Encore: Break the Attack-Defend Loop — How Insight Mediation Is Changing the Way Families Divorce episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 30, 2026 · 34 MIN

Encore: Break the Attack-Defend Loop — How Insight Mediation Is Changing the Way Families Divorce

from Dirty Laundry: The Divorce Podcast · host Alex Howard, Amanda Silver, RTF Productions

Send us Fan MailMary Anne Popescu is the Executive Director of the Ontario Association for Family Mediation and a practicing family mediator of over two decades. In this encore episode, she introduces the concept that changed both her practice and her own marriage: the attack-defend loop, and how naming it in real time can stop a conversation from spiraling.She and Alex and Amanda dig into insight mediation, why she prefers the phrase "families experiencing high conflict behavior" over the label "high conflict," and how future-focused questions can unlock genuinely creative solutions for even the most complex blended families. They also talk about the grief that underlies every separation, no matter who initiated it, and why control over how your story ends is often the biggest reason people choose mediation over litigation.Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by our podcast guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or the podcast. We value diverse perspectives and aim to provide a platform for thoughtful discussion and exploration of different ideas.Got any comments, suggestions or queries? We'd love to hear from you! DM us on Instagram @dirty.laundry.podcast to be featured on one of our upcoming episodes.  Also, don't forget to rate and review our show on your favourite podcast player.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 30, 2026

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Send us Fan Mail Mary Anne Popescu is the Executive Director of the Ontario Association for Family Mediation and a practicing family mediator of over two decades. In this encore episode, she introduces the concept that changed both her practice and her own marriage: the attack-defend loop, and how naming it in real time can stop a conversation from spiraling. She and Alex and Amanda dig into insight mediation, why she prefers the phrase "families experiencing high conflict behavior" over the ...

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Encore: Break the Attack-Defend Loop — How Insight Mediation Is Changing the Way Families Divorce

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