You can be in a relationship without settling for a boring life and sacrificing your desire for stability and depth of connection. Instead, there are ways to bring a creative approach to your relationship and life as a whole, resulting in years of love and happiness.

Dr. Joli Hamilton is a relationship coach, research psychologist, TEDx speaker, and AASECT certified sex educator who coaches people and couples who color outside the lines, helping them create partnerships that are custom-built for their authentic selves. Joli is also the author of the best-selling book Project Relationship: The Entrepreneur’s Action Plan for Passionate, Sustainable Love.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Dr. Joli joins Katherine to share how to create a creatively monogamous or consensually non-monogamous life. She explains how to keep a healthy and trustworthy relationship and why a non-monogamous relationship can be a helpful option for people. Listen in for Dr. Joli’s insight on creating an enjoyable and sustainable relationship, whether it be monogamous or non-monogamous, and learn which option is best for you.

Everyone has a different experience with divorce and different ways of working through the process. But we can learn from each other’s experiences and lean on seasoned divorce professionals to survive the process and even thrive in the aftermath of divorce.

An accomplished journalist with a 25-year career covering news and entertainment, Ilyssa Panitz combined her personal and professional experience to become the only divorce columnist solely committed to helping others navigate this major life transition. She writes a daily column on all things divorce for Authority Magazine on Medium and serves as Host and Executive Producer of The Divorce Hour with Ilyssa Panitz.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Ilyssa joins Katherine to share her list of 5 things you need to know to survive and thrive—during and after divorce. She explains why your anger works against you in divorce negotiations and what to do about it, challenging us NOT to get hung up on the minutiae of who gets what. Listen in for Ilyssa’s insight on building a team of divorce professionals and find out why you should fantasize about what you want your life to look like post-divorce.

Self-criticism is a natural response to divorce. But it’s not particularly helpful.

In fact, it’s harder to learn from a place of shame and judgement, whereas self-compassion helps us cope more effectively and make better choices moving forward.

A pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, Dr. Kristin Neff currently serves as Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of the bestselling book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself and coauthor of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook: A Proven Way to Accept Yourself, Build Inner Strength and Thrive. Dr. Neff’s new release is Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power and Thrive.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Dr. Neff joins Katherine to explain how self-compassion helps us navigate painful experiences like divorce. She walks us through the three components of self-compassion, describing how the practice allows us to cope with the hurt and take responsibility for our mistakes. Listen in as Dr. Neff shares what she learned about self-compassion in her own divorce and learn to treat yourself with kindness and improve your wellbeing in the process of divorce.

The holidays are a particularly challenging time for divorced parents.

How do we navigate our own feelings of loss without passing that heartache onto our children? Can we create new traditions and still make the holidays a magical time for our kids?

Dr. Kathryn Smerling is an educator and psychologist with a Ph.D. from Fordham University and Master's from Cornell. She started her career as an early childhood educator, creating the Instep curriculum for preschoolers in the State of New Mexico before completing the psychoanalytic program at the National Institute for Psychotherapies. Dr. Smerling has maintained a private practice as a family therapist in Manhattan since 1998, and she holds certificates in Divorce Mediation, Divorce Collaboration and Relational Therapy.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Dr. Smerling joins Katherine to explain what divorced parents can do to navigate feelings of loss during the holidays and find new ways to celebrate with their children. She discusses why it’s crucial for coparents to be collaborative and offers advice on how to approach holiday planning with a difficult ex-spouse. Listen in for Dr. Smerling’s insight around religion as a source of conflict for coparents during the holidays and learn how to talk to your children about creating new traditions after a divorce.

Are you dreaming of having your day in divorce court? Of exposing your spouse’s misbehavior to a sympathetic judge? Of winning the case and being rewarded financially?

Then you are going to be sorely disappointed. The truth is, the court system cares little about your spouse’s wrongdoing. And the cost of litigation (in terms of money and mental health) far outweighs any potential reward.

So, what do you need to consider before you file for divorce?

Rayford Dalton Palmer, JD, AAML, serves as Managing Shareholder at STG Divorce Law, a top family law firm based in the Chicagoland area. Raiford’s team has expertise in complex divorce cases, specifically those involving business owners and high-net-worth individuals. Raiford is also the author of the bestseller I Just Want This Done: How Smart, Successful People Get Divorced Without Losing Their Kids, Money and Minds.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Raiford joins Katherine to explore the common myth that court is the best way to resolve a divorce and explain why there are no winners in a litigated divorce. He describes a divorce lawyer’s responsibility to provide clients with a sober analysis of potential outcomes and help people set realistic expectations around the divorce process. Listen in for Raiford’s insight on choosing among litigation, mediation and the collaborative process and learn how to bring a business mindset to divorce for the best possible result long term.

Technology makes it easy for divorcing couples to express their anger and frustration without thinking. They engage in text warfare and even post disparaging comments on social media.

But if the goal is to divorce with dignity, the way you communicate matters. So, what can you do to be less reactive and work through the entire process in a measured way?

Paulette Rigo is the founder of Better Divorce Academy, a platform dedicated to helping people create an optimal divorce experience. Paulette is also a Certified Divorce Coach, Mediator, Transition and Recovery Coach, Career Transition Specialist and author of the Amazon bestseller, Better Divorce Blueprint: Divorce Made Smoother, Easier and Better for You and Your Family.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Paulette joins Katherine to explore the contemplation phase leading up to a divorce and explain how to decide whether divorce is right for you. She describes what a successful divorce looks like and offers insight into the most common mistakes women make in the early stages of divorce. Listen in for Paulette’s advice on choosing the right divorce process and learn how to communicate with your soon-to-be ex in a way that mitigates conflict and maintains your dignity.

When the marriage of a high-profile, celebrity couple comes to an end, there are complexities that make it very different from your average divorce. On the other hand, a divorce is a divorce—regardless of the net worth of the people involved.

So, how is a high-profile divorce similar to any other divorce? And how is it different?

Harriet Newman Cohen and Martha Cohen Stine are the mother-daughter team of attorneys behind Cohen Stine Kapoor LLP, a family law firm based in New York City. Harriet has served on the New York State Commission on Child Support and the Foster Care Commission of the City of New York, and Martha is a member of the Executive Committee of the Family Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and the Board of Directors of the New York American Inn of Court. Both Harriet and Martha have been recognized by Super Lawyers as one of NYC’s Top 50 Female Lawyers.

For most stay-at-home parents, identity gets wrapped up in their kids. So, what happens when they divorce? How do former stay-at-home moms and dads figure out who they are on their own?

Christine Pittman is the Founder of Cook the Story, one of the top-ranked food blogs in the world. She moved from Canada to the US in 2010 with her now ex-husband and started her food blog as a hobby while she was a stay-at-home mom. In the divorce process, Christine grew the blog into a thriving business, and today, her recipes reach 2M-plus monthly readers, helping them spend less time in the kitchen and more time at the table.

On this episode of the podcast, Christine joins Katherine to share her experience in the adjustment period after divorce and describe how building Cook the Story supported her in the process of divorce recovery. She offers advice on letting go of control when your kids are with your ex, challenging us to pick our battles and model good behaviors for our children. Listen in for insight on introducing a new partner to your kids and learn how to look at divorce as an opportunity to discover who you are and what you want out of life!

Jonathan Satovsky is the CEO and Chief Behavioral Coach at Satovsky Asset Management, an investment management firm that promotes a mindful approach to multigenerational wealth. Prior to founding SAM in 2007, Jonathan spent 13-plus years at American Express Financial Advisors, and he holds the Certified Financial Planner, Certified Investment Management Analyst and Certified Private Wealth Advisor designations.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Jonathan joins Katherine to explain how a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst can help you get up to speed on the financial issues in a divorce. He describes how to balance financial stability with housing costs in the divorce process and challenges you to be creative in prioritizing spending on what’s important to you. Listen in for insight around the tax implications of divorce and learn Jonathan’s approach to dividing assets through the collaborative process.

Pets are not property, nor are they quite the same as human children. So, how do you decide who gets to keep the dog in a divorce? And what if you have more than one animal? How do you do what’s best for your pets and the people involved?

Karis Nafte is the Pet Custody Specialist and Certified Family Mediator behind Who Keeps the Dog, a consulting practice that helps families with their pets through the divorce process. She has been working with dogs professionally since 1996, developing an expertise in obedience training, behavior problems, and on-set training for animals in film. Karis is passionate about mediating pet custody arrangements and providing behavior support for owners with dogs showing signs of stress pre- and post-divorce.