The Divorce Survival Guide Podcast

If you've been in a narcissistic, emotionally abusive, or coercively controlling relationship, you may think you're alone in your confusion and trauma. After working with thousands of women, however, I can assure you that abusers are all operating out of the same playbook. The gaslighting, the love bombing, the silent treatment? The patterns are actually completely predictable. It's called the Abu...

Why are women's health concerns still being dismissed and what can we do about it? The healthcare system was not built for women. For many of us, especially in midlife, our health concerns are dismissed, misunderstood, or flat-out ignored. And when you're navigating the storm of divorce at the same time as perimenopause or menopause? It can feel like you're unraveling.  I'm joined by Phoenix Risin...

Have you ever felt like if you don't do it, it just won't get done? Like the relationship, the parenting, the emotional glue that holds everything together is your job? You might be an overfunctioning woman and this episode is your loving (but no-nonsense) invitation to finally let it go. I'm joined by Dr. Ashley Southard, a licensed marriage and family therapist with over two decades of experienc...

I'm joined once again by Laurie James for a conversation that bridges nervous system healing, somatic experiencing, and attachment work. If you've ever felt overwhelmed or disconnected in relationships, this episode will help you understand why and what to do about it. Laurie isn't just a coach and author, she's someone who's done the deep work to regulate her nervous system after divorce and hear...

The brilliant Tracy Otsuka is back on the show for another rich conversation about why ADHD so often gets misdiagnosed (or completely missed) in women, how trauma can mimic or amplify ADHD symptoms, and what you can actually do to function and advocate for yourself if you're dealing with either (or both) during divorce. We also dig into the very real challenges of trying to function while your bra...

On today's episode we're talking about the complex issue of cryptocurrency and divorce, and to help unpack it, I brought in Chris Groshong. Chris made the leap from biotech to fintech when he founded CoinStructive back in 2015. Since then he's worked for crypto financial institutions and has helped hundreds of people track down crypto lost to scams, hacks, and yes, hidden in divorce. If crypto fee...

Today we're talking about something that doesn't get nearly enough airtime: how older kids and adult children experience and process divorce. Whether they're in high school, college, or fully grown, your children still need you to show up as a parent. Today, I'm joined by the one and only Christina McGhee to unpack the complexities of divorcing when your kids aren't little anymore. In this episode...

Today on the podcast I'm talking with Tamara Frankfort Odinec and Shari Joseph, the brilliant creators behind My Next Chapter, a new expert-led digital platform designed to support people through every stage of divorce with guidance, community, and curated content. What started as two women trying to find clarity in their own divorces has become a full-fledged resource hub with everything they wis...

This episode is a fun twist. Alyssa Dineen of Style My Profile and Jennie Young of Burned Haystack Dating Method are back, but this time they're interviewing me. I'm in the hot seat as we dive into how their work completely shifted my experience re-entering the dating world, what I did differently this time, and how I met my partner, Ethan. I was done with dating. D.O.N.E. I was perfectly content...

My friend and colleague Tony Overbay is back, and we're unpacking one of the most transformative concepts in relational healing: differentiation. At its core, differentiation is the ability to say, "This is who I am" and to stay rooted in your identity, beliefs, and emotions, even when others might pressure you to conform. It's about holding onto yourself while staying connected to others, without...

When you've finally left a toxic marriage and your kids, especially adult kids, have spent years steeped in that same environment, the guilt can be crushing. You wonder: How do I help them heal? How do I set them up for success when I feel like I already failed them? Dr. Alexandra Solomon is back, and we're getting into the deep stuff: parenting through regret, healing alongside our kids, and what...

Beverly Engel is back, and I'm so grateful to talk with someone who's spent decades helping people break free from trauma-driven relationship patterns. If you've ever felt stuck in the same story - same red flags, different partner - you're not alone. In this episode, Beverly brings clarity to the messy, courageous work of breaking free and putting your past in your past. Beverly is a renowned psy...

Valerie Jones joins me for a powerful conversation about something so many of us need to hear: redefining what it truly means to be selfish. Valerie is a life coach, host of The Selfish Woman Podcast , and the author of the upcoming book The Selfish Year: The Power of Choosing Yourself , hitting shelves in September 2025. In our conversation, Valerie shares the transformative experience of her own...

If you're stuck in endless loops with a high-conflict ex, Brook Olsen wants you to stop expecting them to change, and start changing how you respond. Brook is a Certified Parenting Educator, Divorce Coach, and author of The Black Hole of High Conflict. In this conversation, we get real about what happens when you stop feeding the conflict, why parallel parenting is often the only way forward, and...

April Worthington is a teacher, mother of five, minister, and author of The Debriefing Workbook: Hope and Healing after Spiritual Abuse . In this conversation, April shares her experience involving a retreat led by Lundy Bancroft, author of Why Does He Do That? , a book many of us have clung to in our darkest moments. April's story isn't just one of personal harm, it's a call to action.  As a surv...

Dr. Kerry McAvoy returns to talk about what it means to heal from narcissistic abuse. Not just from an intellectual standpoint, but healing your nervous system, in your relationships, and in your relationship to yourself. Healing is not quick, it's not tidy, and it's definitely not linear. Dr. Kerry and I talk about how women have been conditioned to serve, to disappear, to manage the emotions of...

Finding a partner after divorce can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. This week's guest, Jennie Young, suggests a bold alternative - burn the haystack . Jennie is the creator of Burned Haystack Dating Method, a method grounded in applied rhetoric and feminist praxis, designed to push back against the toxic norms built into many modern dating platforms. In this episode, Jennie shares...

Nikki Tucker is back, and we're tackling some of the most infuriating, and increasingly common, financial issues women are facing in divorce today. Nikki and I are arming you with strategies to fight back during divorce negotiations with facts and numbers. In this episode, we talk about how fear can make you want to just give in, and why that urge to "just be done" could cost you so much more than...

Dawn Pick Benson, a self-discovery travel coach and writer, joins me to explore how travel can be a powerful tool for transformation, especially during life's crossroads, whether it's divorce, a faith shift, or an identity crisis.  When everything feels uncertain, moving forward can seem impossible. Dawn shares how travel became a catalyst for reclaiming her power, redefining her faith, and embrac...

What if divorce didn't have to be as complicated or expensive? Liz Pharo, the founder of Divorce.com, is on a mission to make the divorce process easier and less stressful. In this episode, Liz shares how she transitioned from the tech world to create Divorce.com, a platform designed to help people handle the paperwork, planning, and even mediation in a more streamlined way. Liz and I talk about t...

Andrea Vacca returns to explore amicable divorce solutions, even in high-conflict cases. While avoiding litigation is often the goal, sometimes it's unavoidable. Andrea breaks down the benefits of staying out of court, how to keep children at the center, and when it's time to shift from collaboration or mediation to litigation. Together, we also explore the power of a team-based approach and the r...

John Kim, aka The Angry Therapist , joins me to chat about his new book, Breakup on Purpose: A Catalyst for Growth . A bestselling author, well-known for his raw, no-nonsense approach to self-help, John keeps it real by practicing full authenticity and transparency. In this episode, he challenges us to rethink breakups. No one really talks about the different kinds of breakups, but John breaks the...

Betrayal recovery coach Lora Cheadle is back on the show! She's flipping the script on burnout and explains why "it's not just stress—it's betrayal." When expectations break, whether in your career, marriage, or personal life, the real damage isn't just exhaustion—it's the hit to your sense of self and your self-worth. So, Lora breaks down why burnout happens when broken expectations rupture your...

I'm diving into the concept of energetic self-perception with my friend and colleague, Karen McMahon. According to Karen, we are, at our core, walking balls of energy, constantly shifting between two primary states: our everyday selves and our stress-response selves. Karen returns to the podcast to discuss the seven levels of energy, a framework that can help you recognize where you are on the emo...

Alyssa Dineen, founder of Style My Profile, joins me to talk about the ins and outs of online dating after divorce. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the dating apps, unsure how to craft a compelling profile, or just wondering if you're ready to date, Alyssa's expertise will help you navigate it all. Together, we tackle the realities of modern dating, from building a profile that actually sparks co...