In this episode of The D Shift, Mardi Winder speaks with Karla Combres, celebrant and legacy guide, about the powerful role rituals can play in healing through divorce and other major life transitions.
Karla shares her unique journey from federal bureaucrat to end-of-life facilitator, explaining how her work has shaped her understanding of how people process change, loss, and transformation. She offers a thoughtful perspective on how rituals can create space for reflection, connection, and emotional healing during times that are often rushed or overlooked.
Mardi and Karla explore how many people move too quickly through difficult transitions, focusing on logistics and next steps without fully acknowledging the emotional experience. Karla encourages a more intentional approach, where both grief and growth are honored rather than bypassed.
The focus is on:
• Why rituals are important during divorce and life transitions
• How to create meaningful ways to process grief and change
• The role of community and being witnessed during difficult times
• How storytelling and personal narrative support healing
• Why slowing down can lead to greater clarity and emotional resilience
Karla also shares insight into the communities she has created, including her Heart of Being Human gatherings, which provide a space for connection, reflection, and shared experience. The conversation highlights how returning to intentional practices can help individuals move through transitions with greater awareness and support.
Karla offers a compassionate and grounded perspective for anyone navigating divorce or other major life changes, reminding listeners that healing is not about rushing forward, but about fully experiencing and integrating each stage of the journey.
About the Guest:
Karla Combres is a legacy guide and celebrant who helps people live with presence, meaning, and connection. Through community conversations, workshops, one-on-one guidance, and custom ceremonies, she creates spaces where people can pause, reflect, and shape a life and legacy they are proud of.
For Karla’s gift: Karla hosts The Heart of Being Human on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. These free, online conversations offer a gentle online space for calm, clarity, and community as you navigate life. Learn more and sign up to be notified here: www.heartofbeinghuman.com
To connect with Karla:
Email: karla@karlacombres.com
Website: www.karlacombres.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karlacombrescelebrant/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarlaCombresCelebrant/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlacombres/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@karlacombres
Heart of Being Human: https://www.heartofbeinghuman
About the Host
Mardi Winder is an ICF and BCC Executive and Leadership Coach, Certified Divorce Transition Coach, Certified Divorce Specialist (CDS®) and a Credentialed Distinguished Mediator in Texas. She has worked with women in executive, entrepreneur, and leadership roles, navigating personal, life, and professional transitions. She is the founder of Positive Communication Systems, LLC, and host of Real Divorce Talks, a quarterly series designed to provide education and inspiration to women at all stages of divorce.
Are you interested in learning more about your divorce priorities? Take the quiz "The Divorce Stress Test".
Connect with Mardi on Social Media:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Divorcecoach4women
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mardiwinderadams/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divorcecoach4women/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@divorcecoach4women
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