The Divorce Doctor – Details, episodes & analysis

This week’s guest, Sarah Armstrong, shares her powerful story of navigating divorce with her daughter’s well-being at the forefront. It’s incredibly easy for animosity between divorced parents to create a toxic environment for their children, and how children experience divorce remains with them for the rest of their lives. Through thoughtful intentionality, Sarah and her ex charted a course that made space for each of them to process and express their grief while doing their best to minimize trauma for their daughter. That hard work was rewarded a year later when Sarah’s daughter described her parents' divorce as a “good one.”

When Sarah isn’t traveling the world as a global business executive, she works to break down the stigma that surrounds divorce through her book, The Mom’s Guide to a Good Divorce. I hope you enjoy hearing her story this week on the Divorce Doctor Podcast.

Learn more about Sarah by visiting her website at momsguidetogooddivorce.com.

Sometimes, healing after a divorce can feel impossible. For many women, marriage was presented to us as the fulfillment of all of our hopes, dreams, desires, and personhood. Our guest this week, Martha Bodyfelt, shares that when she got married, she had this picture of herself and her husband as a “power couple” who were going to grow old gracefully together. But, when cracks started to appear and divorce became necessary, she shared that she felt as if her entire identity and sense of self crumbled like a cookie.

To move forward, she had to get curious and start asking herself questions about what she liked, what she wanted, and what made her feel alive. This sense of curiosity led her to discover a love for pastry cooking and start to dream about a future that could be beautiful and full–even without a husband. Since her own journey of discovery, she has helped countless other women find freedom from the feeling of being stuck in a marriage fantasy and move into a place of self-discovery, connection to self, and purpose after divorce.

Martha Bodyfelt is a certified divorce recovery coach who teaches divorced women how to break free from the patterns that keep them stuck so they can feel fulfilled, have more fun, and live fearlessly. In the past 5 years, she has professionally coached over 100 women using the LionHeart Method, a no-BS, empowering solution that helps women recover from divorce pain and thrive in a matter of weeks, not years. Martha has also served as a divorce expert contributor to the Huffington Post, Elephant Journal, Psychology Today, and Thrive Global, where her advice has impacted over 10 million divorced women.

Learn more about Martha by visiting her website at https://marthabodyfelt.com/ 

And if you want your own Divorce Goddess Recovery Guide AND want to discover the real reason you’re feeling stuck after divorce–head over to https://marthabodyfelt.com/ and sign up. You won’t regret it! 

When asked to describe her divorce in one word, this week’s podcast guest, Michelle Sarao, said “necessary.” Michelle felt she had no room to breathe, reflect, or grow up in her marriage, but it wasn’t until a few years after her divorce that she was able to see this. 

Outside of her marriage, Michelle was able to see herself in a new light and pursue healing in deeply impactful ways. Her message to listeners is: if you’re in the thick of it, have faith and trust in yourself and those who have gone before you; you are not alone and you will get through it.

Michelle Sarao is the founder of Divorce Rx and is a professional organizer who focuses on the unique needs of divorcing and divorced families. She combines her professional background as an educator and organizer with her personal background as a child of divorce and a divorced mother of three to help families organize their homes and lives when transitioning from one home to two. Michelle passionately believes that when children are in an environment that is organized and calm, it translates into a feeling of predictability and safety at a time when they need it most. Her passion for her work stems from the desire to help parents show up for themselves and their children during divorce in a way that makes them proud.

Learn more about Michelle by visiting her website at www.divorce-rx.com or following her on Instagram @divorce_rx and Facebook @MichelleSarao/Divorcerx

As a special gift to our listeners, Michelle is offering 50% off a Power Hour (a one-time virtual organizing session valued at $75) or 25% off any organizing packages (three or six sessions - these are virtual or in-person).

Gabby Gast found herself in a marriage that wore her down. Her ex made her believe that no one would love her like he would because of her cystic fibrosis. Over the years, Gabby outlived her life expectancy and they expanded their family by adopting two beautiful children. Gabby continued to build a career for herself; this allowed her to focus on the beautiful parts of life and less about her marriage.

It wasn’t until a holiday trip that Gabby was able to see all the aspects of her marriage and the abusive tendencies her ex displayed. With her children in mind, Gabby knew it was in everyone's best interests to end the marriage.

Now Gabby works as a co-parenting and blended family coach, where she dedicates her energy to ensuring that family can still be connected even after divorce.

Gabby’s story is inspiring and incredibly raw. 

Learn more about Gabby at her website https://www.gabbygast.com/

If you’re a step-parent, you know how complicated that relationship can feel. For starters, society tells us stepparents are evil and someone to be despised. Changing our roles as bonus parents begins with the language we use and the consideration we employ as we speak to and about our children. It’s a layered dynamic, but that doesn’t have to mean it’s bad. 

This week’s podcast guest, Christina McGhee, reminds us to play the long game, and not to get caught up in the short haul. Merging histories requires mindfulness and withholding our judgements and assumptions. Whether you feel like you’re a pro, or messing up everyday, just remember - where you are right now isn’t where you will always be, and you can always recalibrate.

Christina McGhee is a speaker and divorce parenting expert who believes divorce doesn't have 

to equal devastation for families. While splitting up is undeniably hard, with the right kind of information and support, she thinks parents can be children's absolute best resource as life changes.  

As a coach with 20+ years of experience, Christina is dedicated to providing parents with the tools and practical support they need to get it right for their kids. She is also the author of the highly acclaimed book, Parenting Apart: How separated and divorced parents can raise happy and secure kids. 

As a child of divorce and as a bonus mom (aka step-mom), Christina has had plenty of opportunity to practice what she preaches.  Together she and her husband have four “adultish” children (2 bonus, 2 bio). During her tenure as a hands-on parent, she acquired extensive on-the-job training as a chauffeur, negotiator, short-order cook, scheduler extraordinaire and finder of all things lost.

Learn more about Christina by visiting her website at https://www.divorceandchildren.com or following her on social media:

IG : @christina_mcghee

FB: @divorceandchildren

Li: @christinamcghee

If you’ve ever been betrayed, you understand the utter shock and devastation of being blindsided. Betrayal is terribly painful, and though no one wants to study betrayal, this week’s podcast guest did exactly that.

Debi Silber experienced two betrayals back to back. It began with a really painful family betrayal, and a couple years later it happened again. This time it was her husband. After looking at the two experiences Debi couldn’t help but wonder, what is the common denominator?

This question set Debi on a journey to understand what holds us back, what helps us heal, and what happens to us physically, mentally, and emotionally when the people closest to us lie, cheat and deceive? Debi found 3 groundbreaking discoveries that changed her health, her family, her business, and her life, and she’s sharing her wisdom with us today.

Dr. Debi Silber is the founder of the PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute and is a holistic psychologist, a health, mindset and personal development expert, the author of Trust Again, and is a 2-time #1 International bestselling author of The Unshakable Woman and From Hardened to Healed: The Effortless Path to Release Resistance, Get Unstuck and Create a Life You Love. Her recent PhD study on how we experience betrayal made 3 groundbreaking discoveries that change how long it takes to heal. In addition to being on FOX, CBS, The Dr. Oz Show, TEDx (twice) and more, she’s an award-winning speaker and coach dedicated to helping people move past their betrayals as well as any other blocks preventing them from the health, work, relationships, confidence, and happiness they want most.

Learn more about Debi by visiting her website at https://thepbtinstitute.com/ and be sure to take her ‘Healed or Hardened’ Quiz here. You can also follow Debi on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Attaching our identity to the labels and expectations handed to us, like “good wife” and “loving mom,” can cause us to lose our sense of self. 

It wasn’t until this week’s podcast guest, Brittany Churchill, went through her divorce that she realized just what she had been giving up in her marriage. As Brittany puts it, she was placed on this earth to be Brittany. If she couldn’t actively live into who she was unmistakably made to be, she was denying the very reason she was given life. Though it was hard for her to envision what her future would look like outside of her marriage, she knew it would be harder for her to stay. 

Brittany Churchill is an author, speaker, entrepreneur and single mom of two kids with a big heart to help women awaken to their worth and tap into their personal power. While getting divorced, moving states, and going back to work full-time, she wrote her first book called Tap In Not Out: How overwhelmed moms can reclaim peace, cultivate a better life and thrive. She has developed her own TAP IN Method based on her book and divorce healing which she guides women through their inner blueprint to ignite a more fulfilling life.

Learn more about Brittany Churchill by visiting her website at https://www.thebrittanychurchill.com/  and learn more about the TAP IN Method here https://bit.ly/TAPINMethodIntroVideo.

Harmony was living the “dream.” She and her husband met as yoga teachers and were traveling the world exploring their practice together. Once they finally settled down, Harmony began to hear the first whispers that something wasn’t right.

Though she felt unfulfilled in her marriage, separating from her husband would mean jeopardizing their business and her belonging in the yoga community. But eventually that didn’t matter anymore. When she finally admitted she would rather die than live one more day this way, she knew it was time to choose herself.

This week’s podcast guest, Harmony Slater, shows us how courageous it is to step out and choose a life of alignment.

Harmony is one of only a few Certified Ashtanga Yoga Teachers in North America. She is a Certified Wellness and Life Coach, and Host of the Finding Harmony Podcast. She has shared her experiences around practicing yoga through pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond in the books: 'Yoga Sadhana for Mothers' and 'Strength and Grace: A collection of Essays by Women of Ashtanga Yoga.' She has a wealth of knowledge to offer listeners based on her personal experiences of facing the many difficult challenges life has brought her way.

Connect with Harmony for a free 30-minute coaching session by visiting her website at harmonyslater.com and follow her on instagram @harmonyslateryoga. 

After her second divorce, Renee Bauer found herself compartmentalizing her life. On the outside, she was a professional and successful attorney, but on the inside, the shame and self-doubt were becoming too much to handle. 

When Renee finally started talking, she realized that telling her story helped to destigmatize the shame she felt, along with the shame others felt too. 

This week’s podcast guest, Renee Bauer, is a divorce attorney, author, and host of the Happy Even After Podcast. She is committed to educating and empowering women to use their divorce as an opportunity to create a life they love. Having gone through 2 divorces herself and having lived in the shame of it all, it's her mission to remove the stigma of divorce so no one has to suffer in silence. Renee is convinced that when we follow our intuition, it will all work out exactly the way it's supposed to, and we too can be happy, even after the divorce.

Learn more about Renee Bauer by visiting her website at www.msreneebauer.com and check out her free mini video course called ‘First Steps to Freedom.’

https://course.thedcourse.com/free-video-opt-in1614706932884 

Are you living in your comfort zone? What would happen if you stepped beyond it? It takes courage to be vulnerable, and vulnerability is necessary for transformation. That’s why I’m so excited to have Jennifer Ciplet as my guest this week to talk about how her divorce journey has shown her what it means to truly be herself and allowed her to lead a life of authenticity. That can be your story, too.

Jenn is interested in the personal and societal transformations that are possible when we step out of our comfort zones, approach life with courage and curiosity, and lead with our best selves forward. She is a Certified Divorce Coach and the co-founder of Avail Divorce. After 14 years of marriage with 3 children, Jenn and her husband divorced 3 years ago.

Learn more about Jenn and Avail Divorce by visiting her website at https://availdivorce.com. 

Jenn and her team at Avail are getting ready to release a new Co-Parenting App that helps modern families stay organized and on the same page with tools like in-app communication, shared expense tracking, photos, videos, and more! Sign up using the link below today and you’ll be notified when the app becomes available. https://availdivorce.com/co-parenting-app