How to Prepare for Divorce: 5 Steps to Take Before You File

Whether you've decided to divorce and haven't told your spouse yet, or the decision has been made for you, the first weeks can bring a wave of fear, guilt, overwhelm and uncertainty. In this solo episode, Karen McMahon, high-conflict divorce coach and founder of Journey Beyond Divorce, explains how to prepare for divorce in a way that protects your emotional health, your finances and your children. After 16 years of coaching, Karen has seen that how you handle the emotional side of divorce shapes how well you handle the legal, financial and co-parenting decisions that follow. She explains why staying present, focusing on what you can control and taking one baby step at a time will serve you better than trying to solve the whole divorce in a single day.

Karen then walks through five steps from her free Smart Start Pre-Divorce Checklist. First, she explains why a one-time consultation with a family law attorney matters, even in a high-conflict marriage where your spouse threatens to go scorched earth. She also covers the differences between a litigator, a collaborative attorney, a mediator and an advising attorney. Next she covers how to plan telling your spouse you want a divorce and how to reset your home environment, from separate sleeping arrangements to shared spaces and household tasks. She explains how setting boundaries while you still live together shows you how your spouse is likely to negotiate. She shares guidance on how to tell your kids about the divorce, including when telling them together may not be best. She closes with how a temporary parenting schedule before separation can show you how shared custody might work.

Download the free Smart Start Pre-Divorce Checklist here: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/pre-divorce-checklist

Feeling overwhelmed and ready for support? Book your free one-hour Rapid Relief Call at https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/rapid-relief-call to get a new perspective and a clear action step from a Journey Beyond Divorce coach.

Join Divorce Support Network with our back-to-school offer: 80% off, a full year for $99, plus two strategic calls at no cost, one with a coach and one with a financial specialist: https://community.divorcesupportnetwork.com/back-to-school/