Divorce Dialogues

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...

When the marriage of a high-profile, celebrity couple comes to an end, there are complexities that make it very different from your average divorce. On the other hand, a divorce is a divorce—regardless of the net worth of the people involved. So, how is a high-profile divorce similar to any other divorce? And how is it different? Harriet Newman Cohen and Martha Cohen Stine are the mother-daughter...

For most stay-at-home parents, identity gets wrapped up in their kids. So, what happens when they divorce? How do former stay-at-home moms and dads figure out who they are on their own? Christine Pittman is the Founder of Cook the Story, one of the top-ranked food blogs in the world. She moved from Canada to the US in 2010 with her now ex-husband and started her food blog as a hobby while she was...

It is challenging to take the emotion out of discussions about money, especially in the divorce process. But if you can sit down and look at your finances objectively, it’s easier to make good decisions around who gets what and how to plan for the future. Jonathan Satovsky is the CEO and Chief Behavioral Coach at Satovsky Asset Management, an investment management firm that promotes a mindful appr...

Pets are not property, nor are they quite the same as human children. So, how do you decide who gets to keep the dog in a divorce? And what if you have more than one animal? How do you do what’s best for your pets and the people involved? Karis Nafte is the Pet Custody Specialist and Certified Family Mediator behind Who Keeps the Dog, a consulting practice that helps families with their pets throu...

Equitable distribution of property is the goal in a divorce. But how, exactly, does the appraisal process work? How do appraisers determine the value of a divorcing couple’s assets and help them avoid disputes around property distribution? Charles Rosoff is President of Appraisal Services Associates, a firm that provides forensic valuations of fine art, antiques, decorative arts as well as residen...

Kids don’t get a say in whether or not their parents divorce. And yet, it’s often the children who bear the brunt of the disruption. One strategy for minimizing the upheaval in your kids’ lives is a parenting arrangement known as birdnesting. But what does a successful nesting plan look like? And how do divorcing couples navigate this kind of arrangement successfully? Dr. Ann Buscho is a licensed...

Just because someone may have a high net worth, doesn’t always mean they are good with their money or have ‘enough’ to feasibly survive on, in the grand scheme of things. Their expenses, assets, investments, or lack thereof, and whether or not they are really going to be able to support their lifestyle over the term of the owner’s life, all need to be taken into consideration. It’s not just the qu...

How do you negotiate with someone who has to be right? If you’re divorcing a narcissist, you know that they simply can’t see things from someone else’s point of view. So, how do you come to an equitable divorce agreement? And is mediation an appropriate option for divorcing a narcissist? Brian James is the founder of CEL & Associates, a mediation practice with offices throughout Chicagoland an...

After 24 years of marriage, Diane’s husband - who also happened to be her colleague as a sitcom writer- left her for another, younger woman. Frustrated and alone, she sought resources to ease her pain and found refuge in books and blogs. However, recognizing that very little literature spoke to her directly – as a woman over 50 – Diane began using her unique voice to connect with other women throu...

Divorce puts you at the intersection of what was and what will be. And while you will feel anger and sadness in the process, what you do with those feelings is up to you. Will you get stuck in those negative emotions and let them drive you? Or will you take advantage of this opportunity to reassess who you want to be and grow into your Best Self? Robin Gardner is the Certified Divorce Coach and Ce...