Divorce Dialogues

If your identity is wrapped up in being a wife, a mother and a corporate executive, what happens if you lose your job? Or your kids leave the nest? Or you get a divorce? In the year leading up to her 50th birthday, all three of those things happened to Jennifer Arthurton at once. And the future seemed like a big black hole. But then Jennifer realized she had much wisdom and experience to share, an...

When it comes to money management, many married women either defer to their partners or work out a financial division of labor. But the paradigm shifts if you’re getting a divorce. And you may be insecure in your ability to manage money on your own for the first time. So, how do you overcome the confidence gap and build a successful financial life for yourself post-divorce? Harvard Business School...

So, you’d like to take the high road in your divorce, but you’re afraid you’ll get screwed in the process. If you ask Andy Heller, that is a flawed way to look at things. In fact, he contends that there’s a positive correlation between conflict and cost in divorce. And you can save money and protect your health and wellbeing by letting some things go and incorporating empathy into actions that aff...

Divorce is scary, especially if you're not confident in your ability to manage money independently. But what if the end of your marriage is not the financial Armageddon you fear? What if it's actually an opportunity to take control of your financial future? David Stolz is a certified public accountant, personal financial specialist and certified divorce financial analyst. David has more than 20 ye...

If you’re in the process of getting a divorce, you’ve probably had enough with lawyers. So, why should you consider hiring yet another attorney? Because if you fail to enlist the help of a lawyer who specializes in estate planning and asset protection, your ex-spouse will have the power to make important decisions about your life. Decisions you no longer trust them to make. Asset Protection Advoca...

It’s easy to blame your exes for failed relationships. And believe that if you could just FIND the right partner, then you’d have lasting love. But what if you need to BE the right partner in order to build a great relationship? Roy Biancalana is a certified relationship coach and a nationally recognized expert in the field of attraction and conscious relationships. For the last 15 years, Roy has...

Assisted reproductive technology has dramatically changed the concept of family. And it wasn’t until the Child-Parent Security Act (CPSA) went into effect that the law in New York finally caught up with how children are being conceived. But what happens if the parents of a child conceived with assisted reproduction get divorced? Denise Seidelman is Cofounder of Rumbold and Seidelman, a firm specia...

Divorce makes most people feel isolated and alone. But what if you had a friend going through the process at the same time? Someone to lean on for support and share your experiences? Jessica Klingbaum and T.H. Irwin went through a divorce at the same time, and that shared experience inspired the two friends to found exEXPERTS, a vetted online resource and community for women navigating divorce. Pr...

Divorce can often be the impetus for changing the way we parent into a new child-centered approach. Dr. Julie Verner is a clinical psychologist specializing in parenting and family life, including divorce and family transitions. As a married mother of four, she brings compassion and understanding to her professional work and a passion for raising and loving the little people in our lives. Besides...

How do you learn to share your children with someone you no longer love, trust, or get along with? And how do you handle other people's expectations of you and your situation in divorce? Michelle Dempsey-Multack is a genuine girl power enthusiast. She's also a divorced, remarried mom & stepmom who is co-parenting with her daughter's father. The host of the popular Mom's Moving On podcast, Mich...

Divorce is never easy, and when there is a child with special needs involved, it can be even more challenging. Families need support and information to navigate the complexities of special needs divorces to reach the best possible outcome with as little time, money, and stress invested as possible. Marianne Hughes is the proud mother of two sons on the opposite ends of the autism spectrum. After h...

We've all heard of prenuptial agreements, those agreements signed by the marrying parties before the wedding. But what about postnuptial agreements? They may be rare, but they can be just as valuable. Many people don't understand that marriage is a legally binding contractual obligation. There are built-in legal requirements for support and property division within this contract, based on your sta...

“In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”—Benjamin Franklin When you are getting divorced your taxes are probably not the first thing on your mind, but as Benjamin Franklin said in his famous quote taxes remain even when a marriage ends. Taxes are never an easy topic to discuss but there are many tax implications divorcing couples should address, especially if children or alimony...

Divorce is a very complicated and emotional process on its own. It becomes even harder when we start separating the money. Dividing marital funds during a divorce may seem daunting, but there are plenty of things you can learn to make the process as smooth as possible. Shara Goldfarb is a family law attorney with the Miller Law Group and a certified divorce financial analyst. On this episode of Di...

Has your divorce left you exhausted and longing to get away from it all? When a marriage ends, most people are physically and emotionally drained. After all the chaos, a week zoning out on a beach in the sun somewhere sounds just about perfect. But what if you could combine a relaxing retreat with intentional practices designed to help you process your feelings? After her divorce, Annie Allen shif...

What can the 12 Step Divorce Recovery Program teach you, and who benefits the most? No matter if the decision to divorce was yours or not, when a marriage ends, everyone involved suffers. With emotions at their peak, it is easy to be hijacked by the conflict trap and lose focus on what is important. But there is another way. Karen McMahon is a Certified Relationship and Divorce Coach and Founder o...

Divorce is hard. The emotions of the breakup colliding with the legal business is a lot for people to manage mentally. What’s really complicated is when people get too wrapped up in their divorce and fail to see their children’s pain. But what is the best way to talk to children about divorce? What do they struggle with the most throughout the separation process? Ann Papayoti is an international l...

Why is it that some friendships don’t survive divorce? When a marriage ends, some friends feel like they have to take sides. Others are overwhelmed and simply don’t know what to say. But if you’re willing to move through a little awkwardness, you can keep the friendships that matter to you after a divorce. Terry Gaspard, MSW, LICSW, is a licensed therapist with an expertise in supporting children,...

Divorce can be extremely depleting and a time where most people find their self esteem to be at its lowest. Though, it can also be an opportunity to become the best version of ourselves. So, how can we get back to feeling good for ourselves after a divorce? Carol Davidson is a seasoned and certified image consultant, life coach, speaker, and educator who has helped thousands of people over the las...

You can be in a relationship without settling for a boring life and sacrificing your desire for stability and depth of connection. Instead, there are ways to bring a creative approach to your relationship and life as a whole, resulting in years of love and happiness. Dr. Joli Hamilton is a relationship coach, research psychologist, TEDx speaker, and AASECT certified sex educator who coaches people...

Everyone has a different experience with divorce and different ways of working through the process. But we can learn from each other’s experiences and lean on seasoned divorce professionals to survive the process and even thrive in the aftermath of divorce. An accomplished journalist with a 25-year career covering news and entertainment, Ilyssa Panitz combined her personal and professional experie...

Self-criticism is a natural response to divorce. But it’s not particularly helpful. In fact, it’s harder to learn from a place of shame and judgement, whereas self-compassion helps us cope more effectively and make better choices moving forward. A pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, Dr. Kristin Neff currently serves as Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University o...

The holidays are a particularly challenging time for divorced parents. How do we navigate our own feelings of loss without passing that heartache onto our children? Can we create new traditions and still make the holidays a magical time for our kids? Dr. Kathryn Smerling is an educator and psychologist with a PhD from Fordham University and master's from Cornell. She started her career as an early...

Are you dreaming of having your day in divorce court? Of exposing your spouse’s misbehavior to a sympathetic judge? Of winning the case and being rewarded financially? Then you are going to be sorely disappointed. The truth is, the court system cares little about your spouse’s wrongdoing. And the cost of litigation (in terms of money and mental health) far outweighs any potential reward. So, what...

Technology makes it easy for divorcing couples to express their anger and frustration without thinking. They engage in text warfare and even post disparaging comments on social media. But if the goal is to divorce with dignity, the way you communicate matters. So, what can you do to be less reactive and work through the entire process in a measured way? Paulette Gloria Rigo is the founder of Bette...