• Jessi Draper has confirmed that she is actively dating amid her divorce from estranged husband, Jordan Ngatikaura.
• She told fans in a April 25 “get ready with me” video that dating is part of her healing process.
• She also revealed that she hasn’t been single since she was 19 or 20 years old.

Jessi Draper has yet to confirm if she’s dating Marciano Brunette, but while we wait, she opened up about what it’s been like dating while she’s working out the finer details of her divorce from her estranged husband, Jordan Ngatikaura.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star hopped on Instagram on Saturday, April 25 and shared what her life has been like since separating from Jordan and entering back into the dating pool.

“I know that you guys see a lot of headlines and videos and photos about my life, and something that I have learned from being on reality TV is that everyone has an opinion,” she said in the “get ready with me” video. “But healing after divorce is so interesting because everyone’s process is different.”

Jessi explained that despite her “mourning” her relationship with Jordan, their split has allowed her to have fun and remember what it’s like to be treated properly. “I know a lot of people don’t understand that I’m dating and hanging out and just having fun and when you’re in a relationship where you don’t feel valued and you don’t feel like you were treated well, it feels so nice to just talk to people who make you feel valued and treat you well,” she explained.

One of her biggest critiques, she noted, is that followers online believe she should simply stay home and raise her children instead of actively dating. “I have my kids 50 percent of the time now, so I am focusing on healing and spending time with them but when I don’t have them I’m also focusing on myself and reprioritizing being happy, honestly,” she said. “And it’s been really fun to just be happy and to be giddy and to just let loose and kind of see that men don’t have to be what I have experienced for so long.”

And yes, Jessi does see the value in “being alone” and “journaling,” but she also thinks “another part of healing is dating.” Because in her own words, she hasn’t been “single since I was 19 or 20 years old.”

“I am definitely jaded when it comes to relationships now and I am really scared,” she added. “So it’s been kind of nice just to, like, be happy again and experience other things. I do plan on being single for a long time and just hanging out with different people and having fun and finding connections while also focusing on myself.”

Don’t expect her to “talk badly” about her failed marriage, either—“I already said my piece on that, but there is an element of, like, when you do get divorced you kind of unwind what you’ve been through.”