Preparing for the Empty Nest (Long Before it Ever Comes) and Navigating the Transition Well (with Kathy Young Deegan)

The empty nest phase is one of the most significant transitions in a marriage — and most of us don't start thinking about it until it's already knocking at the door.

 

In this episode, Rachel sits down with life coach and Be Well Resources founder Kathy Young-Deegan, just nine months into her own empty nest season after raising three children, to talk about what this transition is really like — and how to navigate it well, whether you're deep in the parenting trenches or watching the clock tick down.

 

Kathy shares with warmth and honesty about the grief, the unexpected surprises (yes, the grocery bill changes), the freedom, and the important inner work that this season invites. She and Rachel also dig into what the empty nest means for your marriage — including the real risk of couples drifting apart once the kids are gone, and what to do instead.

 

In this episode:

• What actually surprised Kathy about life six months after her last child left home
• The grief and loss that empty nesting can bring — and why making room for that matters
• Kathy's four practical strategies for navigating the transition well
• Why Gretchen Rubin's reframe — "open door time" — changes everything
• How spouses often experience the empty nest very differently, and how to stay connected through it
• What to do right now, even if the empty nest is years away

 

Resources mentioned:

• Be Well Resources: bewellresourcesla.com
• Podcast: Coping - also on Apple Podcasts and wherever you listen
• Facebook group: Grown and Flown
• Book: Feathers from My Nest by Beth Moore
• Kathy's Empty Nest Club (launching soon — contact Kathy to learn more)