Episodes

  • Encore: Episode 002: Technology and Child Custody

    Encore: Episode 002: Technology and Child Custody
    Sep 20 2023
    Host Brooke Benson developed this show and its accompanying workbook to be the resources she wishes she'd had when she divorced in 2006. So many things have changed since then! One of the most useful is the adaptation of technology to child custody procedures. Guest Daryl Weinman, a family lawyer in Austin, TX, will share an overview of some of the most popular child custody plans available to divorcing parents. In her almost 30 years of Board Certified Family Law experience, Ms. Weinman has been active with the Alternative Dispute Resolution and Family Law sections of the State Bar of Texas, The American Academy of Certified Financial Litigators, The National Association of Divorce Professionals, and the Texas Family Law Foundation. Guest Kevin Dorsey is Manager of Professional Relationships at Our Family Wizard, a Minnesota-based technology application designed to document the exchange of children between divorcing or divorced parents. He currently serves as president of Texas AFCC, an interdisciplinary association of family law judges, attorneys, mediators, evaluators, court administrators, and others who work on resolving family conflict and protecting the interests of families and children. If you are worried about your children, grandchildren, or other beloved kiddos in the context of a pending or future breakup, you won't want to miss this important information.
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    1 hr
  • Asset Division in Silver Divorce: What You Need to Know

    Asset Division in Silver Divorce: What You Need to Know
    Sep 13 2023
    Getting divorced while you are still in your earning years is one thing ... ending your marriage in retirement can add financial woes and focus attention on the division of marital assets. How will you know you have enough money to last the rest of your life following a divorce? Silver Divorce is a proven phenomenon and older Americans make up the majority of divorcing couples in 2023. Listeners had questions for previous guest Mary Jo Lafaye, Home Equity Retirement Specialist, so she is back on this episode! Joining her are Peter Neuwirth, an expert in benefit plans and long-term financial risk; and Barry Sacks, PhD, JD, a Harvard-trained Certified Specialist in Taxation Law (California Board of Legal Specialization). If you or someone you know is over age 55 and thinking of ending a marriage, you won't want to miss this relevant, practical information to minimize debt and tax liability.
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    1 hr
  • Encore: Even All-Stars Need a Coach

    Encore: Even All-Stars Need a Coach
    Sep 6 2023
    You've never heard of a divorce coach? Marriage is not a game. Neither is divorce - although the divorce process does involve strategy and could pull a few ideas from the sports world. Forming a team to help you through a divorce is actually a great idea. It makes sense you would come up with a game plan. Hiring a coach to motivate and guide the team members to top performance can make a huge difference in how you (and your children) experience personal breakup. Sharri Freedman has the experience to coach anyone's Dream Team. A Certified Divorce Coach (CDC) and co-parenting expert, Sharri also has 24 years of experience working in family law. She formed Potomac Coaching to change the way families experience divorce. She uses her legal wisdom, divorce coaching and mindset tools to empower women and men to create a plan, improve communication and begin to heal. Hear her share some best practices for expressing yourself and co-parenting with your ex. Oona Metz returns to the show to offer insight into the process. A licensed social worker and divorce support group leader, Oona knows the roller coaster of emotions people experience during a breakup. In her groups, she helps participants gain clarity, strengthen connections to other people, and take greater control in making future decisions. Tune in to hear these two thought leaders share key concepts in forming your team.
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    1 hr
  • Encore: Second Chances: When Parents Struggle with Addiction

    Encore: Second Chances: When Parents Struggle with Addiction
    Aug 30 2023
    The overall goal of this show is to open listeners' minds to life possibilities after a breakup or divorce. This might mean more to parents struggling with addiction than it does to people working through an amicable parting of ways. Sometimes a divorce may be the wake-up call that drives a serious sobriety effort. Often it is the desire to remain connected to one's children that leads a parent to rehab for drug and alcohol dependence. SoberLink's hand-held alcohol-monitoring device is an FDA-approved method of tracking and reporting alcohol use prior to child exchange in divorce cases. Learn more about this remarkable technology from SoberLink's national sales manager, Mike Fonseca. Guest Robert Epstein will then discuss his personal story with addiction from a very unique perspective: Robert is a family lawyer in private practice. In 2023, US News & World Report listed Epstein Family Law PC in the top category of Best Law Firms in the United States. Don't miss Mr. Epstein's powerful insight drawn from family law work and his own painful experiences.
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    1 hr
  • The Art of Divorce: How One Woman Transformed Her Life

    The Art of Divorce: How One Woman Transformed Her Life
    Aug 23 2023
    This show is all about how to conceptualize life after divorce. Today's guest, Carol Cohn, is the embodiment of this idea. Her current exhibit, Reflections, hanging in 73 See Gallery, Montclair, NJ, grew out of a collection of work she called The Art of Divorce. I started it all by examining the now and trying to understand the world around me, she says. In this episode, Carol talks about her Collaborative Divorce, ending a marriage with considerations for a special-needs child, and how her art illustrates the various parts of her personal process. Don't miss this honest conversation with a remarkable woman, artist, and mother.
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    1 hr
  • What If We Own a Business Together?

    What If We Own a Business Together?
    Aug 16 2023
    Many couples who are in business together dread breaking up for both personal AND business reasons. How will the business get divided up? Who determines what it's worth? What if the company really is mine but I started it during the marriage? These concerns are legitimate and anxiety-inducing. As the founder and Chief Executive Officer of BWA Valuations, Brian Walters brings a wealth of experience and education to every engagement in which the value of a business needs to be determined. He can work in a collaborative fashion with both sides of a dispute, offering an unbiased opinion as to the value of the business interests. Sarah Goodman is an accomplished Mergers & Acquisitions advisor and founder of Eminence M&A Strategies, where she provides personalized guidance to lower-market business owners seeking to exit their companies with revenues between $5MM and $50MM. In today's episode, Brian and Sarah will talk about marital asset division, business interest valuation related to partner buyout/buy-in, estate planning/gifting considerations, Family Limited Partnership (FLP) interest valuation, and “sanity check” valuations related to buying or selling business interests. Host Brooke Benson will moderate this information-packed hour of news you can use!
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    1 hr
  • High conflict divorce: post-separation abuse and family courts

    High conflict divorce: post-separation abuse and family courts
    Aug 9 2023
    It's estimated that more than 90% of American divorce cases settle prior to court. So what happens 10% of the time? This episode will explore some of the worst-case scenarios. Often oppositional personality types indulge in worsening behavior once it's clear the marriage is over. Sometimes that person starts abusing the other party. Terms like post-separation abuse, parental alienation claims, narcissistic behavior, and high conflict negotiation skills have entered mainstream conversation as divorce professionals define and discuss what happens when the wheels really come off. Hear two experts in the field talk case studies from their client lists. Learn how they are working to shine a light on the very darkest side of human nature. Consider their tips for avoiding conflict before it can take hold!
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    1 hr
  • Second Chances: When Parents Struggle with Addiction

    Second Chances: When Parents Struggle with Addiction
    Aug 2 2023
    The overall goal of this show is to open listeners' minds to life possibilities after a breakup or divorce. This might mean more to parents struggling with addiction than it does to people working through an amicable parting of ways. Sometimes a divorce may be the wake-up call that drives a serious sobriety effort. Often it is the desire to remain connected to one's children that leads a parent to rehab for drug and alcohol dependence. SoberLink's hand-held alcohol-monitoring device is an FDA-approved method of tracking and reporting alcohol use prior to child exchange in divorce cases. Learn more about this remarkable technology from SoberLink's national sales manager, Mike Fonseca. Guest Robert Epstein will then discuss his personal story with addiction from a very unique perspective: Robert is a family lawyer in private practice. In 2023, US News & World Report listed Epstein Family Law PC in the top category of Best Law Firms in the United States. Don't miss Mr. Epstein's powerful insight drawn from family law work and his own painful experiences.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr