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Published on:

18th Apr 2023

The Mediation Advantage When you Decide to Divorce

I am joined by Meghan Freed, Managing Co-Partner of Freed Marcroft, a law firm in CT. Meghan shares her experience with the different types of legal support available to couples seeking divorce. She discusses the many benefits of mediation and the opportunities that come along with pursuing a partnership through a divorce. Meghan gives some wonderful mindset shifts during this episode, so tune in or share the episode with someone who could benefit from viewing divorce in a more empowering way. 

In this episode:

[1:50] What brought Meghan to family law? [7:05] Meghan describes her law firm and the services she provides in CT? [10:57] What are the benefits of mediation? [14:04] Different definitions of divorce - it’s not always bad. [19:45] What is it like to be in divorce practice with her spouse?

Key Takeaways: 

Benefits of mediation: privacy, flexibility around unpredictable schedules, beneficial for children if both parents can agree, powerful to look back on the divorce in the future and see positives, can be cost-effective, you can be creative in designing things how you want them. Mediation is about acknowledging the situation around us. We control how we handle the circumstance, which is where you take back the power of the situation. Focus on how you can respond but not react to circumstances.

Quotes: 

“A mediation takes both people agreeing to opt into it. Even though we often have clients who are interested in it themselves, if their spouse doesn't come around to it, we just give them the best litigative support we can.” - Meghan Freed 

“The life change can be incredibly transformative. It is an opportunity for both the leaning-in spouse, the person who wants to stay in the relationship, and the leaning-out space. It's not just transformative for the person who wants to leave the marriage; it can be really transformative for the person who doesn’t want it.” - Meghan Freed

Bio:

Meghan is Managing Co-Partner of Freed Marcroft, a Connecticut law firm that devotes its practice exclusively to divorce and family law.

Meghan is experienced with alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation; she is a graduate of Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation and has supplemented her formal legal education with advanced training in mediation. She is a member of the Connecticut Council for Non-Adversarial Divorce.

Meghan is particularly proud of her practice within the LGBT community. Her name appears in the Connecticut Supreme Court’s groundbreaking decision on marriage equality, Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health, for which she co-authored an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign. She has appeared on WNPR’s Colin McEnroe Show speaking about the state of divorce – same sex or otherwise, WNPR’s Where We Live, discussing the impact of the United States Supreme Court’s decisions in the same sex marriage cases, United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry, and on Lite 100.5 FM WRCH discussing the impact of divorce on clients’ emotional health. She is a founding executive board member of the Connecticut Bar Association’s LGBT Section and previously served as its Chair. In 2015 she was named one of the National LGBT Bar Association‘s Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40.

Resources: 

Freed Marcroft Website

Lesa Koski Website  

Lesa’s Online Courses  To receive real-time alerts that your child is safe and to receive $50 off your Soberlink device, visit ⁠https://www.soberlink.com/partners/different⁠ The Onward app was made for divorced parents to help track, share, and split their children's expenses. Download The Onward App today for iOS or Android!

Mentioned in this episode:

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About the Podcast

Doing Life Different with Lesa Koski
Real conversations for women over 40 about faith, fitness, and fresh starts
Mindset, movement, and faith after 40—because midlife isn’t a crisis, it’s your comeback.

Welcome to Doing Life Different with Lesa Koski, the podcast for women over 40 who are ready to rewrite the rules, reclaim their joy, and rediscover their purpose. Whether you're navigating divorce, rediscovering your health, deepening your faith, or learning how to have fun again—you’re in the right place.

Host Lesa Koski—wife, mom, coach, and seasoned mediator—brings real talk, relatable wisdom, and expert interviews to guide you through midlife reinvention with grace and grit.

In each episode, you’ll get practical tools and empowering conversations on:

Mindset & personal growth

Faith & spiritual connection

Fitness, movement & health

Divorce, marriage & relationships

Fun, purpose & starting fresh in the second half of life

This isn’t just self-help. It’s soul-level transformation. Get ready to do life different—because your next chapter starts now.

Lesa also explores the emotional and physical changes that often accompany midlife and major life shifts. From navigating the impact of menopause on your health, marriage, and mood, to dealing with the loneliness that can come after divorce or empty nesting, you’ll find honest conversations that don’t shy away from real-life challenges. And for those of you in your 40s, 50s, or beyond, you’ll discover what it means to truly build a better life after 40.

Health and wellness are deeply integrated into this journey. Lesa shares insights on the benefits of rest, joy, nutrition, fasting, protein, and bone health, along with the power of movement, community, and exercise to support mental clarity and physical strength. You’ll learn how to take care of yourself with intention—because healing isn’t just emotional, it’s also biological.

Mindset work and self-coaching are recurring tools offered in episodes to help you reframe your story and shift from fear to freedom. And through it all, the show honors the role of faith, spiritual surrender, and letting God lead you through every season. Whether you're leaning into your relationship with God for the first time or deepening a lifelong practice, you’ll hear how surrender can bring peace even in the hardest moments.

You’ll hear real stories from people who have done divorce differently, saved their marriages, or found new love and purpose on the other side. Lesa also brings in conversations about marriages that have stood the test of time, co-parenting through complex seasons, and the realities of parenting after separation while maintaining stability for your kids.

This is a podcast about thriving through Cancer, taking back your life, rewriting your future, and trusting that you’re not starting over, you’re starting better. If you’re craving practical advice, soul-level encouragement, and real conversations about creating a healthy, joyful, purpose-driven life, you’ve found your community.

Subscribe now and join Lesa Koski for weekly episodes that will help you grow stronger in your relationships, your health, and your faith, no matter where you’re starting from.

About the Host:
I’ve spent over 25 years helping families navigate amicable divorce as a lawyer and mediator, always focused on protecting what matters most—your kids and your peace of mind. But my mission has expanded. Today, I support women over 40 not just through endings, but in building stronger relationships—and sometimes even saving their marriages. I’m a breast cancer survivor, a cowgirl at heart, a wellness advocate, and a follower of Jesus. My life and faith fuel my passion for helping women thrive.

About your host

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Lesa Koski