What if the system designed to resolve your divorce is actually the thing making it worse? And what if your own attorney — no matter how good they are — is hardwired by that system to turn your family into a battlefield? Becky Sampson sits down with Amanda Mason, former family court litigator and co-founder of Solagree, to deliver one of the most honest conversations about the divorce legal system you will ever hear from someone who spent years thriving inside it. Amanda graduated from the University of Arizona College of Law in 2003, built a career as a divorce litigator fighting hard and winning cases — and then watched, case after case, as her clients walked out of court victorious and completely destroyed. Six years ago, she did something almost unheard of in her profession: she stopped. She stepped back, studied every alternative to the adversarial model, and built something entirely new. Solagree is a nationwide non-adversarial divorce model — a three-phase process designed to resolve even the most complex family conflicts with integrity, clarity, and dramatically less collateral damage. Amanda still practices traditional litigation. She knows both worlds. And what she has to say about the one most women are currently in will change how you look at every decision in your divorce process. 🎯 In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why winning in family court doesn't mean winning — the case Amanda couldn't shake, where her client walked out victorious and still lost everything that mattered, and the moment she realized the adversarial system is structurally incapable of protecting families How the family court system is broken by design — not because judges and attorneys are bad people, but because an overworked government bureaucracy processing people on their absolute worst day produces predictable, devastating results The litigator brain problem — why even the most compassionate divorce attorney is hardwired by litigation training to get into "somebody versus somebody, I have to win" mode, and what that does to your family's chances of a reasonable outcome How your attorney can make your divorce more expensive without meaning to — the dynamic where opposing counsel fight each other more than they fight for you, and Amanda's account of couples who walked away after a high-conflict court battle saying "that was completely unnecessary" The two biggest threats in any divorce negotiation — and why as long as either party can blow up the process and run to court, everyone stays in fight-or-flight mode and rational decisions become almost impossible What Solagree does differently — a three-phase non-adversarial process that removes the courtroom threat, brings in a neutral guide, and gives attorneys a way to practice family law that is better for their clients, better for their mental health, and better for the profession Why Amanda created Solagree as a gift to other attorneys — the mental health strain, the substance abuse, the burnout, and even the suicides that have plagued family law litigators — and why giving good people a better process was as important to her as helping the families The obstructionist attorney problem — when opposing counsel adopts their client's emotional position instead of giving objective legal advice, and how to spot the difference between an attorney fighting FOR you versus an attorney fighting because of you Amanda's personal divorce experience — a practicing attorney who went through her own 21-hearing, three-and-a-half-year court battle, representing herself for most of it, and what she learned about the difference between advocating and fighting Becky's own family court journey — a rare personal disclosure about her own 21 hearings, and why both women agree that the adversarial system is the last place families should be resolving conflict How to choose your divorce path wisely — what questions to ask, what red flags to watch for in a prospective attorney, and when the non-adversarial model is the right choice — even in high-conflict situations 💌 Download your FREE "100 Divorce Terms You Need to Know": https://onlysubpoenas.com/free 🎙️ About Amanda Mason: Amanda Mason is a co-founder and CEO of Solagree, a nationwide non-adversarial divorce resolution model that gives families a way to resolve conflict with integrity, clarity, and far less collateral damage than the traditional court system. A graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law (2003), Amanda spent years as a highly effective family court litigator — winning cases and watching families lose anyway. That contradiction drove her to study every alternative dispute resolution method available, identify what was working, identify the gaps, and design something new from the ground up. Solagree is that design — a three-phase process that removes the courtroom threat, reduces fight-or-flight dynamics, and allows both attorneys and clients to bring their best selves to one of the hardest moments of their lives. Amanda also remains a partner at Mason, Mason & Smith, giving her a rare and credible dual perspective: she knows exactly what the old system costs families, and she knows exactly what's possible beyond it. 🔗Connect with AMANDA MASON Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569505738659 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-mason-0333746/ Website: https://www.solagree.com/ Website: https://www.masonmasonlaw.com/ 🎧About Divorcing Strong™ Podcast: Hosted by Becky Sampson, CEO of Only Subpoenas™, the Divorcing Strong™ Podcast is where real stories meet real strategies for surviving and thriving through divorce. Each episode brings expert insights from top divorce attorneys, family law specialists, financial planners, and healing coaches to help you protect your rights and step into YOU 2.0. 👉 Subscribe for more empowering divorce stories and strategies 👉 Learn more about working with Becky: https://beckysampson.com/ 👉 Follow Becky on social media: BECKY SAMPSON Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divorcingstrongbeckysampson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beckysampson11/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divorcingstrong YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DivorcingStrong LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckysampson/ 🌺For information on working with Only Subpoenas™, visit our website at https://onlysubpoenas.com/ or contact us at this number: 650-910-6659 🌺 ⚠️ DISCLAIMER: The content on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or mental health advice. Please consult a licensed attorney, financial advisor, or mental health professional for guidance specific to your situation. If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, please get in touch with the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. #DivorcingStrong #FamilyLaw #DivorceAdvice family court, family court system, divorce lawyer, divorce attorney, divorce advice, divorce process, healing after divorce, how to get a divorce, divorce tips, child custody, alimony, high conflict divorce, divorce settlement, family law attorney, getting divorced, divorce mediation, collaborative divorce, adversarial divorce, non adversarial divorce, divorce reform, divorce attorney red flags, obstructionist attorney, divorcing a narcissist, narcissistic abuse recovery, divorce support for women, midlife reinvention, Solagree, Amanda Mason, divorce podcast Support Divorcing Strong by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/divorcing-strong