Dating after divorce is often framed as a “fresh start.” But what if it’s not?

In this episode, Tracy Callahan is joined by Wendy Kesser, certified divorce coach and professional “rematchmaker,” to explore what really happens when clients re-enter the world of relationships after divorce.

Together, they unpack why dating after divorce is less about starting over and more about stepping into a new relational environment one where old patterns, assumptions, and conflict dynamics often resurface.

For divorce coaches, this conversation highlights a critical truth: the work doesn’t end when the agreement is signed. It evolves.

• Why dating after divorce is both a new chapter and a continuation of past relational patterns
• How unresolved internal conflict shows up in partner selection and dating decisions
• The difference between being ready to date and having the capacity to engage in relationships differently
• Why clients often “date for replacement” instead of alignment
• The role of values audits in helping clients make intentional relationship choices
• How coaches can shift clients from seeking validation to developing discernment
• Why the goal is not to help clients find the “right partner,” but to help them engage in relationships differently

Dating is not a clean slate
Clients carry forward patterns, assumptions, and ways of engaging into new relationships—often without awareness.

Readiness is not a feeling—it’s a capacity
True readiness includes emotional availability, tolerance for uncertainty, and the ability to communicate with clarity and honesty.

The past may still be doing the choosing
When clients define what they want based on what they don’t want, they remain anchored to prior relationships rather than aligned with future intentions.

Clients don’t need scripts—they need skills
The work is not about telling clients what to say. It’s about helping them develop awareness, capacity, and intentional engagement.

Divorce coaching extends beyond the divorce
Supporting clients in how they re-engage in relationships is where long-term transformation happens.

• Help clients identify and understand their relational patterns
• Support intentional decision-making, not reactive choices
• Guide clients toward values-based alignment
• Encourage self-awareness over performance in dating
• Provide referrals and resources that support continued growth

• “The problem is not the pool. The problem is the filter.”
• “Readiness isn’t a feeling—it’s a capacity.”
• “Clients don’t date… they audition.”
• “The work is helping clients consciously author their next chapter.”

Wendy Kesser is a certified divorce coach, professional matchmaker, and founder of Get With Wendy. She specializes in working with divorced and widowed individuals, helping them navigate partner selection with intention and clarity. Wendy brings a unique perspective by combining divorce coaching with matchmaking, offering insight into how past relational dynamics influence future choices.

🔗 Learn more: https://GetWithWendy.com

Does better communication really reduce conflict in divorce? Not always.

In this episode, Tracy Callahan breaks down why communication strategies often fail in high conflict divorce—and how, in many cases, communication actually escalates conflict instead of resolving it.

If you’re a divorce coach, mediator, therapist, or family law professional, this conversation will shift how you understand conflict dynamics. You’ll learn why clients stay stuck in repetitive arguments, why “just communicate better” doesn’t work, and what’s really driving high conflict behavior beneath the surface.

This episode explores the hidden mechanisms of conflict in divorce, offering a deeper understanding of why traditional approaches fall short and what professionals need to see in order to create meaningful change.

Keywords naturally included:
high conflict divorce, divorce communication, conflict resolution in divorce, divorce coaching, family law conflict, mediation challenges, conflict dynamics, emotional conflict, divorce professionals

In This Episode:

• Why communication fails in high conflict divorce

• How communication can escalate conflict instead of resolving it

• Understanding conflict dynamics beneath surface-level behavior

• Why clients repeat the same arguments without resolution

Divorce doesn’t unfold in a straight line it comes in waves. In this episode Tracy Callahan is joined by Tamara Arnold family law attorney mediator DCA certified ADR divorce coach and creator of DivorceWave to explore what really happens between sessions when clients are triggered overwhelmed and at risk of escalating conflict.

They discuss the gap between when conflict happens and when support is available how emotional dis-regulation impacts decision making and communication and why creating pause awareness and simple tools is essential for better outcomes. Tamara shares how DivorceWave can help clients regulate process emotions and respond more intentionally in real time while supporting the work coaches are already doing.

Timecodes
00:00 Welcome and introduction to conflict in divorce
02:00 Why divorce unfolds in emotional waves
04:20 The disconnect between support and real life moments
06:20 Common reactive decisions that escalate conflict
09:15 The importance of pause and emotional regulation
11:40 Limits of attorneys mediators and therapists in real time
14:20 Recognizing and interrupting conflict patterns
18:20 Introducing the DivorceWave app
25:15 How coaches can use DivorceWave with clients
28:20 Rethinking support between sessions

Key Takeaways
Conflict in divorce happens between sessions not during them
Emotional triggers override logic and lead to reactive decisions
Creating space before responding is one of the most powerful tools
Pattern awareness is the first step to breaking conflict cycles
Clients need real time tools not just scheduled support
DivorceWave helps extend support beyond sessions in practical accessible ways

Divorce coaching conflict resolution emotional regulation during divorce co parenting conflict divorce mediation support divorce coaching tools managing divorce stress high conflict divorce help mindfulness divorce divorce coach resources

DivorceWave is an on demand digital divorce coach designed to support your clients between sessions when they need it most. Whether they are triggered by an angry text from their Ex spiraling at 2 AM or heading into a tough conversation DivorceWave gives them tools to regulate strategize and move forward in the moment when it counts.
Get started DivorceWave.com and click the link to "Try Divorce Wave for Free"

Special Offers Mentioned in This Episode

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Struggling with communication during divorce? You're not alone and it's not just about what’s being said.

In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy podcast, Debra Doak explains why communication breaks down during divorce conflict and what’s really happening beneath the surface when conversations escalate. From emotional flooding and mismatched conflict styles to defensive listening and unspoken expectations, this episode breaks down the five key reasons communication fails—and how to fix it.

Whether you're a divorce coach, mediator, or navigating divorce yourself, you’ll gain practical tools to improve communication, reduce conflict, and make better decisions during one of life’s most challenging transitions.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How emotional triggers impact communication in divorce
• Why conflict styles (pursuer vs. avoider) create tension
• The importance of active listening in high-conflict conversations
• How assumptions and expectations fuel misunderstandings
• Strategies divorce coaches use to help clients communicate effectively

If you're looking to reduce conflict, improve co-parenting communication, or support clients through divorce, this episode is a must-listen.

Keywords: divorce communication, conflict resolution in divorce, divorce coaching, co-parenting communication, high conflict divorce, emotional flooding, communication breakdown, divorce support, divorce coach training, managing conflict in relationships

In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy Podcast, Tracy Callahan is joined by Jacinta Gallant to explore how curiosity can be used as a conflict intervention in divorce. Together, they discuss why certainty, blame, and defensiveness often escalate conflict, and how targeted curiosity can help individuals make better decisions, communicate more effectively, and move through divorce with greater self-awareness.

This conversation is especially valuable for divorce coaches, mediators, family law professionals, and anyone navigating divorce conflict. If you want a deeper understanding of conflict resolution in divorce, divorce coaching, and curiosity in mediation, this episode offers practical insight into a more thoughtful and effective approach.

Key Takeaways

• Curiosity can interrupt defensiveness and reduce conflict escalation.
• Certainty about being right or fair often blocks productive communication.
• Divorce is not just a legal process. It is a conflict process.
• Many traditional divorce and mediation models overlook the relational dynamics driving conflict.
• Divorce coaches play an important role in helping clients build self-awareness and engage more effectively in difficult conversations.

Chapters

• 00:00 The Role of Curiosity in Conflict Resolution
• 06:32 Insight Approach to Conflict
• 19:17 Limits of Professional Roles in Developing Curiosity
• 28:26 Development of Resources for Self-Discovery and Conflict Engagement

This episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast explores one of the most overlooked dimensions of divorce: a child’s lived experience inside the conflict process.

While parents navigate legal decisions, emotional strain, and uncertainty, there is often a well-intended instinct to protect children by minimizing what they see or feel. But what happens when that protection becomes silence—and a child’s experience goes unacknowledged?

Tracy is joined by Carolyn Jacobs—certified divorce and co-parenting coach, parenting plan mediator, and DCA® Certified ADR Divorce Coach—to examine the critical distinction between shielding children from conflict and unintentionally disconnecting from their reality. Together, they unpack how children process what they sense versus what they’re told, the risks of “holding it together,” and how parents can model emotional honesty without placing emotional weight on the child.

Grounded in DCA®’s framing of divorce as a conflict and communication process, this conversation highlights how parent-child communication during divorce shapes a child’s long-term ability to navigate relationships, conflict, and self-expression. The episode also offers practical insight for professionals supporting parents who may be unintentionally minimizing their child’s experience—and how to begin repairing that dynamic.

The conversation extends into a broader lens on civil discourse, exploring how what happens inside the home directly influences a child’s ability to engage with difference and disagreement outside of it.

Carolyn also shares more about her upcoming Conversations that Contribute Series event: Fostering Civil Discourse Among Youth: A Conversation with Dr. Michael Saini. This 60-minute virtual event will take place on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 4 PM ET (1 PM PT / 3 PM CT), with tickets available for $10. Hosted by Ally in Divorce, the conversation supports Kids Managing Conflict, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening peer mediation programs in schools. Register Here

This is a nuanced and highly relevant conversation for divorce professionals, parents, and anyone invested in how the next generation learns to navigate conflict—with clarity, empathy, and integrity.

Learn more about DCA® or any of the classes or events mentioned in this episode at the links below:

Website: www.divorcecoachesacademy.com

Instagram: www.divorcecoachesacademy/divorcecoachesacademy

LinkedIn: divorce-coaches-academy

Email: DCA@divorcecoachesacademy.com

The moment a divorcing client looks at us and says, “Just tell me what to do,” it can feel almost cruel not to step in with the answer. But that impulse is exactly where ethics, skill, and real transformation live. We sit down with Andrea Hips, LBSW and certified divorce coach, to talk about power, agency, and why “being the expert” can quietly become the fastest way to take power away from the person we’re trying to help.

We get specific about the difference between power and control, and why divorce makes people chase certainty like it’s oxygen. When a client clings to one outcome, we unpack what they’re really reaching for: safety, stability, and relief from overwhelm. From there we move into practical coaching tools for conflict-informed divorce coaching and alternative dispute resolution minded support, including how to slow down decisions under legal pressure, how to build distress tolerance, and how to help clients act wisely while uncertainty stays right beside them.

We also name the subtle ways coaches can unintentionally influence choices through tone, affirmations, and question framing. Andrea shares a simple North Star: there are many right answers, and hindsight isn’t something you can buy today. Protecting client agency is not a “nice to have” in divorce coaching, it’s the standard that builds capacity, reduces escalation, and helps clients leave coaching stronger than they arrived.

If you care about ethical divorce coaching, client autonomy, and decision making in high-conflict divorce, listen through and take notes. Subscribe, share this with a coach or friend going through divorce, and leave a review with the biggest shift you’re taking from the conversation.

Learn more about DCA® or any of the classes or events mentioned in this episode at the links below:

Website: www.divorcecoachesacademy.com
Instagram: @divorcecoachesacademy
LinkedIn: divorce-coaches-academy
Email: DCA@divorcecoachesacademy.com

The conversation delves into the foundational principles of dispute resolution, emphasizing the importance of self-actualization and the role of divorce coaches in supporting growth and development. It highlights the value of presence and process, the need to tolerate slower progress for alignment, and the challenge of recognizing and managing personal discomfort in the process.

Takeaways

• Self-actualization is essential in dispute resolution
• The value of presence and process in supporting growth and development

Chapters

• 00:00 Foundational Principles of Dispute Resolution
• 06:09 Recognizing the Need for Self-Actualization
• 12:11 Value of Presence and Process
• 17:52 Recognizing and Managing Personal Discomfort