In this ep, I chat about five different parent-child contact problems one might face. For example, in a recent podcast, I discussed a polarizing topic about parental alienation. Some believe in it and some don’t. Here, I spend a bit of time discussing this more to bring greater awareness and understanding of this topic.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Parental alienation
• Estrangement
• Child empowerment
• Gatekeeping
• Parentification

These five parent-child contact problems are things to be mindful of, so you are able to maintain positive parent-child relationships.

Links mentioned in the episode: 

Join the Thrive Tribe waitlist HERE. 

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com.

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

This week on the show, I have Susan Shofer joining me.

Susan Shofer is a two-decade agency-licensed private investigator with over 1,100 testifying hours. Ten years ago, while working as a private investigator, Susan became a certified divorce coach. Her area of expertise is high-conflict divorce with a specialty in parental alienation. Susan is a member of the Parental Alienation Study Group, comprised of the most prominent mental health clinicians and legal professionals in the parental alienation space. She is also the Director of the Baltimore /Annapolis/ DC/ Northern Virginia NADP (National Association of Divorce Professionals).

Susan’s passion and mission are to help people navigate through their high-conflict divorce using specific strategies unique to their cases. Her specialty is teaching targeted parents how to approach parental alienation with a true understanding of why it happens, how it must be litigated in court, and ways to effectively communicate with alienated children.

In this episode we talked about:

• What parental alienation is and why it’s the worst part of a high-conflict divorce.
• What parental alienation is NOT.
• How a parent may orchestrate parental alienation.
• The impact of parental alienation on the targeted parent and the children.
• How alienating parents are linked to often having personality disorders.
• Why the alienator alienates their child from their other parent.
• How parental alienation as a form of child abuse and domestic violence.
• How parental alienation can affect children.
• Susan's TedX talk experience and how it came about.
• How parental alienation can happen pre, during, and post-divorce or separation.
• How to move past parental alienation.
• How parents who are alienated are often seen as the ones who may have done something wrong, rather than being victims.
• And so much more!

This is a topic that is close to my heart. it is so important and so tragic. I hope it helps you if you are suffering from going through this.

Links mentioned in the episode: 

If you want to get in touch with Susan, you may email her at Susan@susanshofer.com.

Check out Susan's website HERE. 

You can connect with Susan on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, or her YouTube channel.

You can watch Susan’s TedX talk HERE.

Join the Thrive Tribe waitlist HERE. 

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com.

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

This week on the show, I have Kurt Chacon joining me.

Kurt Chacon is a collaborative lawyer and certified divorce coach based in Dallas, Texas. 

As both a child of divorce and a parent of divorce, Kurt has seen divorce from every possible angle. This perspective is why his goal is always to mitigate the effects of divorce on children. He is a member of both the Collaborative Law and Family Law Sections of the State Bar of Texas. He is also a member of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas (CLI-TX), Collaborative Divorce Denton County, and Collaborative Divorce Texas

In this episode we talked about:

• Growing up as an only child with divorced parents.
• How he got involved with collaborative divorce, as someone who went through it firsthand.
• Going through his own divorce and having the need to be supported by a collaborative lawyer.
• The effects of divorce on children.
• What a collaborative divorce is and what the collaborative process looks like.
• Children's perspective on divorce.
• Situations where collaborative divorce is not recommended.
• The difference between the collaborative process and cooperative law.
• The general timeline in a collaborative divorce process.

Personally, I believe a collaborative divorce is a fantastic option if it's possible in your situation, and I hope this episode helps you learn more about what it is, and if it's a good fit for you.

Links mentioned in the episode: 

Contact Kurt by emailing him at coachkurt@me.com

You can also connect with him on Facebook. 

Join the Thrive Tribe waitlist HERE. 

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com.

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

In today’s episode, I share the seven mindset skills that are really important for kids under 10 to learn. While teaching children how to spell or solve math problems is essential, it is just as important to teach them life skills.

Many kids these days are not equipped with knowing how to handle things like dealing with conflict and managing their emotions. Little life events can also cause life trauma.

Having a positive mindset is developed through the experiences that happen in our kids' lives and how they interpret them. As parents, it starts with us being role models to our children. Let’s teach them these mindset skills to give them a great foundation for life.

Links mentioned in the episode: 

Join the Thrive Tribe waitlist HERE. 

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com.

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

This week on the show, I have Mary Ann Hughes joining me.

Mary Ann Hughes is the proud mom of two boys on the autism spectrum who successfully advocated for her sons' needs during her complex divorce, and then became a Special Needs Divorce Coach founding Special Family Transitions to help families navigate the overwhelm and complexities of special needs divorce.

Combining her experience and certifications as a Certified Divorce Coach, Certified Divorce Transition and Recovery Coach, Certified Divorce Specialist, Certified Life Coach, member of The National Association of Divorce Professionals, MBA, and years of special needs training and advocacy, Mary Ann is committed to helping guide families with loved ones with disabilities through divorce challenges and transitions.

In this episode we talked about: 

• Mary Ann’s divorce story and how it led her to become a divorce coach for mums with special needs kids.
• How she started her company Special Family Transitions.
• Life before her divorce and her first concerns navigating becoming a single mum caring for two kids with special needs.
• How to advocate for and support kids with special needs during and after divorce.
• Co-Parenting and communication with her ex-partner.
• Additional considerations to think about when divorcing as a mum with special needs children (such as prolonged child support, government benefits, planning for life insurance and wills, etc).
• Daily routines caring for children with special needs.
• How to survive a special needs divorce, and thrive afterward.
• The RISE framework she uses in her online course that helps mums who have special needs kids through divorce.
• And so much more!

I loved having Mary Ann on the show and sharing all she does. I hope you enjoy this and find this episode a useful resource.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Contact Mary Ann by emailing her at maryann@specialfamilytransitions.com.

Find out more about Mary Ann and what she does at https://www.specialfamilytransitions.com/.

Use the discount code JULIA to get 25% off her online course for Keys to Success in Divorce for Moms of Children with Special Needs. Sign up here. 

You can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn. 

Join the Thrive Tribe waitlist HERE. 

Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE.

To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com.

Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too.

Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.