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How Not To Suck At Divorce: Divorce Advice You Need To HearAuthor: Morgan Stogsdill and Andrea Rappaport
How Not to Suck at Divorce guides anyone whos divorcing or even just considering divorce. Hosted by Morgan Stogsdill and Andrea Rappaport, the show delivers equal parts strategy, empathy, and humor. Morgan Stogsdill is a powerhouse family law attorney and head of family law at the largest firm in the United States. Shes seen every curveball, knows the difference between drama and strategy, and helps clients avoid costly mistakes. Andrea Rappaport is a comedian, marketing pro, and divorced-then-happily-remarried mom who has made the exact painful mistakes we beg you not to repeat. Together, weve built a podcast that blends courtroom-level insight with compassionate, practical moves you can use the second the episode ends. Our community is loyal, our guests are leaders, and our episodes are packed with value. In short: listening to How Not to Suck at Divorce will help you avoid major divorce mistakes. We launched this show to fill the gap between funny but fluffy podcasts and useful but soul-crushing legal jargon. The goal: actionable empathy. With scripts, checklists, and boundaries ready, youll make fewer panic decisions and save money, time, and sanity. What We Cover Should I stay or should I go? Decision-making frameworks, acronyms, and step-by-step exercises for clarity. Co-parenting and high-conflict personalities. We unpack narcissist dynamics, manipulation tactics, and non-reactive communication. (We even created a framework called WTF to help you remember it when your brain is on fire.) The BIFF method and conflict de-escalation. With Bill Eddy of the High Conflict Institute, we translate his tools into real-world texts and emails you can send without blowing up your case. Tech safety and AI mistakes. Steven Bradley, former FBI agent and digital safety expert (Tech Cowboy), explains how tech evidence, AI hallucinations, and smart device trails can helpor hurtyour case. Prenups, financial transparency, and power dynamics. Guests like Katie Post share what to i Language: en Genres: Education, How To, Relationships, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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187. Divorce Help. When the Other Side Won’t Respond: Motions to Compel, Subpoenas, and Strategy
Episode 188
Friday, 23 January, 2026
When your divorce is dragging because the other side won’t respond, it can feel like psychological warfare—especially when kids and money are on the line. In this episode, Morgan Stogsdill and Andrea Rappaport break down what’s actually happening when a divorce case stalls, how to tell the difference between normal delays and strategic stalling, and what to do next.You’ll learn the practical legal steps attorneys use to create structure—like mediation deadlines, motions to compel, subpoenas, depositions, and discovery strategies—plus the mindset shifts that keep you from spiraling and spending thousands of dollars reacting emotionally. Bottom line: when the time is right, get aggressive—because talk is cheap.Stalling is one of the most common (and most infuriating) divorce experiences, and it happens for a few big reasons:They don’t have their shit together (missing documents, incomplete financials, no affidavit, disorganized life)They think you’ll panic and settle cheap just to end the painIt’s a power play (silence = control, especially with high-conflict people)Their attorney is overwhelmed, under-resourced, or occasionally strategic (timing money events like bonuses, etc.)The good news: stalling isn’t a dead end. It’s a problem that can be solved with structure, strategy, and sometimes court pressure.The First Question to Ask Your LawyerBefore you go scorched earth, ask this exact question:“Is this delay normal… or is this strategic stalling?”Morgan explains that a good attorney can often tell you:whether the other lawyer is just chronically slow/unorganized, orwhether the other side is intentionally dragging things out to wear you down.These two scenarios require totally different responses.What Judges Respond To: Structure + DeadlinesStalled cases usually move when there’s something real on the calendar:court datesmotion hearingstrial datesmediations with firm deadlinesMorgan’s most practical advice:If nothing is moving, push for a trial date. Even if the first date doesn’t “stick,” a real end date creates pressure—and pressure creates movement.Action Steps: What You Can Do When the Other Side Won’t Respond1) Stop guessing. Get clarity.Tell your attorney you’re frustrated and ask:Is this normal?What’s the standard timeline in this jurisdiction?What steps do we take in order if they don’t comply?At what point do we file something?This helps you avoid spending money “going aggressive” too early… only for the judge to give them another two...
