Journey Beyond Divorce Podcast

Divorce after 50 looks nothing like divorce in your 30s or 40s. Custody battles and parenting plans give way to a different kind of high-stakes negotiation, one centered almost entirely on money: retirement accounts, pensions, Social Security, and spousal support. And with gray divorce rates doubling since 1990 for people over 50, and tripling for those over 65, Karen McMahon believes this is a conversation more couples urgently need.
In this episode of the Journey Beyond Divorce Podcast, Karen sits down with Andrew Hatherly, a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), trained mediator, and founder of Transcend Retirement and Wiser Divorce Solutions. Andrew is also the host of The Gray Divorce Podcast, and after navigating his own midlife divorce, has made it his mission to help others understand exactly what's financially at stake before they sign a settlement.
Karen and Andrew unpack why gray divorce carries a far higher financial risk than divorce earlier in life, since there's simply less runway to rebuild retirement savings after a late-life split. They explore why bringing a financial expert to the table, alongside an attorney and a divorce coach, is essential in any high conflict divorce, and especially critical when a marriage has spanned decades and retirement accounts, pensions, and home equity are all on the table.
The conversation covers what men and women both need to understand about marital property, why "his" retirement account is actually a shared marital asset, and why spousal support calculations vary so widely from state to state. Andrew breaks down a critical but often-overlooked Social Security rule: spouses married 10 years or longer may be entitled to claim benefits based on their former spouse's earnings record, without reducing what their ex-spouse receives, and why couples approaching that 10-year mark should think carefully about timing. They also discuss the tax implications of dividing different types of retirement accounts, why a $500,000 Roth IRA and a $500,000 traditional 401(k) are not actually worth the same in a divorce settlement, and why remarriage can affect spousal support and estate planning decisions down the road.
Karen and Andrew close with a candid discussion about what comes after the financial settlement is finalized, and why gray divorce, despite its financial complexity, can also become a powerful catalyst for reinvention, purpose, and a stronger, more intentional third act of life.
Whether you're facing high conflict divorce, navigating gray divorce later in life, or are a man trying to understand your financial rights and responsibilities in divorce, this episode offers the financial clarity and strategic insight needed to protect your future and negotiate from a place of knowledge rather than fear.
Andrew Hatherly is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), mediator, and founder of Transcend Retirement and Wiser Divorce Solutions. He is the host of The Gray Divorce Podcast and author of The Gray Divorce Phenomenon, a free guide available at transcendretirement.net.
Connect with Andrew:
Free Gift: The Gray Divorce Phenomenon, a free guide available at transcendretirement.net.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewhatherley/
 
 

Podcast: https://www.transcendretirement.net/podcast

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com
Free Divorce Support Network Gift: https://divorcesupportnetwork.com/jbdpod

Most people assume divorce means courtrooms, legal battles, and losing control of the outcome, but Karen McMahon knows that's not always true. In this episode of the Journey Beyond Divorce Podcast, Karen sits down with Cary Jacobson, a collaborative divorce attorney, mediator, and child advocate, to break down every path to divorce outside of litigation and help listeners understand which one actually fits their situation.
Karen and Cary walk through the full spectrum of options, from do-it-yourself kitchen table agreements and settlement negotiation between attorneys, to mediation, to the collaborative divorce process, where both spouses commit to a team-based approach with collaboratively trained attorneys, financial neutrals, and mental health professionals working together toward resolution. They explain how each option works, who it's best suited for, and the real risks of going the DIY route without legal guidance, especially when children, retirement assets, or property division are involved.
The conversation dives deep into what makes collaborative divorce unique, including the participation agreement that requires full transparency and commits both parties to staying out of court, and why Karen believes collaborative divorce can be especially powerful in high-conflict situations, cases involving substance abuse, or divorces involving young children. Karen and Cary also unpack how mediation works, when a consulting attorney should be brought in alongside a mediator, and how power imbalances between spouses can shape which process will actually lead to a fair outcome.
Karen closes the conversation with a reminder central to everything Journey Beyond Divorce stands for: every person going through divorce is the CEO of their own case, with the right and responsibility to understand their options, ask questions, and choose the process, whether that's mediation, collaborative divorce, settlement negotiation, or litigation, that will protect their family's future.
Cary Jacobson is a collaborative divorce attorney, mediator, and child advocate, and the founder of Jacobson Family Law.
Connect with Cary:
Email:cary@jacobsonfamilylaw.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacobsonfamilylaw,
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobsonfamilylaw/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryjacobson
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1vZ9kkhd4LPpB1yEqK7U9w
Website: https://jacobsonfamilylaw.com/
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com
Free Divorce Support Network Gift: https://divorcesupportnetwork.com/jbdpod

Parenting a neurodivergent or special needs child already takes constant coordination and advocacy. When divorce enters the picture, Karen McMahon believes those needs don't get simpler, they become the center of every decision.
In this episode, Karen sits down with Mary Ann Hughes, founder of Special Family Transitions and a certified special needs divorce coach, mediator, and co-parenting specialist. As the mother of sons on the autism spectrum, Mary Ann brings both lived experience and deep expertise to a conversation most divorce professionals aren't equipped to have.
Together they cover five critical considerations for parents of autistic or special needs children going through divorce: managing the emotional overwhelm, understanding the language around autism and neurodiversity, hiring an attorney who truly understands your child's needs, protecting government benefits through first-party and third-party special needs trusts, and navigating high-conflict negotiations without losing sight of what your child actually needs.
Mary Ann also shares how she helped her own kids process her divorce, and how that experience led her to co-author My Parents' Divorce Through My Eyes: Helping Children With Autism Understand Divorce.
If you're parenting a neurodivergent child through divorce, this episode offers the strategy, language, and reassurance to help you protect your child's future, and your own.
Connect with Mary Ann
Free Gift: Chapter on Special Needs Divorce in bestselling book, "The Other Side of Divorce" email maryann@specialfamilytransitions.com for your copy
TedTalk: https://youtu.be/BW6RWN-k65s?si=d4GO7rLKzjZKB7GQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/specialfamilytransitions
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@specialfamilytransitions
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@SpecialFamilyTransitions
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-ann-hughes-special-family-transitions/
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com
Free Divorce Support Network Gift: https://divorcesupportnetwork.com/jbdpod
Previous Special Needs episode - from the attorney's perspective: Journey Beyond Divorce Podcast: Divorce Roadmap: Children and Divorce: When Special Needs Kids Are Involved on Apple Podcasts

Karen McMahon sits down with Brent Perkins, founder of 3x Bold and director of leadership at Front Row Dads, to unpack a pattern she sees constantly in her work with high-achieving men going through divorce: they know how to control themselves, but they were never taught capacity, the ability to stay present in emotional, messy, or uncertain moments without fixing or shutting down.
Brent built seven and eight-figure companies, led global teams, and did everything right on paper, until his marriage ended and forced him to confront the patterns his success had never solved. In this conversation, he and Karen explore why divorce becomes a mirror that reveals exactly where a man was performing instead of feeling, controlling instead of trusting, and fixing instead of listening.
Together they break down what capacity actually means, energy, attention, and presence, and why building it changes everything from a marriage to a business to a relationship with a teenager. Brent shares the men's work he's done through Front Row Dads, why giving advice almost always makes things worse, and how learning to sit in silence with his own daughter transformed their relationship. He also introduces two practical tools listeners can use immediately: the 60-second timeout and the shift from expectations to agreements, both simple, both surprisingly powerful.
This episode is for any man who has felt the ground shift beneath him during a divorce and sensed there was a deeper pattern at play, and for any woman who wants to understand what that experience looks like from the inside.
Karen McMahon is the founder of Journey Beyond Divorce and a high conflict divorce strategist who has spent years helping men move through high-conflict divorce with clarity, steadiness, and strength.
Connect with Brent
Free Gift: Capacity Strategy Session: You couldn't see the pattern that's stealing your capacity while you're still in it. Nobody can. This 20-minute complimentary session shows you what's actually happening, so you have the power to write your next chapter differently. https://www.3xbold.com/strategy
Website: www.3xBold.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentrperkins/
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com
Free Divorce Support Network Gift: https://divorcesupportnetwork.com/jbdpod
Curated Podcast Playlists: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/

Co-parenting is often held up as the gold standard after divorce. But that advice assumes two emotionally healthy, cooperative parents. In high-conflict divorce, and especially in situations involving coercive control, manipulation, or post-separation abuse, that assumption can do more harm than good.
In this episode, Karen McMahon is joined by AJ Gajjar, Parenting & Trauma Consultant, child development specialist, and creator of Trauma Healing Parenting, for an important conversation about what children truly need when co-parenting isn't possible.
Together, they explore why many parents feel pressured to make co-parenting work, even when ongoing conflict continues to impact both them and their children. They discuss how chronic stress affects a child's developing nervous system, why emotional safety matters more than forced cooperation, and how parents can shift from reacting to conflict toward creating stability and security.
Listeners will learn:
Why co-parenting isn't always the healthiest option in high-conflict divorce.
How to recognize signs that a child is being affected by ongoing relational stress.
The difference between co-parenting and parallel parenting—and when each is appropriate.
How Trauma Healing Parenting helps parents become the steady, emotionally safe presence their children need.
Practical strategies for reducing conflict, strengthening boundaries, and parenting with greater confidence.
Whether you're navigating high-conflict divorce, post-separation abuse, or simply questioning whether your current parenting approach is serving your children, this episode offers a compassionate, trauma-informed perspective that replaces guilt with clarity and empowers parents to make decisions rooted in safety rather than obligation.
AJ Gajjar is a Parenting & Trauma Consultant, child development specialist, children's advocate, and creator of Trauma Healing Parenting. With more than 18 years of experience in early childhood development and children's mental health, she helps parents navigating high-conflict divorce and post-separation abuse create emotionally safe, healing environments where children can thrive.
Connect with AJ
Free Gift: "Is It Healthy Co-Parenting?" Quiz: https://www.thetraumahealingparent.com/freegift
Explore AJ's Trauma Healing Parenting resources and programs: https://www.thetraumahealingparent.com/kmcmahon
Website: www.thetraumahealingparent.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aj.thetraumahealingparent
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aj-gajjar-50b3b3221/
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
The Steady Circle for Women Navigating High Conflict Divorce: https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/hcdsg
Book a Free Rapid Relief Call: http://rapidreliefcall.com
Free Divorce Support Network Gift: https://divorcesupportnetwork.com/jbdpod