The Good Divorce® Show

Karen McNenny, The Good Divorce® Show
  • 3.6 (7)
  • Relationships
  • Updated Weekly

Are you thinking about divorce? If you are, you’re probably thinking about it all wrong. The Good Divorce® Show is here to debunk the myths about divorce, give you guidance on how to navigate it without conflict and debt, and equip you to not just get divorced but to also be divorced, happily ever after. Join host and divorce coach Karen McNenny as she shares her wealth of knowledge, gets advice from other relationship experts, and profiles couples who learned how to have a Good Divorce, so you can too!

  1. Sep 24 ·  Video

    The Courage to Choose Yourself with Olivia Howell, Fresh Starts CEO

    In this episode of The Good Divorce Show, Karen sits down with fellow disruptor Olivia Howell: CEO and co-founder of Fresh Starts Registry, clinical hypnotherapist, certified divorce coach, and award-winning podcast producer. Olivia takes us back to the morning in the shower when she knew her marriage was over, and to the cascade of small decisions that followed. She speaks candidly about the fear, the grief, and the unexpected spiritual nudges that carried her toward a new beginning. Together, Karen and Olivia explore shame and isolation, parentification, co-parenting, introducing new partners, and the long arc of healing. Olivia also shares how Fresh Starts Registry grew out of her own experience rebuilding a life from scratch, and why she's fiercely committed to offering free, stigma-free support to anyone navigating divorce. If you're in the early, uncertain stages of questioning your marriage or starting over, this conversation is for you. The other side isn't just something to survive, but it can be transformative.

    The Courage to Choose Yourself with Olivia Howell, Fresh Starts CEO

  2. Sep 10 ·  Video

    The Financial Mistakes That Wreck Divorce Settlements

    A divorce isn’t just a legal process—it’s an emotional, financial, and logistical transformation. In this episode, Karen welcomes Amy Colton, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), wealth advisor, and family law mediator, for a deep and eye‑opening conversation about the financial side of divorce that so many people overlook. Amy explains why divorce truly requires three professionals: emotional support, legal guidance, and financial expertise. She breaks down the common myth that attorneys handle “everything,” and reveals why relying solely on legal counsel often leads to missed information, unnecessary conflict, and higher costs. As she puts it, “What do people fight about? They fight about finances.” Together, Karen and Amy explore the tax implications of divorce—especially for couples separating late in the year—and how filing status, capital gains, and taxable vs. non‑taxable assets can dramatically affect the final settlement. Amy shares real‑world examples of hidden income, red flags in tax returns, and even financial abuse uncovered through forensic review. “There are so many nuances inside the tax return,” she notes, emphasizing why every divorcing couple should examine at least two years of returns. Listeners will also learn about QDROs, restricted stock units, dividing the marital home, and why “fair” doesn’t always mean 50/50. Amy offers guidance for those anxious about managing money post‑divorce and explains how she supports clients in building financial stability long after the paperwork is signed. Whether you’re contemplating divorce, in the thick of it, or supporting someone who is, this episode delivers essential financial insight—and a reminder that divorce can be designed with intention rather than defaulting to conflict. Find Amy Colton at yourdivorcemadesimple.com Connect with Karen at karenmcnenny.com

    The Financial Mistakes That Wreck Divorce Settlements

  3. Aug 27 ·  Video

    Bonus Parents, Big Feelings: Christina McGhee on Introducing New Partners with Intention

    In this episode of The Good Divorce, host Karen McNenny welcomes back internationally recognized divorce educator Christina McGhee, MSW — author of Parenting Apart, lead trainer and founder of the Co‑Parenting Specialist Certification Training Program, and Education & Training Director for the award‑winning documentary project Split. Drawing from more than 20 years of professional experience and over three decades as a bonus parent, Christina offers clear, compassionate guidance for one of the most emotionally charged transitions in post‑divorce life: introducing a new partner to your children. Karen and Christina explore why dating after divorce requires a different kind of pacing, why “just because you’re ready doesn’t mean your kids are,” and how premature introductions can create secondary grief, re‑traumatization, and long‑term attachment hesitancy. Christina explains how resilience is instilled, not innate, and why thoughtful timing protects children from repeated losses as adults move in and out of their lives. They also discuss the importance of giving your co‑parent a respectful heads‑up, avoiding secrecy, and ensuring kids aren’t put in the position of messenger, mediator, or emotional buffer. The conversation moves into practical strategies for first meetings — kid‑friendly, low‑pressure, activity‑based encounters that allow children to approach and retreat at their own pace. Christina also addresses the complexities of blended dynamics, the myth of the Brady Bunch, and why generous interpretation (rather than suspicion or territoriality) helps stabilize the co‑parenting ecosystem. Throughout, she underscores the foundational truth: how you begin shapes where you end up, and thoughtful beginnings create healthier, more connected bonus‑family relationships. Resources: Christina McGhee’s book: Parenting ApartSplit & Split Up Documentary Project: splitfilm.orgCo‑Parenting Specialist Certification Training ProgramKaren’s book: The Good Divorce: How to End Your Marriage Without Ending Your FamilyWork with Karen: thegooddivorcecoach.com

    Bonus Parents, Big Feelings: Christina McGhee on Introducing New Partners with Intention

  4. Aug 13 ·  Video

    Summer Encore: Childhood Sweethearts, Co-Parents — Kelly and Kyle on Choosing Love

    Kelly and Kyle met in preschool in Lake Forest, Illinois, lost touch for 25 years, reconnected in Missoula — and then found themselves unexpectedly expecting. They never married, but they built something most married couples would envy: a genuinely loving, cooperative co-parenting family centered on their daughter Charlotte. In this encore, both join Karen to talk honestly about the early friction, the blended family that grew up around Charlotte, and the biannual family vacations they now take together. Kyle even held the ceremonial hoop at Kelly's wedding. A story about choosing love over logistics — and what it looks like when it actually works. Connect with Karen at karenmcnenny.com

    Summer Encore: Childhood Sweethearts, Co-Parents — Kelly and Kyle on Choosing Love

  5. Jul 30 ·  Video

    Future You Deserves Better: Kathryn Grady on Intentional Divorce and Financial Literacy

    Adult child of divorce Kathryn Grady joins host Karen McNenny for a candid, deeply human conversation about what divorce looks like through the eyes of a child — not just in the moment, but decades later. Kathryn reflects on being raised in the 1970s by a single mother who stepped into independence during the early era of no‑fault divorce. As Karen notes, “your mom really was this warrior woman coming out like a phoenix out of the ashes." Kathryn shares how her mother’s courage, stability, and intentionality shaped her sense of self, her adulthood, and her understanding of healthy partnership. Together, Karen and Kathryn explore the emotional ecosystem of divorce: the stigma of the 80s, the latchkey‑kid generation, the importance of protecting children from adult conflict, and the long‑term impact of how parents speak about one another. Kathryn describes the slow realization of her father’s mental‑health challenges and the quiet ways her mother shielded her from instability. In the second half of the episode, Kathryn brings her professional lens as a financial advisor, offering practical guidance for newly divorced or soon‑to‑be‑solo households. She and Karen walk listeners through the first steps of financial clarity — gathering assets, understanding accounts, and building confidence through education. As Kathryn says, “a conversation is not a commitment — it’s just a conversation." Their shared message: divorce is survivable, navigable, and even transformative when approached with intention, stability, and informed decision‑making. Karen McNenny: https://www.karenmcnenny.com/ Kathryn Grady (Financial Advisor): https://www.northwesternmutual.com/financial/advisor/kathryn-grady/

    Future You Deserves Better: Kathryn Grady on Intentional Divorce and Financial Literacy

  6. Jul 16 ·  Video

    Summer Encore: What Happens When the Marriage Ends and the Band Breaks Up?

    Jake and Jenny met in their early twenties, made music together across two decades, and then had to figure out how to dissolve a marriage without destroying everything they'd built. In this encore conversation, the Bozeman-based musicians share how Jake's family history — a sprawling, amicable blended family that gathered together every Christmas — gave them both a blueprint for what was possible. They talk about navigating a divorce with no children but deep community roots, honoring a successful marriage as complete rather than a failure, and finding new ways to love each other from a distance. Genuine, funny, and quietly profound. Connect with Karen at karenmcnenny.com

    Summer Encore: What Happens When the Marriage Ends and the Band Breaks Up?

  7. Jul 2 ·  Video

    Kate Liles on Growing Up Across Two Homes When Nothing Was Shared

    What does divorce look like through the eyes of a child — and decades later, through the eyes of an adult? This week, Karen welcomes Kate Liles, who grew up navigating life across two households after her parents divorced when she was just a year old. Kate shares her story with honesty and grace, offering a rare, firsthand look at the lasting impact of the decisions parents make during and after divorce. Kate and Karen explore the do's and don'ts that shaped Kate's childhood: the split holidays and double birthday parties, the toys that weren't allowed to cross between homes, the emotional labor of playing referee between parents — and the extended family members and step-parents who complicated things further. Kate also reflects on the long shadow of parental conflict, the challenge of building her own marriage as a child of divorce, and the moment at her college graduation when she witnessed something she'd waited more than three decades to see. A cautionary tale and a story of resilience, this episode is a reminder that children aren't just caught in the middle of divorce — they carry it with them long after it's over. And as Kate says: your kids will be okay. But the choices you make now matter more than you know. The Good Divorce is hosted by Karen McNenny, author, mediator, and divorce consultant. For more, visit karenmcnenny.com, and pick up Karen's new book, The Good Divorce: How to End Your Marriage Without Ending Your Family.

    Kate Liles on Growing Up Across Two Homes When Nothing Was Shared

  8. Jun 18

    Summer Encore: For the Dads — Patrick Duganz on Father Engagement After Divorce

    Karen revisits a Father's Day conversation with Patrick Duganz, who has spent over a decade as the father engagement specialist at the Gallatin City-County Health Department in Bozeman, Montana. Patrick talks candidly about why dads often arrive at parenthood underprepared, how a lack of targeted support for fathers shows up in everything from home visiting programs to divorce proceedings, and what it looks like when a dad gets the help he needs just in time. His story about "Bob" — a new single dad on the verge of giving up — is one for the books. A warm, practical, and deeply human conversation about supporting fathers so they can show up fully for their kids. Connect with Karen at karenmcnenny.com

    Summer Encore: For the Dads — Patrick Duganz on Father Engagement After Divorce
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Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

3.6
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Are you thinking about divorce? If you are, you’re probably thinking about it all wrong. The Good Divorce® Show is here to debunk the myths about divorce, give you guidance on how to navigate it without conflict and debt, and equip you to not just get divorced but to also be divorced, happily ever after. Join host and divorce coach Karen McNenny as she shares her wealth of knowledge, gets advice from other relationship experts, and profiles couples who learned how to have a Good Divorce, so you can too!

Information

  • Creator
    Karen McNenny, The Good Divorce® Show
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    111
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Karen McNenny, The Good Divorce® Show
  • Show Website
    The Good Divorce® Show

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