The Glamorous Grind

Before you hit send, ask yourself: would I want a judge reading this out loud?

We live our lives in writing: texts to an ex, emails to a boss, Slack messages, DMs, voice notes, and now conversations with AI. In this episode of The Glamorous Grind, employment attorney Mila Arutunian and family law specialist Ilona Antonyan break down how seemingly harmless digital communication can become evidence and how AI can either help you communicate more strategically or create an entirely new legal mess.

From employment lawsuits and divorce disputes to AI chat history and alleged deepfake evidence, this episode explores how technology is creating new opportunities, and new risks, in litigation.

Want more glam during your grind? New episodes every other Tuesday. 

Submit your question for Let's Get Gritty:
[email protected]

Subscribe & follow for episodes on divorce, employment, mental health & more.

Hosts: Ilona Antonyan & Mila Arutunian
Follow us on IG: @glamorousgrindpodcast

Want to become a better negotiator without pretending to be someone you’re not?

In this episode of The Glamorous Grind, employment attorney Mila Arutunian and Certified Family Law Specialist Ilona Antonyan reveal the negotiation strategies they use in legal settlements, salary discussions, business deals, client relationships, family conflicts, and everyday life.

Mila and Ilona have very different negotiating styles, but they agree on one essential principle: the strongest strategy is one that fits who you actually are. Whether you’re naturally direct, diplomatic, patient, or persistent, effective negotiation begins with knowing your strengths, understanding your leverage, and deciding what you are truly willing to walk away from.

You’ll learn:

• How to prepare for a high-stakes negotiation
• Why information creates negotiating power
• How urgency and desperation can weaken your position
• Why patience and silence can give you leverage
• How to evaluate your best- and worst-case scenarios
• When walking away can strengthen your position
• How to negotiate a raise after receiving a promotion
• How to set boundaries with clients, coworkers, and family
• Why authenticity matters more than copying someone else’s style

Mila and Ilona also take listeners behind the scenes of legal negotiation, explaining why lawsuits sometimes settle immediately before trial, how litigation costs affect settlement decisions, and how leverage can involve money, time, evidence, risk, reputation, and confidentiality. They also explore the differences between employment law and family law negotiations—and why understanding the weaknesses in your own position is just as important as recognizing the weaknesses in the other side’s case.

Then, in “Red Flag or Green Flag,” they weigh in on common negotiation tactics:

• “This offer expires tonight.”
• Rejecting the first offer without making a counteroffer
• Refusing to negotiate until the other person apologizes
• Negotiating exclusively through email
• Revealing a weakness in your position
• Trusting a verbal promise without getting it in writing

Whether you’re negotiating a salary, settlement, contract, business agreement, professional boundary, or personal relationship, this episode will help you advocate for yourself with greater clarity and confidence.

The biggest takeaway? If you desperately want the deal, don’t advertise your desperation. Stop texting. Stop calling. Step back and give yourself time to think.

Poker face. Poker fingers.

Want more glam during your grind? New episodes every other Tuesday. 

Submit your question for Let's Get Gritty:
[email protected]

Subscribe & follow for episodes on divorce, employment, mental health & more.

Hosts: Ilona Antonyan & Mila Arutunian
Follow us on IG: @glamorousgrindpodcast

When conflict gets serious, how do you know whether you need a lawyer, a mediator, a coach, or simply a better way to communicate?

In this episode of The Glamorous Grind, employment attorney Mila Arutunian and family law specialist Ilona Antonyan sit down with Julie Cobalt, an experienced mediator and conflict coach with more than 25 years of experience in conflict resolution, to discuss how mediation and emotional regulation can help people navigate workplace conflict and divorce

The episode also examines what happens after a divorce is finalized, but co-parenting conflict continues, why small parenting disputes can become expensive litigation, and how learning to regulate your own reactions may sometimes be more productive than repeatedly going to HR.

A legal case may end, but conflict does not automatically disappear with the judgment, settlement, or termination of employment.

Want more glam during your grind? New episodes every other Tuesday. 

Submit your question for Let's Get Gritty:
[email protected]

Subscribe & follow for episodes on divorce, employment, mental health & more.

Hosts: Ilona Antonyan & Mila Arutunian
Follow us on IG: @glamorousgrindpodcast

 Child hunger, human trafficking, foster care, displacement from war, and children living without basic necessities can feel like problems far too big for one person to solve.

But making a difference doesn’t require solving everything.

Sometimes, it starts with simply deciding to do something.

In this episode of The Glamorous Grind, employment attorney Mila Arutunian and family law specialist Ilona Antonyan sit down with Kathy Kassardjian, founder of the Sparkles Foundation, to discuss how her decades of humanitarian work inspired her to create a nonprofit focused on helping vulnerable children in San Diego and around the world.

Kathy shares how Sparkles Foundation supports children affected by human trafficking, poverty, displacement, food insecurity, medical needs, and other difficult circumstances.

She also discusses why transparency matters when donating, how donors can choose where their contributions go, and why volunteering your time, skills, or resources can be just as valuable as making a financial donation. 

Want more glam during your grind? New episodes every other Tuesday. 

Submit your question for Let's Get Gritty:
[email protected]

Subscribe & follow for episodes on divorce, employment, mental health & more.

Hosts: Ilona Antonyan & Mila Arutunian
Follow us on IG: @glamorousgrindpodcast

What do you do when there's no perfect answer and getting it wrong could change someone's life forever?

In this episode of The Glamorous Grind, employment attorney Mila Arutunian and family law specialist Ilona Antonyan sit down with Amir Alavi, a former Riverside County prosecutor turned criminal defense attorney, known as "The Smiling Assassin". Their topic?  How to make impossible decisions under pressure.

Whether you're leading a business, raising a family, or deciding whether to leave a relationship, this episode is for you.

You'll learn the #1 hardest decision in a criminal trial (and how lawyers advise it), why the "school to prison pipeline" is real and how one attorney is fighting it, and how addiction and mental health issues land good people in the criminal justice system.

Want more glam during your grind? New episodes every other Tuesday. 

Submit your question for Let's Get Gritty:
[email protected]

Subscribe & follow for episodes on divorce, employment, mental health & more.

Hosts: Ilona Antonyan & Mila Arutunian
Follow us on IG: @glamorousgrindpodcast

Artificial Intelligence is transforming the legal industry, but can you really trust ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI tools when your career, lawsuit, marriage, or future is on the line?

In this episode of The Glamorous Grind, employment attorney Mila Arutunian and family law specialist Ilona Antonyan discuss how AI is rapidly transforming the legal landscape and modern relationships. From clients relying on ChatGPT for million-dollar case valuations to emotional affairs with AI chatbots, they explore the incredible benefits, and the hidden dangers, of generative AI.

You'll learn why lawyers still verify every AI-generated answer, how AI can create unrealistic legal expectations, why context matters in lawsuits, and how technology is beginning to reshape marriage, divorce, and human relationships.

Whether you're using ChatGPT for legal research, relationship advice, work problems, or everyday decision-making, this episode explains why AI should be treated as a powerful assistant—not a replacement for professional expertise or human judgment.

Want more glam during your grind? New episodes every other Tuesday. 

Submit your question for Let's Get Gritty:
[email protected]

Subscribe & follow for episodes on divorce, employment, mental health & more.

Hosts: Ilona Antonyan & Mila Arutunian
Follow us on IG: @glamorousgrindpodcast

Why do people really fight?

Most people believe they're arguing about money, parenting, work responsibilities, promotions, chores, trust, or communication. But according to experienced family law and employment attorneys, the real cause of conflict is often much deeper.

In this episode of The Glamorous Grind, employment attorney Mila Arutunian and family law specialist Ilona Antonyan break down the psychology of conflict.

Topics covered in this episode include:

- Why most conflicts are not actually about what people think they're about
- The hidden role of expectations, communication, pride, and perception
- How employment disputes can evolve into legal claims
- Red flags in romantic relationships and workplace interactions
- Healthy communication techniques for couples and professionals

One of the most valuable lessons lawyers learn is that every conflict has two stories, but usually only one underlying issue. The people who resolve conflict successfully are not necessarily the loudest, smartest, or most persuasive. They're often the most curious, the most self-aware, and the most willing to understand the other person's perspective.

Whether you're dealing with a difficult coworker, an unsupportive manager, workplace stress, marriage problems, family disagreements, co-parenting challenges, or recurring arguments that never seem to get resolved, this episode provides practical insights that can help you navigate conflict more effectively. 

Want more glam during your grind? New episodes every other Tuesday. 

Submit your question for Let's Get Gritty:
[email protected]

Subscribe & follow for episodes on divorce, employment, mental health & more.

Hosts: Ilona Antonyan & Mila Arutunian
Follow us on IG: @glamorousgrindpodcast

Most parents going through a divorce ask the same question: Am I hurting my child?

In this episode of The Glamorous Grind, board-certified child,  adolescent, and adult psychiatrist Dr. Peter Kass joins law specialists Mila Arutunian and Ilona Antonyan to answer the questions divorcing parents are afraid to ask.

What you'll learn:
- Divorce itself does NOT inherently traumatize children — conflict does
- Why do children always blame themselves when parents fight
- The "traffic light" warning signs your child is struggling
-  How to tell your kids you're separating (and what NOT to say)
- When to introduce a new partner — and how to do it safely
- Should you tell your kids about infidelity? A psychiatrist answers
- What "emotionally safe parenting" actually looks like
- Why is no-contact with a parent almost always harmful
- How badmouthing the other parent damages your child's self-image
- Why staying together "for the kids" may be more harmful than divorcing

Want more glam during your grind? New episodes every other Tuesday. 

Submit your question for Let's Get Gritty:
[email protected]

Subscribe & follow for episodes on divorce, employment, mental health & more.

Hosts: Ilona Antonyan & Mila Arutunian
Follow us on IG: @glamorousgrindpodcast

What happens when someone uses the court system not to solve problems — but to harass, control, or financially drain their ex? In this episode of The Glamorous Grind, family law attorney Ilona breaks down the reality of vexatious litigants in divorce and family court cases.

A vexatious litigant is someone who repeatedly files frivolous motions, emergency requests, or repetitive legal actions designed to delay proceedings, increase legal fees, or emotionally exhaust the other party. In family law, this can look like nonstop custody motions, repeated ex parte filings, endless requests for reconsideration, or using litigation as a form of harassment and control.

In this deep dive episode, we discuss:
• What legally qualifies someone as a vexatious litigant
• How California courts handle abusive litigation tactics
• What happens after someone is declared a vexatious litigant

If you are dealing with a high-conflict divorce, repeated court filings, custody litigation, or an ex who weaponizes the legal system, this episode provides practical insight into how courts view these behaviors and what legal remedies may be available.

Want more glam during your grind? New episodes every other Tuesday. 

Submit your question for Let's Get Gritty:
[email protected]

Subscribe & follow for episodes on divorce, employment, mental health & more.

Hosts: Ilona Antonyan & Mila Arutunian
Follow us on IG: @glamorousgrindpodcast

A THC blood result can follow you long after the high is gone, and that gap between chemistry and impairment is where marijuana DUI cases get messy fast. We’re back with criminal defense attorneys Lauren and Cole to talk plainly about what actually happens when police suspect cannabis impairment, what California law does and does not say, and why “I bought it legally” is never the same as “I can drive safely.”

We dig into the real mechanics of a cannabis DUI: why there’s no reliable marijuana breathalyzer, how THC breaks down into metabolites that can stay in your system for weeks, and why some states use nanogram limits while others go full zero tolerance. Lauren and Cole explain the Drug Recognition Evaluation (DRE) process, the role of field sobriety tests, and how officer observations can drive an arrest even when the lab science is not a clean answer. We also talk about edibles, delayed onset, tolerance differences between chronic and new users, and how all of that complicates toxicology testimony.

Then the conversation turns serious with the cases that never leave you: DUI fatality files, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated allegations, and situations where minimal THC findings get stacked onto extreme charges. If you want a clearer view of marijuana DUI defense, impairment evidence, and how to protect your rights while making safer choices behind the wheel, this one delivers. Subscribe, share this with a friend who thinks weed and driving is “no big deal,” and leave us a review with your take: should the law focus on impairment only, or on any detectable THC?

Want more glam during your grind? New episodes every other Tuesday. 

Submit your question for Let's Get Gritty:
[email protected]

Subscribe & follow for episodes on divorce, employment, mental health & more.

Hosts: Ilona Antonyan & Mila Arutunian
Follow us on IG: @glamorousgrindpodcast