Journey Beyond Divorce Podcast

Most men enter divorce feeling like a bad person. Shamed. Labeled. Often called a narcissist.

This episode is for that man.

Because the truth is, you are not broken. You are under-resourced. And there is a profound difference.

In this solo episode, Karen McMahon speaks directly to the divorcing dad who is white-knuckling it through one of the hardest seasons of his life, carrying shame he didn't earn, fighting for children he loves deeply, and quietly wondering if he's going to make it through this.

The answer is yes. And this episode shows you how.

Karen addresses the emotional depth of men that nobody is acknowledging, the very real dangers that emerge when divorcing dads don't get support, and the brilliance... yes, brilliance... that becomes possible when they do.

What you'll take away:

1. The truth about your emotional life You feel more than anyone has ever given you credit for. You've just never been given the tools, the language, or the permission to work with it. That changes here.

2. The stats that should stop us all cold Divorcing men are among the most at-risk demographics on the planet. The numbers are sobering. The silence around them is unacceptable. Karen names them, because someone has to.

3. Fight for your kids and your right to father them Her version of reality is not the truth. The courts are not automatically stacked against you. And keeping the peace at the expense of your presence is not protecting your children. It is costing them. Trust what you innately know they need from you.

4. Trust your instincts as a dad You parent differently than mom. That is not a weakness. It is exactly what your children need, and only you can give it. Karen shares a powerful story that will change how you see yourself as a father.

5. Roll up your sleeves The hard, vulnerable, and courageous work of healing your wounds and refining your character is not optional if you want to emerge from this as the man and father your children deserve. This episode shows you exactly where to begin.

6. Break the chain The generational patterns that quietly led you here, they stop with you. This painful season is your invitation to become the man who was always in there, waiting to be found.

In this episode Karen also covers:

• Why men feel deeply and why nobody is talking about it
• The dangerous edge men reach when emotional capacity runs out
• Why caving and controlling are both driven by fear and what to do instead
• How to evict your ex from your mental space and reclaim your own thinking
• Why silence and boundaries do more heavy lifting than any argument ever will
• The Michelangelo principle and what it means for who you're becoming
• Why divorce is the most powerful doorway men walk through to do their inner work

Resources mentioned in this episode:

📞 Book a free Rapid Relief Call: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/rapid-relief-call 🌐 Join Divorce Support Network: https://divorcesupportnetwork.com/ 🎙️ Follow JBD on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journey_beyond_divorce/ 🌐 Grab free resources on JBD website: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/

High-conflict relationships don't just end when the marriage ends. They live on in the body, the nervous system, and the way we attach, parent, and love.

In today's Voices of Celebration episode, Karen McMahon sits down with a father who made a profound shift, from living in constant relational tension to building a calm, healthy partnership and a more grounded relationship with his children.

This isn't a story about blame or breakthroughs overnight. It's about what happens when a man stops over-functioning, learns to regulate himself, and slowly moves from anxious attachment into secure connection.

If you're a father navigating the aftermath of a high-conflict marriage and wondering whether healthy love is actually possible, this conversation offers a steady, honest look at what real change can look like.

Together, Karen and her guest explore:

• How high-conflict marriages impact men long after separation
• Anxious attachment and the hidden cost of over-functioning and people-pleasing
• Why keeping the peace often creates more instability, not less
• The role of self-regulation in breaking old relational patterns
• How to hold boundaries without withdrawing, rescuing, or escalating
• What healthy partnership actually feels like after years of conflict
• How a father's internal shift changes the emotional experience of his children
• Letting go of fear-based beliefs about love, connection, and responsibility

This is a conversation for men who are tired of surviving relationships and are ready to build something calmer, steadier, and more secure, without losing their heart or their role as a father.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Follow JBD on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journey_beyond_divorce/
• Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com

Are you constantly putting other people's needs before your own? Struggling with people-pleasing, weak boundaries, guilt, or losing yourself in relationships?

In this powerful solo episode, Karen McMahon explores the hidden roots of codependency and how self-abandonment quietly shapes your relationships, decisions, and sense of self.

Drawing from her expertise in relationship coaching, divorce recovery, emotional healing, and personal growth, Karen unpacks why so many women become trapped in patterns of over-giving, approval-seeking, and fear-based caregiving. She explains how childhood survival strategies often follow us into adulthood — creating unhealthy relationship dynamics that leave us feeling exhausted, resentful, and disconnected from our authentic selves.

You will learn how to recognize the signs of codependent behavior, understand the difference between healthy support and people-pleasing, and begin building stronger emotional boundaries. Karen also shares practical tools to help you stop saying yes out of obligation, release guilt, trust yourself, and develop healthier relationships rooted in self-respect and emotional awareness.

Whether you are healing after divorce, navigating a high-conflict relationship, recovering from toxic relationship patterns, or simply learning to put yourself first — this episode offers actionable strategies for overcoming codependency, setting boundaries, increasing self-worth, and reclaiming your confidence.

In this episode you will discover:

• What codependency really is — and what it isn't
• The connection between childhood conditioning and adult relationship patterns
• Common signs of self-abandonment and people-pleasing
• How to set healthy boundaries without guilt
• A simple three-step process for breaking codependent patterns
• Practical tools for building self-trust and emotional resilience

If you have ever wondered why it feels so hard to say no, prioritize yourself, or stop seeking validation from others — this episode is for you.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Follow JBD on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journey_beyond_divorce/
• Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com

Alimony and child support only work if the checks keep coming. And in high-conflict divorces, or honestly, in any divorce, that is a far more dangerous assumption than most people realize.

One accident. One illness. One unexpected death. And the financial foundation you spent months negotiating can disappear overnight.

Karen McMahon sits down with financial strategist and CDFA Jeff Landers to pull back the curtain on the one protection most divorce agreements quietly ignore, using life and disability insurance to secure your alimony and child support payments before the ink is even dry on your settlement.

What most people don't know is that the chances of your ex becoming disabled are three to four times greater than the chances of them dying. And yet disability insurance almost never appears in a divorce agreement. Jeff explains why that gap exists, what it costs you if you don't close it, and exactly how to bring it up during negotiations, while you still have leverage.

Karen and Jeff also tackle the details that can make or break your protection: why you, not your ex, must own the policy, what happens when a paying spouse quietly stops making premium payments, how 26 states automatically revoke beneficiaries upon divorce without you knowing, and how to use insurance as a negotiating tool if you're getting pushback.

If you're counting on alimony or child support to keep your home, feed your children, or rebuild your financial life, this episode isn't optional. It's the conversation your attorney probably never had with you.

Connect with Jeff:

• Free Resource: Jeff is gifting JBD listeners a free copy of his new guide, How to Protect and Create Income in Divorce. Email [email protected] and reference the JBD podcast.
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefflanders/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeff.landers.9210
• Website: https://hellomonthlyincome.com/

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com
• Free Divorce Support Network Gift: https://divorcesupportnetwork.com/jbdpod
• Curated Podcast Playlists: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/

Every major life transition comes with a roadmap. Parenting. Career changes. Retirement. But when divorce begins, most people are suddenly making complex financial decisions alone — without a coordinated team, without a clear plan, and without any idea how those decisions will quietly shape their lives for decades to come.

That ends today.

Karen McMahon sits down with Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan, co-founders of My Divorce Solution, to walk you through what they call the Divorce Financial Playbook — and it is exactly what most people wish they'd had from day one. As divorced parents themselves, they built the company they wish had existed, because no one should have to navigate divorce finances in the dark.

In this conversation, they cover the full financial arc of divorce — from initiation through discovery, negotiation, settlement, and into post-divorce stability. Karen and Catherine break down why your financial team needs to be in place at the start of your divorce, not after you've already settled. They walk through how to accurately document income and expenses the way courts actually interpret them, how to verify assets and debts with statements rather than spreadsheets, and what most people miss when it comes to liens, collateral, and tax implications.

They also explore how preparing early doesn't just protect your financial future — it reduces fear, makes your attorney more effective, and positions you to negotiate from a place of clarity rather than chaos.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the financial side of divorce, this episode is your playbook.

Connect with Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan:

• Free Offer: https://mydivorcesolution.com/divorce-financial-preparation-checklist/
• Website: https://mydivorcesolution.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/my-divorce-solution
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mydivorcesolution/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wechatdivorcepodcast/videos
• Podcast: https://mydivorcesolution.com/we-chat-divorce-podcast/

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com
• Free Divorce Support Network Gift: https://divorcesupportnetwork.com/jbdpod
• Curated Podcast Playlists: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/

Divorce can rattle everything you believe in. Your sense of family, your identity, and even your understanding of God's plan for your life... And for many Christians, the place that should offer the most comfort, the church, can sometimes feel like the last place they're able to be honest about what they're going through.

In this episode, Karen sits down with Bree Sullivan-Howell, divorce attorney, passionate children's advocate, and award-winning Christian author of Crush Your Divorce & Keep Your Faith and Crush Your Comeback, for a conversation that brings together sharp legal wisdom and deep spiritual grounding in a way that is rarely offered to people navigating divorce.

With more than 20 years of experience in high-stakes custody litigation and family law, Bree has sat with men and women at some of the most painful and disorienting moments of their lives. What she brings to this conversation is both practical and profound, an understanding of how faith doesn't disappear in the middle of relational chaos, but can actually deepen through it.

Karen and Bree explore how traditional church messaging can unintentionally shame Christian women going through divorce, how misunderstood scripture can leave people feeling pressured to stay in unhealthy or even abusive marriages, and how an eternal perspective, rooted in prayer and truth, can replace fear with clarity. Bree shares how she weaves scriptural wisdom directly into her legal strategy, encouraging clients toward dignified conduct, truthful evidence, and emotional steadiness even when everything around them feels unstable.

They also speak candidly about fathers navigating custody, a dimension of divorce that often goes underserved. Bree addresses the reality that many loving, involved dads face an uphill battle to stay connected to their children, often needing to "double prove" their parenting, resist adopting a negative narrative pushed by an ex, and communicate with intention using tools like BIFF, all while continuing to simply show up for their kids, consistently and without fail.

Whether you are at the beginning of this process, in the thick of it, or trying to find solid ground on the other side, this episode offers both the legal clarity and the spiritual encouragement to take your next step with confidence. God's purpose doesn't end when the marriage does, and this conversation is a powerful reminder of that.

Connect with Bree:

• Free Gift: Devotional for the Divorcing - www.crushyourdivorce.com
• www.sullivan-firm.com
• Book: https://a.co/d/0v4Iqql
• Instagram: @lawyerbree | @crushyourdivorce
• TikTok - @lawyerbree

Most men are never taught how to fall apart. They're taught how to push through, provide, and stay in control, but not how to process loss, ask for help, or stay emotionally present when their world is coming undone.

When a marriage ends, those unspoken rules about what it means to be a man don't disappear, they just get louder. And for so many men navigating divorce, the result is isolation, overwhelm, and a kind of silent struggling that nobody talks about and nobody sees.

In this episode, Karen McMahon sits down with Todd Adams, men's work leader, conscious leadership facilitator, and founder of MenLiving, for a conversation about what it actually takes for men to heal. Todd has spent years helping men step out of what he calls the Man Box: the outdated version of masculinity that rewards toughness and punishes vulnerability. And what he's found, again and again, is that the thing most men are avoiding, real connection, emotional honesty, brotherhood, is the very thing that sets them free.

Together, Karen and Todd unpack why going it alone doesn't work, how community accelerates healing in ways that individual effort simply can't, and what it looks like for men to rebuild, not just their lives after divorce, but their relationships with themselves, their children, and the people they love... from the inside out.

Connect with Todd:

• Website: menliving.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menlivingnfp/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MenLiving.org

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com
• Free Divorce Support Network Gift: https://divorcesupportnetwork.com/jbdpod

In this episode, Karen explores a powerful and often misunderstood emotion: anger—and how to navigate it during divorce without shutting down or exploding.

Anger is a natural and expected part of divorce, yet many people were never taught how to work with it in a healthy way. Instead, they may react impulsively, suppress their feelings to avoid conflict, or carry lingering resentment long after the divorce is final.

Karen is joined by Michelle Farris, a psychotherapist, codependency expert, and anger management specialist, for a grounded and insightful conversation about the role anger plays during divorce. Together, they unpack why so many people feel ashamed of their anger, how people-pleasing and codependency complicate emotional expression, and the critical difference between feeling anger and acting from it.

This episode reframes anger not as something to fear or avoid, but as a valuable source of information—one that, when understood and processed effectively, can lead to greater clarity, stronger boundaries, and meaningful healing.

Listeners will gain practical tools to help process anger without escalating conflict, honor their emotions without losing themselves, and shift from reactive patterns into more intentional responses.

Connect with Michelle Farris:

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleFarrismft
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/counseling_recovery/
• Website: www.counselingrecovery.com
• Free Gift: Blueprint for Taming Relationship Triggers - https://counselingrecovery.lpages.co/relationship-triggers-guide

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Free Hot Seat Coaching - May 11th @1pm EST: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/free-live-divorce-coaching
• Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com
• Free Divorce Support Network Gift: https://divorcesupportnetwork.com/jbdpod
• Boundary Bootcamp: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/boundarybootcamp

If your mind won't stop spinning during divorce... replaying conversations, jumping from fear to fear, or waking up at 3AM with urgency... you're not alone.

And more importantly… you're not thinking clearly.

In this episode, Karen McMahon breaks down what's really happening when you spiral during divorce, and why it can lead to the very decisions you'll later regret. When your nervous system is overwhelmed, your brain shifts into survival mode, making it nearly impossible to respond calmly, communicate effectively, or make grounded choices.

You'll learn how to interrupt the spiral in real time, regulate your nervous system, and return to a place of clarity, confidence, and self-trust.

This isn't about stopping your thoughts, it's about stopping the spiral from leading.

Follow the show, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help more people find calm and clarity during divorce.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Follow JBD on Instagram: @journey_beyond_divorce
• Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com
• Free Divorce Support Network Gift: https://divorcesupportnetwork.com/jbdpod

If you've been going back and forth on the "should I stay or should I go" question, you already know how exhausting it is. You try to think your way to an answer. You second-guess yourself. And still — you feel stuck.

In this episode, Karen McMahon is going to help you begin to find real clarity — not just talk you through the feelings, but give you a different way of looking at what's actually happening in your marriage and inside yourself. Because spinning in your head isn't working. And you're tired.

After years of guiding men and women through this exact place, Karen has seen what keeps people stuck — and what finally helps them move forward with confidence. She walks you through why patterns over time, not isolated moments, are what tell the real story of your relationship, and the signals worth paying attention to: the exhaustion, the emotional depletion, the feeling of being unseen or unheard, of living in survival mode rather than real partnership.

Karen also challenges something that might be hard to hear — that what feels like confusion is often fear in disguise. Fear about finances, your kids, being alone, or living with regret someday. She'll help you name those fears, look at the patterns honestly, and start weighing actions against promises rather than hopes against history.

This episode includes some powerful reflective questions too — including what your children are really learning from watching your relationship, and how love has actually felt over the last two years. And if you're waiting to feel completely certain before you take a step forward, Karen offers you this: certainty may never come, but your next right step absolutely can.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Follow JBD on Instagram: @journey_beyond_divorce
• Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com
• Free Mend or End Curated Podcast Playlist: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/mend-or-end-your-divorce-free-gift
• Free Just Started Curated Podcast Playlist: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/juststartedfreegift