We Chat Divorce Podcast

My Divorce Solution
  • 4.7 (23)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Semimonthly

Divorce is emotional — but it’s also financial. We Chat Divorce helps you understand both. Join hosts Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan, co-founders of My Divorce Solution, for expert divorce insights, real stories, and proven financial strategies that turn fear into focus, focus into knowledge, and knowledge into power. Whether you’re just considering divorce, in the middle of it, or rebuilding after, you’ll learn how to protect your finances, make informed decisions, and move forward with clarity and confidence. The #1 podcast for financial divorce preparation, empowerment, and real talk about money, marriage, and moving on.

  1. 2d ago

    219. Working With Your Divorce Attorney: Questions, Costs, and Expectations with Attorney Joshua H. Northam

    What should you expect from your divorce attorney—and what questions can help you understand the strategy, costs, and decisions ahead? Family law attorney Josh Northam joins Karen Chellew, Legal Liaison, and Catherine Shanahan, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, to explore how to build a productive working relationship with your attorney. Drawing on his Texas practice, Josh discusses the difference between aggressive and effective representation, why clear expectations matter, and how to weigh what is legally possible against what may be practical for your circumstances. In This Episode:• Questions to ask about your attorney’s approach and proposed strategy• Weighing the cost of pursuing a dispute against its potential benefit• Identifying missing financial information before making decisions• Texas spousal maintenance and property division considerations• Understanding tradeoffs involving the house, cash, and retirement assets• How financial preparation can support your work with your attorney You deserve to understand your options and participate in the decisions that shape your future. Download the free episode companion checklist, Working With Your Divorce Attorney: Questions, Costs, and Expectations. Use it to organize your priorities, identify financial questions, and prepare for your next attorney conversation. Get the checklist: https://mydivorcesolution.com/working-with-your-divorce-attorney/ Guest: Josh Northam, family law attorney at Shackelford, McKinley & Norton, LLP, Dallas, Texas. Legal examples reflect a Texas practice; laws and outcomes vary by state and individual circumstances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. Oct 21

    218. Divorce Financial Mistakes: 10 Lessons You Should Know | Divorce Clarity Guide

    What do two divorce professionals wish they had known before their own divorces? Even with backgrounds in law and financial planning, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan discovered that divorce decisions can have financial and legal consequences long after an agreement is signed. In Part 2 of our three-part Divorce Clarity Guide series, the co-founders of My Divorce Solution celebrate 10 years of helping individuals and families navigate divorce by sharing 10 lessons learned through personal experience and working with thousands of families. From unexpected business liabilities and costly settlement language to the emotional pressure of keeping the family home, Karen and Catherine share candid stories about what can go wrong—and how preparation, transparency, and verified financial information can help you make more informed decisions. In this episode, you'll learn: Why financial clarity can reduce conflict during divorce How preparation and financial discovery support productive negotiations Why an amicable divorce still requires financial transparency How overlooked details can create problems years after divorce Why emotions can influence decisions about your home, assets, and future How financial modeling helps you evaluate settlement options Why getting financially prepared doesn't mean committing to divorce The biggest lesson? You deserve to understand the decisions you're being asked to make—before you make them. FREE RESOURCE: Divorce Clarity Guide Explore 10 costly divorce mistakes, 10 lessons from a decade of experience, and practical steps toward financial clarity. Download your free Divorce Clarity Guide Coming November 4: Part 3 — 10 Steps Toward Financial Clarity. Learn more at MyDivorceSolution.com. We Chat Divorce is presented by My Divorce Solution. This episode is educational and does not constitute legal advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. Oct 14

    217. Trauma Bonds and Financial Control: Rebuilding Self-Trust with Dr. Nadine Macaluso

    Why can leaving an abusive relationship feel so difficult—even when you know you have been hurt? Dr. Nadine Macaluso returns to We Chat Divorce to join Karen Chellew, Legal Liaison, and Catherine Shanahan, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, for a conversation about trauma bonds, coercive control, and rebuilding trust in yourself. Drawing on her lived experience and work as a therapist, Dr. Nadine explores why the label “codependent” can leave abuse survivors feeling responsible for someone else’s behavior. She discusses how control can create emotional and financial dependence, why someone may miss a harmful partner after leaving, and why relationship chaos can feel familiar. In This Episode:• Why Dr. Nadine challenges the codependency label in abusive relationships• How coercive control can shape financial dependence and self-doubt• Why leaving does not always bring immediate emotional relief• The role of self-care, connection, and support in recovery• How financial clarity can support more informed decisions Karen and Catherine also discuss the financial consequences of leaving the workforce and the importance of understanding your finances before making decisions. The MDS Financial Portrait™ is a verified financial planning tool and deliverable, supported by expert analysis, that helps you understand your financial picture and evaluate options with your attorney or mediator. Seeking clarity does not require committing to divorce. Explore Dr. Nadine’s resources, including the trauma bond assessment discussed in this episode: https://drnae.com This conversation is educational and does not replace individualized therapeutic, legal, or financial guidance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  4. Oct 7

    216. 10 Costly Divorce Mistakes to Avoid | Divorce Clarity Guide

    “I just want this to be over.” If you’ve felt that way during divorce, you’re not alone. But before you agree to a settlement, do you understand what it could mean for your everyday life—and your financial future? In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew, Legal Liaison, and Catherine Shanahan, CDFA®, kick off a three-part series exploring the Divorce Clarity Guide in celebration of My Divorce Solution’s 10-year anniversary. Drawing on their own divorce experiences and a decade of helping individuals and couples understand their finances, the MDS co-founders break down 10 costly divorce mistakes to avoid: Making financial decisions before understanding your finances. Relying on assumptions instead of verified numbers. Agreeing to a settlement you don’t fully understand. Overlooking retirement, taxes, and future cash flow. Letting urgency drive your decisions. Taking advice from people who don’t know your finances. Failing to identify all assets and debts. Underestimating the cost of running two households. Focusing on winning instead of financial stability. Avoiding questions out of fear or discomfort. From keeping the house to comparing retirement assets and understanding how bills are being paid, Karen and Catherine explain why a settlement needs to work beyond the page. You don’t need to have every answer today. Start by identifying what you know, what needs to be verified, and which questions to bring to your professional team. Your free listener gift: The Divorce Clarity Guide Download the guide to follow along with this series and begin asking more informed questions about your financial future. Get your free Divorce Clarity Guide. Enter your email to access the guide and additional MDS resources. Subscribe for the next two episodes in this anniversary series, releasing over the coming month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. Sep 30

    215. Blended Families and Divorce: Protecting Your Emotional and Financial Future

    In a blended family, an argument about parenting or money can carry deeper questions: Do I belong here? Does my voice matter? Are we still on the same team? Licensed marriage and family therapist and blended family expert April Eldemire joins Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan to explore the emotional challenges of stepfamily life—and how those challenges can influence financial decisions before, during, and after divorce. Drawing on their professional expertise and personal experiences, April, Karen, and Catherine discuss the isolation stepparents can feel, the attachment patterns that continue after a marriage ends, and the pressure to accept financial arrangements just to keep the peace. In this episode, we discuss: Why love alone doesn’t resolve competing loyalties, parenting differences, or unclear family roles. The importance of building a bond with stepchildren before taking on discipline. Why seeking reassurance from an ex can keep painful relationship patterns going. How promises like “I’ll always take care of you” can shape settlement decisions. Why understanding a partner’s parenting plan and financial obligations matters when blending households. How emotional support and verified financial information can help you make decisions with greater confidence. Whether you’re building a blended family or questioning what comes next, you deserve to understand your role, your options, and your financial future. Connect with April: Couples Thrive Explore the MDS Financial Portrait™: Understand your financial picture and the potential impact of different decisions before you negotiate or sign. Visit My Divorce Solution. Download your free listener guide: Beneath the Argument: A Guide for Blended Families and Step-Parents. Explore what may be driving the conflict and take your next step toward greater emotional and financial clarity. https://mydivorcesolution.com/blended-family-conflict-whats-beneath-the-argument/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  6. Sep 24

    214. Divorce Settlement Calculator: Can You Actually Afford to Keep the House?

    A settlement can look equal on paper and still leave you wondering how you’ll pay the bills. In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan walk through a hypothetical couple’s proposed division of $2 million in assets. Each person receives $1 million—but one keeps the house while the other receives most of the retirement savings. What will each need to live on after the divorce? Karen and Catherine discuss the costs of keeping a home, the difference between asset value and available cash, and why a monthly budget matters before you agree to a settlement. They also look at how bills paid during the divorce can obscure your actual expenses, and why refinancing plans and retirement accounts deserve a closer look. Before you sign, ask: Can I cover my everyday expenses, handle an unexpected cost, and still plan for the future? Download the episode handout: https://mydivorcesolution.com/divorce-settlement-can-you-afford-to-keep-the-house-after-divorce/ Learn how the MDS Financial Portrait™ helps you understand the financial trade-offs in a proposed settlement at MyDivorceSolution.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. Sep 16

    213. Trauma Bonds, Financial Control & Divorce: Reclaiming Your Power

    Why is it so hard to leave a relationship that hurts you—and how can you begin preparing when fear and financial uncertainty keep you stuck? Before Dr. Nadine Macaluso returns to We Chat Divorce for a new conversation, we’re revisiting our interview from last year about trauma bonds, financial control, and rebuilding trust in yourself. A therapist, author of Run Like Hell, and former wife of “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Dr. Nadine brings both personal experience and professional insight to this conversation with Catherine Shanahan and Karen Chellew. Together, they explore how controlling relationships can affect your emotional well-being, your access to money, and your confidence in making decisions. In this episode, we discuss: What a trauma bond is and why alternating affection and cruelty can make leaving feel so difficult. How financial control can appear as caretaking, including encouragement to stop working or pressure to sign documents you don’t understand. Why gathering financial information can feel overwhelming—and why each step deserves recognition. How patterns of appeasing others can follow you into conversations with your divorce team. The connection between emotional support, financial preparation, and greater confidence. Rebuilding trust in yourself and finding people who understand what you’re experiencing. Whether you’re considering divorce or trying to understand your relationship, this conversation offers a place to begin. You don’t have to have every answer today, and you don’t have to navigate the uncertainty alone. Stay tuned for our upcoming conversation with Dr. Nadine. Free Listener Download Ready to make sense of what you've read? Download our free companion guide, You're Not Crazy: A Guide to Recognizing Trauma Bonds and Reclaiming Your Clarity — inspired by our conversation with Dr. Nadine Macaluso. Inside, you'll find the episode's key lessons, a grounding exercise straight from Dr. Nadine, and reflection prompts to help you apply it all to your own life. Explore divorce financial planning and free resources at ⁠My Divorce Solution⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  8. Sep 9

    212. Dividing a Business in Divorce: What the Valuation Doesn’t Tell You

    When a business is part of a divorce, determining what it is worth is only the beginning. The company may also be a marital asset, a source of household income and the employer paying expenses for the family. Each of these roles can affect the financial outcome for both spouses. In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan explain why business decisions should never be made from a valuation number alone. They explore the questions that reveal what is actually included in a valuation—from intellectual property, real estate and goodwill to personal expenses paid through the company. Karen and Catherine also discuss why two qualified experts can reach very different conclusions. The difference may not be the math, but the assumptions behind it—including valuation dates, reasonable compensation, normalized expenses, growth projections and goodwill. Understanding those assumptions can help you ask focused questions and avoid unnecessary professional fees. You’ll also learn why cash flow matters when one spouse keeps the business, how personal expenses paid by the company affect post-divorce budgets and what to consider before accepting a multiyear buyout. Karen shares her own experience of remaining legally connected to a former spouse’s company—and the costly consequences of not being formally removed. In this episode: What may be missing from a business valuation How intellectual property, goodwill and real estate can affect value Why competing valuations may produce dramatically different numbers The role of personal expenses, add-backs and retained earnings How business cash flow can affect support and settlement payments Risks associated with business debt, ownership and officer designations Questions to ask before hiring a forensic accountant or valuation expert Why signed agreements must be fully implemented after divorce Download the Business Divorce Financial Clarity Checklist Organize what you know, identify what may be missing and prepare more focused questions for your financial and legal professionals. This practical checklist covers business assets, valuation assumptions, cash flow, personal expenses and the steps needed to protect your financial future. You do not need to understand every financial detail before asking for help. The MDS Financial Portrait™ brings documented assets, debts, income and expenses into one comprehensive financial picture—helping identify the questions that matter before life-changing decisions are made. Learn more at MyDivorceSolution.com Because when a business is involved, clarity means understanding not only what it is worth—but what your financial future depends on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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4.7
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About

Divorce is emotional — but it’s also financial. We Chat Divorce helps you understand both. Join hosts Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan, co-founders of My Divorce Solution, for expert divorce insights, real stories, and proven financial strategies that turn fear into focus, focus into knowledge, and knowledge into power. Whether you’re just considering divorce, in the middle of it, or rebuilding after, you’ll learn how to protect your finances, make informed decisions, and move forward with clarity and confidence. The #1 podcast for financial divorce preparation, empowerment, and real talk about money, marriage, and moving on.

Information

  • Creator
    My Divorce Solution
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    231
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2018-2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    We Chat Divorce Podcast

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