207. How to Trust Yourself in Divorce: Stop Overthinking and Make Clear Decisions with Amy Armstrong

Divorce can make even the most confident person question every decision. When fear, conflicting advice, and financial uncertainty take over, how do you determine what is truly right for you? Divorce can make even the most confident person question every decision. When fear, conflicting advice, and financial uncertainty take over, how do you determine what is truly right for you?In this episode of We Chat Divorce, Karen Chellew and Catherine Shanahan speak with Amy Armstrong, a nationally recognized expert in conflict resolution, parent coaching, mediation, and family systems. Amy is the founder of the Center for Family Resolution and the Center for Coach Development, as well as the author of Real-Time Parenting: Choose Your Action Steps for the Present Moment and the upcoming book Boundary Basics: Simple Steps to Resolve Conflict. Drawing from both her professional expertise and personal divorce experience, Amy explains how to rebuild trust in yourself—one small decision at a time. She shares why repeatedly thinking through the same decision may signal a lack of self-trust and introduces a practical framework for placing decisions into three categories: yes, no, or later. The conversation also explores how to choose support people who hold a positive vision for your future, set boundaries based on what you want to protect, and move away from language that keeps you feeling powerless. Amy, Karen, and Catherine discuss the connection between emotional regulation and financial clarity, especially when one spouse has significantly more financial knowledge than the other. Amy also offers insight from her work training judges, including why family court outcomes can be unpredictable and why being brief, clear, prepared, and emotionally grounded can make a meaningful difference. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to recognize when you are not trusting yourself Why practicing with small decisions builds confidence How the “yes, no, or later” framework reduces rumination What to look for in a genuinely supportive person How to establish boundaries without trying to control someone else Why financial clarity should come before major divorce decisions How to communicate more effectively in mediation and family court Download The MDS Trust Yourself: A Decision-Making Toolkit To help you apply the insights shared in this episode, My Divorce Solution created a practical companion resource featuring communication strategies for challenging interactions, tools for managing emotional overwhelm, guidance for strengthening boundaries, and tips for working more effectively with your attorney. When your decisions align with verified information, your priorities, and what is true for you, you can move through divorce with greater clarity and confidence. Learn more about My Divorce Solution and access additional divorce resources at MyDivorceSolution.com About Amy Armstrong Amy Armstrong, LISW-S, is a nationally recognized leader in conflict resolution, coach education, and program design. With expertise in mediation, parenting coordination, and parent coaching, she has spent 15 years helping families and professionals replace emotional reactivity with greater clarity, confidence, and personal authority. Amy is the founder of the Center for Family Resolution and the Center for Coach Development. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Parents Magazine, and USA Today, as well as on CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox News. She is the author of Real-Time Parenting: Choose Your Action Steps for the Present Moment and the forthcoming Boundary Basics: Simple Steps to Resolve Conflict.Amy's gift to our listeners: https://podcast.thecenterforfamilyresolution.com/wechat Connect with Amy: Website: https://www.thecenterforfamilyresolution.com/ LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/coachamyarmstrong TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amyarmstrongconflictfree Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyarmstrong_conflict_free/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices