Dishing on Divorce welcomes Teresa Luse, co-parenting coach, family mediator, and author of Combative to Collaborative: The Co-Parenting Code. Teresa shares how she and her former spouse intentionally designed a collaborative co-parenting relationship after divorcing when their son was six, creating a stable, supportive childhood that their now adult son describes as happy.

Mandy and Deanna explore practical ways parents can move from conflict to cooperation, including Teresa’s Golden Rule approach, how to stop assigning motives and start seeking clarity, and why you do not have to like your co-parent to co-parent well. Teresa breaks down common co-parenting breakdowns, such as punishing for past hurt and positional bargaining, then offers tools to get unstuck, including interest-based problem-solving, paraphrasing for better communication, and her three-list framework for what parents must align on versus what can differ across households.

They also dive into Teresa’s Three Cs for healthier relationships: civility, caring, and communication, and discuss why communication often needs to increase, not decrease, as children grow and the stakes get higher. The episode is a hopeful reminder that collaborative co-parenting is built by intention, not perfection, and that even one parent choosing a different approach can begin to shift the entire dynamic for the better.

Connect with Teresa Luse: https://teresaluse.com/

Get Teresa's Book: Combative to Collaborative: The Co-parenting Code

Connect with Mandy and Deanna: [email protected]