Dec 31, 2019
Maureen McCarthy is a living testament that just because a marriage ended, it doesn’t mean it has failed. When doctors told Maureen that she would die from a rare genetic illness, she ended her 10-year marriage with her husband, Bill. Yet, Maureen and Bill collaborate to maintain a relationship that’s healthy for both of them and their children. She knew that the fear-driven stories that revolve around marriage and divorce aren’t the only stories that exist. Carrying this insight with her, Maureen co-founded the Center for Collaborative Awareness, home of the Blueprint of We Collaboration Process, which helps people build and keep sincere and strong relationships.
In today’s episode, Maureen and I discuss how to design a break-up or divorce process, why you should maintain a healthy relationship with an ex-partner, and how to get along with your ex after a break-up or divorce. We discuss why Maureen and Bill opted for a divorce and how they collaborated to maintain their friendship after their marriage ended. We also highlight how a healthy divorce affects children positively and underscore the power of purposefully designing a relationship.
“Relationships are like containers. You’re going to be in a relationship as long as you can call it a memory. There’s no real ending to a relationship. You have to morph the container to fit the new situation.” - Maureen McCarthy
This week on Relationships! Let’s Talk About It:
- Why Maureen and her ex-husband opted for divorce
- Why Maureen decided to maintain a relationship with her ex-husband
- How Maureen and her ex-husband collaborated for a graceful divorce
- The effect of a graceful and healthy divorce on children
- What is “lookback learning” and how to use it days after an argument
- Maureen’s childhood experience with her parents’ divorce and how it affected her
- The difference between the “safety” brain and the “connecting” brain
- The power of designing a relationship with an ex-partner
- How maintaining a good friendship with her ex positively affected Maureen’s health
- The importance of self-care, ownership, and accountability when transitioning into a divorce
Resources Mentioned:
- Designing Collaborative Relationships with Maureen McCarthy
- Coming Apart: How to Heal Your Broken Heart by Daphne Rose Kingma
Connect with Maureen McCarthy:
- The Center for Collaborative Awareness (use the code “Pripo” to receive 50% off the Blueprint of We document)
- Maureen McCarthy on LinkedIn
Let’s Talk About It!
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Theme music “These Streets” provided by Adi the Monk
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