Dishing on Divorce Podcast

Divorce and Autism: Planning for Children with Special Needs with Michael Pereira

On this episode of Dishing on Divorce, Mandy Barr is joined by Michael Pereira, founder of The Autism Voyage, to explore the complex intersection of divorce, parenting, and raising a neurodivergent child.
Michael shares both professional expertise and personal insight as the father of a son with autism. After his son’s diagnosis, Michael’s life shifted dramatically, leading him to leave corporate America and build a platform dedicated to helping families navigate the emotional, financial, and logistical realities of raising children with special needs.
Together, Mandy and Michael discuss:
• The emotional journey parents experience after an autism diagnosis• How neurodivergence can impact marriages and sometimes lead couples to the brink of divorce• Why routines and stability are critical for children on the spectrum during separation• The importance of financial planning, insurance, estate planning, and long-term care strategies• How parents can shift from fear and isolation to clarity and intentional planning
Michael also shares how The Autism Voyage was created to provide education, resources, and community for families who often feel alone as they navigate neurodiversity.
This conversation offers compassionate guidance for parents facing difficult transitions as they plan a stable future for their children.
Connect with Michael: https://theautismvoyage.com/
Email Michael: michael@theautismvoyage.com
Connect with Mandy and Deanna: concierge@vestadivorce.com 

Considering Divorce? Why Couples Mediation May Be the First Step with Jennifer Hawthorne Kelsey, Esq.

Considering divorce? In this episode of Dishing on Divorce, we explore how couples mediation, also known as marriage mediation, can help strengthen a marriage before making the final decision to separate.
Jennifer Hawthorne Kelsey, a Massachusetts mediator and collaborative attorney at Skylark Law and Mediation in Southborough, explains how mediation provides clarity, structure, and practical problem-solving for couples navigating conflict. For some couples, this process helps repair communication patterns, reduce tension, and create new agreements that support staying together.
Instead of immediately lawyering up and heading into litigation, couples mediation offers a structured, neutral space to work through parenting schedules, financial responsibilities, household roles, communication breakdowns, and future planning.
We discuss:• The difference between couples mediation and divorce mediation• How mediation differs from therapy• How structured problem solving can help preserve and strengthen a marriage• When mediation may clarify that separation is the healthiest path• Co-parenting, parenting plans, and conflict de-escalation• Situations where mediation may not be appropriate, including coercive control and intimate partner violence
Jennifer also shares her personal journey through divorce and co-parenting, and how curiosity, communication, and emotional maturity can reshape even high-conflict dynamics.
If you are considering divorce and want to explore every option before making a life-changing decision, this conversation offers grounded guidance, perspective, and hope.
Connect with Jennifer: https://skylarklaw.com/jenniferhawthorne/
Connect with Deanna and Mandy: concierge@vestadivorce.com

The Co-Parenting Code: Moving from Conflict to Cooperation with Teresa Luse

Dishing on Divorce welcomes Teresa Luse, co-parenting coach, family mediator, and author of Combative to Collaborative: The Co-Parenting Code. Teresa shares how she and her former spouse intentionally designed a collaborative co-parenting relationship after divorcing when their son was six, creating a stable, supportive childhood that their now adult son describes as happy.
Mandy and Deanna explore practical ways parents can move from conflict to cooperation, including Teresa’s Golden Rule approach, how to stop assigning motives and start seeking clarity, and why you do not have to like your co-parent to co-parent well. Teresa breaks down common co-parenting breakdowns, such as punishing for past hurt and positional bargaining, then offers tools to get unstuck, including interest-based problem-solving, paraphrasing for better communication, and her three-list framework for what parents must align on versus what can differ across households.
They also dive into Teresa’s Three Cs for healthier relationships: civility, caring, and communication, and discuss why communication often needs to increase, not decrease, as children grow and the stakes get higher. The episode is a hopeful reminder that collaborative co-parenting is built by intention, not perfection, and that even one parent choosing a different approach can begin to shift the entire dynamic for the better.
Connect with Teresa Luse: https://teresaluse.com/
Get Teresa's Book: Combative to Collaborative: The Co-parenting Code
Connect with Mandy and Deanna: concierge@vestadivorce.com

Divorce After 50: Retirement, Social Security, and Splitting Assets

On this episode of Dishing on Divorce, Mandy and Deanna sit down with Lis Davies, CDFA®, and Jeff Matthews, CFP®, CDFA®, from the Arlington Group Investment Consulting in Columbus, Ohio, to explore the growing trend of divorce after 50.
With decades of experience and personal connections to divorce, Lis and Jeff bring both professional insight and lived understanding to this important conversation. They unpack the unique financial complexities that arise later in life, when couples may be nearing retirement, managing significant accumulated assets, and reimagining a future they once assumed would look very different.
In this episode, we discuss:
• Why divorce after 50 is on the rise• The emotional and financial realities of dividing assets after decades of marriage• Social Security rules every divorcing spouse over 50 should understand• Spousal support expectations today• The real cost of keeping the family home• Lifestyle shifts and spending patterns after divorce• Why financial planning early in the process matters
Lis and Jeff also share how they collaborate with attorneys, therapists, CPAs, and estate planners to support clients holistically during this life transition.
Connect with Lis and Jeff: https://fa.wellsfargoadvisors.com/The-Arlington-Group/index.html
Connect with the concierge team: concierge@vestadivorce.com 

Colorado Family Law Attorney Jessica Breckenridge on Divorce and Reducing Conflict

In this episode of Dishing on Divorce, we sit down with Jessica Breckenridge, Family Law Attorney and Co-Founder of Empower Family Law in Colorado, and a vetted Vesta professional in Vesta’s new Colorado Hub. Jessica shares how her early life in the foster care system and an adoption experience that went wrong shaped her passion for helping children and families. She also shares her experience of divorce during her first semester of law school, including a painful attorney intake call that strengthened her commitment to ensure clients feel informed, supported, and respected.
We discuss common misconceptions about hiring a divorce attorney, including the belief that lawyers automatically make divorce more adversarial, and explain why, in Colorado, good legal guidance can reduce conflict. Jessica breaks down full scope versus limited scope representation, why preparation matters, and how the right divorce team, including coaches, therapists, financial experts, and real estate professionals, can protect your peace and your future.
Jessica was recognized by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys as one of Colorado’s Top 10 Under 40 for 2025.
Connect with Jessica
Email: info@empowerfamilylegal.com
Website: https://www.empowerfamilylegal.com/
Connect with Vesta's Concierge
Email: concierge@vestadivorce.com
Note: This episode is for education only and is not legal advice. If you are experiencing domestic violence, coercive control, threats, or feel unsafe, please prioritize safety and reach out to local emergency services, a domestic violence hotline, or a trusted professional in your area.

Robyn Vogel: Healing Heartbreak After Divorce and Creating Lasting Love

In this soulful episode of Dishing on Divorce, Mandy Pullen Barr and Deanna Coyle sit down with love and intimacy coach, IFS psychotherapist, and Omega Institute faculty member Robyn Vogel.
Robyn shares how early loss and heartbreak shaped her life’s purpose and led her to help others heal, rebuild self-trust, and create lasting love. The conversation centers around her new book, Come Back to Love: A Path to Healing, and the Four Gates framework she uses to guide people through emotional healing, nervous system regulation, body-based healing, and soul-level perspective.
Listeners will hear:
Why abandonment wounds are so common after divorce
How the brain can be rewired to release limiting beliefs
Simple nervous system tools to calm overwhelm and anxiety
How love, compassion, and purpose can transform even the deepest pain
This episode is tender, insightful, and deeply human. It is for anyone healing from divorce or loss, or from old stories that no longer serve them, and for anyone ready to return to love.
📘 Come Back to Love releases February 9. Get your copy here: Order Your Copy.💛 Learn more about Robyn’s groups, retreats, and book launch: https://www.comebacktolove.com/
Join us for her book launch party: https://bit.ly/MasterClassFeb9

How to Save Your Marriage with Dr. Lee Baucom

In this episode of Dishing on Divorce, we sit down with Dr. Lee Baucom, marriage and relationship coach, author of seven books, and host of the Save the Marriage podcast with over 5.5 million downloads.
Dr. Baucom shares practical, compassionate guidance on how couples lose connection, why love alone is not enough to sustain a marriage, and what actually helps relationships heal. We explore when it makes sense to work on saving a marriage, when it may be healthier to move forward, and how to do both with clarity and without regret.
This conversation covers rebuilding connection, personal responsibility versus blame, limiting beliefs, and how the work you do on yourself impacts every relationship in your life, including co-parenting after divorce. A must listen for anyone questioning their marriage or wanting to show up differently in love and family life.
Learn more about Dr.Lee Baucom: https://leebaucom.com/
Check out his podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@SaveTheMarriageSystem

Divorce Coaching and Pre-Mediation Preparation with Lyerly Spongberg

In this episode of Dishing on Divorce, Deanna Coyle sits down with certified divorce coach and pre-mediation coach Lyerly Spongberg to talk about how preparation can completely change the divorce experience.
Lyerly shares how her own high-conflict divorce led her to become the coach she once needed. She explains what divorce coaching is, how it is different from therapy, and why working with a pre-mediation coach can save time, money, and emotional energy.
They discuss:
What divorce coaching really is and who it is for
How pre-mediation coaching helps you walk into mediation prepared and confident
The biggest misconceptions about mediation
How to stay grounded and regulated during high-conflict conversations
Why keeping children at the center leads to better long-term outcomes
If you are considering divorce or preparing for mediation, this episode will help you understand your options and feel more empowered about your next steps.
Subscribe for more expert conversations on divorce, co-parenting, finances, and rebuilding life after divorce.
Connect with Lyerly: https://stepupwithlyerly.com/

Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women with Oona Metz

Therapist, writer, and divorce support group leader Oona Metz joins Dishing on Divorce to talk about what so many women experience but rarely feel prepared for: the emotional journey of divorce.
With 30 years of clinical experience and 15 years specializing in divorce support, Oona shares why community matters, why the traditional grief model does not fully fit divorce, and how her Five Phases of Divorce Grief can help listeners feel less lost and more grounded. We also talk about language that increases shame, the hidden losses people grieve, and simple tools that regulate the nervous system when everything feels like too much.
Oona’s new book, Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women, is a practical and compassionate companion packed with stories, exercises, resources, and real support for the road ahead.
Oona Metz, LICSW, CGP, is a therapist, writer, and speaker with 30 years of clinical experience. She specializes in supporting women+ through divorce and offers therapist-led divorce support groups, along with training for mental health clinicians through the Beacon Group Fellowship. Her private practice is based in Brookline and Arlington, Massachusetts.
Connect with Oona: https://www.oonametz.com/
Get Oona's book: https://www.amazon.com/Unhitched-Essential-Divorce-Guide-Women/dp/1668075385

Divorce Doesn’t Have to Be a Battle with Debra Whitson

A conversation about mediation, collaborative divorce, and healthier paths forward. On this episode of Dishing on Divorce, we’re joined by Debra Whitson, founder of Whitson Law and a vetted Vesta professional in New York. With more than 25 years of experience in divorce and family law, Debra has seen firsthand how litigation can deeply impact families—especially children. That experience led her to shift her work toward healthier, more intentional divorce pathways, including mediation and collaborative divorce.
Debra shares insight from her powerful resource, From the Kitchen Table to the Courthouse, and explains how the way a divorce begins can shape its emotional, financial, and relational outcomes long after it’s over.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why starting a divorce with blame often makes everything harder
The difference between kitchen-table divorce, mediation, collaboration, and litigation
When mediation is not appropriate—especially in cases involving power imbalances or safety concerns
Common myths about “telling your story” in court
The emotional and financial cost of prolonged conflict
How divorce impacts children and what parents can do to reduce harm
This episode provides practical guidance and a thoughtful perspective for anyone seeking a more informed, humane approach to divorce.
Resources mentioned:
From the Kitchen Table to the Courthouse – https://bit.ly/DebraWhitsonPDF
Divorce Like a Pro: A Better Way to Break Up –  https://whitsonlawfirm.com/divorce-like-a-pro/
Connect with Debra: https://whitsonlawfirm.com/
If you are experiencing domestic violence, coercive control, or feel unsafe, please reach out to local emergency services or a trusted support organization immediately.