A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca

Andrea Vacca opens this episode with a scenario that plays out more often than most New Yorkers realize: a well-known restaurateur files for divorce, a gossip column has the story within 48 hours, and inside a week his bankers, business partners, and the city's food media are all asking questions about a business that took two decades to build. He did nothing wrong. He filed in a public court, and...

Andrea Vacca has watched the same pattern play out for three decades: the people who move through divorce with the most clarity and the least damage almost always have someone on their team most clients have never heard of. Not another attorney. Not a therapist. A divorce coach. In this solo episode, Andrea makes the case for why she recommends one to every client she works with, and why that sing...

When couples decide to separate, the conversation about the children can feel overwhelming, and the phrase "parenting plan" often arrives loaded with anxiety. In this solo episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca walks parents through exactly what to think about before they sit down to negotiate. Her central principle is deceptively simple: a good parenting plan is specific enough to prev...

You sat down to review the proposed parenting schedule, read the same paragraph three times, and told yourself you'd come back to it. But you didn't. Or worse, you said yes to a proposal, not because it was right, but because you were done. In this solo episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca names the specific kind of exhaustion that shows up in divorce. It isn't sadness or fear. It's q...

Few decisions carry more weight, or more confusion, than choosing how to formally restructure a marriage. In this solo episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca cuts through the noise around three commonly conflated options: legal separation, divorce, and the postnuptial agreement. Rather than pushing listeners toward a single answer, she reframes the question itself. Most people arrive as...

When a marriage has been defined by conflict, whether it is open arguments or long stretches of silence, most people assume divorce will have to be settled in court. If we can't agree on anything now, the thinking goes, how could we possibly reach an agreement on our own? In this solo episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca takes that assumption apart. Drawing on her work as a non-advers...

Few moments in a divorce carry more weight than the first one: the conversation where you finally say the words out loud. In this solo episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca speaks directly to the thoughtful, emotionally intelligent people who have been rehearsing that conversation for weeks, months, sometimes years. They are not looking for a fight. They want to protect their children,...

Before an attorney is hired, before a spouse is told, before anything official happens, there's one quiet act of preparation that changes the trajectory of a divorce: getting clear on your financial picture. In this solo episode, Andrea Vacca walks through exactly what that looks like and why it matters so much. She opens with the story of a former client, a stay-at-home parent who arrived at her...

One of the earliest decisions in any divorce is also one of the least examined. Andrea Vacca opens this episode with a hard truth: most people don't actually choose a divorce process. They default to one based on fear, a friend's horror story, or whichever attorney they happened to meet first. The result is a mismatch between the path and the family, and that mismatch is where unnecessary conflict...

Andrea Vacca returns with a clear premise: how you divorce matters as much as the decision to divorce itself. Drawing on three decades of New York family law practice and her recent certification as a positive psychology coach, Andrea makes the case that the cultural script around divorce, the one shaped by movies, songs, and the bitter splits we witnessed growing up, is a self-fulfilling prophecy...

There are no degrees in divorce, and most people start the process without knowing what's coming next. In this crash-course episode, Andrea Vacca shares the mindset shifts, truths, and early decisions that save time, money, and goodwill, and set you up for a better life on the other side of your marriage. Key Takeaways: ● Stop trying to "win." Winning is expensive. Focus instead on your interests...

Andrea Vacca returns after a year-long hiatus to relaunch A Better Divorce Podcast with a deeply personal and practical episode. Now a certified positive psychology coach in addition to her three decades as a New York divorce attorney, she shares the mindset shifts and strategic steps that separate a good divorce from a destructive one. Key Takeaways: ● How you divorce matters: your mindset determ...

New Season of A Better Divorce Podcast!

A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca, Episode 60 In this episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca discusses the role Positive Psychology plays in having a better, more empowering divorce. Tune in to this episode to hear about: • What Positive Psychology is, how it differs from traditional psychology, and how Andrea uses its principles to assist her clients in navigating their divorc...

A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca, Episode 59 In this episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca welcomes back Dr. Ann Gold Buscho to provide our listeners with valuable tips on how to best support a friend during their divorce—and how not to. As a semi-retired Clinical Psychologist and Collaborative Divorce Coach, Dr. Buscho specializes in family issues related to divorce and pare...

A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca, Episode 58 In this episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca is joined by Emily Malloy. Emily is an attorney and social worker who practices primarily as a parent and divorce coach and family mediator. She focuses on supporting parents in their relationships with their children so that they can make the best decisions possible in their divorce pr...

A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca, Episode 57 In this episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca is joined by Kate Anthony, the author of “The D Word: Making the Ultimate Decision About Your Marriage” and host of the critically acclaimed and New York Times recommended podcast “The Divorce Survival Guide Podcast.” Kate is also creator of the groundbreaking online coaching program, S...

A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca, Episode 56 In this episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca is joined by Emily Bouchard, a family advisor, coach, consultant, speaker and author whose mission is to empower affluent couples and families to navigate the non-financial aspects of significant wealth. With a deep understanding of how challenging it is to blend love and money, she mak...

A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca, Episode 55 In this episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca is joined by Leda Mitrofanis, a self-development counselor and teacher, and the Founder & Director of Simply Leda. Leda focuses on helping her clients establish a solid sense of self through developing emotional intelligence, self-awareness and self-identity to empower their life ch...

A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca, Episode 54 In this episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca is joined by Lora Cheadle, former attorney and betrayal recovery coach. Tune in to this episode to hear about: • Defining betrayal, its impact on individuals, and the importance of properly addressing those feelings to avoid long-term negative consequences • The FLAUNT Method — the five...

A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca, Episode 53 In this episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca discusses the question many people in unhappy marriages are facing: Should you wait until after the holidays to start your divorce? Tune in to this episode to hear about: * How the typical “Divorce Month” has shifted in recent years * The pros and cons of starting a divorce before and a...

A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca, Episode 52 In this episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca speaks with Steve Schleupner, a divorce transition specialist with over 20 years of financial planning experience. Steve helps financially complex couples navigate divorce, focusing on aligning their decisions with long-term goals. Tune in to this episode to hear about: * Challenges fac...

A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca, Episode 51 In this episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca is joined by Anthony Damaschino, an expert on empty nesting and author of The Empty Nest Blueprint and The Empty Nest Blueprint for Single Parents , published on June 18. Tune in to this episode to hear about: * The Gray Divorce Phenomenon: A consistently rising trend with people living...

A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca, Episode 50 In this episode of A Better Divorce Podcast , Andrea Vacca is joined by Mara Bernstein, a family and matrimonial lawyer who provides customized solutions for clients who want to divorce privately, efficiently, and cost-effectively. Mara is the founder and principal of Mara Bernstein, P.A., a family law firm in Boca Raton, Florida that offers s...

A Better Divorce Podcast with Andrea Vacca, Episode 49 In this episode of A Better Divorce Podcast, Andrea Vacca is joined by Karen McMahon, a Certified Relationship and Divorce Coach and Founder of Journey Beyond Divorce. Karen leads a national team of divorce coaches in supporting men and women around the world to become calm, clear and confident as they navigate divorce. She is also host of the...