Rebuilding After Divorce: How MaLinda Perry Turned Red Flags Into Renewal

Divorce is rarely just a legal ending—it’s an emotional unraveling, a loss of identity, and for many women, a journey back to themselves. In my conversation with MaLinda Perry, award-winning industry leader, Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, bestselling author, and founder of Happy Girls Don’t Do That, she opened up about her own deeply personal divorce story—one filled with ignored red flags, manipulation, and the slow erosion of self-worth.

MaLinda shared the moment she knew things weren’t right: a partner who had no friends left alive or out of prison, holidays spent alone while he carried out affairs, and unpredictable meanness that kept her constantly on edge. Like so many women, she silenced her gut because she wanted the dream—family, stability, a place to call home. But red flags don’t fade. They grow louder until denial becomes impossible.

Her turning point came when her bonus daughter said the words she needed to hear: “Just run. You deserve better.” That was the moment MaLinda’s healing began.

What followed was a slow, transformative journey back to herself. Through journaling, gratitude practices, kickboxing, and leaning into her natural strengths, she began to rebuild a sense of identity. She developed a powerful tool she still teaches today—“delete, delete”—a mindset reset to quiet emotional triggers and replace them with sensory-rich memories of joy.

Today, MaLinda empowers women around the world to reclaim their strength and stop accepting emotional abuse as love. Her brand, Happy Girls Don’t Do That, is a reminder that joy, confidence, and authenticity are not luxuries—they are your birthright.

Her story is proof that the life waiting on the other side of divorce is not smaller—it’s stronger, freer, and beautifully aligned with who you truly are.