What becomes visible about a relationship when the romance is removed?

In this new After the Interview episode, Kate and Rachel reflect on their powerful conversation with mediator and parent coordinator Traci Cherrier. We unpack the realities of co-parenting after separation and why the same lessons apply to couples who are still together.

The statistics are sobering:

• 39% of separated parents say unequal caring responsibilities contributed to their breakup.

• Working couples where mothers carry primary childcare are 92% more likely to separate.

• 70% of divorces are initiated by women.

But this isn’t a doom-and-gloom episode. Instead, we explore:

• What “parallel parenting” teaches us about trust and control

• Why separated couples often communicate more intentionally than married ones

• The power of writing down shared values before conflict hits

• How unspoken expectations about gender roles quietly erode relationships

• And why “great advice” is so hard to implement in real life

Whether you’re co-parenting across two homes or navigating equality under one roof, this episode will challenge you to rethink how you communicate, divide responsibility, and re-contract your relationship as life changes.

Because if Equal-ish was easy, we wouldn’t need this conversation.

Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview. 

Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs.