Acceptance can be one of the hardest parts of divorce. How do you accept a reality you never wanted without feeling like you are giving up?

In this episode of Dishing on Divorce, Mandy and Deanna welcome Lindy Yoshida and Erin Siegel for a thoughtful conversation about grief, radical acceptance, accountability, and finding your power during one of life's most difficult transitions.

Lindy brings together her experience as a divorce financial professional, certified life coach, and grief educator to help people understand both the numbers and the emotions influencing their decisions. Erin is a professional certified coach and high-conflict divorce coach whose work focuses on coercive control, family court navigation, complex custody litigation, and post-separation abuse.

Together, they discuss why acceptance is not the same as approval, why two seemingly opposing truths can exist at the same time, and how focusing on what we can control can help us move forward.

The conversation also explores the profound grief that can accompany divorce, the temptation to stay focused on what a former partner should have done differently, the importance of accountability without victim-blaming, and the question that can change the way we move through difficult seasons: Who do I want to be when life gets hard?

Lindy and Erin remind us that the pain of loss deserves to be felt and witnessed. We don't have to compound that pain by endlessly replaying what we should have known or done differently.

Lindy and Erin are also hosting The Rebuild Retreat, a 4-day in-person retreat for women navigating divorce, October 16 through 19 at Freebird Valley Collective in Colorado.

They are offering one scholarship covering $1,500 of the retreat experience, including workshops, guided practices, group coaching, and healing sessions. The recipient is responsible for the $1,500 cost of room and board.

The Rebuild Retreat:

Scholarship application:

A compassionate, honest conversation about accepting what is, honoring what hurts, and creating space for what comes next.

Connect with Erin: https://www.hcdivorcecoach.com/divorce-coach-erin-m-siegel

Connect with Lindy: https://lindyyoshida.com/

Divorce can change your address, your routines, your finances, and even what "home" means.

In this episode of Dishing on Divorce, Mandy and Deanna sit down with Greg Banks, owner and operator of Set the Stage Boston Metro North, for a conversation about the home from both sides of divorce: preparing the marital home for sale and creating a new space that feels safe, comfortable, and truly yours.

Greg brings a perspective that is both professional and deeply personal. After going through his own divorce when his children were young, he discovered how much creating a new home helped him begin imagining the life that could come next.

Together, they explore the emotional attachment we have to our homes and belongings, why leaving the marital home can feel like a genuine loss, and how your physical environment can support healing during a major life transition.

Greg also shares practical guidance for homeowners preparing to sell, including why decluttering and depersonalizing matter, where improvements like paint and lighting may make a difference, and how staging can help buyers envision themselves living in a space.

And for those beginning again in a new home, the conversation turns to decision fatigue, where to spend versus save, creating meaningful routines with your children, and why you do not need to create your "forever home" all at once.

This episode reminds you that starting over doesn't mean having everything figured out. Sometimes it starts with creating a space that cares for you while you decide what comes next.

Connect with Greg: https://bmn.wesetthestage.com/

Email Greg: [email protected]

What happens when the abuse in a relationship isn’t obvious to everyone else?

In this powerful episode of Dishing on Divorce, Mandy Barr sits down with Kimberly Solo, LICSW, PMH-C, a licensed therapist and Certified Narcissistic Abuse Treatment Clinician who has spent more than 20 years supporting women through trauma, relationship challenges, high-conflict divorce, emotional abuse, and coercive control.

Kimberly helps us understand what narcissistic and controlling relationship dynamics can actually look like in everyday life, including the subtle behaviors that can leave someone questioning their own reality.

We talk about:

• Gaslighting and why confusion can become a tool for control

Kimberly also shares the inspiration behind She Breaks Free, her peer-support program connecting women who are separating from or divorcing emotionally abusive or narcissistic partners.

One of the most important messages from this conversation: you do not have to convince everyone around you that your experience is real. Pay attention to the behaviors, trust what you are experiencing, gather support, and create a thoughtful plan for your next steps.

Wherever you are in your divorce journey, you do not have to navigate it alone.

Connect with Kimberly: https://www.kimberlysolo.com/

Email Kimberly: [email protected] 

Sometimes the hardest part of divorce isn’t losing the marriage—it’s losing the version of yourself you thought you would always be.

In this deeply personal and uplifting episode of Dishing on Divorce, we sit down with certified life coach, certified divorce specialist, and IFS-trained coach Hope Firsel to talk about the hidden grief that can come with divorce and what it really takes to rediscover yourself afterward.

Hope’s perspective was shaped not only by the end of her 18-year marriage, but by years of life-changing experiences including infertility, five failed rounds of IVF, stage three colon cancer, multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and, more recently, the loss of her father.

Through those experiences, Hope learned powerful lessons about surrender, gratitude, grief, resilience, and trusting yourself when life no longer looks like the plan you once imagined.

Together, we explore:

Why divorce involves grieving more than the relationship itself

The loss of identity, family structure, traditions, friendships, and the future you expected

Why you can want a divorce and still experience profound grief

The danger of “toxic positivity” and trying to rush through painful emotions

How fear, shame, resentment, and old beliefs can influence the way we navigate divorce

How Internal Family Systems (IFS) can help us understand the different “parts” of ourselves

Rebuilding self-trust and reconnecting with your own inner authority

Discovering what you actually enjoy after years of making decisions through the lens of marriage and family

Why a new relationship should add to your life rather than become the source of your happiness

How gratitude can coexist with incredibly difficult seasons of life

Hope reminds us that difficult experiences are chapters—not our entire story—and that rebuilding can become an opportunity to decide who we want to be moving forward.

As Hope beautifully puts it, “On the other side of fear is freedom.”

Learn more about Hope and her coaching at hopefirsel.com.

Hope has also generously offered Dishing on Divorce listeners a complimentary consultation. Text Hope directly at 773-848-9349 and mention “Dishing on Divorce” to connect with her.

Sometimes beginning again requires a plan…and a little Hope.

When a 25-year marriage ends, the question isn’t only “What happens next?” Sometimes it’s “Who am I now?”

In this candid, funny, and empowering conversation, Bri Clay joins Dishing on Divorce to talk about what it really takes to rediscover yourself after divorce—from rebuilding independence and challenging old beliefs to reconnecting with your body, your confidence, and your capacity for pleasure.

As the founder of Life After Divorce, a certified life coach, American Board Certified Sexologist, and certified Sensual Shadow Work Practitioner, Bri helps women examine the guilt, shame, body-image struggles, and deeply ingrained “scripts” that can follow us into our relationships and our lives.

They talk about learning what you actually like after years of putting everyone else first; why Bri believes you should “date yourself” before jumping back into dating; body mapping and mirror work; navigating intimacy and menopause; communicating your desires; setting boundaries; and understanding when coaching and therapy can work together.

Bri also shares the powerful mindset shift that helped change her own journey: seeing divorce not as a death, but as a rebirth.

Whether you’re newly separated, rebuilding after a long-term marriage, or simply trying to reconnect with yourself, this episode is an invitation to give yourself grace, get curious about who you are now, and create a next chapter that feels authentically yours.

Connect with Bri: https://yourlifeafterdivorce.com/

Connect with Deanna and Mandy: [email protected]

What if the equity in your home could give you more options during divorce and retirement than you realized?

In this episode of Dishing on Divorce, Mandy and Deanna sit down with Laura Phillips, a licensed Reverse Mortgage Specialist in Colorado with more than 25 years of experience in real estate lending, to demystify reverse mortgages and explore how they can be used as part of a broader financial strategy.

Reverse mortgages have changed significantly over the years, yet many of the old misconceptions remain. Laura explains how today’s reverse mortgages work, who may qualify, the protections now built into the process, and why she views home equity as a financial tool that deserves a place in retirement planning conversations.

The conversation gets especially interesting when it comes to divorce later in life. Laura shares how a reverse mortgage may help someone 62 or older:

• Access equity to buy out a spouse and remain in the marital home

Laura also explains negative amortization, non-recourse protection, FHA mortgage insurance, reverse mortgages for purchase, what happens when the homeowner eventually sells or passes away, and situations where a reverse mortgage may not make financial sense.

Most importantly, this episode is about asking a bigger question: What can your home do for you?

Whether you are navigating a gray divorce, planning for retirement, considering whether to keep your home, or simply curious about how home equity fits into your financial future, this conversation may introduce options you did not know existed.

Connect with Laura: https://lauraphillips.com/

Connect with Mandy and Deanna: [email protected]

What happens when personal experience, family advocacy, and a decades-long idea come together to create something families truly need?

In this episode of Dishing on Divorce, Mandy and Deanna welcome Ron Platt, CEO and co-founder of the National Association for Single and Divorced Families, also known as NASDF.

Ron shares the deeply personal experiences that inspired him to create an organization dedicated to supporting people navigating divorce and life in a single-family household. From his own long-term toxic relationship to his experience as a foster and adoptive parent, Ron saw firsthand how difficult it can be for families to find practical resources before reaching a crisis point.

The conversation explores the wide range of NASDF membership benefits, including mental health support, career resources, real estate savings, family discounts, and access to a dedicated divorce concierge service.

Ron also explains Support Insured, an innovative product designed to help protect court-ordered child support and alimony payments when the paying party dies, becomes disabled, experiences involuntary unemployment, or faces business bankruptcy.

They also discuss healing after divorce, the importance of taking time before entering a new relationship, journaling, meditation, and learning to get comfortable being uncomfortable.

This heartfelt and hopeful conversation is about much more than divorce. It is about creating stability, finding the right support, and empowering families to move forward with greater confidence.

Learn more about NASDF: https://www.nasdf.org/

Learn more about Support Insured: https://www.nasdf.org/benefits/child-support-alimony-insurance

High-conflict divorce is not simply a difficult breakup. It can be a relentless battle marked by manipulation, gaslighting, financial control, smear campaigns, and the painful realization that the person you once trusted may be willing to use anything—including your children—to maintain power.

In this powerful episode of Dishing on Divorce, Mandy and Deanna sit down with Eleanor Marks, a certified high-conflict divorce coach who understands this experience both professionally and personally.

Drawing from her own experience surviving a high-conflict divorce, Eleanor shares how gaslighting, financial manipulation, coercive control, smear campaigns, and post-separation abuse can leave people questioning their judgment and feeling completely alone. She explains how to recognize the patterns of a toxic relationship, communicate more strategically, protect your emotional well-being, and prepare for the realities of parallel parenting with someone who does not play fair.

The conversation also explores the value of divorce coaching, choosing an attorney who truly understands high-conflict dynamics, reducing emotionally charged communication, and creating settlement strategies that may help limit future conflict.

Eleanor’s message is one of strength and possibility: you cannot always change the other person, and you can learn how to protect your peace, regain your confidence, and build a calmer, freer life.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Connect with Eleanor: https://eleanormarks.net/

Single parenting after divorce can feel like carrying an endless mental checklist while trying to keep your children, your career, your home, and yourself from falling apart.

In this candid and deeply personal episode of Dishing on Divorce, Mandy Barr and Deanna Coyle share the realities of parenting after separation—from exhausting commutes, financial stress, forgotten pickups, and complicated schedules to the heartbreak of missing milestones and no longer being with your children every day.

Drawing from their own very different divorce and co-parenting experiences, Mandy and Deanna explore what it means to be the default parent, how parenting roles can shift after divorce, and why even cooperative co-parenting requires communication, flexibility, vulnerability, and tremendous effort.

They also discuss repairing moments when stress comes out sideways, apologizing to your children, recognizing personal triggers, and letting go of the pressure to be the perfect parent. Along the way, they share practical strategies such as shared online calendars, visual schedules for younger children, maintaining meaningful traditions, attending school meetings together, and creating consistency between two homes.

This honest conversation is a reminder that good parenting does not mean getting every moment right. It means being willing to reflect, communicate, repair, and keep showing up with love. Single parenting may be overwhelming, messy, and unpredictable—and it can also create deeper relationships, greater resilience, and a powerful appreciation for the time you share with your children.

You are not failing. You are learning, adapting, and doing the best you can with what you know today.

Connect with Mandy and Deanna: [email protected]

When life changes in an instant, the decisions that follow can feel impossible, and some conversations about finding your way through those moments stay with you long after they end.

This episode with Donna Kendrick, CFP®, CDFA®, is one of them.

Donna understands what it means to stand in the middle of life-altering change and not know what comes next. After becoming a young widow with three children, Donna rebuilt her life one decision at a time. Today, she uses that experience, along with her financial expertise, to help others navigate divorce, widowhood, and major life transitions with greater clarity, confidence, and support.

In this heartfelt episode of Dishing on Divorce, Mandy and Deanna sit down with Donna Kendrick, CFP®, CDFA®, founder of Sephton Financial, co-host of the Widow Wisdom and Wealth podcast, and author of The Divorce Money Map.

Donna shares the personal story that shaped her work: becoming a young widow in 2013 after the sudden loss of her husband, Greg, while raising three young children. Through grief, uncertainty, and the overwhelming financial decisions that followed, Donna found support from a financial advisor who helped her slow down, understand what needed immediate attention, and begin rebuilding her life.

That experience ultimately inspired Donna to become a Certified Financial Planner and later a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, helping others navigate major life transitions with both financial clarity and deep compassion.

Together, Donna, Mandy, and Deanna have an honest conversation about widowhood, divorce, blended families, mental health, financial planning, and the emotional weight of making major decisions during crisis. Donna also shares insights from her newest book, The Divorce Money Map, a practical workbook designed to help people organize their finances before, during, and after divorce.

In this episode, they discuss why not all assets are equal, the importance of understanding the “quality of money,” why people need the right professionals in the right roles, and how financial clarity can help reduce costly mistakes.

This conversation is tender, wise, practical, and full of heart. Donna reminds us that while we cannot control every part of life’s hardest transitions, we can focus on our next best minute, lean into the right support, and move forward with greater strength, clarity, and hope.

Connect with Donna: https://sephtonfinancial.com/

Free Gift: https://donnajeankendrick.com/6-week-challenge/

Connect with Deanna and Mandy: [email protected]