Episode 348: Divorce Mediation Explained: What It Is and How It Works with Susan Guthrie, Esq.

The Divorce Survival Guide Podcast

Kate Anthony

Relationships, Education, Self-improvement, Society & Culture

4.4 • 573 Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2025

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Mediation can feel confusing, intimidating, and wildly misunderstood, especially when you're being told you "don't need a lawyer" because you're mediating." That's exactly why I invited my good friend and colleague Susan Guthrie back to the show. Susan is going to help break down what mediation actually is, how it works, and how to protect yourself in the process.

Susan is a former family law attorney, longtime mediator, and the host of the podcast Divorce & Beyond. She's also my go-to expert when my clients have questions about mediation. In this conversation, Susan and I walk through what mediation really looks like from the very beginning, why mediators are not judges, and why having a consulting attorney is still essential even if you are fully committed to mediating.

When you are mediating, the only people who make decisions are the people getting divorced. Nothing is decided unless both of you agree, and that's what gives the process its power. When mediation is done well, it creates space for clarity, informed choices, and agreements you can actually live with, not decisions handed down by someone who doesn't know your life.

What you'll hear about in this episode:

Misconceptions about mediation and why many misunderstand the process (3:36)
Why you must have a consulting attorney, even if you are mediating (15:40)
Different forms of mediation, including the benefits of shuttle mediation (27:08)
What the mediation process actually looks like from the start (46:40)
Bringing other professionals into mediation can save time, money, and conflict (51:54)
How to know when mediation is not working and who gets to make that decision (55:24)

✨ If you'd like to watch the video version of this episode, you can find it here.

Learn more about Susan Guthrie: Susan Guthrie, Esq. is one of the nation's leading voices in family law and mediation. With more than 30 years of experience as a top divorce attorney, mediator, and trainer, Susan has helped thousands of individuals and families navigate separation with dignity, clarity, and compassion.

As the creator and host of the award-winning Divorce & Beyond Podcast, Susan has built one of the most trusted platforms for real conversations about divorce, healing, and new beginnings. Her expertise and approachable style have made her a sought-after media expert, featured on The Oprah Podcast, NewsNation, NBC's Chicago Today, and numerous other national and regional outlets.

Beyond her media appearances, Susan is a respected educator and speaker, regularly training professionals in mediation, communication, and practice development across the country. She is also a best-selling author, sharing practical insights that help individuals and professionals alike navigate change with confidence.

Susan's work bridges legal knowledge, emotional intelligence, and innovative thinking — helping people not only end their marriages more peacefully but also begin their next chapters with purpose.

Resources & Links:

Get Your Curated Podcast Playlist
Focused Strategy Sessions with Kate
The Divorce Survival Guide Resource Bundle
Phoenix Rising: A Divorce Empowerment Collective
Kate on Instagram
Kate on Facebook
Kate's Substack Newsletter: Divorce Coaching Dispatch
The Divorce Survival Guide Podcast Episodes are also available YouTube!

Susan's website
The Divorce and Beyond Podcast

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DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY, COACH, OR THERAPIST IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN ADVICE WITH RESPECT TO ANY PARTICULAR ISSUE OR PROBLEM.

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Episode link: https://kateanthony.com/podcast/episode-348-divorce-mediation-explained-what-it-is-and-how-it-works-with-susan-guthrie-esq/

Transcript

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0:00.0	When you are participatory, that participatory, in your divorce process, in the decisions being made,
0:08.2	in discussing what works, what doesn't work, in coming up with the solutions to the problems
0:14.8	facing your family as you try to negotiate this and move forward, there is also a huge amount of power, satisfaction,
0:25.3	and durability to what comes out of those agreements, what happens. When someone else goes into a
0:33.1	room, a courtroom, a mediation room, a negotiation room, conference room, and negotiates on your
0:39.4	behalf. And you get an agreement that was negotiated without your direct input. There's a huge
0:47.4	difference between that agreement and the one that you were intimately involved with creating.
0:56.4	Welcome to the Divorce Survival Guide podcast, where we have open and honest conversations
1:02.5	about co-parenting, separation, divorce, and the hardest question of all, should you stay
1:08.7	or should you go. I'm Kate Anthony, your divorce survival guide,
1:13.5	and I'm here to help you navigate some of the roughest waters you've ever swum in and answer
1:18.7	some of your toughest questions. I've been to hell and back, and now it's my mission in life
1:25.0	to help you get to the other side of this process with your sanity and your heart intact.
1:38.5	Hey everyone, welcome back. I have with me today, one of our favorites, fresh from Oprah Winfrey. Okay, she went from Oprah to me. I'm very honored that Susan Guthrie is back on the show today. You know Susan. She was a family
2:04.5	law attorney for a few decades. And mediator, she trains mediators, or she did. Now she's
2:15.7	moved on to all sorts of other wonderful, amazing things. But our go-to
2:21.1	expert on all things, the law and divorce, Susan Guthrie, is back with us today. Yay, Susan.
2:28.9	Thank you. It's always good to be with the divorce survival guide family and Kate.
2:35.2	I'm so happy to be here.
2:37.0	I am so happy to have you back.
2:39.0	Less people think that like Susan and I aren't friends anymore.
2:41.4	Like the problem is we're friends.
	...

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