When Strangers Recognize How Far You've Come

I had one of those unexpectedly meaningful days that just stayed with me—and I knew I had to share it with you. What started as a simple walk with my dog turned into a series of heartfelt conversations with complete strangers that reminded me how powerful human connection can be. We talked about everything from toxic divorces and healing journeys to music, mentorship, and the quiet strength we find in ourselves during solitude.

This episode really explores how openness, kindness, and shared experiences can create instant bonds—even with people we’ve just met. I reflect on how far I’ve come, the role of vulnerability in personal growth, and why supporting one another—especially as women navigating difficult chapters—is more important than ever. There’s something really special here about connection, transformation, and finding purpose in unexpected places.

Episode Highlights

[0:02] - Heading out for a walk and stumbling upon a local dog adoption event

[0:45] - Striking up a casual conversation that unexpectedly shifts into toxic divorce

[1:30] - Sharing my journey of surviving, healing, and transforming after divorce

[2:10] - Receiving heartfelt validation from a stranger who tells me she’s proud of me

[2:50] - Meeting another woman and bonding over a shared background in music and piano

[3:40] - Talking about why I don’t repeat my full divorce story unless it can truly help someone

[4:10] - Reflecting on the power and depth of women supporting women

[4:35] - Introducing my “Becoming Whole Again” divorce mentorship program

[5:52] - Meeting a man during another walk and connecting over music

[6:20] - Sitting and having an unexpectedly deep, engaging conversation with a complete stranger

[7:05] - Realizing how meaningful it is to connect with people who know nothing about my past

[7:21] - Exploring the balance between loving solitude and craving human connection

[8:10] - Embracing a lifestyle that allows me to choose connection on my own terms

[8:30] - Noticing people from my past resurfacing and reflecting on social media presence

[9:16] - Choosing to stay present instead of focusing on numbers or outside validation

Be sure to follow, share, and leave a comment if this show resonates with you! Send me a message at podpage.com/themusicoflife to share your experiences, or to leave a comment. I'd love to feature it in a future episode. Check me out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryn-levitt-8a09263a6/

Transcript

Caryn Portnoy: 0:02

Hi everyone, and welcome to the music of Life. I'm your host. Karen Portnoy, before I get into this episode, please comment, ask questions, share some of your experiences, and don't forget to subscribe. Hi everyone. I had a really interesting day today. And one of the things that really stood out to me, I was out and about with my dog, walking my dog. It was, wasn't too cold, it was, it was a good day to just go for a long walk. And there was, there was a dog event going on near me where I guess rescue people were trying to adopt out their dogs that they have. So, you know, it was a it was a good adoption place to be with dogs and accessories and all kinds of things. So I met a couple of different women separately, and the first one that I met lives sort of near where I used to live when I was married and divorcing. And so we started talking first about, you know, do you know this one? Do you know that one? You know it was, it was a friendly exchange. It wasn't really anything with anything until, I don't even remember what the topic was that she brought up, but it just lended itself to toxic divorces. And, you know, I kind of gave her an overview of what I went through and all this stuff, and how I survived it, how I healed from it, how I thrived from it, and transformed myself, ultimately. So I was telling her all these things that I'm up to, that I'm working on, that I'm, you know, involved with, and like it was as if I knew her forever. She just looked at me dead in the eye, and she's like, I'm so proud of you. I like she doesn't know me from a hole in the wall, but she was very proud of me because I survived something that was meant to destroy me, and thrived from it and transformed and now helping other people who are going through something similar. And you know, you don't hear a lot of success stories like mine, and I was just so touched by her saying that she was proud of me. I mean, you know, I don't know her, and I wasn't seeking that kind of validation, but it was, it was, it's nice to be acknowledged, it's nice to be recognized and supported, and it could be from a complete stranger. And then I moved on to the next person that I met there, and another, like a an older woman who was so lovely and so nice and kind, and we hit it off so well. We had, you know, music in common. She's a piano teacher, and I was a child prodigy with piano as well, so we had that connection. And again, I don't even know how it came up about divorce, but we just started talking and and again, I gave her like, the quick cliff notes version of my divorce. Because, you know, unless somebody is actively going through a toxic divorce, and I meet them, and I could talk to them in depth about what they're going through and what they're up against and all that, I don't really need to just keep going over and over. You know my story. I mean, I direct people to listen to this podcast because, you know, the first 13 episodes here are, is the story of my divorce. So I don't like going over it over, you know, over and over what my story was, unless somebody is actively going through it for themselves. So talking to this woman was, you know, really nice, and she was very supportive and things like that. But again, she was also very complimentary about what I'm working on and what I'm doing and what I'm creating and building. And it's just, I don't know. I think women supporting other women is just so powerful. It's so meaningful, just hits in a way that men don't really support each other that way. You know, maybe you go out for a beer and you pat each other on the back or whatever, and you say something nice, but that's the extent of it. I mean, we all know women can talk for hours, and we do. So it was really nice. Hey, I just want to take a minute and tell you about the divorce mentorship program that I created. It's called becoming whole again, and I created it mostly for women who were either considering divorcing their toxic spouse, or they're in the middle of a toxic divorce, or they're on the other side of a toxic divorce, at any stage that you're dealing with the emotion. Emotional fallout from a horrific, toxic divorce. You know what I mean? The text, the triggers, the berating, the harassment, the threats, all those things. I've been there and I know what you're going through. This isn't therapy, I promise this is real, hands on support from somebody who has been where you are. I survived it. I thrived from it, and I've actually transformed from it, and along the way, I've gained so much wisdom from a spiritual healing journey that I am so happy to share with you and help you. It's not about fixing you, it's not about telling you what to do. It's about guiding you and guiding you back to yourself, there are so many people out there who need this. I promise you I hear from them daily, thank you for your support and thank you for listening. Okay, now back to the show. And then yesterday I was I was out walking my dog again, and I met this guy who was just sitting on a bench with his dog, and I was playing my music on speaker. So, you know, he heard what I was listening to, and he was like, Oh, you're listening to Billy Joel. And so we started talking about music, and he invited me to sit, you know, on the bench with him, and we were just chit chatting. I mean, he's married. I wasn't interested. I wasn't attracted to him, nothing like that. But he was so nice and kind and so interesting to talk to, and stimulating conversation. I mean, I couldn't even tell you all the things that we spoke about, but it was so nice. I mean, there, there are kind people out there. It was just so refreshing. And I don't know, I think, I think we were sitting there talking for maybe an hour, hour and a half, and I'll probably never see him again, but it was, it was just so nice. So I love meeting strangers who don't know my story, who don't know my background, who don't know you know anything about me, and it's just you meet somebody for the first time, you have things to talk about, and it's nice. I just that connection is just chef's kiss. I love it. So it's interesting because I have this dichotomy between being in solitude, because I love my alone time, and I love being in my own space with my dog and and just I love that time, and especially because I'm starting to get busier with my work stuff, and you know that means travel coming up and things like that. So, you know, I enjoy my alone time, my quiet time when I have it, because I have a feeling it's going to be very sparse soon enough. And yet, the other side is I love to be out and about, meeting new people and connecting. And I just, I love that. So I'm really glad and proud that I've learned how to really balance that time and that space for myself. It's really great. And it's on my terms, which is the best part. Like I just, I do it when I want to do it, not when somebody else dictates it. I've also noticed some people from my past have kind of resurfaced, and I find it very interesting because, you know, I'm all over social media. I don't know who's watching me, who's listening to me, who's seeking me out. I don't know. I'm not paying attention to that because it's like, you know, looking for how many downloads I have in this podcast. It's like, I don't want to focus on numbers. I don't want to focus on all of that. I'm just, you know, in the present. So when people text me or call me, or, you know, resurface somehow, I I'm taking note. It's interesting to me that people are resurfacing that I'm not really sure what their intentions are, but it's it's interesting to see. Anyway, I'm gonna wrap it up for this week. Thank you for being here, thank you for listening, and thank you for your support, and I'll catch you next week. Take care. Please join me every Thursday for a new episode. You can reach me on my website, which is pod page.com/the, music of life. You can leave me a voicemail, a text message. You can leave your contact information if you want to be anonymous, no problem. I promise to honor that. And you can also find all of my social media platforms there as well, which is Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook and LinkedIn. Thanks again. I'll see you next week.

Unknown: 9:58

You.