DIANE DIERKS is a licensed marriage and family therapist, as well as the executive director of the Center for Navigating Family Change (www.CNFC.org), a non-profit that provides court-ordered parenting Education and co-parenting services to the state of Georgia. She has been a parenting coordinator and reunification therapist for many years, and provides consultation and expert witness services in high conflict custody matters. She resides in St. Simons Island, Georgia, with her husband and their three-legged Lab mix and one-eyed Yorkie. She has two grown children and two grandchildren.
RICK VOYLES is CEO of the Center for Dispute Solutions, as well as a certified business coach, an anger management specialist and a professional mediator. Rick travels internationally, training and developing federal mediators in their agency ADR programs. He is a published author, business coach and entrepreneur. He has developed an online Mediation Training including over 17 video presentations. He has also produced a TV program, “Conflict, Mediation and You” where he discusses topics in conflict management, as well as mediation techniques. Rick is a subject matter expert in the areas of Divorce, Co-parenting, Negotiation, Cross-cultural Communication and Conflict Resolution. He frequently teaches court-ordered co-parenting seminars and is a trained parenting coordinator. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, Janet.
Recent Content
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick respond to recent social media po…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick respond to recent social media posts about first right of refusal, a clause in some parenting plans that requires co-parents to give the other parent the option of being with the children when they are unable to fulfill their court-ordered parenting time. They explore the reasons behind this concept and question whether or not it is a good practice in high-conflict situations. WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:This week’s GOOD NEWS sto…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREListener Kyle asks what the best holiday split is …
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREListener Kyle asks what the best holiday split is for teens. Diane & Rick ask a deeper question about what drives holiday negotiation in the beginning, when Grief is most prominent. They discuss the importance of seeing the holidays through the children’s eyes instead of the parents’.WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:This week’s GOOD NEWS story Diane’s new DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR FRUSTRATED CO-PARENTS is releasing in January, 2025. To get 15% off…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick address listener Laura’s dilemm…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick address listener Laura’s dilemma with her ex-wife, who decided to introduce their two children to the donor dad’s family without her permission. They discuss the complications that come with divorce and adopted children, as well as the legal messiness when a biological parent decides to re-enter the picture after the kids have been adopted. Also discussed is what constitutes a “major” decision in co-parenting. WHAT’S HA…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREIn this third of a three-part series of why critic…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREIn this third of a three-part series of why critical co-parenting skills work, Diane & Rick explore the importance of utilizing a Plan B when conflict arises. Somewhere between Plan A (a successful negotiation) and Plan C (going to court), there is a child-focused solution that doesn’t require the permission or agreement of the other parent. CLICK HERE to access the Silver Bullet Survivor podcast mentioned in this episode. WHAT’S HAPPENIN…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick address Emily’s email about her…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick address Emily’s email about her know-it-all co-parent. They discuss the goal of utilizing a structured way of communicating and why it succeeds in managing the toxic co-parent, while ant the same time, adhering to a parenting plan that requires co-parents to share relevant information about their children. CLICK HERE To see the link to this week’s good news story. To see a copy of the instructions and court order language for…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREListener Trenton wants advice on how to respond to…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREListener Trenton wants advice on how to respond to his 10-year-old daughter when she expresses frustration about going between two homes. In this first of a three-part series on why critical co-parenting skills work, Diane and Rick discuss the feelings/thoughts/values triangle and what is foundational about its use for all parents. CLICK HERE to get the pyramid graphic mentioned in this episode. WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:This week’s GOOD NEWS s…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREListener Georgina asks about the consequences of m…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREListener Georgina asks about the consequences of moving her 12-year-old daughter away from her dad. They discuss the reasons why she is feeling the need to escape and how helping her daughter develop appropriate coping skills may neutralize the moving dilemma. WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:This week’s GOOD NEWS story Holiday Harmony: Soberlink's Tools for Safe and Conflict-Free Co-Parenting, happening on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 9:30 AM PSTIf you…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREAt the prompting of a loyal listener, who is also …
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREAt the prompting of a loyal listener, who is also a pediatrician, Diane & Rick address issues that come up in high-conflict co-parenting that medical professionals often do not understand. They provide suggestions to professionals to assist those with impossible co-parents in navigating their children’s healthcare with a little less Stress.WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:Attend the weekly Hump Day Wednesdays for only $10/month (exclusively for P…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick discuss what parenting coordinati…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick discuss what parenting coordination is, how it differs from co-parent counseling, who qualifies to be a PC, and what should be expected in the process. Mentioned in this episode are guidelines that most trained professionals follow. To view, go to AFCC or APA for more info. WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:Attend the weekly Hump Day Wednesdays for only $10/month (exclusively for Patreon VIPs). Purchase a one-year Patreon VIP subscription…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREListener Heather wonders how she should respond to…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREListener Heather wonders how she should respond to her 14-year-old son who, out of the blue, has decided not to return from the other parent’s house. Should she fight for him or let him have his way? Diane and Rick talk about the dilemma some teens face between craving love and approval from one parent that may result in hurting their other parent. WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:Attend the weekly Hump Day Wednesdays for only $10/month (exclusively f…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDuane & Rick explore the not often talked abou…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDuane & Rick explore the not often talked about subject of the pain of the alienated step-parent. Listener Tanner writes in to ask how to deal with the guilt of not being able to fight for a step-daughter who has only known him as a father figure in her life. Without legal rights, what can he do to let her know he has not abandoned her?WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:Attend the weekly Hump Day Wednesdays for only $10/month (exclusively for Patreon V…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick address listener Mindy’s dilemm…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick address listener Mindy’s dilemma around the struggle between her and her co-parent around medical decision-making. They discuss conflicts around common childhood issues such as ADHD, sensory disorders, Anxiety, autism, dental appointments, etc. and whether or not pursuing court action as a remedy is better for the child than other alternatives. Should she hold on or let it go?WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:Attend the weekly Hump Day …
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick discuss mediation and some of the…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick discuss mediation and some of the issues that can interfere with the process if co-parents are not well-informed. They explore the pitfalls of using the shuttle only technique, the coerciveness of marathon sessions, and what happens when mediators fail to trust the process. Ethical principals discussed on this episode can be viewed at:https://www.jamsadr.com/mediators-ethicshttps://acrnet.org/page/EthicalPrinciplesWHAT’S HAPPE…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREListener Terry asks for advice on how to approach …
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREListener Terry asks for advice on how to approach filing a contempt action and what to expect in the process. Diane & Rick discuss several points to consider, including variances among county courts, choosing a good family law attorney, setting appropriate goals, understanding what the court’s responsibility is (and is not), and having realistic expectations. Past episodes they reference in this episode are S1:E43., S4:E39., S3.E20., and S3…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREListener Frannie emails Diane & Rick to ask wh…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREListener Frannie emails Diane & Rick to ask why her co-parent doesn’t want to teach their children life lessons. The hosts discuss the importance of helping children become resilient and cautions co-parents about the messages kids learn when parents label the other parent’s attempts at parenting as wrong or abusive. WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:Attend the weekly Hump Day Wednesdays for only $10/month (exclusively for Patreon VIPs), resuming …
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick are taking a short break. To roun…
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Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick are taking a short break. To round out season four, they are featuring interviews where they were guests on other podcasts! This week they join Karen McMahon of the Journey Beyond Divorce podcast and discuss strategies to live peacefully despite having a high-conflict co-parent. Also explored is the six-step process to easier co-parent communication. WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:Attend the weekly Hump Day Wednesdays for only $10/mon…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick are taking a short break. To roun…
Have a quick questio…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick are taking a short break. To round out season four, they are featuring interviews where they were guests on other podcasts! This week they join Michelle Dempsey-Multack of the Moms Moving On podcast and discuss what it means to be a non-impossible co-parent and helpful communication strategies with a difficult ex. WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:Attend the weekly Hump Day Wednesdays for only $10/month (exclusively for Patreon VIPs), res…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick are taking a short break. To roun…
Have a quick questio…
Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HEREDiane & Rick are taking a short break. To round out season four, they are featuring interviews where they were guests on other podcasts! This week they join Seth and Pete of How to Split a Toaster for an engaging conversation about the DRAGON method of approaching co-parent conflict. They explore how parents can conquer their fear of communicating with a difficult ex.WHAT’S HAPPENING LINKS:Attend the weekly Hump Day Wednesdays for only $10/…