The last time Christina El Moussa's world turned upside down, she seized an opportunity and came out stronger on the other side.
And so far, all the evidence points to her being able to thrive once again now that life has once again taken one of those unforeseeable turns.
Known for the past seven years as half of a couple—co-founder of the El Moussa Group real estate agency, co-star of HGTV's Flip or Flop, and O.C. wife of her partner in these endeavors, Tarek El Moussa—Christina is now forging a new path in the wake of her separation from Tarek last spring.
Well, not an entirely new path.
She and her soon to be ex-husband (Tarek filed for divorce in January) are still making Flip or Flop, which may have become even more popular thanks to interest in the real-real-life drama unfolding in the background. Everyone's a hindsight detective, right?
The breakup was all the more shocking because the El Moussas were in bed together in every sense of the word: They were both working as real estate agents when they met in the early '00s and they took a major lifestyle hit when the subprime mortgage bubble burst in 2008. But from what could have been financial ruin they instead built a successful house-flipping business, which ultimately led to HGTV stardom.
"They liked the fact that we were poor and were trying to make something of ourselves," Christina told the Orange County Register as she and Tarek geared up for the series premiere of Flip or Flop in 2013.
In 2016, Flip or Flop averaged 2.8 million viewers as the network's second most-watched show after Fixer Upper. No less than five franchise spin-offs are currently in the works with other duos at the helm.
Christina and Tarek also have two young children, daughter Taylor, 6, and son Brayden, 1 1/2, so of course their lives will also remain inextricably intertwined as they continue to co-parent.
But less than four months since news of their separation went public (which didn't happen until they'd had close to eight months to figure things out in private), Christina isn't wasting a minute of the life that has opened up for her since she took some time to grieve the end of her marriage.
Coming out of her shell might not be the exact metaphor, as Christina has been a poised and stylish HGTV star for awhile now, but it's fairly clear that she's ready for the next level of celebrity.
Which fits in with the narrative that arose when news of the El Moussas' split first broke, that part what came between them was that Christina wanted to take their brand to another level and Tarek—who had his own long journey back from battling both thyroid and testicular cancer—wasn't on board to grow the family business in that direction.
Reminiscent of when she and Tarek first started out, however, Christina still sees major possibility in the business of turning people's lives around—her own included.
"She is definitely exploring business opportunities with health and wellness," a source tells E! News, noting that any new ventures would be in addition to working on Flip or Flop. "She is putting her health and her family first right now."
As for how her day job is really going, the insider says that production on new episodes (the show's sixth season premiered Jan. 26) has been "totally fine and not awkward. She and Tarek have been continuing to work well together."
"We have so much fun on set and we look forward to continuing the show," Christina told Good Morning America as much in February. "We met at work so we worked together before we ever started dating."
After their breakup news went public in December, it was obvious that Christina and Tarek were more focused on their kids than anything else. Two days beforehand, Taylor and Brayden enjoyed a visit Santa, and a few days after the split Christina was at Taylor's school for a parent-child Christmas brunch. "nothing better than #momlife," she wrote alongside the pic—and that hasn't changed a bit.
"The kids are great. My son is literally like the happiest kid on the planet. He brings so much joy to our lives," Christina told E! News earlier this month at the All-Star Chef Classic in Los Angeles. "Taylor is amazing. She's feisty and funny. She's a very sweet, loving girl."
Mother and daughter have indeed been spending tons of quality time together, playing mini-golf (they practice on the putting green in the backyard), taking a trip to San Francisco, getting a new puppy for the house and, yes, even picking out tile together for Mom's work.
But because no inconsequential deed goes unpublished, Christina has now officially joined the ranks of the celebrity-mom world by catching heat on Instagram for an impromptu backyard photo shoot with Taylor in which both El Moussa ladies were wearing bikinis—one kid-size, one mom-size. She got an extra dose of backlash for good measure after she posted a picture of Taylor and some of her friends playing in the spa, with Brayden standing nearby (too close to the pool, according to some).
"It's a beach entry if he fell in it's only a foot high, he would be ok 2. It's not his first time in or around the pool,but thanks for your 'concern' aka judgment 3," Christina wrote back. "AND most importantly I am right there and could be to him in 3 seconds SMH at this .....!!!!"
Welcome to the spotlight, Christina.
As for the bikini pic backlash, a source tells E! News that Christina shrugged that one off, as "so many people have been really backing her up. The negative comments were so minimal compared to the positive response to the photos. She was just taking photos with her daughter—nothing scandalous about that."
On the flip side, of course, now everyone wants to know what Christina El Moussa is doing to look the way she does in a bikini.
For starters, she's a longtime lover of yoga, and lately she's also been doing one-hour classes at Orangetheory Fitness, which also counts Erin Andrews as a fan. Christina also works with a nutritionist, Cara Clark, and is going the five-meal-a-day, all-organic route.
"She has the kids eat very healthy at home" as well, the source adds.
So, should Christina should move more into the health and wellness market, she's practicing what she preaches—as one glance at her Instagram account also confirms.
The 33-year-old has also been getting her glam on recently, posing in a shoot for Walter Collection with photographer Damir K.—but we're told that she's not looking to go Hollywood.
"I've never seen Christina better," the insider added. "She's really concentrating on taking care of herself and her kids—she's not looking to walk red carpets. She's healthy and really happy. She took negative opportunities, turned them around, and made them positive ones. She wants to do well for others."
And while work and family could certainly account for all 24 hours of the day, Christina is open to new romance; however, despite being linked to NHL player Nate Thompson, she's not in a relationship with him.
"She's single at the moment," the source says. "Right now she's just focusing on herself and not really looking for anything. If she meets the right person eventually, of course she'll date him. But for now, she's just prioritizing herself and her kids."
Though according to a recent Instagram, she was boating with her adorable "boyfriend"...
Cashie the French bulldog, of course.
For more on Christina El Moussa's new world, tune into E! News tonight at 7 p.m.