What does it look like when a divorce attorney goes through his own divorce — and comes out the other side with a blended family, a co-parenting partnership, and a whole new perspective on his practice? That's exactly what Karen McNenny explores in this conversation with Raiford Dalton Palmer, Illinois divorce attorney, bestselling author, and CEO of STG Divorce Law.
Raiford's own 2015 divorce after a 24-year marriage shaped not just how he lives — but how he leads his firm and serves his clients. In this episode, he pulls back the curtain on what divorce law gets wrong, what families can do differently, and why his commercial litigation background may be the secret weapon more divorcing couples need.
In this episode, you'll hear:
- Raiford's personal divorce story — what went right, what was hard, and how his blended family became a model of abundance over scarcity
- Why "simple" and "easy" are not the same thing when it comes to divorce
- How the adversarial, win/lose court system fails families — and the alternatives that are quietly changing the landscape (mediation, collaboration, arbitration, and the "1.5 attorney divorce")
- The 90/10 Rule: what attorneys can actually help you with — and what belongs with a therapist or divorce coach
- Cost-benefit analysis applied to divorce — why staying in a high-conflict process can cost you far more than the dollars you're fighting over
- Why social media silence is one of the smartest moves you can make during a divorce
- A preview of Raiford's upcoming book, I Just Want to Know How — the guide he wishes he'd had when struggling with his own marriage, and the book he believes couples should read before they ever say the D word
- Why going to marriage counseling early is not a sign you want a divorce — and why waiting too long is like treating stage 4 cancer
Resources mentioned:
- 📘 I Just Want to Know How — Raiford's upcoming book, expected Fall 2026
- 🎙️ I Just Want This Done Divorce Podcast — live Thursdays, drops every Friday on all major platforms and YouTube
- 💬 Illinois Divorce Support — free, anonymous private Facebook group (open to all, not just Illinois residents)
- 📲 Follow Raiford: @RaifordPalmer on TikTok, Instagram, and X
- ⚖️ STG Divorce Law, P.C. — https://www.stglawfirm.com/attorneys/raiford-d-palmer/ | Serving the greater Chicagoland area
And remember: "Everything will be okay in the end — and if it's not okay, it's not the end."
What is The Good Divorce® Show?
Are you thinking about divorce? If you are, you’re probably thinking about it all wrong. The Good Divorce® Show is here to debunk the myths about divorce, give you guidance on how to navigate it without conflict and debt, and equip you to not just get divorced but to also be divorced, happily ever after. Join host and divorce coach Karen McNenny as she shares her wealth of knowledge, gets advice from other relationship experts, and profiles couples who learned how to have a Good Divorce, so you can too!