When You Get Dumped & Matches on Mute

January may be known as “divorce month,” but let’s be honest – no matter how common breakups are, they never feel common. They’re confusing, painful, and can feel downright debilitating. 

This week’s guests, mother-daughter duo, Suzy Hopkins and Hallie Bateman, take on heartbreak in a refreshing and real way, sharing the insights within their newly published graphic novel “What to Do When You Get Dumped”. Together they share their raw and relatable guide to navigating one of life’s toughest transitions.

Join us for their journey from heartbreak to healing, exploring everything from giving yourself permission to feel your feelings to finally letting go of what’s holding you back. If you’re navigating the end of a relationship (or know someone who is), this episode is your roadmap and reminder that healing is possible – and happiness is waiting on the other side.

Plus, stay tuned for this week’s Dear Damona, where we tackle a common dating app frustration: why do matches like your profile but never write?

(1:06) “My Husband Left Me During Our Book Tour” 

Suzy Hopkins is a former newspaper reporter and magazine publisher and co-author of “What to Do When I’m Gone.” Her daughter, Hallie Bateman, is a writer and illustrator whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Owl, and many others. 

Together, they’ve created “What to Do When You Get Dumped,” a graphic novel guide to navigating one of life’s toughest transitions. The inspiration? Suzy’s own experience of having her husband of 30 years leave her for an old flame just as Suzy and Hallie were about to begin a book tour for their previous work.

When Your Ex Becomes a Stranger (34:07) 

The moment everything changes isn’t just about losing a partner; it’s about losing a language. 

After 30 years of marriage, Suzy found herself unable to speak to her husband as the person she’d known for three decades. “The minute he told me…I could no longer talk to him as my husband. There was a third person in the room at all times, even though she wasn’t physically there.” 

She reveals how this presence transformed their relationship overnight, and shares her unexpected method for maintaining sanity.

Skip the Forgiveness, Find Your Peace (21:03) 

Think you need to forgive to move forward? Think again. 

While wrestling with the end of her marriage, Suzy discovered that the common advice about forgiveness wasn’t serving her healing. Through tears and rewrites, mother and daughter unpack why the pressure to forgive can sometimes do more harm than good. 

They offer a revolutionary perspective on moving forward that doesn’t require you to make peace with what happened – just peace with yourself.

That Restaurant Doesn’t Belong to Your Ex (28:14) 

Your favorite places don’t have to be casualties of your breakup. When Hallie spotted her mom staring up at a meaningful Berkeley hotel, she sparked a conversation about reclaiming spaces from painful memories.

 “That old memory becomes a lot smaller,” Hallie explains, “and I think the story of that place…hopefully becomes the memory that’s in the foreground.” 

Together, they explore why avoiding these places only gives more power to the past and share their creative strategy for transforming old haunts into new havens.

The Two-Hour Healing Plan (38:50) 

Forget about “getting back out there” – sometimes victory is just making it through the next 120 minutes. Through counseling and small acts of survival, Suzy discovered that healing doesn’t happen on Instagram’s timeline. 

She shares how accepting the glacial pace of recovery actually helped her heal faster and why counting the days (all 1,582 of them) became an unexpected source of strength. 

The mother-daughter duo offers a refreshing take on moving forward that doesn’t require you to have it all figured out – just the next tiny step.

Connect with Suzy & Hallie:

• Find their book: “What to Do When You Get Dumped” – available now
• Follow Hallie’s illustrations: @hallithbates

(41:04) Dear Damona

“Hi Damona, my question is – how come guys on Hinge like my profile but never send a message? It’s happening more than usual lately and feels like it’s becoming the new Bumble.”

💌 Do you have questions? Damona has the answers!

Don’t forget you can submit your dating and relationship questions for our Dear Damona segment on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook, or leave us a voicemail or text to 424-246-6255, and hear Damona’s answers live in a future episode!