The D. Tales with Allison Kahler

Allison Kahler

The D. Tales with Allison Kahler blends real divorce stories with grounded expert insight—helping you find clarity, feel connected, and courageously move forward on your own terms. For many people, divorce doesn’t start—or end—with a single decision. It unfolds through questions, doubts, and moments of reckoning: Should I stay or leave? Am I doing this “right”? What’s normal? What if I regret this? Whether you’re quietly wondering, deep in the thick of it, or trying to make sense of what just happened, The D. Tales creates space for the questions most people carry alone. Each episode features candid, deeply human stories from people who have faced these same decisions, alongside thoughtful conversations with experts who understand the emotional, legal, and financial realities of divorce. You won’t hear a single “right” answer here. Instead, you’ll hear diverse perspectives—so you can better understand your own. Divorce touches more than 40% of marriages, yet so many people experience it in silence, carrying unnecessary shame and isolation. The D. Tales brings these conversations out of the shadows—normalizing the uncertainty, the back-and-forth, the fear of getting it wrong, and the quiet hope that something better might be possible. Hosted by Allison Kahler—who once stood in that uncertain space herself and created the resource she wished existed—this podcast offers credible insight and real human connection. Not to rush you into a choice, and not to keep you stuck—but to help you make the right decisions for your marriage, navigate what comes next with clarity, and step into a future that may look very different than you imagined—and better than you thought possible. The D. Tales with Allison Kahler is produced by AK Venture Studio LLC.

  1. 14h ago

    Ep. 30: Two Days Apart — My 41st Birthday and 8 Years Divorced

    In this solo episode, I'm celebrating my 41st birthday — which falls just two days before the 8th anniversary of my divorce. I reflect on a life that looks nothing like I once planned, and why this year I'm trading goal-setting and resolutions for presence, self-appreciation, and simply settling in. In this episode: Why the timing of my birthday and divorce anniversary feels bigger this year — I'm coming up on almost as much time apart from my ex as we spent togetherThe psychology of "temporal landmarks" and the “fresh start effect” — why birthdays, like New Year's and Mondays, pull us into reflection and resetWhy I'm skipping the birthday goal-setting this year — trading the pressure to achieve for presence and settling inThe Hoffman practice that pairs appreciation with gratitude — learning to appreciate myself, not just be grateful for the blessings in my lifeHow my life at 41 looks different from what I expected and nothing like the one we were sold as millennials — and why so many friends my age feel that same disconnectThe wish I'm making at 41 as I blow out my birthday candles — wanting an aligned partner, but choosing to love myself first instead of pinning my happiness on finding one About "The D. Tales with Allison Kahler": The D. Tales blends real divorce stories with grounded expert insight — helping you find clarity and courage to move forward on your own terms. Follow The D. Tales wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow along on Instagram: @thedtalespodcast Learn more at https://thedtalespodcast.com This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal, medical, mental health, or financial advice.

  2. Aug 18

    Ep. 29: Rewilding the Woman a Marriage Tried to Tame

    Today's conversation with Nicole Marrè — women's empowerment coach and founder of Goddess Rewilding™ — traces her path out of a controlling marriage and into the work of helping women awaken to their wisest, wildest, and wholly feminine selves. In this episode: How a controlling marriage kept Nicole in constant fight-or-flight — and the neuroscience that explains why willpower alone couldn't free herThe night she heard a voice say "you deserve more than this" — and the year of EFT tapping and other spiritual practices that allowed her to reclaim her self-worthWhat "rewilding" really means — coming back to the fullest, wildest version of your feminine self after years of being containedWhy the drive women are so often told is "too masculine" is really their feminine warrior-ess energyHow to move rage through the body — drumming, screaming, burning letters — before it calcifies into resentment About Nicole Marrè: Nicole Marrè is a women's empowerment coach, certified somatic neuroscience guide, and founder of Goddess Rewilding™. She trained under one of the country's leading programs in feminine liberation and trauma-informed transformation, and now teaches her own feminine leadership program to women ready to reclaim their bodies, power, and identity after major life transitions — including divorce. A Certified Reiki Master Teacher and creator of SoulSensual Reiki™, she hosts international retreats, speaks, and leads ceremony for women rebuilding their lives on their own terms. Learn more about Nicole's work: https://www.nikimarre.com/ (prior) or https://www.nicolemarre.com/ (new) Follow Nicole on Instagram and TikTok: @nicole_rewild Episode-Specific Notes: The practices Nicole shares reflect her personal experience and coaching approach, not clinical treatment — please consult a licensed professional for mental health care specific to your situation. Content note: This episode includes candid discussion of emotional hardship. If you or someone you know needs support, the National Domestic Violence Hotline offers free, confidential help 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233 (call) or text START to 88788. About "The D. Tales with Allison Kahler": The D. Tales blends real divorce stories with grounded expert insight — helping you find clarity and courage to move forward on your own terms. Follow The D. Tales wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow along on Instagram: @thedtalespodcast Learn more at https://thedtalespodcast.com This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal, medical, mental health, or financial advice.

  3. Aug 11

    Ep. 28: Custody Battles: Legal Do's and Don'ts to Protect Your Kids and Your Sanity

    Today's conversation with matrimonial attorney Mia Poppe blends hard-won legal wisdom with her own divorce experience to show that surviving a custody battle is as much about steadying your mind as building your case. In this episode: What "custody at issue" really means — and why mitigating the impact on your kids matters more than "winning"The documentation do's and don'ts — keep any journal at your attorney's direction, keep teachers and pediatricians out of the fight, and beware of what you post on social mediaWhat's actually discoverable — WhatsApp messages, ChatGPT searches, even a private handwritten journal — and why what feels private often isn't"Divorce psychosis" — how the pressure of a custody fight can distort judgment and why you need a "tribe" to walk you back from the ledgeHow her own custody litigation made Mia a fiercely empathetic advocate for her clientsDetachment as daily practice — acknowledging, thanking, and releasing the emotions that don't serve you, so you move through custody without losing yourself About Mia Poppe: Mia Poppe, Esq. is a New York-based matrimonial attorney known for her work on complex custody cases, with offices in Midtown Manhattan and Westchester County. A South Carolina native and the granddaughter of a sharecropper, she brings pragmatism, honesty, and hard-won empathy to a practice shaped in part by her own experience of divorce. Before turning to law, she spent over a decade in leadership roles at Citicorp, GE Capital, and Bank of America — financial acumen she now pairs with legal strategy for her clients. She is also the author of two books, “The Empowered Woman's Guide” and “Un-Breaking Wonder Woman,” and is building MC2 Coaching Community, launching in 2026 to help women achieve whole-life success. Learn more about Mia's practice: https://www.miapoppe.com/ Follow her on Instagram: @miapoppe.esq Connect with Mia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miapoppe/ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nylawsa Episode-Specific Notes: Listener offer: Mia is gifting a complimentary copy of her book “The Empowered Woman's Guide” to the first 25 listeners who request one by emailing support@nylawsa.com. Mia's comments in this episode reflect her general perspective on custody and family law, not personalized legal advice — laws vary by state, so please consult a qualified attorney about your specific situation. About "The D. Tales with Allison Kahler": The D. Tales blends real divorce stories with grounded expert insight — helping you find clarity and courage to move forward on your own terms. Follow The D. Tales wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow along on Instagram: @thedtalespodcast Learn more at https://thedtalespodcast.com This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal, medical, mental health, or financial advice.

  4. Aug 4

    Ep. 27: Indestructible — Becoming the Hero of My Own Story

    When her life came apart, Ally Fallon did the only thing she knew how: she wrote it down. This is the story of how losing everything taught her she was indestructible. In this episode: The day everything became clear — how a discovery on her husband's iPad set off 48 hours of decisive actionWhy "you can be in love or in control, but not both" named what her marriage really wasHow confusion became the tell — the way she learned to recognize manipulation and trust her own body againLosing everything at once — marriage, business, faith, career — and the apartment-floor collapse that became fertile ground for rebuildingWhy writing her memoir became a life raft — how putting the story on the page is what actually saved herThe reframe that changed everything — a plot doesn't move until the hero acts, and how she wrote herself as its protagonist About Allison Fallon: Allison Fallon is an award winning author, accomplished ghostwriter, and expert writing coach. She has coached thousands of authors and aspiring authors to outline, compose, edit and publish their books. Her most recent book, "Write Your Story," helps everyday people turn their life experiences into stories that heal and inspire. She lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and two young kids. Learn more at allisonfallon.com Follow Allison on Instagram: @allyfallon Allison's Books: "Packing Light: Thoughts on Living Life with Less Baggage""Indestructible: Leveraging Your Broken Heart to Become a Force of Love and Change""The Power of Writing It Down: A Simple Habit to Unlock Your Brain and Reimagine Your Life""Write Your Story: A Simple Framework to Understand Yourself, Your Story, and Your Purpose in the World" About "The D. Tales with Allison Kahler": The D. Tales blends real divorce stories with grounded expert insight — helping you find clarity and courage to move forward on your own terms. Follow The D. Tales wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow along on Instagram: @thedtalespodcast Learn more at https://thedtalespodcast.com This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal, medical, mental health, or financial advice.

  5. Jul 28

    Ep. 26: How to Tell People You're Getting Divorced — Without Regrets

    You can always tell — but you can never untell. Today's conversation with therapist and author Oona Metz is a guide to talking about your divorce with intention: who to confide in while you're still deciding, how to tell the adults and kids in your life once you have, and how to signal it to the world without saying a word. In this episode: Why the two most common mistakes are opposite extremes — telling everyone too much too soon and regretting it, or white-knuckling the whole thing aloneHow the calculus shifts once you've actually decided — and why telling someone while you're still contemplating is often really about admitting it to yourselfWhy you don't owe everyone the same story — the concentric-circles model for who gets the whole truth, who gets part of it, and who gets a practiced one-linerHow to handle the responses that miss — including the nosy gossip fishing for details and the friend who trashes your exWhat to actually say to your kids — the only two promises worth making, why the first conversation stays short, and how timing changes with a child's ageThe wordless ways you tell the world after divorce — removing your ring, changing your last name, and wiping your social media About Oona Metz: Oona Metz is the author of Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women, which has been featured on CBS Mornings, in Time magazine, and on NPR's Morning Edition. A Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Certified Group Psychotherapist, and Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, she has 30 years of clinical experience and has spent the past 15 years specializing in treating women navigating divorce. Oona leads three weekly divorce support groups for women and is the founder of the Beacon Group Fellowship, which trains mental health professionals across the country to lead divorce groups. Learn more at oonametz.com Follow Oona on Instagram: @oonametz Follow Women Navigating Divorce on Facebook: facebook.com/womennavigatingdivorce Connect with Oona on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/oona-metz-licsw-cgp Subscribe on YouTube: @OonaMetz Read Oona on Substack: substack.com/@oonametz Episode-Specific Notes: This conversation offers general perspective on navigating divorce and is not personalized medical, mental health, or therapeutic advice. Please consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation. Resources mentioned: Oona Metz's essay on what to say when someone you love is getting divorced — "Congratulations or Condolences: What to Say When Your Friend Gets Divorced" (WBUR Cognoscenti). About "The D. Tales with Allison Kahler": The D. Tales blends real divorce stories with grounded expert insight — helping you find clarity and courage to move forward on your own terms. Follow The D. Tales wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow along on Instagram: @thedtalespodcast Learn more at https://thedtalespodcast.com This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal, medical, mental health, or financial advice.

  6. Jul 21

    Ep. 25: Dear Diary — Getting Lost in France and Finding Myself

    In this Dear Diary episode, I read back through the journals from a month I spent traveling France alone in 2017 — deep in the divorce contemplation season — and trace how a trip I took looking for answers became the one where I finally found myself. In this episode: The Art Institute afternoon that started it all — how a Jackson Pollock and Monet's haystacks cracked open the difference between seeing life and truly observing itThe mindset shift that changed the whole trip — treating every stranger as a teacher and every encounter as a clue worth paying attention toThe couple married 50 years who helped me name the "emptiness" I'd been avoiding in my own marriageGiverny in the morning fog — the turning point where I stopped checking off a bucket list and let myself be fully presentArriving in Provence "like a drowned rat," then navigating buses alone — and discovering how capable and independent I really wasThe journal entry I wrote on the plane home — *"*she is not the same person… but changed" — and how I went looking for answers and found myself instead Episode-Specific Notes: Allison's Paris favorites mentioned in this episode: Chez Janou — Provençal bistro in the Marais: chezjanou.comDu Pain et des Idées — artisan boulangerie near the Canal Saint-Martin: dupainetdesidees.comBar Hemingway at the Ritz Paris — legendary cocktail bar on Place Vendôme: ritzparis.com Want more of Allison's Paris and France recommendations? DM @thedtalespodcast on Instagram to request the full list. About "The D. Tales with Allison Kahler": The D. Tales blends real divorce stories with grounded expert insight — helping you find clarity and courage to move forward on your own terms. Follow The D. Tales wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow along on Instagram: @thedtalespodcast Learn more at https://thedtalespodcast.com This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal, medical, mental health, or financial advice.

  7. Jul 14

    Ep. 24: Co-Parenting as a "Mommune" — Can Divorce Be Good for Kids?

    When Bella, Sue, and Julia's marriages ended, they didn't just survive divorce — they built a "mommune": a chosen family of moms who show up at each other's doors, raise their kids as a team, and discovered the best thing to come out of their divorces was each other. In this episode: How three Long Island moms met in the middle of their own divorces and built My Two Homes — the support community that became a found familyWhy their kids insist they're the real founders of My Two Homes — 'you're just holding onto it for when we're older'Bella on the rock-bottom mornings — 'I'd wake up with my chest tight' — and the slow realization that trying harder wasn't going to save her marriageSue on losing herself inside the marriage — and how this group of women helped her get her footing back and learn to trust againJulia on what a "mommune" actually looks like — co-parenting each other's kids, swapping pickups, and showing up at each other's doors without hesitationThe biggest surprise of divorce — that the best thing to come out of it was each other About My Two Homes: My Two Homes is a community founded by three Port Washington, New York moms — Bella Barbosa Akhtar, Sue Cleva, and Julia Trinko — who met in the middle of their own divorces and turned that shared experience into support for other families. Through a trusted local network, community events, and child-focused programming, they help normalize what it means to grow up across two households — so that no one has to navigate divorce or co-parenting alone. Their mission is to create a supportive community where parents navigating divorce can find trusted resources, practical guidance, and shared experiences from others on a similar journey. Meet the founders: My Two Homes — Our Team Learn more about My Two Homes: mytwohomescommunity.com Follow My Two Homes on Instagram: @mytwo_homes About "The D. Tales with Allison Kahler": The D. Tales blends real divorce stories with grounded expert insight — helping you find clarity and courage to move forward on your own terms. Follow The D. Tales wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow along on Instagram: @thedtalespodcast Learn more at https://thedtalespodcast.com This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal, medical, mental health, or financial advice.

  8. Jul 7

    Ep. 23: This Is Your Brain on Divorce — What Psychedelics Actually Do

    Today's conversation with psychedelic-assisted therapist Dr. Nick Brüss explores why divorce activates our most protective parts — rage, blame, the inner critic — and how healing comes from turning toward them rather than numbing them, with or without psychedelics. In this episode: Why "this is your brain on drugs" gets psychedelics backwards — what psychedelic-assisted therapy really does is help you see and feel what you've been avoidingHow Internal Family Systems (IFS) explains the "parts" that take over in divorce — the managers, firefighters, and exiles driving your reactionsThe most popular "part" of all? The Inner Critic — if it had an IG account, it'd have a billion followers, and Nick explains how to stop taking its voice as gospelWhy divorce lands like an "attachment rupture" — a nervous-system event your body lives through, not just a legal oneWhat it means to meet your most wounded parts with self-compassion instead of judgment — the real healing, with or without psychedelics About Dr. Nick Brüss: Dr. Nick Brüss is a psychedelic-assisted therapist, researcher, and trainer who helps people heal and live more freely — with or without psychedelic medicine. A leader in psychedelic-assisted Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, he has practiced IFS since 2013 and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy since 2017, and served as a therapist and clinical supervisor on the MAPS Phase III trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. His work pairs clinical rigor with a deep grounding in mindfulness and self-compassion. His book, “The Psychedelic Mindset: Liberate Yourself With or Without Psychedelics,” is forthcoming from HarperCollins. Learn more at A Practice of Freedom: apracticeoffreedom.com Follow Nick on Instagram: @drnickbruss Connect with Nick on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicholas-bruss Episode-Specific Notes: This conversation offers general perspective on psychedelic-assisted therapy, Internal Family Systems, and emotional healing — it is not personalized medical, mental health, or therapeutic advice. Psychedelics are not appropriate for everyone and can be unsafe or destabilizing; please consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation. About "The D. Tales with Allison Kahler": The D. Tales blends real divorce stories with grounded expert insight — helping you find clarity and courage to move forward on your own terms. Follow The D. Tales wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow along on Instagram: @thedtalespodcast Learn more at https://thedtalespodcast.com This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal, medical, mental health, or financial advice.

5
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

The D. Tales with Allison Kahler blends real divorce stories with grounded expert insight—helping you find clarity, feel connected, and courageously move forward on your own terms. For many people, divorce doesn’t start—or end—with a single decision. It unfolds through questions, doubts, and moments of reckoning: Should I stay or leave? Am I doing this “right”? What’s normal? What if I regret this? Whether you’re quietly wondering, deep in the thick of it, or trying to make sense of what just happened, The D. Tales creates space for the questions most people carry alone. Each episode features candid, deeply human stories from people who have faced these same decisions, alongside thoughtful conversations with experts who understand the emotional, legal, and financial realities of divorce. You won’t hear a single “right” answer here. Instead, you’ll hear diverse perspectives—so you can better understand your own. Divorce touches more than 40% of marriages, yet so many people experience it in silence, carrying unnecessary shame and isolation. The D. Tales brings these conversations out of the shadows—normalizing the uncertainty, the back-and-forth, the fear of getting it wrong, and the quiet hope that something better might be possible. Hosted by Allison Kahler—who once stood in that uncertain space herself and created the resource she wished existed—this podcast offers credible insight and real human connection. Not to rush you into a choice, and not to keep you stuck—but to help you make the right decisions for your marriage, navigate what comes next with clarity, and step into a future that may look very different than you imagined—and better than you thought possible. The D. Tales with Allison Kahler is produced by AK Venture Studio LLC.

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