Divorce often pushes parents into survival mode. Legal strategy and emotional overwhelm take center stage, while children absorb the fallout quietly and deeply.
In this episode of the Children First Family Law®️ podcast, Krista explores a powerful but often misunderstood resource that helps parents navigate divorce more intentionally: divorce coaching.
Krista sits down with Tracy Callahan, co-founder of the Divorce Coaches Academy, certified divorce coach, and family mediator licensed in Florida and New York. Tracy brings decades of experience in alternative dispute resolution and a deeply child-centered lens shaped by both professional practice and personal parenting experience. Krista and Tracy unpack what divorce coaching actually is and, just as importantly, what it is not.
The conversation reframes divorce coaching as a future-focused, action-oriented form of dispute resolution rather than therapy or advocacy warfare. Tracy explains how divorce coaching helps parents regulate emotions, understand conflict dynamics, and develop communication skills that reduce escalation and protect children from being caught in the middle. Rather than reliving the past, divorce coaching emphasizes intentional decision-making, personal accountability, and preparing parents to participate more effectively in mediation, settlement discussions, and co-parenting.
Krista and Tracy also address common misconceptions, including the belief that divorce coaches exist to help parents “fight harder.” In reality, the work centers on minimizing emotional and financial damage, supporting conversations that matter, and helping parents shift from positional thinking to child-focused problem solving. They highlight how unmanaged conflict—not divorce itself—creates lasting harm for children, often with generational consequences.
Tracy shares insight into how divorce coaching complements legal representation, saves time and money, and helps parents stop using attorneys and courts as emotional outlets. The episode offers clarity for parents, professionals, and anyone working in family law who wants better outcomes for children navigating two homes.
In this episode, you will hear:
- Divorce coaching as a child-centered dispute resolution tool
- Clear distinctions between divorce coaching, therapy, and legal advocacy
- The impact of unresolved parental conflict on children
- Emotional regulation as a foundation for effective co-parenting
- Future-focused decision-making during divorce
- Support divorce coaching provides in mediation and legal processes
- Shifting away from win–lose thinking toward family stability
Resources from this Episode
www.childrenfirstfamilylaw.com
All states have different laws; be sure you are checking out your state laws specifically surrounding divorce. Krista is a licensed attorney in Colorado and Wyoming but is not providing through this podcast legal advice. Please be sure to seek independent legal counsel in your area for your specific situation.
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