Maureen McCarthy is a living testament that just because a marriage ended, it doesn't mean it has failed. When doctors told Maureen that she would die from a rare genetic illness, she ended her 10-year marriage with her husband, Bill. Yet, Maureen and Bill collaborate to maintain a relationship that's healthy for both of them and their children. She knew that the fear-driven stories that revolve around marriage and divorce aren't the only stories that exist. Carrying this insight with her, Maureen co-founded the Center for Collaborative Awareness, home of the Blueprint of We Collaboration Process, which helps people build and keep sincere and strong relationships.

In today's episode, Maureen and I discuss how to design a break-up or divorce process, why you should maintain a healthy relationship with an ex-partner, and how to get along with your ex after a break-up or divorce. We discuss why Maureen and Bill opted for a divorce and how they collaborated to maintain their friendship after their marriage ended. We also highlight how a healthy divorce affects children positively and underscore the power of purposefully designing a relationship.

"Relationships are like containers. You're going to be in a relationship as long as you can call it a memory. There's no real ending to a relationship. You have to morph the container to fit the new situation." - Maureen McCarthy

This week on Relationships! Let's Talk About It:

• Why Maureen and her ex-husband opted for divorce
• Why Maureen decided to maintain a relationship with her ex-husband
• How Maureen and her ex-husband collaborated for a graceful divorce
• The effect of a graceful and healthy divorce on children
• What is "lookback learning" and how to use it days after an argument
• Maureen's childhood experience with her parents' divorce and how it affected her
• The difference between the "safety" brain and the "connecting" brain
• The power of designing a relationship with an ex-partner
• How maintaining a good friendship with her ex positively affected Maureen's health
• The importance of self-care, ownership, and accountability when transitioning into a divorce

Resources Mentioned:

• Designing Collaborative Relationships with Maureen McCarthy
• Coming Apart: How to Heal Your Broken Heart by Daphne Rose Kingma

Connect with Maureen McCarthy:

• The Center for Collaborative Awareness (use the code "Pripo" to receive 50% off the Blueprint of We document)
• Maureen McCarthy on LinkedIn

Let's Talk About It!

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Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

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