Divorce Coaches Academy

Beyond Being Heard: Children’s Voices and the PARENT Framework How do we make room for children’s voices in divorce without asking them to choose sides or carry responsibility for adult decisions? In this episode, Tracy Callahan explores the difference between asking children what they think and helping them feel heard. Drawing on research discussed by Dr. Michael Saini, she considers how parents...

For years, Collaborative Practice has recognized the value of a dedicated divorce coaching role on the interdisciplinary team, but eligibility was largely limited to professionals licensed with a mental health background. Professionally trained divorce coaches were trusted by collaborative lawyers and supported families through the process every day, yet they couldn’t formally take a seat at the t...

Conflict Resolution Week usually spotlights processes: mediation, negotiation, collaborative practice. But every process depends on the people in it. In this episode, Tracy Callahan, MA, ADRDC, founder of Divorce Coaches Academy®, celebrates the professionals who work with the individual inside the dispute: divorce coaches. In this episode: Why divorce coaching is conflict resolution work, not “ju...

A disagreement about pickup times, schedule changes, or activities can become a position a parent defends for years. What can divorce coaches do earlier to help parents navigate those moments more thoughtfully? In this episode, Tracy Callahan draws on her work in divorce coaching and parenting coordination to explore how unresolved concerns become entrenched positions—and how coaches can help clie...

Knowing you need to handle conflict differently doesn’t always mean knowing how. In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® podcast, Tracy Callahan explores how divorce coaches help clients develop practical skills for navigating conflict, from pausing before responding and examining assumptions to making clear requests and evaluating difficult decisions. Through relatable examples and though...

What does it really take to build a divorce coaching practice, before the referrals are consistent, the calendar is full, or the results fully reflect the effort? In this episode, Tracy Callahan speaks with DCA® Certified ADR Divorce Coach Karen Yurack, founder of White Oak Divorce Coaching. Karen launched her North Carolina-based practice after more than 19 years as a family law paralegal, bringi...

“You have to love your children more than you hate your ex.” It’s a familiar phrase, but what does it offer a parent who believes the fight with their co-parent is  for  their child? In this solo episode, Tracy Callahan explores how blame can become a lens through which every missed message, changed plan, or difficult exchange seems to confirm the worst about the other parent. For divorce coaches...

Should parents stay together for the kids, or are we asking the wrong question? In this episode, Tracy Callahan explores what children need when a marriage is struggling. Drawing on comments from  Real Housewives of New York City  star Sai de Silva and a Census Bureau working paper examining children’s long-term outcomes after divorce, Tracy considers the financial, emotional, and practical conseq...

In this episode, Tracy Callahan explores the growing use of AI in divorce and co-parenting communication and asks an important question: Are we simply improving the communication, or are we developing the communicator? AI can help clients draft better responses, reduce escalation and think through difficult interactions, but it can also become a substitute for developing the skills needed to navig...

Knowing what you want before divorce mediation may sound like good preparation. But when a client enters mediation committed to one specific outcome, with no ability to explore alternatives, that certainty can make negotiation more difficult. In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast, Tracy Callahan explores “the proposal problem” and why being ready to attend mediation is not the sa...

Financial decisions made during divorce can affect your life for decades. Yet many people enter the process without fully understanding their assets, expenses, retirement accounts, tax considerations, or what their financial life may look like after the divorce is final. In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast, host Debra Doak is joined by Alyssa Miller, CFP®, CDFA®, CDC®, CLTC®, a...

Should I get a divorce? It’s a simple question that can carry months—or even years—of uncertainty, fear, grief, guilt, frustration, and competing priorities. In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast, host Tracy Callahan explores the internal conflict that often begins long before a divorce petition is filed, a parenting plan is created, or a couple enters mediation. For conflict-inf...

In divorce, “fair” can feel like the finish line but an agreement that looks balanced on paper can still create financial strain, parenting stress, and ongoing conflict in real life. On this week's podcast, Debra Doak explores why fairness alone isn’t enough and introduces the FAIR model, a practical coaching framework for evaluating whether a divorce agreement is truly sustainable: F — Feasible:...

In this thought provoking episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast, Tracy Callahan is joined by Nikki Bould, Director of Education and Development for Divorce Coaches Academy New Zealand, to explore a simple but powerful question: What if we designed the family dispute resolution system today instead of inheriting the one we have? Together, they challenge traditional assumptions about divor...

Why do clients keep reacting in ways they regret, even when they know better? In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast, Tracy Callahan speaks with conflict expert, mediator, DCA® Certified ADR Divorce Coach, and author Masha Rusanov about the unconscious patterns that keep people trapped in recurring divorce and co-parenting conflict. Masha introduces the Exhale, Explore, Engage® fr...

What if reducing co-parenting conflict does not require both parents to cooperate? In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast, Tracy Callahan welcomes Crystal Fisher, founder and executive director of Parenting with Grace, author of Protected and Connected , parenting educator, and DCA® Certified ADR Divorce Coach. Together, they challenge the belief that successful co-parenting requi...

What makes divorce coaching a profession worthy of public trust? Inspired by America’s 250th anniversary, Tracy Callahan reflects on the founding principles that can guide divorce coaching as it grows around the world. She explores why the profession must be grounded in self determination, ethical practice, informed decision making, interdisciplinary collaboration, and respect for the limits of th...

What happens when a mental health professional finds herself navigating betrayal, manipulation, and a high conflict breakup? In this powerful episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast , Debra Doak sits down with licensed professional counselor, behavioral health executive, speaker, and author Connie Crowe to discuss the realities of recovering from a relationship with a high conflict, manipu...

Who Are You Beyond the Divorce? Finding Identity, Purpose, and Peace with Susan Filan Divorce changes more than legal status. It challenges identity, disrupts certainty, and forces people to ask one of life's hardest questions: Who am I now? In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast, Tracy Callahan sits down with attorney, ADR Divorce Coach®, and Heroic Divorce founder Susan Filan. A...

In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast, Debra Doak is joined by her former client, Dianne Harris, relationship coach, speaker, and author of her memoir, "Love Bomb: He Sold Her a Dream and Delivered a Nightmare." Dianne shares her personal experience navigating an emotionally abusive relationship, high-conflict divorce, and the confusion, overwhelm, and emotional whiplash that oft...

As divorce coaching continues to grow across Canada, more professionals from adjacent fields—including family law, mediation, financial services, mental health, and life coaching—are incorporating divorce coaching into their practices. But as the profession expands, important questions are emerging: What is divorce coaching? What competencies should clients expect? How do we distinguish education...

In this thought-provoking episode, Tracy Callahan explores a question that surfaces repeatedly in divorce coaching but is rarely asked directly: What are people really seeking when they want an apology, acknowledgement, or explanation from their former partner? Inspired by the public conversation surrounding a bestselling memoir about marriage and betrayal, Tracy examines why so many people become...

When clients ask, "What should I do?" they are often seeking more than answers—they are seeking relief from uncertainty, fear, and overwhelm. In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy Podcast, Tracy Callahan is joined by family law attorney, mediator, and divorce coach Lauren Fair to explore one of the most common and ethically nuanced questions divorce professionals encounter. Together, they...

What happens when helping actually gets in the way of healing? In this powerful episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy Podcast®, Tracy Callahan is joined by somatic experiencing practitioner, certified mental health coach, Michelle Browning for a profound conversation about the shift from correction to capacity in divorce coaching. Together, they explore why rushing to fix, solve, or “move clients...

In This Episode Cindy shares: How The Mother Lode evolved from writing about motherhood into writing about divorce and separation The emotional process of realizing a marriage is over The moment she finally decided to leave her marriage What it feels like to navigate a high-conflict divorce How divorce coaching differs from therapy and legal representation Why many women struggle to answer the que...