For generations, women were taught a fairly predictable story about creating a family: find the right person, get married, and then have children. But what happens when life does not follow that sequence?
In this episode, Strategic Divorce Consultant Mardi Winder talks with bestselling author, speaker, life coach, and nonprofit founder Cheri Bergeron about motherhood, divorce, fertility, and creating a family on your own terms.
Cheri shares her personal journey from believing she needed marriage to “earn the right to motherhood” to becoming a single mother by choice. She talks openly about fertility treatment, donor conception, becoming a mother in her 40s, and grieving the traditional family story she once expected while discovering that a different path could still create the family she deeply wanted.
This is a hopeful conversation about self-trust, understanding your options, and recognizing that the end of a marriage does not necessarily mean the end of your dream of motherhood.
Questions We Explore
Q: What if you are divorced and still want children?
A: Divorce does not necessarily close the door on motherhood. Cheri discusses several paths that may be available and why learning about your options can help you make choices that reflect what you truly want.
Q: Why is understanding fertility earlier in life so important?
A: Cheri explains that many women learn about reproductive timelines much later than they wish they had. Understanding fertility and available options earlier can provide more opportunity to think intentionally about future family planning.
Q: Can you become a mother later in life?
A: Cheri shares her own experience with fertility treatment and donor eggs, including having children in her 40s. Individual circumstances vary, making personalized medical guidance an important part of exploring fertility options.
Q: How do single mothers by choice talk with their children about their origins?
A: Cheri believes openness, honesty, and age-appropriate conversations can help children understand their individual family story while building trust between parent and child.
Q: What if the family you create looks nothing like the one you originally imagined?
A: Cheri encourages women to allow themselves to grieve the traditional story they expected while remaining open to another possibility: different does not have to mean less meaningful.
About the Guest:
Cheri Bergeron is a former tech executive turned bestselling author, speaker, life coach, and nonprofit founder. After a 10-year struggle with divorce and infertility involving IVF, donor conception, genetic defects and child loss, she gave birth to her children in her mid 40s. Driven by these experiences, Cheri wrote the #1 Amazon bestseller Mission: Motherhood and started Cheri's Choice to help women navigate non-traditional paths to motherhood on their own terms—with clarity, confidence, and choice.
To connect with Cheri:
Website: https://www.cheribergeron.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missionmotherhood
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheribergeron/
About the Host
Mardi Winder is a Strategic Divorce Consultant and High-Conflict Divorce Coach who helps high-achieving individuals navigate divorce with clarity, confidence, and control. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in mediation, divorce coaching and conflict resolution, she supports clients in making smart decisions while reducing emotional and financial fallout, particularly in high-conflict, high-asset and complex divorces. Mardi is the founder of Positive Communication Systems, LLC, and the Strategic Divorce Directory, LLC.
For Mardi’s gift: The Resilience Building Blueprint: A 28-Day Journey To A Stronger You https://www.divorcecoach4women.com/rbb
Connect with Mardi on Social Media:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Divorcecoach4women
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mardiwinder/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divorcecoach4women/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@divorcecoach4women
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