We Chat Divorce Podcast

What should you expect from your divorce attorney—and what questions can help you understand the strategy, costs, and decisions ahead? Family law attorney Josh Northam joins Karen Chellew, Legal Liaison, and Catherine Shanahan, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, to explore how to build a productive working relationship with your attorney. Drawing on his Texas practice, Josh discusses the differe...

What do two divorce professionals wish they had known before their own divorces? Even with backgrounds in law and financial planning, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan discovered that divorce decisions can have financial and legal consequences long after an agreement is signed. In Part 2 of our three-part Divorce Clarity Guide series, the co-founders of My Divorce Solution celebrate 10 years of...

Why can leaving an abusive relationship feel so difficult—even when you know you have been hurt? Dr. Nadine Macaluso returns to We Chat Divorce to join Karen Chellew, Legal Liaison, and Catherine Shanahan, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, for a conversation about trauma bonds, coercive control, and rebuilding trust in yourself. Drawing on her lived experience and work as a therapist, Dr. Nadin...

“I just want this to be over.” If you’ve felt that way during divorce, you’re not alone. But before you agree to a settlement, do you understand what it could mean for your everyday life—and your financial future? In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew, Legal Liaison, and Catherine Shanahan, CDFA®, kick off a three-part series exploring the Divorce Clarity Guide in celebration of My Div...

In a blended family, an argument about parenting or money can carry deeper questions: Do I belong here? Does my voice matter? Are we still on the same team? Licensed marriage and family therapist and blended family expert April Eldemire joins Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan to explore the emotional challenges of stepfamily life—and how those challenges can influence financial decisions before...

A settlement can look equal on paper and still leave you wondering how you’ll pay the bills. In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan walk through a hypothetical couple’s proposed division of $2 million in assets. Each person receives $1 million—but one keeps the house while the other receives most of the retirement savings. What will each need to live on after the...

Why is it so hard to leave a relationship that hurts you—and how can you begin preparing when fear and financial uncertainty keep you stuck? Before Dr. Nadine Macaluso returns to We Chat Divorce for a new conversation, we’re revisiting our interview from last year about trauma bonds, financial control, and rebuilding trust in yourself. A therapist, author of Run Like Hell, and former wife of “The...

When a business is part of a divorce, determining what it is worth is only the beginning. The company may also be a marital asset, a source of household income and the employer paying expenses for the family. Each of these roles can affect the financial outcome for both spouses. In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan explain why business decisions should never be...

What happens when the life you planned suddenly falls apart—and you have to decide what comes next? Three years after her first appearance on We Chat Divorce, bestselling author, filmmaker, and creator Gabrielle Stone returns to share how heartbreak, solo travel, and honest self-reflection transformed her life. After discovering her husband’s affair and experiencing another devastating breakup sho...

Financial agreements are often viewed as a way for one person to protect their assets from the other. But a prenup, postnup or separation agreement can begin with a more constructive question: What are we trying to accomplish financially? In this episode of the We Chat Divorce Podcast’s Divorce Explored series, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan challenge the traditional mindset surrounding fina...

The divorce may be final—or still unfolding—but your mind and body may remain stuck in survival mode. In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan welcome back Jackie Miller, certified trauma-informed coach, author, speaker, and host of Out of Crazy Town: Your Guide to Divorcing a Narcissist. Jackie shares insights from her new book, Winning: Rewiring Your Brain and You...

Should you keep the house in your divorce — or sell it? Your realtor can give you an answer. But excellent real estate advice can still be a costly divorce mistake. In this episode of Divorce Explored, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan use the marital home — one of the most common and emotional decisions in divorce — to expose a bigger problem they call "professional silos": your realtor, accou...

Divorce can make even the most confident person question every decision. When fear, conflicting advice, and financial uncertainty take over, how do you determine what is truly right for you? Divorce can make even the most confident person question every decision. When fear, conflicting advice, and financial uncertainty take over, how do you determine what is truly right for you? In this episode of...

One missing financial document could change the outcome of a divorce—but spending thousands tracing an account that once held only a few hundred dollars may not. So how do you know when you have enough reliable information to mediate, negotiate, or sign a settlement agreement? In this Divorce Explored episode, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan explain how to build a clear picture of your marita...

Most people assume divorce means everything splits 50/50. In most of the country, that's not how the law works — and learning it mid-process can cost you dearly. In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan sit down with Jessica Fagan, founder of Fagan Law Group, an Atlanta-based family law firm focused on complex divorce, custody, and high-asset family matters. Jessica...

Someone tells you to move money out of the joint account. Someone else says stop depositing your paycheck. Your attorney raises temporary orders. Each piece of advice may sound reasonable on its own — but divorce decisions rarely stand alone. In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan break down why making major financial decisions based on one conversation, one profe...

In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan sit down with Chicago family law attorney Jessica Marshall for a candid conversation about what really protects you during divorce — and where people often put themselves at risk without realizing it. Jessica shares an attorney’s perspective on why clients sometimes leave good lawyers, how poor communication can derail trust,...

Is inherited money really "yours" in a divorce? Not necessarily — and the details of how that money was handled can make or break your case. In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan tackle one of the most misunderstood topics in later-in-life divorce: inheritance. Sparked by a recent Business Insider article on how baby boomer divorce is "rerouting inheritance" and...

Is what you’re experiencing actually gaslighting? In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan sit down with narcissistic abuse expert Tracy Malone — author of Divorcing Your Narcissist — to answer that question with real examples, practical tools, and language you can use right now. Tracy explains what gaslighting actually looks like in practice — not just the definiti...

After 200 episodes and a decade of helping thousands of individuals navigate one of life’s most difficult transitions, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan step back from the typical divorce topic to explore the deeper patterns they have witnessed over the last 10 years. The biggest realization? Divorce was never only about divorce. It has always been about clarity. Too often, the financial discon...

When people think about divorce, they often assume they can just "choose" an uncontested process. But what most people don't realize is that uncontested divorce requires more than goodwill — it requires preparation, financial transparency, and a clear understanding of your legal rights. Without that foundation, the most well-intentioned divorces can quickly become expensive, adversarial, and emoti...

A divorce settlement agreement may be the most important document you'll sign during your divorce—and one of the least understood. In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan unpack what a Divorce Settlement Agreement (also known as a Marital Settlement Agreement or MSA) actually covers, why so many costly mistakes happen at this stage, and how to protect yourself befo...

If divorce is something you've been thinking about — even quietly, even just as a possibility — this episode is for you. Karen and Catherine sit down with Cindy Stibbard, certified relationship and divorce coach and creator of the Relationship Audit, to explore what it looks like to approach one of life's hardest decisions with intention, preparation, and clarity rather than fear or reaction. Too...

Divorce mediation, settlement conferences, and court-mandated hearings are among the most searched — and most misunderstood — steps in the divorce process. People want to know what to bring, what happens in the room, and what it means if things don’t settle. But there’s a critical piece most people miss: mediation is not the place to discover you don’t have the documents, don’t understand the numb...

What happens when silence becomes survival? In this deeply personal and powerful episode of My Divorce Solution’s We Chat Divorce, co-founders Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan sit down with licensed psychotherapist, relationship expert, and author Colette Jane Fehr for a conversation about emotional suppression, financial vulnerability, and the hidden cost of staying quiet in marriage and divo...