PODCAST PAIR: TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM

Morgan Stogsdill is Partner and Head of the Family Law Group at Beermann LLP, a top family law firm in Illinois with a slate of high-profile clients. Stogsdill also happens to be half of the broadcast team behind the podcast, How Not to Suck at Divorce, which is now one of the top podcasts about divorce in the world with hundreds of thousands of listeners.

It all started during the pandemic when people flocked online looking for human connection. Stogsdill noticed divorce seemed to be something of a taboo subject. People didn’t want to talk about it. But there was an exception. Andrea Rappaport, a comedian and marketing/brand manager, was openly talking online about the challenges of her divorce and she and Stogsdill met and hit it off.

“Seeing what Andrea was openly discussing about her divorce, I knew we could help some people if she was willing to continue to share her experience. I had never met her prior but upon meeting, we hatched this idea of this podcast to deliver real information with humor, not knowing where it would go,” Stogsdill says. “And in a few short years, we are top four in the world for divorce. We have companies advertising now on the podcast and it’s just blown up.”

Stogsdill says the podcast is designed to help people determine whether or not they want a divorce and if they are already in the divorce process, to do it better by offering good information and humor. The podcast has a lot of laughter and that’s part of the reason for its audience growth. Levity can be a tonic for people going through stressful times.

The two podcasting partners came about the project and the topic of divorce from two different angles, but they both were determined to make the subject less painfully boring.

“If something is boring, then nobody is going to lean in and pay any attention to it. It’s like you wouldn’t listen to a podcast about how to properly perform a root canal because it just sounds terrible and getting a divorce sounds terrible,” Rappaport says. “It’s a totally sucky process that nobody wants to go through.”

Rappaport says there’s an opportunity to speak to people in a different way and give them what they actually need, which is a chance to take a breath, give them some comedic relief, and by allowing them to laugh, they can exhale. Once you get someone to exhale, they lean in and are more open to learn.

The title of the podcast stems from Rappaport’s own experience. She really did suck at divorce, she says, making all the mistakes. But it also reflects her and Stogsdill’s determination to send the message that this isn’t just another podcast about divorce. They wanted to shake up the market.

“We wanted to communicate in the title alone that this show was not going to be like every other show out there. We picture it like a late-night talk show that just happens to be about divorce,” Rappaport says. “It’s inappropriate at times, which mostly comes from me. Morgan is like the polished, professional version of me and I’m the loose cannon.”

At its heart, Stogsdill says, How Not to Suck at Divorce is about helping listeners find their way through the hazy times of divorce, and that includes tapping her network of family law attorneys around the country.

“One of the things that we’ve always said on the podcast is the worst thing you can do is get in the wrong hands,” she says. “I don’t care if you have $1 or $1 billion, ask us for referrals so we can get you to the right place that fits your needs.”

To subscribe to the podcast, visit hownottosuckatdivorce.com and follow @hownottosuckatdivorce on Instagram.. For more information about Beermann LLP, visit beermannlaw.com.