You know you're in trouble when you stop caring. When you shut down emotionally just to survive.

I stopped singing. Stopped dancing. Stopped laughing. Started drinking just to tolerate being in the same room with my spouse.

From the outside, my marriage looked perfect. Inside, I was dying.

In the first few years, I tried. I begged for couples therapy for years. Got silence. We slept in separate rooms. No intimacy. Just surface conversations about logistics.

I knew it was over. But I couldn't grieve losing daily time with my kids. That kept me stuck.

Then cancer at 36. I thought: if I'm dying, I want to see my kids every day. So I stayed.

Until the staying itself felt like it was part of my dying.

Took me 4 more years to finally leave. When I did, I lost everything. His family blocked me. His brother posted vile comments on my social media. Friends chose sides. 50/50 custody.

My only regret? Not leaving sooner.

You'll hear: when stopping caring means real danger • marrying wrong for potential • the "blindsiding" pattern • losing everything • how purpose became my foundation • building millions while rebuilding life.

For every woman dying in a marriage but staying for the kids, money, or fear. Your kids need to see you fully alive, not every day as a shell.

My purpose saved me when everything fell apart. I teach this in Awaken Your Purpose - how to discover what you're meant to do and rebuild your life around it.

Get the book: https://ericacarrico.com/books

Your only regret will be not leaving sooner.

To learn more, visit:
http://www.ericacarrico.com/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
http://missionmatters.com/author/Erica-Carrico/