The Divorce and Beyond® Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq.

What do I do first when I find out I’m getting divorced? It is the first question almost everyone asks, whether they made the decision or were just blindsided. In this most-requested solo episode, Susan Guthrie shares her concept of Divorce Triage, a calm way to figure out who to call first based on what your situation actually needs. Like an emergency room, you do not have to fix everything at once. You need the right first step. Drawing on more than three decades as a family law attorney and mediator, Susan breaks down who belongs on a divorce support team, the attorney, mediator, divorce coach, therapist, and certified divorce financial analyst, and uses real scenarios to show whose help you need first, and why your opening move can shape everything that follows. This episode kicks off the Divorce & Beyond Summer Essentials series, a curated lineup of the show’s most valuable conversations for anyone thinking about, going through, or rebuilding after divorce. Follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a five-star review to help it reach more people. divorceandbeyondpod.com | Instagram: @divorceandbeyondpod Susan Guthrie, Esq. is one of the nation’s leading divorce and mediation attorneys, Immediate Past Chair of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, and the featured divorce expert on The Oprah Podcast. For informational purposes only, not legal advice.

Divorce season is in full swing, and for many listeners, that means overwhelm, fear, and financial uncertainty. Susan Guthrie welcomes back two of her favorite returning experts, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan of My Divorce Solution, to talk about what truly matters in the earliest days of divorce: financial clarity before legal action. Divorce may be a legal process, but in the beginning, it feels emotional and financial. Fear can drive rushed decisions. Anger can fuel unnecessary conflict. And too often, people hire attorneys before they understand what they actually own, owe, or need. Karen and Catherine specialize in helping individuals slow down, gather the facts, and understand what is truly in the marital “pie” before anyone starts slicing it up. Through their structured preparation platform and signature MDS Financial Portrait™, they help people turn panic into power and confusion into confidence. This conversation is about avoiding early mistakes, preventing unnecessary legal costs, and building a foundation that supports smart, informed decisions from day one. What You’ll Learn Why divorce should often begin with financial clarity, not immediate legal action How emotional agreements like “you keep the house, I’ll keep my retirement” can create long-term financial damage What really happens when couples rely on spreadsheets without full documentation The difference between financial literacy and financial empowerment during divorce How understanding the financial impact of decisions allows you to pivot confidently during negotiations Why assembling the right professional team depends on first understanding the complexity of your financial picture Episode Blog Article: What Is the #1 Financial Mistake Before Filing for Divorce? Free Episode Resource: Before You File: Divorce Financial Readiness Checklist About the Guests Catherine Shanahan, CDFA After 25 years in the financial industry, having raised five children and endured her own experience with divorce, Catherine became a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), trained Mediator and Daily Money Manager(PDMM). Catherine is collaboratively trained and was a member of the Bucks County Collaborative Law Group. She is a member of the American Association of Daily Money Managers (AADMM) the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts, and the Association of Divorce Financial Planners (ADFP). Catherine is fully dedicated to helping clients understand and navigate all aspects of divorce including planning a secure financial future post-divorce. Karen Chellew, Legal Liaison For over 30 years, Karen has worked in the legal field as a paralegal and business manager. During her career, she served as an affiliated member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and President Elect of the ALA (Association of Legal Administrators). Karen now serves clients and the professional team in her role as legal liaison. She is also a certified QDRO Administrator, Founder and President of Sisters U Foundation, and an Auditor of East Rockhill Township. As the mom of three children and one granddaughter, Karen is extremely passionate about helping women in all that she does. My Divorce SolutionThrough their professional and personal experiences, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan have created a unique and comprehensive process that greets divorce in a whole new way – a way that empowers those who experience this major life transition. Our mission is simple: to help people move through the divorce process with financial clarity and confidence so they can make the rest of their lives the best of their lives. The MDS Financial Portrait™ is a compilation of data and financial records utilizing the family’s key and supporting documentation. The MDS Financial Portrait provides a clear neutral snapshot of the family’s marital and non-marital estate for purposes of determining alimony, child support, and the division of assets and liabilities. This comprehensive Portrait

Gray divorce is one of the fastest-growing divorce trends, yet it remains one of the least talked-about experiences. It is not just the end of a marriage. It is the unraveling of decades of shared life, identity, routines, and expectations. In this episode, Susan Guthrie is joined by gray divorce coach Maryjane Sweet, whom she first met when they were both featured on the Oprah Podcast in a powerful conversation about gray divorce. Maryjane appeared alongside her adult daughter, and their story stood out for its honesty, depth, and the grace with which Maryjane navigated this life-altering transition. Together, Susan and Maryjane explore what it truly takes to move through gray divorce with intention, emotional awareness, and integrity. They discuss why gray divorce can feel especially destabilizing, particularly when it arrives unexpectedly, and how the losses extend far beyond the marriage itself. The conversation dives into grief, identity shifts, nervous system overwhelm, and the invisible emotional labor women carry as they work to hold themselves and their families together during profound change. This is not a conversation about quick fixes. It is about honoring loss, building emotional safety, and discovering what gray divorce can give back on the other side. What You’ll Learn Why gray divorce is not just a legal ending, but a profound emotional and identity shift after decades of shared life Why rituals around loss, such as leaving a family home or removing wedding rings, help create closure and support healing How daily anchors like sleep, nourishment, movement, and connection are essential tools during divorce Why adult children are deeply impacted by gray divorce and how parents can model integrity, resilience, and self-compassion How focusing on how you want to feel can help guide decisions when the future feels like a black hole Why coaching support can be critical during gray divorce and how it helps women move forward without getting stuck in the past About the Guest Maryjane is a gray divorce coach and consultant. She combines the lived experience of ending a 26-year marriage with deep professional training to help women navigate the emotional and practical complexities of gray divorce. She holds a master's in Organizational Behavior and is an !CF-certified PCC coach with over 1,500 client hours worldwide. She's trained in mindfulness and meditation through Duke University, is a certified trauma-informed yoga instructor, and has taught university courses on well-being and neuroscience-based stress regulation. With more than twenty years in leadership development and human transformation, she offers women a grounded, evidence-based pathway through midlife divorce - one that honors both the unraveling and the rising. Connect with Maryjane Sweet Website: http://maryjanesweet.com Instagram: @thegreydivorcecoach Blog Article + Free Downloadable Resource 📝 Rituals for Grief in Gray Divorce: Why Closure Matters In this companion article, Susan explores why gray divorce requires more than legal resolution. It requires emotional closure. Drawing from this conversation, she explains how intentional rituals, such as marking the end of a marriage, leaving a longtime home, or acknowledging decades of shared life, can help the nervous system process loss and support healing during profound transition. You’ll also find a simple, downloadable resource designed to help you reflect on what closure might look like for you. Read here: https://divorceandbeyondpod.com/blog *************************************************** Make the Most of Your Listening Experience: If this episode resonates with you, be sure to: Subscribe to Divorce & Beyond so you never miss an episode. Share this episode with friends or loved ones who need hope and healing. Leave a 5-star review to help us reach even more listeners. Follow Us Online: Divorce & Beyond: https://divorceandbeyondpod.com, IG: @divorceandbeyondpod Meet Our

Not every marriage is meant to be saved. In this deeply honest episode, Susan Guthrie and Dr. Jenn Mann of VH1s Couples Therapy and author of ”The Relationship Fix,” discuss how to know when letting go is the healthiest choice and how clarity can restore confidence and self-trust.

It is Divorce Day. January 5, 2026. And if you are listening on the day this episode drops, divorce is everywhere. It is on the news, across social media, whispered in conversations, and quietly sitting in the background for many people as the holidays come to an end. Here is a simple truth: Divorce Day creates more noise than clarity. This episode is designed to help you slow down, get oriented, and understand what actually matters on Day One. In fact, after more than three decades as a divorce attorney and mediator, Susan Guthrie knows this truth better than anyone: Advice is loud. Opinions are everywhere. Much of what circulates today is designed to provoke urgency, fear, or dramatic action. The biggest mistake people make on Divorce Day is believing this day requires action. It does not. What it requires is understanding. In this grounded, compassionate solo episode, Susan walks listeners through the five things you need to know on Day One, sharing the foundational truths that separate people who navigate divorce intentionally from those who spend years undoing a rushed beginning. If divorce is on your mind today, this episode offers clarity, steadiness, and permission to pause. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: Why Divorce Day is about readiness, not action, and how confusing the two leads to regret rather than relief. Why information must come before strategy, and how accurate, jurisdiction-specific knowledge calms fear and prevents avoidable mistakes. How the way divorce begins shapes everything that follows, including tone, communication, and long-term outcomes. Why divorce is not one decision but a series of decisions, and how choosing how you decide matters more than deciding everything at once. Why your divorce team matters more than you think, and how choosing the wrong professionals early can cost years of stress and unnecessary expense. MORE SUPPORT: If today’s episode resonated with you, Susan has also written a companion blog article titled Before You Say Anything: The Conversations That Can Make or Break Your Divorce, which explores why the earliest conversations often shape the entire divorce process. We have paired it with a free downloadable guide, Before You Say Anything: A Divorce Conversation Prep Guide, designed to help you slow down, choose your words intentionally, and protect your options before anything is filed. You can find them on the website at https://divorceandbeyondpod.com/Blog MENTIONED EPISODES:The Divorce & Beyond episode archive is designed to support you at the very beginning of this process, when questions feel overwhelming and clarity feels out of reach and as you move through your divorce journey. Inside the archive, you will find conversations like: Divorce Triage: Who to Call First and How to Build the Right Support Team with Susan Guthrie ”We Need to Talk:” How to Have the Most Difficult Conversation of Your Life with Kate Anthony When Divorce Gets Messy: Why Litigation Is Sometimes the Only Answer with Leading Attorney, Marc Garelick You can search the full Divorce & Beyond archive by topic at divorceandbeyondpod.com and start with the episodes that speak most directly to where you are right now. ===================== Make the Most of Your Listening Experience: If this episode resonates with you, be sure to: Subscribe to Divorce & Beyond so you never miss an episode. Share this episode with friends or loved ones who need hope and healing. Leave a 5-star review to help us reach even more listeners. Follow Us Online: Divorce & Beyond: https://divorceandbeyondpod.com, IG: @divorceandbeyondpod Meet Our Host Susan E. Guthrie®, Esq. is one of the nation’s leading family law and mediation experts, with more than 35 years of experience helping individuals and families navigate divorce and conflict with clarity and compassion. She is the Immediate Past Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, a best-selling author, and a soug

As Divorce & Beyond closes out 2025, Susan Guthrie welcomes back Trina Nudson for a powerful bookend conversation exploring BeAligned, a revolutionary AI-powered reflection platform designed to help parents regulate emotions, interrupt the cycle of conflict, and problem-solve with their children’s wellbeing at the center. BeAligned is not another communication app, and it is not about getting co-parents to agree or behave perfectly. Instead, Trina explains how the platform meets parents where they are, supports emotional regulation in real time, and helps interrupt the conflict cycles that so often take over co-parenting relationships. Susan and Trina also explore how even one parent can shift the entire family dynamic, why co-parenting is about awareness rather than perfection, and how using technology intentionally can make co-parenting easier during emotionally charged moments. Why This Conversation Matters Co-parenting is hard even in intact families. Add divorce, grief, fear, and conflict, and it can feel overwhelming. Many parents know what they should do but struggle to access those tools in the moment when emotions take over. This conversation matters because BeAligned acknowledges the reality of human emotions and provides support in real time. It helps parents step out of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, see the bigger picture, and create solutions that protect childhoods without relying on blame, shame, or court intervention. You Will Learn: Why it only takes one parent to shift the co-parenting dynamic Why co-parenting is not about perfection, but about awareness and regulation How BeAligned helps parents move from reaction to alignment and interrupt the cycle of conflict How technology can support calmer communication without replacing attorneys, therapists, or coaches Why focusing on children’s needs changes everything Special Offer from Trina Nudson and BeAligned: Trina is generously offering Divorce & Beyond listeners 90 days of free access to BeAligned using code BEYOND. No credit card required. You’ll get full access to the platform’s reflection tools and support resources, and an invitation to share feedback that helps improve and expand its impact.Visit http://BeAligned.app to get started. About the Guest: Trina Nudson is a family law attorney, mediator, court-appointed guardian ad litem, child advocate, Certified Divorce Coach® (CDC®), Divorce Coaching Academy® graduate (DCA®), and Licensed Bachelor Social Worker with more than 25 years of experience in the trenches of high-conflict co-parenting and family systems. She is the founder of The Layne Project, owner of My Child Advocate, PA, and the creator of the evidence-based BeH2O® co-parenting system and BeAligned™, an AI-powered reflection platform that helps parents move from reaction to alignment. Across thousands of cases, Trina has worked alongside judges, attorneys, therapists, and schools to center children’s wellbeing while helping parents navigate some of the hardest seasons of their lives. Her mission is simple and non-negotiable: safeguarding childhoods by helping adults show up with clarity, steadiness, and purpose—especially when it’s hard. Websites:BeAligned: http://bealigned.app BeH20: http://BeH2OCoparenting.com Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trina-nudson-19b169149/ Divorce and Beyond Appearances: The Business of Co-Parenting: How Neuroscience and Mindset Coaching Are Transforming Conflict into Collaboration with Trina Nudson on Divorce & Beyond ===================== Make the Most of Your Listening Experience: If this episode resonates with you, be sure to: Subscribe to Divorce & Beyond so you never miss an episode. Share this episode with friends or loved ones who need hope and healing. Leave a 5-star review to help us reach even more listeners. Follow Us Online: Divorce & Beyond: https://divorceandbeyondpod.com, IG: @divorceandbeyondpod Meet Our Host Susan E. Guthrie®, Esq. is one of the