In this episode of Children First Family Law, Krista sits down with Liberty, a 21-year-old who grew up navigating her parents’ divorce in a way many families hope for but rarely see. Liberty shares what it felt like to be told about the divorce as a sixth grader, how her parents’ intentional co-parenting kept her out of the middle, and why clear structure and communication mattered more than she realized at the time.

Liberty reflects on growing up in two homes without conflict, watching her parents show up together for milestones, and later welcoming stepparents and stepsiblings into her life. Her story offers a rare, honest look at how divorce can reshape a family without breaking it.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that when adults truly put children first, kids can grow up feeling secure, supported, and hopeful.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Being told about divorce together and why that moment mattered
• Growing up without being put in the middle of parental conflict
• How structure and predictable parenting schedules created stability
• Parents communicating directly instead of through their child
• Navigating new partners and blended families without pressure
• The difference between a “broken” home and a restructured one
• How healthy co-parenting shaped long-term trust and relationships

Resources from this Episode

www.childrenfirstfamilylaw.com

All states have different laws; be sure you are checking out your state laws specifically surrounding divorce. Krista is a licensed attorney in Colorado and Wyoming but is not providing through this podcast legal advice. Please be sure to seek independent legal counsel in your area for your specific situation.

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

In this solo episode of Children First Family Law®️, Krista shares 10 practical resolutions for divorced and separated parents to make the new year—or any time of year—supportive for their children.

Recognizing that most parents genuinely want the best for their kids but often feel overwhelmed, hurt, or reactive, Krista emphasizes that children feel the effects of parental conflict even when no words are spoken. These resolutions are not about perfection. They are about intentional choices that prioritize children’s emotional well-being.

Krista walks through each resolution, offering concrete examples and strategies that parents can realistically implement. From stopping negative talk about the co-parent to creating calmer transitions, supporting consistency across households, and practicing flexibility, each resolution is designed to empower parents to show up differently for their kids. She also stresses the importance of processing personal emotional pain, seeking support through therapy or co-parenting classes, and modeling accountability through apologies and repair when mistakes happen.

By committing to even one resolution, parents can create meaningful ripple effects that positively shape their children’s experiences, emotional security, and development, proving that small, intentional actions often matter more than sweeping changes.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Stop speaking negatively about your co-parent and model emotional regulation
• Keep children out of adult conflicts and communication loops
• Pause before responding to reduce reactive conflict
• Support your child’s relationship with the other parent
• Make transitions calmer and more predictable
• Prioritize your own emotional health and seek support if needed
• Aim for consistency in routines, school expectations, and household rules
• Apologize and repair when mistakes happen
• Practice flexibility and prioritize what serves your child best

Resources from this Episode

www.childrenfirstfamilylaw.com

All states have different laws; be sure you are checking out your state laws specifically surrounding divorce. Krista is a licensed attorney in Colorado and Wyoming but is not providing through this podcast legal advice. Please be sure to seek independent legal counsel in your area for your specific situation.

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Divorce often pushes parents into survival mode. Legal strategy and emotional overwhelm take center stage, while children absorb the fallout quietly and deeply.

In this episode of the Children First Family Law®️ podcast, Krista explores a powerful but often misunderstood resource that helps parents navigate divorce more intentionally: divorce coaching.

Krista sits down with Tracy Callahan, co-founder of the Divorce Coaches Academy, certified divorce coach, and family mediator licensed in Florida and New York. Tracy brings decades of experience in alternative dispute resolution and a deeply child-centered lens shaped by both professional practice and personal parenting experience. Krista and Tracy unpack what divorce coaching actually is and, just as importantly, what it is not.

The conversation reframes divorce coaching as a future-focused, action-oriented form of dispute resolution rather than therapy or advocacy warfare. Tracy explains how divorce coaching helps parents regulate emotions, understand conflict dynamics, and develop communication skills that reduce escalation and protect children from being caught in the middle. Rather than reliving the past, divorce coaching emphasizes intentional decision-making, personal accountability, and preparing parents to participate more effectively in mediation, settlement discussions, and co-parenting.

Krista and Tracy also address common misconceptions, including the belief that divorce coaches exist to help parents “fight harder.” In reality, the work centers on minimizing emotional and financial damage, supporting conversations that matter, and helping parents shift from positional thinking to child-focused problem solving. They highlight how unmanaged conflict—not divorce itself—creates lasting harm for children, often with generational consequences.

Tracy shares insight into how divorce coaching complements legal representation, saves time and money, and helps parents stop using attorneys and courts as emotional outlets. The episode offers clarity for parents, professionals, and anyone working in family law who wants better outcomes for children navigating two homes.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Divorce coaching as a child-centered dispute resolution tool
• Clear distinctions between divorce coaching, therapy, and legal advocacy
• The impact of unresolved parental conflict on children
• Emotional regulation as a foundation for effective co-parenting
• Future-focused decision-making during divorce
• Support divorce coaching provides in mediation and legal processes
• Shifting away from win–lose thinking toward family stability

Resources from this Episode

www.divorcecoachesacademy.com

www.mediating-matters.com

www.childrenfirstfamilylaw.com

All states have different laws; be sure you are checking out your state laws specifically surrounding divorce. Krista is a licensed attorney in Colorado and Wyoming but is not providing through this podcast legal advice. Please be sure to seek independent legal counsel in your area for your specific situation.

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

The holidays can bring joy, excitement, and meaningful traditions, but for separated and divorced families, they can also amplify stress, conflict, and emotional overload.

In this episode of the Children First Family Law®️ podcast, Krista explores how parents can navigate holiday schedules, shifting expectations, new traditions, and blended-family dynamics in a way that truly protects children’s emotional well-being. Dr. Marlene Bizub draws on nearly three decades of working with court-involved families to unpack why the season feels so intense and what parents can do differently to create calmer, healthier holidays.

Dr. Bizub and Krista talk through the issues that emerge every December, from split-day disasters to extended-family tensions, gift-giving challenges, travel disruptions, and the grief children often feel beneath the surface. Dr. Bizub offers practical strategies parents can act on right now, along with long-term guidance on flexibility, communication, and taking the high road. Whether you’re newly separated or years into co-parenting, this episode provides grounded, child-centered guidance for navigating the holidays more peacefully.

Dr. Marlene Bizub, a longtime psychologist working with court-involved families, shares her expertise on creating healthy traditions, supporting children through grief, and setting realistic expectations during the holidays. She highlights what children genuinely need, how parents can avoid emotional pitfalls, and why kindness creates lasting goodwill.

This episode reminds parents that even small changes in approach can transform the holidays for their children and for themselves.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Emotional pressures that intensify holidays for co-parents
• The shift from rigid expectations to child-centered planning
• Why avoiding split-day celebrations smooths the season for kids
• Fresh ideas for building new, meaningful traditions
• Approaches that help blended families adjust at their own pace
• Thoughts on birthdays, gift-giving, and extended-family involvement
• Flexibility strategies for travel delays, illness, and disrupted plans
• How generosity and cooperation create long-term goodwill
• Nonverbal communication patterns that shape a child’s experience
• Ways parents can find support and care for themselves during the holidays

Resources from this Episode

www.amazon.com/Contentious-Custody-Really-Interest-Children/dp/1941870724

open.spotify.com/show/4LJ9Ey2LemBeXfkh4wNauv

www.childrenfirstfamilylaw.com

All states have different laws; be sure you are checking out your state laws specifically surrounding divorce. Krista is a licensed attorney in Colorado and Wyoming but is not providing through this podcast legal advice. Please be sure to seek independent legal counsel in your area for your specific situation.

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

In this episode of the Children First Family Law®️ podcast, Krista breaks down the leading reasons parents lose custody or experience restrictions on parenting time in Colorado.

Drawing on her work as a child advocate and family law attorney, Krista explains how judges evaluate safety, stability, mental health, and co-parenting behaviors when deciding on parental responsibilities. She also reminds listeners that “losing custody” in Colorado rarely means a permanent loss of parental rights. Instead, it typically reflects temporary limits tied to a child’s best interests.

Krista walks through the three most common categories that lead courts to restrict parenting time—safety concerns, parental unfitness or instability, and damaging co-parenting behavior. She illustrates each category with case patterns she has seen repeatedly in child advocacy work, including emotional abuse, unmanaged mental health issues, and behavior that undermines the child’s relationship with the other parent. She emphasizes that Colorado courts prioritize the child’s emotional and physical safety above all else, and that parents who take proactive steps, such as treatment, stable routines, and appropriate communication, can protect or rebuild their parenting time.

For parents, professionals, and supporters, this episode serves as a clear and practical guide to navigating Colorado custody cases while centering children’s well-being.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Safety issues that lead judges to restrict parenting time
• Behaviors that courts view as instability or parental unfitness
• Patterns of harmful co-parenting that damage custody outcomes
• Practical steps parents can take to protect and rebuild time with their children

Resources from this Episode

www.childrenfirstfamilylaw.com

All states have different laws; be sure you are checking out your state laws specifically surrounding divorce. Krista is a licensed attorney in Colorado and Wyoming but is not providing through this podcast legal advice. Please be sure to seek independent legal counsel in your area for your specific situation.

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

In this episode of the Children First Family Law®️ podcast, Krista continues the tech tools for coparents series with a deep dive into Our Family Wizard, one of the most established and widely adopted communication platforms in family law. She interviews Elle Barr, a former family law attorney, longtime guardian ad litem, and current Education Coordinator at Our Family Wizard, who brings more than two decades of child-focused legal experience to her work.

Elle explains how the platform’s design grew out of real-world family law challenges and why its features matter for reducing conflict, creating clarity, and strengthening the co-parenting relationship. She walks through how tools like messaging, the shared calendar, expense tracking, the Information Bank, ToneMeter AI, journal entries, third-party accounts, and documented audio/video calls are intentionally built to improve communication and protect children from the stress of unmanaged conflict.

Krista and Elle also discuss the importance of predictable documentation, the role professionals can play through their own linked accounts, and how transparent tools often prevent unnecessary litigation. Elle breaks down subscription tiers, fee waivers for families who qualify, and how Our Family Wizard supports parents navigating high-conflict situations, domestic violence restrictions, supervised contact, dependency matters, and everyday scheduling needs.

Whether listeners are parents, practitioners, or professionals supporting families in transition, this episode highlights how thoughtful technology can give structure, support, and accountability during and after separation. Elle’s child-centered experience and practical guidance offer a clear look at what effective co-parenting tools can accomplish when used consistently.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Tools inside Our Family Wizard that support clearer communication and documentation
• How ToneMeter AI guides parents toward calmer, more respectful messaging
• Ways the shared calendar, expense tracking, and Information Bank create reliability
• Why documented calls and transcripts help in cases involving safety concerns

Resources from this Episode

www.ourfamilywizard.com

www.childrenfirstfamilylaw.com

All states have different laws; be sure you are checking out your state laws specifically surrounding divorce. Krista is a licensed attorney in Colorado and Wyoming but is not providing through this podcast legal advice. Please be sure to seek independent legal counsel in your area for your specific situation.

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

In this episode of the Children First Family Law®️ podcast, Krista welcomes Meggin Rutherford, a Colorado attorney, mediator, and parenting coordinator whose professional work and personal experience give her a unique perspective on neurodiversity in family law. As an attorney with autism and ADHD, Meggin shares how understanding neurodivergent families can transform the way attorneys, judges, and parents approach custody, parenting plans, and co-parenting relationships.

Drawing from her own journey as well as her work with families navigating autism, ADHD, and other neurodivergent experiences, Meggin explains how the legal system’s “one-size-fits-all” model often fails these families. She emphasizes the need for individualized parenting plans, reduced transitions for children, and clear decision-making structures that account for each child’s unique neurobiological wiring.

Krista and Meggin discuss the difference between neurodiversity (the natural variation in how brains function) and mental health disorders, and why those distinctions matter when building parenting plans and advocating for children’s needs. They also explore how professionals can better support neurodivergent families through education, collaboration, and flexible approaches that prioritize each child’s comfort and security.

Meggin offers powerful analogies, such as comparing neurodiverse brains to Linux operating systems, to help listeners grasp how neurodivergent children experience the world. She also highlights how unrecognized neurodiversity in parents can influence family dynamics and decision-making during divorce. Her message is both practical and hopeful: when parents and professionals understand these differences, they can create plans that allow every child to thrive.

This conversation invites attorneys, mental health professionals, and parents alike to see families more clearly and to understand that labels, when embraced, can be empowering tools for support and belonging.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The difference between neurodiversity and mental health disorders
• Why neurodivergent families need customized parenting plans and reduced transitions
• How shared decision-making can create challenges for families with neurodivergent children
• The importance of professionals recognizing and accommodating neurodiverse parents and kids

Resources from this Episode

mrutherfordlaw.com/meggin

• Resources for Families and Professionals Autism:

• • • Autism: A New Understanding – Verywell Magazine Special Edition
    • Uniquely Human by Barry Prizant, PhD
    • A Different Kind of Normal by Abigail Balfe
    • Strengths-Based Guide to Supporting Autistic Children by Claire O’Neill

• ADHD:

• • How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe (book and YouTube)
  • The Explosive Child by Dr. Ross Greene
  • ADHD 2.0 by Dr. Edward Hallowell and Dr. John Ratey

www.childrenfirstfamilylaw.com

All states have different laws; be sure you are checking out your state laws specifically surrounding divorce. Krista is a licensed attorney in Colorado and Wyoming but is not providing through this podcast legal advice. Please be sure to seek independent legal counsel in your area for your specific situation.

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.