Leah Messer is 31 and living her best life.
Nearly a year removed from her engagement to army officer Jaylan Mobley, "I needed that breakup," the Teen Mom star confessed in an exclusive interview with E! News. "I've learned a lot from my last breakup and, moving forward, I do feel like my life is just beginning."
Sure, she packed quite a bit into her first three decades. The 16 and Pregnant alum welcomed 13-year-old twins Aleeah and Aliannah with first husband Corey Simms while still in high school and 10-year-old Adalynn with her second spouse Jeremy Calvert, a delivery marred by complications that led to an eventual pain pill addiction.
After getting clean, she came clean about every last hardship she experienced, detailing everything from sexual abuse to suicidal thoughts in her unflinching 2020 memoir Hope, Grace, & Faith.
And yet, to borrow a turn of phrase from another MTV stalwart, the rest is still unwritten.
"Things are just always evolving and I'm always open to learning and growing," she explained. "And I think that breakup did exactly that. I needed the breakup to learn what I know now."
But viewers shouldn't expect her single girl era to have her swiping left on any upcoming episodes of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter.
"I don't want any distractions right now," she responded when asked about dating. "I'm just trying to make money, okay? And raise my daughters."
While Leah acknowledged that she hadn't "made the best financial decisions in the past," she's feeling pretty good about her choices when it comes to bringing up her girls.
Claiming a place on the sideline while, say, Aleeah earns a spot on her eighth grade cheer team or all three of her daughters ride away with equestrian ribbons, "I'm looking at a complete, better version of myself," she marveled. "And seeing everything that they love and enjoy doing, and being able to support them in their lives and be a part of it is magical. I love it. I love being a mom, especially a girl mama."
The last year, in particular, has been filled with moments to literally write home about.
A recent episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter saw Ali approach her mom about telling the story of receiving her muscular dystrophy diagnosis at age 4.
Now working on the project together, "We are excited," shared Leah. "Writing my book was a cathartic experience for me. It allowed me to identify and really take power of so much of my life and not be ashamed of so many things. I think that Ali is going to experience the same thing. And I think she's going to bring a sense of understanding to so many other kids that maybe don't understand muscular dystrophy or that we're not all made the same."
Nearly a decade after Ali's diagnosis had her parents fearing the worst-case scenarios, "Not only has she gotten stronger physically, she's also gotten stronger mentally," Leah raved, giving a lot of credit to her daughter's ongoing equine therapy. "It's given her purpose and I love being part of it with her."
Recent checkups have proven particularly promising, but Leah has worked to maintain a glass-half-full outlook during even the toughest points of Ali's journey.
"I think I'm always going to remain hopeful," she reasoned. "With Ali having muscular dystrophy, it is a degenerative, progressive disease. So we don't know what the future really looks like. But I know that we're going to enjoy every single moment now and continue to make memories and make the best of it."
Ultimately, she predicted, "I think that she will continue to defy the odds."
And despite her commitment to remaining single, Leah feels optimistic about her love life as well.
"I want companionship," she explained. But her immediate goals are her children and building up that nest egg. "I want to do better," she continued, referencing past financial missteps. "And when I'm complete in my life, then we'll see. But right now, I'm good. Stay away from me."
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs new episodes Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on MTV.