Trying to restore her to glory!

This fiddle leaf fig has been surviving passively for years, and after losing my cat I am trying to redirect my grief into rejuvenating it. I’m new to houseplant care and have been doing a ton of research.

Repotted a little less than a month ago into fresh soil, with some perlite and touch of compost into a slightly smaller pot. I snipped the jiffy pod around the small, tight root ball. I scrubbed off the rust coloured mold(?)/fungus(?) around the base of the stem, which was exposed. It hasn’t come back. I water when the top inch and a bit when dry. I moved it closer to the southwest facing window, which at the moment is the only cat-safe spot for it. I live in a climate that is whack (-35C to +35C in eight weeks or less) so I don’t want to put her outside.

I am attached to this plant for reasons I should probably work out in therapy. So I am very hesitant to experiment with propping. The leaves on each stem are soooo close together I’m not confident in my ability to make the right cut. I did a few notches but am unsure if I did them right as the plants in all the videos I watched looked vastly different in the stems.

What can I do for her? Note the twist tie is loose and just to separate the small stem as the leave touching the medium stem is turning brown at the contact point. I can add more photos of the nodes, the new growths, whatever! Thanks so much in advance 💕