We Chat Divorce Podcast
Divorce is emotional — but it’s also financial. We Chat Divorce helps you understand both. Join hosts Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan, co-founders of My Divorce Solution, for expert divorce insights, real stories, and proven financial strategies that turn fear into focus, focus into knowledge, and knowledge into power. Whether you’re just considering divorce, in the middle of it, or rebuilding after, you’ll learn how to protect your finances, make informed decisions, and move forward with clarity and confidence. The #1 podcast for financial divorce preparation, empowerment, and real talk about money, marriage, and moving on.
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188. The Hidden Divorce: Why You Feel Stuck—and How Financial Clarity Sets You Free
<p>There’s a quiet kind of divorce that doesn’t start with papers being filed. It starts years earlier—when the relationship has already ended emotionally, but nothing changes on the outside.</p> <p>In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan are joined by returning guest Karen Covy—divorce coach, attorney, mediator, and author—to unpack what it really means to feel “stuck” in a marriage.</p> <p>If you’ve been living in that in-between space—where fear, uncertainty, and obligation keep you from moving forward—this conversation will help you understand why.</p> <p>More important...
187. Financial Discovery in Divorce: What Most People Miss Before Settlement
<p>Most people enter divorce focused on legal steps. But divorce is ultimately a financial process—and the biggest mistakes happen before negotiations even begin.</p> <p>In this episode of Divorce Explored, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan break down financial discovery in divorce—what it is, why it matters, and what happens when it’s skipped.</p> <p>If you don’t fully understand your financial picture, you’re negotiating without the full story.</p> <p>They walk through real client scenarios, including undisclosed retirement accounts, missing financial documents, and investment portfolios with hidden tax consequences. These are the kinds of d...
186. Co-Parenting Without Chaos: Tools That Protect Children After Divorce
<p>Children don’t experience divorce through court documents or financial agreements. They experience it through tone, tension, and the daily communication between their parents.</p> <p>And when that communication stays reactive, unclear, or emotionally charged, children carry that instability with them.</p> <p>In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan sit down with family law attorneys Elle Barr and Rebecca Perra from OurFamilyWizard to discuss one of the most important — and often overlooked — factors affecting children after divorce: parental conflict.</p> <p>Drawing on decades of family law experience and research like the ACEs...
185. Real Estate in Divorce: Selling, Buying, and Financial Risks - Part 2 of 2
<p>Real Estate in Divorce: Selling, Buying, and Financial Risks</p> <p>Hosts: Karen Chellew, Legal Liaison & Co-Founder, My Divorce Solution<br> Catherine Shanahan, CDFA & Co-Founder, My Divorce Solution</p> <p>In Part 2 of this conversation on real estate and divorce, Karen and Catherine focus on what happens when real decisions are made—buying property, selling the marital home, or dividing proceeds. While these steps may feel like progress during a difficult time, they can create unexpected financial risks if the details aren’t fully understood.</p> <p>Through real client scenarios, they explain why clauses written into real estate cont...
184. Divorce Explored: Dividing Real Estate in Divorce - Part 1 of 2
<p>When to Sell, When to Wait, and Why “Feeling Protected” Isn’t the Same as Being Protected</p> <p>Hosts: Karen Chellew (Legal Liaison & Co-Founder, My Divorce Solution) + Catherine Shanahan (Divorce Financial Specialist, CDFA & Co-Founder, My Divorce Solution)</p> <p>Real estate is often the biggest (and most emotionally charged) asset in a divorce — and it’s where rushed decisions can create long-term financial risk. In this episode, Karen and Catherine break down the real meaning of “protected” when you’re selling, refinancing, buying, or co-owning property during divorce.</p> <p>They explain the critical difference between being on the note, the mo...
183. The Financial Gap No One Talks About in Divorce — with Emily Pollock
<p>Divorce is not just emotional. It’s economic.</p> <p>In this powerful episode of the We Chat Divorce, Karen and Catherine sit down with Emily Pollock, partner at Donohoe Talbert LLP and one of Forbes Advisor’s Top 10 Divorce Attorneys in New York City.</p> <p>With over 15 years of experience in high-net-worth matrimonial law, Emily brings a rare combination of legal precision and psychological awareness to the conversation.</p> <p>Together, they unpack:</p> <p>Why divorce creates a financial gap — especially for women</p> <p>The truth about modern maintenance (alimony) laws</p> <p>Why “lifetime support”...
182. Amicable Divorce, Uncontested Divorce & California’s 2026 Joint Petition: Why Financial Clarity Still Matters
<p>Many couples going through divorce say the same thing: “We’re amicable. We just want to get this done.”</p> <p>In this episode of Divorce Explored, a series within the We Chat Divorce podcast, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan unpack what amicable actually means—and why emotional calm is not the same as financial clarity.</p> <p>With California introducing a new joint divorce petition option in 2026, couples may be able to start the divorce process together with less initial friction. But as Karen and Catherine explain, this procedural change does not reduce the financial work required to reach a...
181. Forensic Accounting in Divorce: What It Can (and Can’t) Do, with Sarah Nanchanatt
<p>When people hear “forensic accountant” during divorce, expectations run high. Many assume it means hidden money will automatically be uncovered or that every financial mystery will be solved. The reality is more nuanced—and far more strategic.</p> <p>In this episode, we sit down with Sara Nanchanatt, founder of SN Forensics, to demystify what forensic accounting actually does in divorce, when it’s worth the investment, and when it’s not.</p> <p>Sara brings clarity to one of the most misunderstood (and expensive) parts of the divorce process—helping listeners understand how to make informed, cost-effective decisions instead of e...
180. Divorce, Mortgages, and the Cost of Bad Decisions with Jody Bruns
<p>In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew, Legal Liaison, and Catherine Shanahan, CDFA®, sit down with Jody Bruns, founder of the Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP®) certification and the creator of the divorce mortgage planning profession.</p> <p>The conversation focuses on one of the most expensive and misunderstood parts of divorce: the marital home and the mortgage attached to it. With interest rates, refinancing challenges, and equity decisions shaping modern divorce settlements, this episode breaks down why housing decisions made without preparation often lead to permanent financial consequences.</p> <p> In This Episode, We Cover</p> <p>...
179. AI vs. Divorce Strategy: Why a QDRO Answer Is Not a Settlement Plan
<p>AI can explain what a QDRO is — but it cannot protect your financial future.</p> <p>In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan break down why relying on AI for retirement division in divorce leads to costly, irreversible mistakes. They explain what QDROs actually do, what AI misses, and why verified plan rules, tax impact, and liquidity matter — especially in grey divorce.</p> <p>If retirement accounts are part of your divorce, this conversation will change how you approach every decision.</p> <p>MDS Financial Portrait™</p> <p>Free MDS Community</p> <p> Source articl...
