In this episode, bestselling author and former Hallmark executive Tara Jaye Frank joins Alice to talk about the messy, courageous process of letting go—of careers, of marriages, and of identities that no longer fit. From leaving a long-term marriage to walking away from a lucrative book deal, Tara opens up about what it means to choose yourself when everything in you has been wired for people-pleasing behavior.
She shares the subtle shifts that whisper when to leave a marriage—and how she found peace in deciding to leave, even when it meant stepping into uncertainty. Tara also reflects on burnout at work, the identity unraveling that followed her departure from Hallmark, and how she rebuilt her life through what she calls a transformation after midlife.
This is an episode for anyone standing at the crossroads of should I leave my marriage or when to call it quits in a marriage, wondering how to move through the end of a marriage or prepare to leave a good marriage without losing yourself in the process.
Tara’s story is a reminder that growth doesn’t always look like winning—it often looks like walking away.
If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “When should you leave a marriage?” or felt like you’re outgrowing the version of yourself who once fit so neatly into your life, this conversation is for you.
Resources & Links:
📘 The Waymakers by Tara Jaye Frank: https://www.thelwaymakers.com
🌐 Subscribe to Tara’s LinkedIn newsletter You Are Before the World: Tara J. Frank on LinkedIn`
Chapters:
00:00 The Shy Child Who Learned to Listen
03:40 Leaving a 21-Year Career at Hallmark
10:02 Preparing to Leave a Marriage—and Trusting Yourself Again
17:45 The Law of Least Effort and Accepting What’s True
26:50 When the Pain of Staying Outweighs the Fear of Leaving
31:40 I Left My Marriage: Learning to Let Go Without Losing Yourself
36:10 Publisher Rejection, Creative Alignment, and After 40 Transformation
43:00 Burnout, Boundaries, and the Helper’s Dilemma
50:00 Knowing What Matters So You Can Do What Counts