As Kelly Clarkson looks back on what a crazy year 2020 was, she’s giving fans some insight into the personal struggles that made it that much more difficult. While it was definitely tough, it seems like one of the lowest points of the year for her—divorcing her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock—has actually made her stronger by teaching the singer an important lesson about personal growth.

On Tuesday, November 24, on her talk show, Clarkson read the prompt, “I‘m grateful in 2020 for the lesson I learned about...” before finishing it with her own response, “myself.” After that, she went on to give a more in-depth explanation, which hinted at a possible reason why she decided to divorce Brandon this summer.

“Even at 38, I feel like I‘m always changing and progressing in a good sense, in a good way. And I always want to make sure I’m being the best version of myself,” Kelly told viewers. She went on to say that her mom, Jeanne, gave her some priceless advice that she‘s kept close to her heart during such a difficult time.

“My mom has been telling me since I was a kid: You are who you surround yourself with,” Kelly said, quoting her mother. “You want to make sure you‘re surrounded by people that also want to be the best versions of themselves and also want a good common goal for everyone, not just themselves, right?”

She continued, saying, “People, like, could be bad for you in a certain time. And I think that everybody just goes, ‘Oh, well that means they’re bad.’ Well it doesn’t necessarily mean that, it just means that you’re on different paths. And I think that that’s okay. Everybody’s on a different learning curve.”

Clarkson and Blackstock got married in 2013 and share 6-year-old daughter River Rose and 4-year-old son Remington Alexander together. Back in September, TheKelly Clarkson Show host told fans that her children are the reason she wouldn‘t be “truly open” about her breakup, in an effort to protect them.

“I’m a mama bear and my kids come first,” she said, following news of her divorce going public.

While Kelly admitted in the season premiere episode of her show that she ”didn‘t see” her divorce coming, she did acknowledge that “2020 has brought a lot of change also to my personal life,” also describing the split as the “worst thing ever.”