Divorce is a death — of a marriage, an identity, a family, a home — and yet our culture offers almost none of the support it would for any other kind of loss. In this solo episode, Karen gets honest about the grief of divorce: why we wildly underestimate it, why we're often left to navigate it in isolation, and what it actually looks like to move through it with intention.

Karen introduces the concept of ambiguous grief — the particular pain of losing someone who is still very much present in your life as a co-parent — and why that "gone but not gone" experience makes healing so disorienting. She also calls out the trap of pain shopping: the social media stalking, the gossip, the drive-bys that keep picking at a wound that's trying to heal.

You'll also hear Karen's case for including divorce in the Family Medical Leave Act, practical advice for surviving those first brutal transition days when the kids leave for the other home, and why the goal isn't to stop caring — it's to reach a place of emotional indifference, where your ex's choices simply don't rattle you anymore.

This is an episode worth sharing with anyone in your support circle who wants to show up for you but isn't sure how.

Topics covered:

• Why divorce grief is invisible — and why that isolation makes it harder
• The many losses layered inside one divorce
• Ambiguous grief and the "gone but not gone" experience of co-parenting
• Pain shopping: what it is and why it sets you back
• How scars are different from wounds (and why that's good news)
• What emotional indifference actually means — and why it's the goal
• The grief-relief cocktail: feeling two things at once
• Practical tips for transition days when the kids leave
• Karen's advocacy for divorce-inclusive workplace policies

Resources:

• The Good Divorce by Karen McNenny
• The Good Divorce Academy — online community & classroom
• thegooddivorcecoach.com

"Everything will be okay in the end. And if it's not okay, it's not the end."

In this episode, Karen is joined by the "Freedom Team" — Keri Gwynne, CDC Certified Divorce Coach and CEO of Starting Point by Freedom, and Ryan Finley, CPA, CDFA, CVA, and founder of Freedom Financial Services Group. Together, they bring a uniquely holistic perspective to divorce: coaching, financial forensics, and mediation — all under one roof.

Both Keri and Ryan are survivors of high conflict divorce, and they share candidly how those lived experiences shaped their mission to help families navigate the process with clarity, compassion, and a child-centered lens.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• How Keri escaped an abusive marriage in the Nashville Bible Belt — and why shame kept her silent for so long
• What a CPA, CDFA, and CVA actually do — and why your attorney alone isn't enough to protect your financial future
• Forensic accounting explained: what it is, when you need it, and the red flags that signal hidden assets
• Real stories of hidden assets — from money funneled into a mother's account to overpaying the IRS by a million dollars!
• Why everything earned during a marriage is marital property — regardless of whose name is on the account
• The tension between faith and divorce: how Keri coaches clients through shame, scripture, and spiritual abuse
• How to talk to your church community about divorce — and why you're asking for support, not permission
• Keeping children at the center of financial decisions and co-parenting agreements
• The Marriage Mastermind — a new workshop by the Freedom Team designed to go upstream, helping couples build stronger marriages using what divorce professionals see break them apart
• The patterns that lead to divorce: financial secrecy, infidelity, pornography addiction, losing yourself in the relationship
• What it took for both Keri and Ryan to trust love again — and what they looked for the second time around

Connect with the Freedom Team:

• Keri Gwynne | Starting Point by Freedom Divorce coaching, mediation & family-focused guidance | Nashville, TN & Sarasota, FL 🌐 startingpointadvocacy.com
• Ryan Finley | Freedom Financial Services Group Divorce financial advisory, forensic accounting & mediation | Nashville, TN & Sarasota, FL 🌐 freedomfsg.com

Watch for the Freedom Team's upcoming Marriage Mastermind workshop in New York City — projected for early summer 2026.

Resources mentioned:

• The Good Divorce by Karen McNenny
• The Good Divorce Academy — online community & classroom
• thegooddivorcecoach.com

In this powerful episode of The Good Divorce Show, host Karen McNenny sits down with Dr. Debi Silber — founder of the Post Betrayal Transformation Institute, creator of National Forgiveness Day, and one of the world's leading experts on betrayal recovery — to explore why betrayal is a distinct form of trauma, and what it actually takes to fully heal from it.

Drawing on her groundbreaking PhD research and her own deeply personal experience, Dr. Debi shares the discoveries that transformed her understanding of betrayal — and the five proven, predictable stages that lead to genuine healing and transformation.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why betrayal is a different type of trauma that requires a different approach to healing
• What Post Betrayal Syndrome is — and the staggering statistics behind how many people are living with its symptoms
• Why "time heals all wounds" is a myth when it comes to betrayal
• The five stages of Post Betrayal Transformation — and the most common place people get stuck
• The difference between easily trusting and wisely trusting again
• How self-betrayal shows up in our lives and relationships
• Dr. Debi's own remarkable story — including rebuilding herself, her work, and ultimately her marriage

Whether you're walking through divorce, navigating co-parenting, or supporting clients in transition, this episode offers a framework for understanding one of the most underrecognized forms of trauma — and a roadmap to genuine transformation.

Resources mentioned:

• 📘 Unstuck by Dr. Debi Silber (her newest book, for practitioners)
• 📘 Trust Again by Dr. Debi Silber
• 🎙️ Podcast: From Betrayal to Breakthrough
• 🌐 Post Betrayal Transformation Institute: pbtinstitute.com
• 📅 National Forgiveness Day: September 1st
• 🏫 Betrayal Recovery Certification Program (for coaches and practitioners)

Connect with Karen:

• 📘 The Good Divorce — Karen's book on ending your marriage without ending your family
• 💼 Work with Karen: thegooddivorcecoach.com

One of the most overlooked — and potentially explosive — topics in divorce is also one of the most personal: when is it okay to start dating again? In this episode, Karen McNenny, divorce consultant and co-parent specialist, makes the case that the timing of that question matters less than whether both partners have actually agreed on the answer.

Karen walks through real-life examples from her work with divorcing couples, illustrating how the element of surprise — a discovered laptop conversation, an unexpected guest at a lunch that "meant nothing," a high school reunion that quietly rewrote the rules — can undo months of cooperative progress and poison settlement negotiations. When one partner feels blindsided or embarrassed, even a fair-minded co-parent can suddenly dig in on the fishing boat.

The takeaway isn't a rulebook; it's a framework. Think of it as red light, green light — identifying together what milestone triggers the green light on dating, and what boundaries (around discretion, the kids, the extended community) apply in the meantime. Karen also offers a gentle but honest reminder that the newly-single version of you, however hopeful and energized, may not yet be ready for a serious new relationship — and that giving one chapter a proper ending is the best gift you can give the next one.

📚 If you're enjoying the podcast, be sure to grab Karen's new book: The Good Divorce: How to End Your Marriage Without Ending Your Family

Have you been wondering if love is still possible after divorce — and how to avoid repeating the same patterns? In this episode, Karen sits down with Bela Gandhi, renowned dating and relationship expert and founder of the Smart Dating Academy, to talk about how to approach dating after divorce with intention, self-awareness, and real strategy.

Bela shares why most people's "people pickers" are broken — and why that's not your fault. She breaks down the three root causes (evolution, family of origin, and cultural messaging), explains why butterflies and grand gestures are actually red flags in disguise, and walks us through the proven system that has produced zero divorces among Smart Dating Academy clients in 15 years.

In this episode you'll hear about:

• Why readiness to date is about the work you've done, not the time that's passed
• The dating funnel, red flags, and why 15 dates before exclusivity is the rule
• When and how to introduce a new partner to your children
• The brain chemistry of falling in love — and why pacing protects you
• What to expect working with the Smart Dating Academy

Connect with Bella Gandhi:

• Podcast: Smart Dating Academy Podcast
• Website: smartdatingacademy.com
• Instagram: @SmartDatingAcademy

📚 If you're enjoying the podcast, be sure to grab Karen's new book: The Good Divorce: How to End Your Marriage Without Ending Your Family

What if you could actually insure your child support and alimony? In this episode, Karen sits down with Ron Platt, co-founder of the National Association for Single and Divorced Families (NASDF), to introduce a first-of-its-kind organization built to support people at every stage of divorce — before, during, and long after the paperwork is signed. Ron shares the origin story of NASDF's groundbreaking insurance product, which is designed to guarantee child support and alimony payments in the event of death, disability, or involuntary unemployment — a concept 30 years in the making that his late father first dreamed up.

But before we get to the business, Ron gets personal. As a child of divorce himself, he shares a surprisingly warm story of immigrant parents whose relationship actually improved after their marriage ended — a real-life example of "the good divorce." Ron also opens up about his own painful 14-year relationship, his journey through grief and therapy, and how he ultimately did the work to break old patterns and find unconditional love. His story is a reminder that divorce, as hard as it is, can be the catalyst for profound personal growth.

Beyond insurance, Ron paints an ambitious vision for NASDF as the "Costco of associations" — a growing membership community that aims to negotiate discounts on everything from diapers and daycare to car purchases and legal fees for divorced and single-parent families. He also touches on their advocacy work in foster care reform and their commitment to serving all families — men and women, same-sex couples, and those "married by mortgage." Find NASDF at nasdf.org and, as Ron puts it: there is light at the end of the tunnel, but you gotta do the work.

📚 If you're enjoying the podcast, be sure to grab Karen's new book: The Good Divorce: How to End Your Marriage Without Ending Your Family

Living across two homes doesn't have to feel like navigating a minefield — but it does take intention, communication, and a willingness to loosen your grip a little. In this episode of The Good Divorce Show, Karen McNenny gets practical about the day-to-day logistics of co-parenting, sharing real strategies that make life smoother for both parents and kids.

Karen introduces the "boomerang 🪃 folder" — a simple but powerful tool for keeping both co-parents in the loop on everything from permission slips to test grades — and explains why letting both parents celebrate (and address) school milestones together matters more than you might think.

She also tackles the gear question: how to handle belongings moving between homes without turning your kids into little luggage carriers.

From Sunday transition timing to flexible residential schedules, Karen makes the case that the best co-parenting plans aren't rigid — they're rooted in relationship. When Uncle Bob and Aunt Betty come to town, or a work conference throws the calendar off, a foundation of mutual respect means you can actually problem-solve instead of power-struggle.

At the heart of this episode is Karen's core philosophy: divorce is a family event first and a legal event second. Stabilize the family, protect the co-parent relationship, and the logistics — schedules, gear, transitions, and all — become so much more manageable.

📚 If you're enjoying the podcast, be sure to grab Karen's new book: The Good Divorce: How to End Your Marriage Without Ending Your Family

Strategy, Lending, and Faith with Jody Bruns

In this episode, host Karen McNenny sits down with Jody Bruns, founder of the Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP) designation and the Divorce Lending Association. With over 35 years in mortgage and finance — and having navigated her own divorce — Jody shares how she turned personal pain into a profession dedicated to helping divorcing homeowners make smarter, more strategic decisions about their most valuable asset.

Jody and Karen dig into why the family home is far more than a financial transaction — it's an emotional anchor, a symbol of stability for children, and often the most complex piece of a divorce settlement. Jody explains how her CDLPs are trained to ask the deeper "why" before ever pulling out a loan application, and she walks through the real risks of keeping a home you can't truly afford, illustrated by her memorable story of a baseball mom in Colorado who needed to hear an honest conversation about priorities.

The conversation gets into the nuts and bolts of divorce mortgage planning: the difference between a legal transfer assumption and a qualified loan assumption, how spousal support income affects mortgage qualification timing, why settlement agreement language can inadvertently block financing, and the complexity of 1031 exchanges during divorce. Jody also flags a key red flag for listeners: if a mortgage professional goes straight for a loan application without asking questions about your situation, walk away.

Jody recently published a devotional book, Anchored in Faith: A Devotional Journey Through Divorce, to support those navigating the emotional and spiritual dimensions of divorce. Listeners can find a CDLP in their area, access resources, and connect with Jody through the links below.

Links & Resources:

• 🔗 Jody Bruns: jodybruns.com
• 📸 Instagram: @jodybrunsofficial
• 🏠 Find a CDLP + Resources: https://www.divorcelendingassociation.com
• 🎙️ Jody's Podcast: Divorce, Real Estate and Mortgage Strategies
• 📖 Jody's Book: Anchored in Faith: A Devotional Journey Through Divorce

• 📘 Karen's Book: The Good Divorce: How to End Your Marriage Without Ending Your Family
• 🎓 Good Divorce Academy: Online community & classroom
• 💻 Work with Karen: thegooddivorcecoach.com