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Olympian hurdler Jana Pittman knows a thing or two about mental toughness – but even she struggled with divorce.<\/p>\n
The 39-year-old former world champion hurdler went on to compete in the two-person bobsleigh event at the Sochi Winter Olympics, becoming the first female athlete to represent Australia in both the summer and winter games, and then forged a career in medicine.<\/p>\n
See more in the video player above<\/strong><\/p>\n Watch The Morning Show on Channel 7 and stream it for free on 7plus >><\/a><\/p>\n She is also now a mother to six children, most recently giving birth to twins Willow and Quinlan in March of this year.<\/p>\n But just over a decade ago, Pittman struggled through the end of her marriage to her first husband, and father to son Cornelis Levi, Chris Rawlinson, which ended in divorce in 2011 after the couple had reconciled following a previous separation in 2009.<\/p>\n Now, Pittman is sharing her experiences to assist women in similar situations. The Olympian will be a guest speaker at the Detox Your Divorce<\/em><\/a> retreat in Sydney and she joined The Morning Show<\/em><\/a> along with divorce lawyer Cassandra Kalpaxis to talk about the breakdown of her first marriage, and why she feels getting divorced can take a bigger toll on women.<\/p>\n Kalpaxis said women should manage their own needs to help navigate through the emotion that comes with a separation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really about making sure that you seek professional help. So, seeing a psychologist is absolutely important, triaging those issues that might have led to the breakdown of the relationship. It\u2019s also about ensuring that you\u2019re able to learn the communication techniques that you\u2019ll need to navigate your separation.<\/p>\n \u201cBut also, putting yourself first, putting your own oxygen mask on before you try and fit everyone else\u2019s which we as women have a problem doing as caretakers,\u201d Kalpaxis said.<\/p>\n Pittman then spoke of her own experiences and how she had limited support in dealing with the trauma involved with a divorce.<\/p>\n