Divorce Coaches Academy

Why do clients keep reacting in ways they regret, even when they know better?

In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast, Tracy Callahan speaks with conflict expert, mediator, DCA® Certified ADR Divorce Coach, and author Masha Rusanov about the unconscious patterns that keep people trapped in recurring divorce and co-parenting conflict.

Masha introduces the Exhale, Explore, Engage® framework from her book, Repatterned: How to Transform Your Conflict Defaults and Reclaim Your Life. Together, they explore why familiar reactions become automatic under stress, how nervous system activation limits access to communication skills, and why waiting for the other person to change gives away personal agency.

They also discuss how divorce coaches can help clients recognize their contribution to a conflict dynamic without assigning blame or stepping outside the scope of coaching. High conflict does not mean a resolution-focused approach will not work. It means clients may first need the awareness and capacity to interrupt old patterns and choose a different response.

Lasting change does not begin when conflict disappears. It begins when we recognize the pattern and realize we have another choice.

Learn more about Masha:

Masha Rusanov is a conflict expert, DCA® Certified ADR Divorce Coach, ICF Certified Coach, and a mediator with a Master's in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding. She works with individuals and organizations navigating conflict and high-stakes relationship dynamics. Before building her divorce coaching and conflict resolution practice, she spent over two decades in tech at companies like Google and Intuit. "Repatterned" is her latest book. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, with her blended family.

https://www.masharusanov.com/

Purchase Repatterned:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1957917911

What if reducing co-parenting conflict does not require both parents to cooperate?

In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast, Tracy Callahan welcomes Crystal Fisher, founder and executive director of Parenting with Grace, author of Protected and Connected, parenting educator, and DCA® Certified ADR Divorce Coach.

Together, they challenge the belief that successful co-parenting requires constant communication, mutual cooperation, or a friendly relationship between former spouses. Crystal explains how one parent can begin changing entrenched conflict patterns by communicating with greater intention, creating emotional stability, and focusing on what they can control.

The conversation also explores why less communication may be healthier in some situations, how parallel parenting can protect families from ongoing conflict, and why children should never be expected to carry the emotional burden of their parents’ divorce. Crystal shares practical ways parents can pause, examine their responses, and measure progress by the peace and stability they create for themselves and their children.

Learn more about Crystal’s work at Parenting with Grace:
https://parentingwithgrace.org
Purchase Protected and Connected on Amazon:
https://a.co/d/0bJyMCw0

Why do clients keep reacting in ways they regret, even when they know better?

In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast, Tracy Callahan speaks with conflict expert, mediator, DCA® Certified ADR Divorce Coach, and author Masha Rusanov about the unconscious patterns that keep people trapped in recurring divorce and co-parenting conflict.

Masha introduces the Exhale, Explore, Engage® framework from her book, Repatterned: How to Transform Your Conflict Defaults and Reclaim Your Life. Together, they explore why familiar reactions become automatic under stress, how nervous system activation limits access to communication skills, and why waiting for the other person to change gives away personal agency.

They also discuss how divorce coaches can help clients recognize their contribution to a conflict dynamic without assigning blame or stepping outside the scope of coaching. High conflict does not mean a resolution-focused approach will not work. It means clients may first need the awareness and capacity to interrupt old patterns and choose a different response.

Lasting change does not begin when conflict disappears. It begins when we recognize the pattern and realize we have another choice.

Learn more about Masha:

Masha Rusanov is a conflict expert, DCA® Certified ADR Divorce Coach, ICF Certified Coach, and a mediator with a Master's in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding. She works with individuals and organizations navigating conflict and high-stakes relationship dynamics. Before building her divorce coaching and conflict resolution practice, she spent over two decades in tech at companies like Google and Intuit. "Repatterned" is her latest book. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, with her blended family.

https://www.masharusanov.com/
Purchase Repatterned:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1957917911

Why do clients keep reacting in ways they regret, even when they know better?
In this episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast, Tracy Callahan speaks with conflict expert, mediator, DCA® Certified ADR Divorce Coach, and author Masha Rusanov about the unconscious patterns that keep people trapped in recurring divorce and co-parenting conflict.
Masha introduces the Exhale, Explore, Engage® framework from her book, Repatterned: How to Transform Your Conflict Defaults and Reclaim Your Life. Together, they explore why familiar reactions become automatic under stress, how nervous system activation limits access to communication skills, and why waiting for the other person to change gives away personal agency.
They also discuss how divorce coaches can help clients recognize their contribution to a conflict dynamic without assigning blame or stepping outside the scope of coaching. High conflict does not mean a resolution-focused approach will not work. It means clients may first need the awareness and capacity to interrupt old patterns and choose a different response.

Lasting change does not begin when conflict disappears. It begins when we recognize the pattern and realize we have another choice.

Learn more about Masha:

Masha Rusanov is a conflict expert, DCA® Certified ADR Divorce Coach, ICF Certified Coach, and a mediator with a Master's in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding. She works with individuals and organizations navigating conflict and high-stakes relationship dynamics. Before building her divorce coaching and conflict resolution practice, she spent over two decades in tech at companies like Google and Intuit. "Repatterned" is her latest book. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, with her blended family.

https://www.masharusanov.com/
Purchase Repatterned:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1957917911

What makes divorce coaching a profession worthy of public trust?

Inspired by America’s 250th anniversary, Tracy Callahan reflects on the founding principles that can guide divorce coaching as it grows around the world. She explores why the profession must be grounded in self determination, ethical practice, informed decision making, interdisciplinary collaboration, and respect for the limits of the divorce coaching role.

This episode of the Divorce Coaches Academy® Podcast invites divorce coaches and other family law professionals to look beyond titles and services and consider the profession we are building together. The future of divorce coaching will not be defined by personalities. It will be defined by the principles each generation chooses to uphold.

Learn more about professional divorce coach training and the ADR Divorce Coach Certification program at Divorce Coaches Academy®.