The Bachelor alum Clayton Echard has opened up about his "restart" following his split from Susie Evans.
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Although Susie and Clayton fell in love, they realized they weren't compatible and needed to work on themselves before being able to fully invest in a relationship -- and so they announced their breakup in late September.
"I'm with my brother right now [in Scottsdale, AZ]," Clayton revealed on the latest episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast co-hosted by Becca Kufrin and Michelle Young.
"I'm bumming with my brother until I can buy a house in the next month or two... I'm finishing my real estate license and then I'll be out of here -- and out of [his] hair -- soon."
Clayton recalled how he moved from Virginia Beach -- where he had briefly lived with Susie after The Bachelor wrapped -- to Scottsdale shortly after the world found out he's single again.
Clayton gushed about how the weather is great and he loves to go hiking where he lives.
"It's awesome... For it to be 70 degrees in December is ridiculous. I'm used to Missouri," Clayton said, referring to how he's originally from Eureka, MO.
The former football player and medical sales representative shared, "I feel like coming out here really forced this reset in my mind. I thought the second I hit the ground and I landed in Scottsdale that this is a new chapter in my life."
Speaking of "new chapter," Clayton is currently writing a book on what he learned and gained from his time on The Bachelor -- including maintaining mental health and a positive body image.
"I said, 'Going forward, with all these things I've experienced, I'm going to come to terms with them -- the good and the bad -- and take whatever I can and find the silver linings,'" Clayton explained.
"I [told myself] to move forward and stop looking back and trying to change what you can't change, at this point. All I can change is my mind; I can't change the actions... So moving really helped me get in that mind space, where I was like, 'It's a fresh start.'"
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Clayton told Becca and Michelle that he's doing what he loves and has found a good balance in his life, although there's "still some uncertainty" in his career.
"I struggled post-show with my identity, like, 'Who do I need to be?'" Clayton shared, adding how he posts on social media what he's "passionate about," even if it means he loses followers.
Although Clayton is single and almost ready to date again, he recently told fans in an Instagram Q&A that he still checks in with Susie from time to time and they are "friends" now.
"I love her and I love her family. I wish her nothing but the best. She is an incredible woman and is going to make someone extremely happy one day," Clayton said.
Clayton said instead of looking for love, he's been focusing on bettering himself and others.
"I'm currently chasing my passions of speaking on mental health nationally, impacting others through online personal training, and using my platform to share resources to help others with their struggles," Clayton explained.
Clayton said he is "happier" than he's ever been "in a long time," adding, "Life is good!"
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Clayton chose Scottsdale as his new home, and Susie considered relocating to Los Angeles.
Although Susie never officially made the move, she will be settling down in L.A. in January 2023.
"It's really hard because when we first broke up... my first initial feeling was, like, I felt abandoned -- that was my first feeling," Clayton admitted in a joint appearance with Susie on the "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast in early October.
"I was like, 'We're just going to end this.' I was upset. I didn't even want to look in her direction because I was like: If I look at you, the hurt is gonna tear me apart."
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Clayton and Susie explained how they broke up because neither person felt stable or fully emotionally supported in the relationship due to their insecurities and outside pressure from Bachelor Nation to be a perfect couple.
Clayton shared how it felt nearly impossible to pour into his relationship with Susie when he didn't even know what he wanted out of life and where his future was headed.
The couple also confirmed how dealing with negativity from Bachelor Nation -- including death threats sent to Clayton -- was a big factor in why they had issues and ultimately parted ways.
"I was trying to figure out what my next step was [and] I started questioning who I was because of all the negativity," Clayton said.
He added, "I started to believe some of what was being said about me. And I now look back at it and realize, like, I couldn't be that stable, secure man that I needed to be to really be able to give my all in a relationship."
Clayton said he felt the need to rehab his image and please others, all the while trying to get over death threats and handle problems in his relationship, such as wrongly being accused of cheating on Susie.
When Susie and Clayton announced their breakup in a September 23 statement, they wrote, "We stand in support of each other and hope to see the other go on to find happiness and healing. Although Claysie is no more, we hope that our communities can support us individually as we move forward with love and respect for each other."
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"There are things private to us that we will probably never talk about... and I think that's healthy and protects our mental health and what we have struggled with... We want to respect each other's boundaries," Susie said on "Off the Vine."
But Clayton also teased there was a possibility he and Susie may get back together down the road.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
