By Jody Bruns

We love a good success story.

The come-up. The bounce-back. The shiny, Instagram-filtered version of someone rising from the ashes stronger than ever.

But what we don’t always talk about is what came before the breakthrough.

The part where things fall apart.
The failure.
The heartbreak.
The shame.
The part you never expected to be part of your story.

And yet—every journey worth taking begins there.

I Didn’t Plan for Divorce

I planned for a future.

For love that would last.
For a home where my family could feel safe.
For financial security and steady ground.

But then came the cracks. The unraveling. The silent questions and the not-so-silent breakdowns. And eventually—divorce.

Divorce didn’t just affect my relationship.

It shook my identity.
It knocked me sideways financially.
It made me question my worth, my wisdom, my instincts.

Even with all my experience in mortgage and financial strategy… when you’re in it, you’re not thinking like a professional. You’re just trying to breathe. To survive.

That’s the truth I want people to hear—especially those who look at me now and only see the authority, the credentials, the microphone.

Because before there was strategy and success…

There was failure.
And pain.
And fear.
And a long, slow walk back to myself.

The Kind of Failure That Breaks You Open

There’s a kind of failure that doesn’t just knock you down—it breaks you open.

That’s what divorce did for me.
And maybe that’s where you are right now.

Not sure who to trust.
Not sure what happens to the house.
Not sure how you’ll start over—emotionally or financially.
Not sure if this ache in your chest will ever ease.

And while I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone, I will tell you this:

God doesn’t waste pain.
Ever.

The cracks in your story are where the light gets in.

You're Not Starting Over

We often talk about “starting over” after divorce.

But you’re not starting over.
You’re starting from experience.

From wisdom hard-won.
From clarity you never asked for but now carry like a torch.
From faith that was tested and refined in the fire.

Starting from experience means this next chapter won’t look like the last.
It means your decisions will be more grounded.
Your boundaries clearer.
Your voice stronger.

You won’t just rise. You’ll rebuild.

My Purpose Came From the Pain

I didn’t rise because I had all the answers.
I rose because I didn’t want anyone else to feel as alone, overwhelmed, or unprepared as I did.

That’s why I built a career around divorce mortgage planning—not just because I understood the guidelines, but because I understood the grief.

I saw how easy it was for people to make permanent financial decisions in a temporary emotional state.
I saw women sign over homes they could have kept, and men walk away from equity they didn't know how to protect.
I saw attorneys struggle to draft settlements that would later be denied by underwriting.

So I started showing up differently.
Not just as a mortgage expert.
But as a practitioner of protection.
A strategist.
A sister in the storm.

The Sports Car Analogy

I say this often when I speak to professionals or clients:

If you owned a $400,000 sports car, who would you trust to work on it—
The Ivy League engineer who read the manual?
Or the mechanic who’s been under the hood for 20 years?

When the stakes are high, experience matters.
And in divorce, the financial, emotional, and spiritual stakes are as high as they come.

You don’t need someone with a theory.
You need someone who’s been there.
Who knows where the pain lives, but also where the path forward begins.

For Those Still in It

Maybe you’re reading this from the eye of your own storm.
Maybe you just found out your partner filed.
Maybe the papers are signed, but the grief is still raw.
Maybe you’re holding a court order in one hand and your future in the other—and wondering how you’re supposed to put the pieces back together.

Can I just say this?

You’re not behind.
You’re not broken.
You’re not forgotten.

And you don’t have to figure it out alone.

From Failure to Foundation

Failure, for me, wasn’t the end.
It was the beginning of a deeper mission.
A mission that’s now helped thousands of professionals and families make smarter, more strategic housing decisions in divorce.

But more importantly—it allowed me to step into a calling bigger than a career.

Today, I don’t just help people keep or leave the house.

I help them reclaim their voice.
Recover their peace.
And rise again, anchored in grace.

Follow the Journey

This blog.
This podcast.
This entire platform.

It’s not just about real estate. It’s about real-life recovery.
It’s for the strong. The struggling. The starting over.

It’s for the woman who’s tired of being silent.
The man who’s afraid to ask for help.
The parent who just wants to protect their children’s future.
And the professional who feels called to do this work better.

This is a space for all of us—to share truth, strategy, and grace.

So follow the journey.

If you’re navigating your own divorce or helping someone else through it, I invite you to walk with me. 

There is life beyond the house.

And there’s purpose beyond the pain.

With grace,
Jody

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