The day my life irrevocably changed without any warning was 19th July 2016. I can remember the date so specifically because it was my 9th wedding anniversary. I was, to all intents and purposes, ‘living my best life’.

I was married to a man I loved and who was also my closest friend. We had got through many rounds IVF, to be lucky enough to have two wonderful daughters (aged 18 months and 3 years at the time). We both had successful careers – demanding but fulfilling.

I was dealing with the grief of losing my father unexpectedly a few months prior, and I was struggling with the inevitable strain of being a working mother with two little ones but life was good.

Hi, I’m Rachael. I always wanted to be an author and was working my way towards that when I was suddenly a single parent and my world was turned upside down.

I have had a very successful IT career and had travelled abroad for work, experienced very challenging CIO’s and senior stakeholders in huge blue-chip organisations and so I can state the fact that nothing is as hard as raising kids alone.

I was married for 10 years when I realized that I was done. It was the day after a major hurricane hit Miami, FL (where we live). As of late, my husband at the time, was having a hard time controlling his anger and would express his rage by screaming and belittling me, even when the kids were nearby.

The littlest things, like not doing laundry, would set him off.

His best friend had recently died and I figured he was going through some kind of depression, so I suggested he get therapy and we get couples counseling.

Hello I’m calling myself Mary, that’s not my real name. I don’t want to share my real name because I don’t want my husband to ever see I’m doing well.

That sounds like an awful thing to say but every time I’m doing well it makes him angry and when he is angry he takes it out on me financially, and when he takes it out on me financially that means I have to work harder and I get to spend less time with our four year old daughter.

Myken and I have been friends for about 30 years. We met in Goa, India. We’ve been through so much together, she was even one of my bridesmaids and is one of my daughter’s Godmothers. She is from New Zealand and a few years ago moved back there. I am so happy to have her story and tips.