Been There Got Out Podcast
Episodes
362 episodes
"Am I Going to Lose My Child to Alienation?" A Psychologist Answers
If you've ever found yourself paralyzed by the fear that your ex is slowly turning your children against you and there's nothing you can do about it, this conversation is for you.In this episode of Been There Got Out, Lisa Johnson sits ...
How to Survive a Parenting Coordinator When Your Ex Won't Cooperate
If you've been ordered into parenting coordination, or you're wondering whether a parenting coordinator could help your high-conflict custody case, this conversation is for you.Lisa sits down with Nicole Sodoma, a family law attorney wi...
What a Guardian Ad Litem Actually Cares About
What does a Guardian Ad Litem really think when a 10-year-old says they want 50/50 custody?Crystal Wright has heard it hundreds of times — and she can tell instantly when a child has been coached. As a family law attorney AND a working ...
He Was Alienated From All 4 Kids... Then His Daughter Made This Call
He hadn't heard from one of his four daughters in four years. Then she reached out. And the first thing she said changed everything.Jon McKenzie, founder of @malevictimsoffemalenarcissists (IG) and a returning BTGO guest, joins Lisa to ...
How to Negotiate with a Toxic Ex When You Feel Powerless
Facing a negotiation with your high-conflict ex can feel like showing up to a battle already defeated — especially when they have more money, more confidence, or a better attorney. But corporate negotiation expert Lynn Price says the power imba...
Why Did the Judge Do That? A Former Family Court Judge Explains
What does a family court judge actually think when you walk through those courtroom doors?If you have ever walked out of a hearing asking "why did the judge do THAT?" — this conversation is for you.Peggy Walsh spent 18 years as ...
What Reunification Therapy REALLY Is (And Why Courts Get It Wrong)
🔁 Dr. Premela Deck is back — and this time, she's going deeper.If you're navigating reunification therapy, supervised visitation, or simply trying to understand why court-ordered therapy isn't fixing anything, this is the conversation y...
4 Expert Techniques That Keep You Calm in Family Court
If you have a court date coming up, a difficult phone call with your ex on the calendar, or you're just sick and tired of going blank exactly when you need to be sharp, this conversation is for you.Lisa sits down with Annie Brook, a bod...
Your Child Refuses Therapy: What an Art Therapist Says Do Instead
Finding the right therapist for your child during a high-conflict divorce is one of the most important and misunderstood decisions you'll make.Most parents want immediate results. They want their child to sit down in session one and sta...
What to Do the Moment Your Child Discloses Abuse
If your child just told you something terrible — or if you're afraid they're trying to — this conversation is for you.Lisa sits down with Julia Hochstadt, a licensed clinical social worker specializing in trauma, childhood sexual abuse,...
My Ex Is Using the Court System as a Weapon. What Can I Do?
If you've ever sat in a courtroom waiting for a judge to address what your ex is doing... and walked out with nothing... AGAIN, you already know this truth in your bones: justice delayed is justice denied.Criminal defense attorney, lega...
My Kid Returns from My Ex's Furious - Here's Why & What To Do
You pick your child up from their other parent's, and within minutes, the screaming starts. Maybe they're throwing things. Maybe they're kicking you. Maybe they're saying things you never imagined hearing from your own kid's mouth - things that...
How to Stop Being Terrified of Family Court with Dr. Ben Garber
🎯 "I don't know what to expect — and that terrifies me."If that's where you are right now, this conversation was made for you.Dr. Benjamin Garber is a New Hampshire-licensed psychologist, former therapist of 30 years, custody ev...
How to Stay Calm During Custody Exchanges with Dr. Andrea DePetris
If seeing your ex, even from across a parking lot, sends your body into overdrive, you're not overreacting. You're experiencing a trauma response. And it has a name.In this episode, Lisa sits down with Dr. Andrea DePetris, a clinical ps...
SB 1192: How California Is Fighting Post-Separation Legal Abuse
If your ex keeps dragging you back to court - filing motion after motion just to control, harass, and drain you, you already know how the legal system can become the abuser's most powerful weapon. What you might not know is that California is o...
Why 14 is the Most Dangerous Age for Parental Alienation: a Psychologist Explains
What if the moment your child starts pulling away isn't a sign of failure, but the beginning of a chapter you can still write?Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst has spent 50 years as a psychologist inside divorce cases, family courts, and the offic...
What Really Happens When CPS Investigates You During a Custody Battle
What CPS Is Actually Looking For When They Knock on Your DoorWhen Child Protective Services shows up during a high-conflict divorce or custody battle, the fear can be overwhelming. You might be terrified of losing your children, furious...
Why You Married a Narcissist & How to Make Sure Your Kids Don’t
Have you ever looked back at your relationship with your ex and wondered: how did I get here? Why did I choose someone who would eventually turn the courts, the kids, maybe even your own family against you? Why did this feel so normal... at fir...
Your Child Isn't Lying. They're Code-Switching. Here's What That Means.
Your child cried at your house about how much they hate going to their other parent's home. Then you found out they had a great time. Or they came home from your ex's house perfectly happy, when you expected them to be upset. Or they told you o...
Can a Horse Heal Your Trauma? Equine Therapy for Divorce & Narcissistic Abuse
When Kasia Bukowska's horses refused to cooperate, she thought she was failing. What she discovered instead changed everything she understood about trauma, healing, and why we stay stuck. Kasia is a Polish equine-assisted therapist...
Polygraph Tests & Custody Battles: What Every Falsely Accused Parent Must Know
No one believes you. You've said it in every room. To every professional. To the judge, the GAL, the CPS worker. You didn't do this. The allegations are false. And yet — somehow — your children are not with you. &nbs...
Co-Parenting with a Toxic Ex Won't Break You (Here's the Science of Why)
You know you shouldn't react. You know exactly what your ex is doing when they push, bait, violate the court order, or put the kids in the middle. You've read the articles. You've heard about grey rock. You're smart — you've built a career, rai...
Why You Can't Be Calm Around Your Narcissist Ex (and How to Finally Change That)
There's a moment most people in our community know well. Your phone lights up with a message from your ex. Or you're sitting in the parking lot outside the courthouse. Or you're on the phone with your attorney and your voice starts shaking....
How to Use a Business Valuation to Force Your Ex to Settle Faster
If your spouse owns a business — or if you co-own one together — your divorce just got significantly more complicated. The business isn't just a job. It's potentially a marital asset, a hidden income source, and a leverage point all at once. An...
Protecting Your Children: What Every Parent Should Know About Sexual Abuse & Trauma
Sara Vandenburg brings a perspective you won't find anywhere else: she's both a highly credentialed therapist specializing in childhood sexual abuse AND a survivor who has done the deep healing work to talk about her own experience "like the we...