Beyond Divorce: Embracing Change

Brighter Possibilities Family Counseling

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Welcome to the Beyond Divorce: Embracing Change podcast! We are actual therapists helping clients who sit on our couches every day through their difficulties of divorce. Whether you're contemplating separation, in a divorce, or looking for support post-divorce, our episodes provide expert guidance, stories, and strategies to help you through every step of the process.

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The Divorce Money Map: Finding Financial Confidence After Divorce

In this episode, Michael Flores sits down with financial planner, author, and speaker Donna Jean Kendrick to discuss her book, The Divorce Money Map. Part workbook and part guide, the book helps newly divorced individuals organize their finances, make informed decisions, and begin dreaming about their future again. Donna walks through the Five W's that serve as the foundation of the book: Who needs to be on your support team? What resolution are you working toward? When did important conversations and events occur? Where will you keep important information and documentation? Why are you making the financial decisions that will shape your next chapter? Whether you're in the middle of a divorce or rebuilding afterward, this conversation offers practical tools and encouragement to help you move forward with confidence. Free Resource from Donna: Donna has generously offered our listeners access to her 6-Week Challenge: Get Your Financial House in Order in Just 6 Weeks. Each week, you'll receive an email with a short video and a simple task to help you tackle important financial to-dos and create momentum toward your goals. Access the free challenge here: https://donnajeankendrick.com/6-week-challenge/ Connect with Donna at sephtonfinancial.com or donnajeankendrick.com If this episode was helpful, please share it with someone who may need it and make a difference in their life by sharing helpful, positive information.

39 min
23 juin

Proof vs. Progress: When Counseling Becomes the Courtroom

In this episode, Michael Flores, LPC-S, and Armando Martinez, LPC, discuss the unique challenges that arise when therapy is court-ordered. For many clients, counseling feels different when they've been told to attend rather than choosing it on their own. While the circumstances may be different, Michael and Armando explain that the purpose of therapy remains the same: to promote growth, healing, and meaningful change. Many people enter court-ordered therapy feeling anxious about what to expect, how the process will unfold, and what the outcome might mean for them and their family. One of the biggest differences they see is that clients often arrive focused on making sure their story is heard and understood. After spending months—or even years—in legal proceedings, they become accustomed to proving what happened, who was right, and why. Therapy, however, is less concerned with proving the past and more focused on creating a healthier future. Michael and Armando explore common fears that emerge in the process, including concerns about being hurt again, rebuilding trust, and protecting children while still allowing relationships the opportunity to improve. To get the most out of court-ordered therapy, they encourage listeners to ask themselves an important question before they begin: What do I want to get out of this? Is the goal healing? Improving a relationship? Finding a path forward? Or is it proving a point? The answer can dramatically influence the experience and the outcome. This episode offers valuable insight for anyone navigating therapy in the context of family court and helps shift the focus from evidence and arguments toward growth and progress. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review to help more families discover the podcast. Have a question you'd like us to answer on a future episode? Send it to media@brighterpossibilitiesfc.com. Want more tools for navigating difficult relationships and creating meaningful change? Check out Michael's book, One Question Away: 50 Therapeutic Questions to Change Everything on Amazon.

38 min
16 juin

Court Ordered Co-Parent Counseling: What Parents Should Know

This episode is a replay from Diana Romanov's YouTube Channel Divorce Like A Boss with Diana. Diana is a Certified Family Law Specialist and founder of Romanov Law. In this episode she interviews Michael Flores, a licensed professional counselor based in Texas who works with families navigating high-conflict divorce and custody disputes. Courts sometimes order co-parenting counseling when parents struggle to communicate or when conflict begins affecting children. But what actually happens in those sessions? In this conversation, Michael shares insight from years of working with families in difficult custody situations, including parental conflict, relocation disputes, and the emotional dynamics children experience during divorce. The discussion also explores what children consistently say they want most from their parents during separation. Follow Diana on YouTube at Divorce Like a Boss with Diana and on Instagram @ divorce_like_a_boss To register for Countering Alienation and learn immediate skills to change your co-parenting dynamics and better connect with your child, go here: https://www.beyonddivorcecourses.com/offers/LoSnQoUH/checkout

55 min
9 juin

Show Me the Money: Keeping Financial Conflict from Hurting Your Kids

In this episode, Michael Flores, LPC-S, and Arrianna Cervantes, LPC-Associate, tackle a topic that often shows up in divorce conversations but doesn't get discussed enough: money and children. In our offices, children of all ages bring up financial concerns, which usually means they're hearing about money struggles directly or indirectly from the adults around them. Michael and Arrianna explain why children should never feel responsible for adult finances and how even when parents aren't intentionally involving them, kids often pick up on stress, worry, and desperation. They share practical, age-appropriate ways to respond when children ask questions about money, helping parents provide reassurance without placing children in the middle of adult issues. While financial transitions can be difficult and sometimes bring feelings of guilt or shame, they also create opportunities to teach valuable life lessons about saving, patience, delayed gratification, and prioritizing needs versus wants. The goal isn't to hide reality from children—it's to protect them from burdens they were never meant to carry while helping them feel safe, secure, and cared for. If you found this episode helpful, please rate and review the podcast to help more families find this support. Have a question you'd like us to answer on a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Send your questions to media@brighterpossibilitiesfc.com.

25 min
2 juin

Am I Parenting With Guilt From Divorce?

In this episode, Michael Flores, LPC-S, and Armando Martinez, LPC, discuss the guilt many parents experience after divorce. Parents often worry about how the changes will affect their children and may feel responsible for the pain their children are experiencing. Michael and Armando explore the difference between having compassion for your child and overcompensating because of guilt. Overcompensation can show up as extravagant gifts, relaxed boundaries, trying to be your child's friend instead of their parent, or giving in out of fear that your child will prefer the other parent. The conversation also highlights how parenting from guilt can lead to unhealthy dynamics, including enmeshment and parentification. Armando encourages parents to ask themselves, "Do I feel like this is my fault, or do I feel responsible because my child is suffering or in pain because of the divorce?" Michael and Armando remind listeners that children need consistency and connection more than gifts or parents competing for their affection. When parents provide predictable routines, healthy boundaries, and meaningful connection, children feel more secure and parents often find their own feelings of guilt begin to ease. If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating and review of the podcast to help more families find this support. Have a question you'd like us to answer on the show or a topic you'd like us to cover in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Send your questions and suggestions to media@brighterpossibilitiesfc.com.

34 min
26 mai

How Play Helps Children Cope With Divorce

In this episode, Michael Flores, LPC-S, and Arrianna Cervantes, LPC-Associate, discuss the powerful role play has in helping children navigate divorce and stressful family transitions. Parents often say they want their children to “just be kids,” but during divorce, children can unintentionally get pulled into adult emotions, conversations, and conflict in ways that force them to grow up too quickly. Michael and Arrianna explain how play creates space for children to reconnect with safety, creativity, and childhood—and why protecting that space matters so much. They also share that play is not just important for young children. Kids of all ages communicate through play and connection, even if it looks different as they grow older. Play can be a game, shooting basketballs together, drawing, riding bikes, joking around, or simply spending intentional time together. Often, when children feel relaxed and connected through these moments, they naturally begin opening up about their thoughts and feelings in ways they may not during direct conversations. And if you don’t know what to do? Ask them. Kids are often very willing to show you what they want to play and invite you into their world. Michael and Arrianna remind parents that connection does not have to take hours every day—sometimes even small, consistent moments of play and presence can make a meaningful impact. If this episode resonated with you, please take a moment to rate the podcast to help more families find this support.

26 min
19 mai

Surviving Separation: Self-Care During Divorce

In this episode, Michael Flores, LPC-S, and Jinohn Marr, LMFT, discuss what self-care actually looks like during divorce—especially when you’re overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and just trying to make it through the day. They start with the physical foundations that are easy to neglect during stress: getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, eating consistently, moving your body through walks or exercise, and creating moments of quiet or alone time. While these needs may seem simple, Michael and Jinohn explain how quickly they can disappear when your mind is consumed with conflict, uncertainty, and survival mode. They also explore the emotional side of caring for yourself during separation. Journaling, grounding exercises, and having a safe adult to talk to—not your children—can help clear your mind and organize the emotions that often feel overwhelming. Michael and Jinohn discuss how to continue parenting even when emotionally exhausted, emphasizing the importance of maintaining routines for your children, avoiding negative talk about the other parent, and remembering that the goal is not to “be right,” but to “get it right.” They also encourage listeners to protect their mental health by setting boundaries around divorce-related communication, not feeling pressured to respond to every message immediately, and avoiding obsessive thinking about court outcomes. Most importantly, they remind listeners to give themselves grace. Healing and stability are often built through small, consistent routines that slowly help you move forward. If this episode encouraged you, please share it with someone who needs this reminder right now.

37 min
12 mai

The Personal Journey of Divorce: What Keeps You Stuck

In this episode, Michael Flores, LPC-S, and Arrianna Cervantes, LPC-Associate, explore the deeply personal journey people go through in divorce—and why some feel stuck while others begin to move forward. Michael shares how, in his work, he often sees patterns in behavior that show up during this “storm,” and how identifying those patterns can reveal the root hurt keeping someone from healing. He breaks down three common dynamics that tend to hold people in place, starting with unresolved pain from the past. When someone is anchored to what was, they can struggle to see a path forward, often feeling unseen, invalidated, or stuck in a cycle of victimhood where everything feels like it’s happening to them. They also discuss how fear of the future can keep people frozen—replaying past experiences and projecting them forward, imagining worst-case scenarios that haven’t actually happened. Instead of responding to what is, people get caught in what could be, and their fear becomes the driver. The third dynamic is a lack of trust, especially in co-parenting relationships. The ability—or inability—to move forward often hinges on how much trust exists between parents, and when that trust is broken, it can impact every interaction. Michael and Arrianna bring it all back to one central truth: forward movement begins with you. When you take time to reflect on what is holding you back, you create the opportunity to move toward the future you actually want. If this episode gave you perspective or hope, please send it to someone who might need to hear it right now.

41 min

Tout afficher (90)

Welcome to the Beyond Divorce: Embracing Change podcast! We are actual therapists helping clients who sit on our couches every day through their difficulties of divorce. Whether you're contemplating separation, in a divorce, or looking for support post-divorce, our episodes provide expert guidance, stories, and strategies to help you through every step of the process.

Création

Brighter Possibilities Family Counseling
Années d’activité

2024 - 2026
Épisodes

90
Classification

Contenu explicite
Site web de l’émission

Beyond Divorce: Embracing Change