Journey Beyond Divorce Podcast

Karen McMahon
  • 4.9 (258)
  • Relationships
  • Semiweekly

The Journey Beyond Divorce Podcast is your trusted companion through every stage of divorce—emotional, legal, financial, and parental. With over nine years of impactful episodes, this top-ranked podcast supports men and women navigating the challenges of divorce, especially those facing high-conflict dynamics, co-parenting struggles, emotional overwhelm, or legal uncertainty. Hosted by Karen McMahon, Certified Divorce Coach® and founder of Journey Beyond Divorce, the show offers strategic guidance, expert interviews, and real-life stories designed to help listeners move from confusion and chaos to clarity and confidence. Each episode is packed with insight and inspiration to help you make informed decisions, protect your children, safeguard your finances, and heal emotionally—so you can create a life you truly love post-divorce. If you're on the fence about whether to stay or go, have just been told your marriage is ending, or are actively working through the messy middle of litigation, negotiation, or co-parenting, this podcast meets you where you are. You'll learn how to emotionally regulate through triggers, explore your divorce process options (mediation, collaboration, litigation, arbitration), and prepare to work effectively with legal and financial professionals. Topics include how to gather your financials, navigate custody issues, and negotiate complex decisions around property, retirement assets, and business valuations. For those already in the process, episodes offer real-time guidance on how to cope with personality disorders in your co-parent, how to protect your children from toxic dynamics, and how to negotiate settlements strategically. You'll hear from certified divorce financial analysts, attorneys, parenting coordinators, therapists, and coaches who share proven tools and tips. Professionals in the divorce field—including family law attorneys, therapists, and financial experts—also listen in to better support their clients and stay up-to-date on best practices. And when the divorce is final? The podcast continues to serve as a roadmap for building your next chapter. Learn how to close out the financial and legal loose ends—such as QDROs, life insurance, beneficiary changes, and estate updates—while beginning to design a life aligned with your values, goals, and inner peace. Episodes cover healing from betrayal trauma, understanding your emotional patterns, rediscovering your identity, and navigating the complexities of post-divorce dating and parenting. This podcast also answers the most searched divorce-related questions, including: How do I co-parent with a narcissist? What are the steps in the divorce process? Should I litigate or mediate? What is a QDRO and do I need one? How do I protect my kids emotionally? What is the role of a certified divorce financial analyst? How do I move on after infidelity or betrayal? Listeners benefit from expert-vetted strategies, free resources, and supportive insights grounded in both experience and compassion. The Journey Beyond Divorce Podcast is more than just content—it's a lifeline. Whether you're seeking calm in the storm, tools to advocate for yourself, or support rebuilding your life, each episode helps you grow stronger, wiser, and more empowered. Subscribe today and begin your journey beyond divorce with guidance you can trust. www.jbddivorcesupport.com/podcast

  1. 13h ago

    Divorce and the House: What You Want vs. What You Can Afford with Divorce Mortgage Specialist, Tami Wollensak

    The marital home is usually the biggest asset in a divorce, and it can also be the biggest blind spot. In this episode, Karen McMahon sits down with divorce mortgage specialist Tami Wollensak, who brings 30 years in lending and has helped more than 1,000 divorcing homeowners answer one pressing question: can I afford to keep the house after divorce? Together they explore how to close the gap between wanting to keep the marital home and being able to afford it. Tami explains why agreeing on how to value the home matters more than agreeing on a number, why an appraisal gives you neutral data that a realtor's market analysis or Zillow can't, and how home equity becomes part of the marital balance sheet when one spouse buys out the other. She walks through the ways a buyout can be funded, from a refinance to family help to trading other marital assets like retirement accounts, and why the decision rarely has to be all or nothing. Karen and Tami also dig into the costs many divorcing homeowners overlook, including property taxes, homeowner's insurance, association dues, utilities, and the 2 to 3 percent of the home's value you should budget each year for maintenance. Tami breaks down how lenders treat alimony and child support as qualifying income for a mortgage, including the six months of court-ordered payments and 36-month continuance underwriters look for, why voluntary payments into a joint account won't count, and how vague settlement language can cut your qualifying income in half. She also shares the housing budget ratios that keep you from ending up house rich and cash poor. Both Karen and Tami open up about their own decisions around the marital home, and why renting after divorce turned out to be one of the best choices either of them made. Tami closes with three steps to take before you sign a divorce settlement involving the house: agree on how the home will be valued, gather your mortgage statement so you know exactly what you owe, and track the monthly costs of running your household so you can build a post-divorce budget that holds. Connect with Tami: Take the Free Quiz: The Divorce Housing Clarity Quiz - https://empowereduncoupling.com/assessment/ Website: https://www.empowereduncoupling.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tami_wollensak Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamiwollensak Substack: https://tamiwollensak.substack.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@empowereduncoupling Connect with Karen: Book a FREE Coaching Call: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/rapid-relief-call Join Divorce Support Network: https://bit.ly/jbdpod

    Divorce and the House: What You Want vs. What You Can Afford with Divorce Mortgage Specialist, Tami Wollensak

  2. 13h ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Like This Interview with Robert Greene: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    Introducing Robert Greene: The Surprising Reason You Feel Unhappy Even When Life Is “Good” from On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Follow the show: On Purpose with Jay Shetty Bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power and The Law of the Sublime, Robert Greene, joins Jay to explore why so many of us feel unfulfilled, even when we're achieving everything we thought we wanted. He opens up about the life-threatening stroke that changed his perspective and inspired his new book, and shares how reconnecting with our childhood interests can help us discover our true purpose. Robert also explains why boredom, struggle, and confronting our mortality can lead to a more meaningful life, how to turn envy into gratitude, and practical ways to navigate workplace politics, complicated relationships, and the feeling that life has become stagnant. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®. JAY'S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What I Discuss: 00:00 Introduction 02:18 Why We Feel Disconnected and Unfulfilled 06:27 Pursuing The Right Goals 11:32 Near-Death Experience And Writing The Sublime 13:13 Uncovering Your Authentic Self 19:51 The Looking-Glass Self 22:20 Overcoming Boredom Through Slow Disciplines 27:38 What is The Difference Between Happiness And Fulfillment? 32:15 Resisting Modern Culture And Embracing Difficulty 36:08 Building Confidence Through Small Steps 41:03 The Anxiety of Feeling Behind in Life 48:00 Connection To Others vs. Chasing Wealth 51:17 Turning Envy Into Gratitude 55:12 Real Fulfillment Beyond Financial Success 58:32 Money As Oxygen, Not Fulfillment 01:00:13 Workplace Politics And Power Dynamics 01:02:46 Why We’re Drawn to People Who Send Mixed Signals 01:04:53 Breaking Out of Repetitive Life Patterns 01:07:23 Confronting Mortality To Feel Alive 01:14:45 Transcendence, Evolution, And Spirituality 01:19:37 The Anti-Sublime Vs. the False Sublime 01:25:02 Robert On Final Five Episode Resources: Pre-order The Law of the Sublime https://sites.prh.com/lawofthesublime Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/robertgreeneofficial YouTube | https://youtube.com/@robertgreeneofficial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

    You Might Like This Interview with Robert Greene: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

  3. Oct 19

    10 Year Anniversary Episode: Surviving a High Conflict Divorce Without Losing Your Sanity with Karen McMahon

    To celebrate a decade of Journey Beyond Divorce, we're sharing a special collection of episodes featuring Karen McMahon as a guest on some of her favorite podcasts. Over the years, Karen has joined incredible hosts across the divorce, coaching, and personal growth space to share her story and her expertise. This collection brings those conversations together in one place, offering a look at Karen's voice and message from a different angle, through the eyes of the hosts who welcomed her. Thank you for being part of this journey, and for helping Journey Beyond Divorce grow into what it is today. Karen McMahon on Last First Date Radio with Sandy Weiner In this episode, originally recorded for the Last First Date Radio podcast, host Sandy Weiner sits down with Karen McMahon, High Conflict Divorce Coach and Strategist with Journey Beyond Divorce, for a candid conversation on surviving a high-conflict divorce without losing your sanity. Karen shares why powerlessness shows up so often during divorce, and why shifting the focus back onto yourself, rather than what your ex is doing, is the fastest path back to feeling empowered. She walks through the internal and external boundaries that got her through her own high-conflict divorce and co-parenting relationship, why trying to change your ex almost never works, and how men and women often face very different challenges in a high-conflict split. Karen and Sandy close with a conversation on rewriting the stories we tell ourselves about our divorce, and what it really takes to have your "last first date" and build something healthy the second time around. Sandy is a certified life and relationship coach who helps midlife women heal from heartbreak and find lasting love. She is the host of Last First Date Radio and founder of Last First Date, a coaching practice and community for women navigating dating and relationships after divorce or a painful breakup. Learn more about Sandy Weiner and her work at https://lastfirstdate.com, and listen to Last First Date Radio: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/last-first-date-radio/id586220219 Connect with Karen: Book a FREE Coaching Call: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/rapid-relief-call Join Divorce Support Network: https://bit.ly/jbdpod

  4. Oct 16

    You Can Insure Your Divorce Settlement. Here's How, with CEO/Founder of NASDF Ronald Platt

    You spend months, sometimes years, negotiating child support and alimony. Then a layoff, a disability, a business bankruptcy, or a death can stop those payments overnight, and most people have no idea there's a way to protect that income. In this episode, Karen McMahon sits down with Ron Platt, founder of the National Association of Single and Divorced Families (NASDF) and creator of Support Insured, the only policy on the market that covers child support and alimony together. Ron shares how an idea he and his father developed 30 years ago was turned down by carrier after carrier because of the word "divorce," and how it finally found an underwriter willing to take the risk. Karen and Ron walk through how the coverage works when the paying spouse loses a job, becomes disabled, files for business bankruptcy, or passes away, with payments continuing for up to a year so the receiving parent isn't left scrambling or paying an attorney to go back to court. They cover how premiums are calculated by age and support amount, why the receiving spouse can purchase the policy on behalf of the paying spouse, what happens with renewals and repeat claims, and why it's never too late to apply as long as a settlement is in place. Ron also explains why the policy is offered through NASDF membership and what members can access for $19 a month, including mental health sessions, childcare enrollment discounts, realtor referral rebates that can reduce closing costs, career services for parents returning to work after time at home, and a concierge service to help match members with attorneys, mediators, and coaches. He closes with the deeply personal reason he built the association, rooted in his experience as a foster parent and his goal of advocating for children caught in the family court and foster care systems. If you've ever lain awake wondering what happens if the support stops, this conversation offers a practical next step to protect what you fought so hard to secure. Connect with Ronald: JBD Gift: 10 free memberships to NASDF for one year!! Email: info@nasdf.org and tell them Karen McMahon sent you! Learn more about Support Insured and NASDF membership at https://www.nasdf.org Follow NASDF on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nasdforg/ Follow NASDF on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NASDF.org   Resources Mentioned in this Episode: Join Divorce Support Network: Back to school offer, 80% off a full year for $99, plus two strategic calls at no cost, one with a coach and one with a financial specialist: https://community.divorcesupportnetwork.com/back-to-school/?utm_source=JBDPodcast&utm_medium=RonaldPlatt&utm_campaign=BTS Free Rapid Relief Call: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/rapid-relief-call Join The Steady Circle: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/hcdsg The Steady Circle is a 12-week group coaching program for women navigating high-conflict divorce. Divorce coach Karen McMahon leads six live, bi-weekly Zoom sessions, where women learn to calm emotional triggers, set boundaries that hold, and respond to a difficult ex with strategy. Each member begins with a Personalized Support Blueprint. She stays connected between sessions through a private peer community, and she gets session recordings, a resource library, and two skills courses: Reclaim Your Mind and Boundary Bootcamp. Members leave steadier, clearer and more confident, with a circle of women who understand exactly what they're facing.

    You Can Insure Your Divorce Settlement. Here's How, with CEO/Founder of NASDF Ronald Platt

  5. Oct 13

    Should I Stay Together for the Kids?

    Should you stay for the kids? Karen McMahon opens this solo episode with a composite scene drawn from moments she has seen over and over in her work: a dinner table, a parent's jaw tightening, and a silence that lasts a beat too long. Two children respond in two different ways. Nine-year-old Emily fills the quiet with bright chatter, and five-year-old Jake gets smaller, hoping to take up less space. Their parent watches it happen across the table and recognizes the same fear in both of them. From there, Karen explains what those moments teach. Children who grow up around tension build coping strategies like people pleasing, hypervigilance, and codependence, and they carry those patterns into their own relationships. The research Karen draws on points to ongoing conflict as the source of harm to children, and staying in the house does not shield them from what the marriage looks like. She leaves you with a question many parents never ask themselves: if I stay, and this is my children's picture of intimate relationship, is that what I want to create in them? Leaving an unhealthy, high-conflict marriage can begin to break generational chains, because you show your children what healthy love can look like. Resources Mentioned in this Episode: Join Divorce Support Network: Back to school offer, 80% off a full year for $99, plus two strategic calls at no cost, one with a coach and one with a financial specialist: https://community.divorcesupportnetwork.com/back-to-school/?utm_source=JBDPodcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Stayforthekids Mend or End Playlist: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/mend-or-end-your-divorce-free-gift?utm_source=Libsyn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=Stayforthekids Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/rapid-relief-call

    Should I Stay Together for the Kids?

  6. Oct 10

    AI and Divorce: What Your Chatbot Could Cost You in Court with Amanda DuBois

    Everyone is turning to AI to get organized, prepare for attorney meetings, and make sense of divorce. Seattle family law attorney Amanda DuBois, founder of DuBois Law Group and 30 years into practicing, explains why that instinct can backfire. Amanda walks through why conversations with a chatbot have no attorney-client privilege, which means your prompts and the AI's answers can be requested in discovery or subpoenaed. She connects it to something she has seen for decades: journals and diaries are discoverable too, unless you are keeping them at your lawyer's direction for the case. Amanda shares examples that show how a casual comment to a chatbot can carry major legal weight, including how a remark about when your marriage ended could affect a date-of-separation argument worth a million dollars in stock. You'll also hear where AI genuinely helps, like sorting credit card statements or calendars, and why it is usually better to hand that work to your attorney, where it stays privileged. Karen and Amanda talk about the hidden cost of AI-generated questions and AI-edited legal briefs, including hallucinated case citations that your attorney's team then has to untangle at your expense. The episode closes with practical steps: ask your attorney what they are comfortable with you using AI for, and ask any attorney you are considering how they use AI in their own practice. Amanda also shares more about her firm's Seattle, Edmonds, and Port Townsend offices. Karen will revisit this topic every few months as the rules evolve. This conversation was recorded in July 2026. Connect with Amanda:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmandaDuBois206 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaduboisauthor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.dubois.author, Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-dubois-2b46071/ Websites: www.duboislaw.net, www.amandadubois.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode: Join Divorce Support Network: Back to school offer, 80% off a full year for $99, plus two strategic calls at no cost, one with a coach and one with a financial specialist: https://community.divorcesupportnetwork.com/back-to-school/?utm_source=JBDPodcast&utm_medium=highearningwomen&utm_campaign=back-to-school-2026 Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/rapid-relief-call This episode is for education only and is not legal advice. Consult an attorney in your state.

    AI and Divorce: What Your Chatbot Could Cost You in Court with Amanda DuBois

  7. Oct 4

    When Women Out-Earn their Spouse: Navigating High-Conflict Divorce with Divorce Coach, Ksenia Muench

    High-achieving women often carry the whole household on their shoulders. They build the career, bring home the bigger paycheck, and still come home to the kids, the laundry, and a spouse who assumes they can handle it all. When divorce enters the picture, and especially a high-conflict divorce, that weight doubles overnight. In this episode, Karen McMahon sits down with fellow high-conflict divorce strategist Ksenia Muench, founder of Thrive Again Divorce Coaching and creator of the High Conflict Playbook, who lived her own high-conflict divorce as the higher-earning spouse. Karen and Ksenia start by drawing an important distinction between couples who intentionally chose a stay-at-home dad arrangement and marriages where one partner simply stopped showing up, leaving her to fill every gap. From there, they unpack what makes a divorce truly high conflict: the endless stalling, withheld financial disclosures, petty battles over a single picture on the wall, and a court system that too often looks at two exhausted people and calls them both difficult. They also talk honestly about how the high-conflict spouse knows exactly which buttons to push, why the kids become the bait, and how even the most composed professional woman can get pulled back into the chaos. The conversation then turns to money. Paying alimony as a woman can feel like a deep injustice, especially after years of carrying the load, yet a judge's job is to look at the present numbers and leave the past alone. Karen and Ksenia share how radical acceptance, the choice between a lump sum and monthly payments, and reframing support as the cost of freedom can help women release the bitterness and reclaim their energy. They close with what comes next: dating after divorce. Ksenia explains why high-achieving women often lead with masculine energy, why learning what safety feels like in your own body is the first sign you're ready, and Karen shares a powerful client story about how two very different husbands created the same experience of emotional abandonment. When you do the inner work, you stop attracting the same person in a different face. Connect with Ksenia: Free Guide - Seven Myths of High-Conflict Divorce: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NHnFRsAtF-L5rHdq13ZaQZpdKuwoX4zy/view?usp=share_link Podcast - Uncoupling Unfiltered: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/uncoupled-unfiltered/id1820205268 Website: https://www.thriveagaindivorcecoaching.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thriveagaindivorcecoaching/ Resources Mentioned in this Episode: Join Divorce Support Network: Back to school offer, 80% off a full year for $99, plus two strategic calls at no cost, one with a coach and one with a financial specialist: https://community.divorcesupportnetwork.com/back-to-school/?utm_source=JBDPodcast&utm_medium=highearningwomen&utm_campaign=back-to-school-2026 Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/rapid-relief-call

    When Women Out-Earn their Spouse: Navigating High-Conflict Divorce with Divorce Coach, Ksenia Muench

  8. Sep 26

    How to Prepare for Divorce: 5 Steps to Take Before You File

    Whether you've decided to divorce and haven't told your spouse yet, or the decision has been made for you, the first weeks can bring a wave of fear, guilt, overwhelm and uncertainty. In this solo episode, Karen McMahon, high-conflict divorce coach and founder of Journey Beyond Divorce, explains how to prepare for divorce in a way that protects your emotional health, your finances and your children. After 16 years of coaching, Karen has seen that how you handle the emotional side of divorce shapes how well you handle the legal, financial and co-parenting decisions that follow. She explains why staying present, focusing on what you can control and taking one baby step at a time will serve you better than trying to solve the whole divorce in a single day. Karen then walks through five steps from her free Smart Start Pre-Divorce Checklist. First, she explains why a one-time consultation with a family law attorney matters, even in a high-conflict marriage where your spouse threatens to go scorched earth. She also covers the differences between a litigator, a collaborative attorney, a mediator and an advising attorney. Next she covers how to plan telling your spouse you want a divorce and how to reset your home environment, from separate sleeping arrangements to shared spaces and household tasks. She explains how setting boundaries while you still live together shows you how your spouse is likely to negotiate. She shares guidance on how to tell your kids about the divorce, including when telling them together may not be best. She closes with how a temporary parenting schedule before separation can show you how shared custody might work. Download the free Smart Start Pre-Divorce Checklist here: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/pre-divorce-checklist Feeling overwhelmed and ready for support? Book your free one-hour Rapid Relief Call at https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/rapid-relief-call to get a new perspective and a clear action step from a Journey Beyond Divorce coach. Join Divorce Support Network with our back-to-school offer: 80% off, a full year for $99, plus two strategic calls at no cost, one with a coach and one with a financial specialist: https://community.divorcesupportnetwork.com/back-to-school/

    How to Prepare for Divorce: 5 Steps to Take Before You File
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About

The Journey Beyond Divorce Podcast is your trusted companion through every stage of divorce—emotional, legal, financial, and parental. With over nine years of impactful episodes, this top-ranked podcast supports men and women navigating the challenges of divorce, especially those facing high-conflict dynamics, co-parenting struggles, emotional overwhelm, or legal uncertainty. Hosted by Karen McMahon, Certified Divorce Coach® and founder of Journey Beyond Divorce, the show offers strategic guidance, expert interviews, and real-life stories designed to help listeners move from confusion and chaos to clarity and confidence. Each episode is packed with insight and inspiration to help you make informed decisions, protect your children, safeguard your finances, and heal emotionally—so you can create a life you truly love post-divorce. If you're on the fence about whether to stay or go, have just been told your marriage is ending, or are actively working through the messy middle of litigation, negotiation, or co-parenting, this podcast meets you where you are. You'll learn how to emotionally regulate through triggers, explore your divorce process options (mediation, collaboration, litigation, arbitration), and prepare to work effectively with legal and financial professionals. Topics include how to gather your financials, navigate custody issues, and negotiate complex decisions around property, retirement assets, and business valuations. For those already in the process, episodes offer real-time guidance on how to cope with personality disorders in your co-parent, how to protect your children from toxic dynamics, and how to negotiate settlements strategically. You'll hear from certified divorce financial analysts, attorneys, parenting coordinators, therapists, and coaches who share proven tools and tips. Professionals in the divorce field—including family law attorneys, therapists, and financial experts—also listen in to better support their clients and stay up-to-date on best practices. And when the divorce is final? The podcast continues to serve as a roadmap for building your next chapter. Learn how to close out the financial and legal loose ends—such as QDROs, life insurance, beneficiary changes, and estate updates—while beginning to design a life aligned with your values, goals, and inner peace. Episodes cover healing from betrayal trauma, understanding your emotional patterns, rediscovering your identity, and navigating the complexities of post-divorce dating and parenting. This podcast also answers the most searched divorce-related questions, including: How do I co-parent with a narcissist? What are the steps in the divorce process? Should I litigate or mediate? What is a QDRO and do I need one? How do I protect my kids emotionally? What is the role of a certified divorce financial analyst? How do I move on after infidelity or betrayal? Listeners benefit from expert-vetted strategies, free resources, and supportive insights grounded in both experience and compassion. The Journey Beyond Divorce Podcast is more than just content—it's a lifeline. Whether you're seeking calm in the storm, tools to advocate for yourself, or support rebuilding your life, each episode helps you grow stronger, wiser, and more empowered. Subscribe today and begin your journey beyond divorce with guidance you can trust. www.jbddivorcesupport.com/podcast

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