The Good Divorce: How to End Your Marriage Without Ending Your Family by Karen McNenny

What if divorce didn't have to destroy your family — what if it could actually make it better? That's the radical, deeply human premise at the heart of this week's episode of Divorce Happens, and it's brought to life by someone who's lived it, studied it, and built an entire career helping others do it well. Karen McNenny is a 15-year divorce survivor, certified divorce coach, co-parent specialist, parent team expert, and Crucial Conversations trainer. As founder of the Good Divorce Academy, she helps couples navigate the end of their marriage not as adversaries but as partners in protecting their children's future. And now, fresh off the press in May 2026, she's the author of The Good Divorce: How to End Your Marriage Without Ending Your Family — a book Olivia describes as the one she would have handed her own parents when she was ten years old, watching her own family come apart.The conversation goes deep, fast. Karen reframes divorce not as a failure or a weapon, but as a tool of transformation — a life transition that, when navigated with intention and education, can reduce conflict, protect children, and even leave families with more grace, kindness, and love than they had before.What lingers long after the episode ends is the quiet power of Karen's closing wisdom: don't stay too long, and find your way to an elegant exit. She reminds listeners navigating divorce recovery that healing is ultimately an inside job — it has nothing to do with whether your co-parent cooperates, and everything to do with the story you choose to keep telling yourself. Her framework for the two-home family, her concept of the compost pile (turning what's gone sour into fertilizer for something new), and her reminder that everything will be okay in the end — and if it's not okay, it's not the end — offer both a roadmap and a lifeline for anyone who thought a good divorce was impossible.This episode is essential listening for every divorcing parent, divorce-adjacent family member, or professional working with families in transition.Website - https://www.karenmcnenny.com/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/karenmcnenny/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gooddivorcecoachYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@karenmcnenny1344/videosLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gooddivorcecoach/Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241964095-the-good-divorceAmazon - https://www.amazon.com/Good-Divorce-Marriage-Without-Ending/dp/1394374267Bookshop - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-good-divorce-how-to-end-your-marriage-without-ending-your-family-karen-mcnenny/b6ad733ab25c13b2