so many trials and tribulations. And so I guess what gave you that push to do it?

Liliana 28:00

Yeah, what gave me the push was I couldn't take it living like

Redefining Family After Separation

Liliana 28:04

that anymore. I was determined. No matter what it took, I was gonna leave. How I got there, you know. Were your parents my parents were very supportive. They were? Yes. I had friends too that were very supportive, you know? And you know, they my parents understood if things don't work out, just leave, you know. I had friends too that were very supportive. So you're right. You need a village to help you.

Carlene 28:32

You know what? Like, I I remember I remember having another guest on the show, and she she got divorced. Someone I went to high school with, and she's been on the show, and she's so vulnerable that she shared this and she said, Carly, it was so hard. I had to send an email to all my friends and family. I think they were only married for a year or two, and it was just she tried everything. But I think she's better for it because obviously the person that she's with now is way better for her. And but I think it's it's that devastation because you're like, if you're the oldest child, I I feel like you're you're letting your your your parents down, your fam like you like there's this added pressure to do the right thing, to you know, to excel in every facet of your life so that if something doesn't pan out, you're like, oh my gosh, I I did it again, you know, like it's it's all on you. I think it's rests on your shoulders, right? That's right. Yeah.

Liliana 29:27

Well, let me just tell you how this relationship ended, right? I mean, it ended, and it wasn't until I ended he realized that he was at fault. And he said, Come back, I'll do anything you want, uh, I'll give you your freedom. I said, Well, I've already moved out. Moving back is just gonna put me back in the same situation. So the first Christmas, my kids, they were 18 and 28. And so they said, Ma, now where are we gonna go? The dads are your place. And so we did have a relationship with my husband, and what we did, and people are still uh amazed at how we continue with this relationship. We live in separate homes, okay? We we visit each other once in a while, which is fine, you know, even for the grandkids now, right? And uh and when there's social events, you know, clubs and stuff, they have dinners, they have whatever, you know. Doesn't he still invite me? And I go, okay, I'll go. And people think that we're back together. I said, uh-uh, that's not gonna happen. You know, because people see things and they assume, but uh people actually pride us for keeping this type of relationship, you know, and I said it works for me. I mean, I'm not suggesting everybody else who was thinking of divorce or separation, it may work for you, but try it on, you know. But I'm just saying it's a very interesting relationship.

Carlene 30:58

Yeah, I I remember the the last birthday party and you and Donato there. So yeah, I think it's it's good. It's good though that you guys are able to do that. Yeah, because Italian families, there's there's always that togetherness, and I think it's great. What's hard is when the grandmother, when Noah passed away, that's when you saw like everything change

Advice For Women Considering Separation

Carlene 31:20

the dynamic, right?

Liliana 31:21

So that she's the one that held everything together, yeah.

Carlene 31:25

You know, yeah, mm-hmm. And then you realize it. I'm just like, wow, she really did bring everybody together. So you've been divorced now for quite some time, and so you We're separated. We're separated, we'll spend more money for divorce. No. Now that you've moved on from that part of your life and you're focusing on new things, and yes, for the the one woman who's listening who's in her 40s, or she's dealing with a challenge in her life, you know, maybe she is thinking of going through divorce and making that plan. What is your advice?

Liliana 32:01

My advice is, and I mentioned this earlier, your heart speaks to you. Follow your heart. Yeah, that's the most important thing. Don't take in what other people say or what you should do or not do. Because it doesn't always work. What they suggest may be for them and not for you. So follow your heart. Get all your ducks in a row. You need to speak to to a lawyer or someone to get information. Go ahead. He or she, as a lawyer, can guide you in what you need to do. They will give you some advice. They may even suggest, you know, going to what is it called, where you go um to stay like a hostel, or you mean like a uh shelter?

Carlene 32:46

Shelter, that's what it is. Yeah, yeah.

Liliana 32:48

You know, they they may suggest that. And so when you're going through something the first time, you don't know it's really by experience, okay? And it's so important to get advice from legal, you know, and then based on what they tell you, based on what your heart tells you to follow, just go for it. Don't start asking too many people, like I said, they all have their own opinions, and you're not gonna move out if that's what your intention is. So the other thing is you need some kind of finances. I don't know how uh individuals are used uh uh you how they use their finances if they're married, right? Sometimes they have joint accounts, sometimes you can have separate accounts. And I gave you an example of what I learned from my mom. And that was one way of me doing it. I asked others who may have gone through a divorce, you know. But what's important is have some funds, uh, emergency funds aside, okay, so that you can act on things quickly. If you need to move out, or you need to move in with somebody else, or find a place, a rental place, you know. If you've got small kids, you have to also uh uh think of them, you know, or they can be with you, obviously. Um anyway, there's a lot of things you need to to to get answers for before you actually make the move. And it won't happen overnight unless you're being abused or something, then it's a different story, okay? So that's what I want to say to anybody at any age. You know, I was a little bit more experienced because of my age, 30 years into our marriage. It's kind of unheard of at that time. You know, like I said, I broke the generational curse, you know, that uh that you shouldn't divorce, but I did it. And then so many people came after me and asked me how I did it. Well, because I was persistent, right? So again, have some finances as a backup. Find out what's happening to the kids. If they're small, most likely they will go with the mom. Okay? And it could be the other way around. Most likely they may go with the father, you know, whatever the situation is in that marriage. So just make sure you get all your information on hand and then take the appropriate actions to follow.

Carlene 34:58

That's it. Mm-hmm. Definitely some great advice there. I I think it's definitely

Spiritual Coaching, Reiki, And Retreats

Carlene 35:04

something, well, to consider for sure. I feel like it's always planning ahead, right? Yes. So yeah. With that being said, we we always plan ahead and we always move forward. And so you are a spiritual coach and Reiki master. Did I say that right? Yes. So when it comes to that, uh is that something that's obviously you have retreats that you do, and this is now your new focus in life in terms of your career path, right? And so what got you interested in that part of spirituality and faith?

Liliana 35:38

My life path was helping others, and this was the best say segue to to go into, you know, helping others through retreats. You need to bring people together away from their home, because you know we all get distracted when you're trying to do something, right? And I've had we've had quite a lot of success because a lot of people don't know who to turn to. And these retreats help people to to focus on what they want in life, what's actually stopping them, which is so important, of getting what they want to accomplish in life. And so these things they uh it's not we guide them, okay, in what it is that we do over a weekend, right? And that is an opening, a gateway for them to to discover for themselves what's actually stopping them. And once you can put the past in the past, then there's uh doors that open up for them, whether it's in relationship, whether it's in work or life in general, right? And once they've discovered that and know how to deal with things, then everything just goes a bit smoother. I I don't know if I'd have the opportunity now. Our first uh 2026 retreat, we're having it on May 30th and 31st. Okay, we have uh Anuk Damon. Uh he is an elemental rhythm breath work experience person, and through his experience, people get into a state of self-uh awareness and know what it is that's stopping them as well. Okay, so we're putting uh I'm putting on a retreat with him, and uh it's gonna be absolutely amazing. And the dates I gave you, and if you're interested, you can go to the website. Is it something I it's lgenterprises.ca. So it's L L G Enterprises, all one word, E-N-T-E-R, P-R-I-S-E-S.ca. And uh go there, the it will be um advertised on there. And uh you want to register, just send me a link that's on there, and uh we can get together. And I hope you you know find the time to to be able to do this and find out what is there, what's in your way of you achieving all your goals in life. And

Breathwork Retreat Details And Location

Liliana 38:00

I've had so many reviews from people, and I have a Google review, but in event, you can do that at a later date. But I just wanted to give you the opportunity to to know there's one coming up, and what it's gonna be about breath work, and uh it's just amazing. We're gonna be in in uh Aboriginal sacred lands. And the energy there is so high, that's one of my go-to places when I want to relax and just be myself, you know. So yeah, it's in uh Penatanguchine just north of Midland. So it's an awesome, awesome time.

Carlene 38:34

You should come to a I know I'm thinking, I'm like, oh, maybe I will plan for that. I've done some mindfulness, and it's interesting. As a scattered mind, I'm very scattered in my thoughts, and I man mindfulness does help. And you don't realize until you're at a silent retreat. I just had one not too long ago. Yeah. Yeah, the silent retreat, I've done it twice, and I find every time I do one, it's like an enlightenment in a way, or it just helps me figure out it quiets the thoughts in your mind, and then it awakens things, especially where it is. Because school has always been my happy place, and I find the fact that it's at a church, which is used to be a native school. And so the first time I did it, I was like, wow, like I'm seeing all the the memories that like you put in the very back of your mind. And so, to relate to what you're saying with the retreat, that when you're away from everything, like the everyday, the busyness of life, that's when you quiet your thoughts and figure things out, like what you you're supposed to do, or you know, just the plans, you know.

Liliana 39:42

You know, our brain is like the hard drive of a computer. Right? Yes, yes. And the older you get, the more stuff is in there. And and your brain goes from left to right, center, up and down. You know, it's like you need to quieten it down. You need to be able to relax. And I suggest if everybody can take uh start off with five, ten minutes in the morning and at night before you go to bed, in the morning when you wake up, before you do anything, it actually sets the tone for your day. And yeah, some people may not know how to to meditate and do whatever you have to do. If you can come, uh that'd be awesome. Uh

Mindfulness, Quieting The Mind, Daily Practice

Liliana 40:20

we will teach you. And and there's a lot of things that we learn from off of uh the the um participants too, okay? So don't get that in some one-way thing. It's just that we we nourish your brain to be able to think uh in a way that will stop all that chatter in your head.

Carlene 40:39

Yeah, yeah, quiet the thoughts, you know, the thoughts and the thoughts.

Liliana 40:43

Of course, of course. And how many times something happens and all of a sudden your brain goes, Oh yeah, I remember this, you know? So what was I supposed to be doing?

Carlene 40:52

Or it's like, you know, as you get older, I'm like, wait, I was before that, like even when you're at work, it's like, wait a minute, where what was I supposed to be doing? But anyways, um, so much to talk about. But this is amazing from the retreat coming up, so definitely lgenterprises uh.com, you said, or is it C A. C A.ca. And yeah, check that out. I'm Carleen, and this is Diva Tonight with Liliana Guadagnoli. Thank you so much for sharing your story. It's been uh an interesting experience, to say the least. Absolutely. I'm Carleen, and this is Diva Tonight. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 41:31

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