Going through a divorce or a huge life change? This post is for you.

Anna Anissimova Schafer is a dynamic entrepreneur, philanthropist, and accomplished actress known for her diverse work in film. She is the founder and head of Ana Vera Films, a production company focused on compelling, character-driven storytelling.

In addition to her work in entertainment, Anna is the co-founder of BĀEO, an organic skincare line rooted in clean, intentional living. (Lauryn loves the lip tint and face oil.)

Deeply committed to giving back, she serves on the Make-A-Wish gala committee, is a Baby2Baby Angel, and sits on the board of The La Maida Project, supporting initiatives focused on children’s welfare and mental health.

Today Anna is here to tell us about her experience with divorce and how it reshaped her identity and life.

With that, let’s welcome Anna to the blog.

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Three years ago, my life changed in a way I never could have fully prepared for, I went through a very messy divorce.

For over a decade, my identity was deeply rooted in being a wife and a mother. And while those roles are still the most meaningful parts of my life, I suddenly found myself asking a question I hadn’t asked in a very long time: Who am I outside of that?

What followed has been one of the most challenging, emotional, and unexpectedly transformative chapters of my life, navigating motherhood, shared custody, and rediscovering myself not just as a mother, but as a woman, a creative, and an individual again.

Divorce doesn’t just change your relationship status, it reshapes your entire rhythm of life.

One of the biggest adjustments for me was custody. Going from having my three kids with me all the time to a 50/50 schedule felt like having my heart split in two. The days without them were heavy, too quiet, too still. I didn’t know what to do with the space.

But over time, something shifted.

I started to realize that those quiet moments weren’t just emptiness, they were opportunity. Opportunity to reconnect with parts of myself that had been on pause for years.

I went back to acting. I started writing again. I began creating, dreaming, and stepping into rooms that reminded me of who I was before life became so full of responsibility.

And yet, the balance is still… complicated.

Because even when I’m on set or in a meeting, part of me is always thinking about my kids. Am I present enough? Am I doing this right? Am I giving them everything they need? Are we co-parenting well?

There’s this constant dance between ambition and guilt, independence and responsibility.

But what I’ve come to understand is this:

Being fulfilled as a woman makes me a better mother, not a worse one. 

My kids don’t need a perfect version of me. They need a whole one.

What was interesting is as my life was shifting so was BĀEO. 

We originally launched BĀEO in 2018 as an organic skincare line focused on children. At the time, it was very much rooted in motherhood, creating something safe, gentle, and nurturing for our families.

But after my divorce, something shifted for me personally.

As I began navigating a new chapter, I started thinking more about identity, self-care, and what it meant to create something not just for my children, but for myself too. Around that same time, my co-founder Sarah and I found ourselves naturally evolving the brand. We began reimagining BĀEO into something more inclusive, expanding beyond children to create multi-use essentials designed for women, families, and anyone seeking simple, thoughtfully made skincare.

While I didn’t fully realize it at the time, looking back, the evolution of BĀEO feels deeply connected to my own. It became less about caring for everyone else first, and more about stepping into my own identity, while still holding onto the nurturing foundation that started it all.

In many ways, BĀEO grew up alongside me, and alongside us.

This journey has been a rollercoaster.

Watching my kids navigate it has been one of the hardest parts. The little ones often want to stay more at mom’s house, and that breaks my heart in ways I can’t fully explain. I’ve cried myself to sleep many nights.

But at the end of the day, I remind myself: they deserve time with both parents. And more importantly, they deserve two happy, fulfilled parents.

There are good weeks and hard weeks for all of us. I’m learning to accept that this, too, is part of life.

5 Lessons That Helped Me Through This Chapter

1. You’re allowed to grieve, even if you chose the divorce.

There’s a misconception that if you were the one who walked away, you don’t get to feel the loss. That’s not true. You’re grieving a life, a vision, a version of yourself. Let yourself feel it fully.

2. Your identity is allowed to evolve.

You are not just one role. Not just a mother. Not just someone’s partner. You are constantly becoming and that’s a beautiful thing.

3. The quiet is uncomfortable… until it becomes necessary.

The time without my kids used to feel unbearable. Now, I see it as sacred. It’s where I rebuild, reflect, and reconnect with myself. It doesn’t mean it’s easy because truthfully, it still feels unnatural, but it’s part of both their journey and mine.

4. Guilt will try to run the show. Don’t let it.

Mom guilt is loud. But choosing your growth, your career, your joy, it doesn’t take away from your children. It expands what they get to witness.

5. You can hold two truths at once.

You can miss your kids deeply and enjoy your independence.

You can feel broken and be building something new.

Life after divorce isn’t black and white, it’s layered, messy, and incredibly human.

I’m still in this journey, still learning, still evolving, still figuring out what balance really looks like. But I’ve come to trust that I’m exactly where I need to be.

Right now, I’m focusing on growing BĀEO, acting, developing projects, and writing stories that reflect this beautifully complicated chapter of life.

I have two films coming out this year, How Hard Can It Be, starring Jack Kesy, Matt Barr, and Kate Flannery, and The Florist, starring Dennis Quaid and Jean Reno. I’m also directing my first short and developing a story about my grandmother based on a book we wrote together, Eternal Winter, coming out later this year.

And at the center of all of it are my kids.

They’re adjusting, just like I am. Some weeks are beautiful, some are hard. But I think that’s the truth of life, we grow through all of it.

If you’re in a similar season, just know you’re not alone in it. Not even a little bit.

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Life comes with huge milestones and shifts, sometimes good and sometimes bad. What are some of things that helped you through life’s transitions? Let us know everything below.

Be sure to follow Anna and BĀEO on IG to keep up with life after divorce and new drops from our new favorite non-toxic beauty line.

x, The Skinny Confidential team