Kurt Chacon

If you are looking at the books I've co-authored and wonder how in the world can someone write chapters in two books seemingly unrelated to each other, I'd invite you to consider they are not unrelated.

I am a child of divorce, a parent and spouse of divorce, a collaborative divorce lawyer, and a divorce coach. I experienced divorce and its consequences up close and personal. I observe the experience of others. I can say that divorce affects the lives of people, particularly children, in ways that cannot be measured at the time. It is only years later after these children of divorce have grown into adults, married and with children, that the true effects can be seen.

The behavior of parents during and after the divorce is the most significant factor in how divorce affects children. My experience as an only child of divorce in the 70's was unpleasant. The biggest lie ever told me was from my parents "it will be better this way.' It might have been, but it wasn't. It was quite the opposite. My parents were poor examples of spouses and co-parents.

This affected me in any number of ways. These effects took a toll on my life and health, particularly as a trial lawyer. That eventually led me to a second career as a strength coach. I enjoy the simplicity of weight lifting - it is just me and the iron. I must respect it, but there is no consideration, negotiation, convincing, cooperation, or approval of a third party necessary. Just me and the weight. I either do or do not. Helping people experience the satisfaction of physical exercise and its positive affects on the body will always be a part of my life.

The after-effects of my parents divorce were directly relatable to my divorce. In an effort to protect my children in a way I was not, my wife and I chose the collaborative divorce. The attorneys we chose represented us in the process were not extensively trained and committed to that process. Our experience was a struggle, but also a success...if one can call a divorce with minimal damage to the children as a success. I have since undertaken extensive training in collaborative divorce and divorce coaching to empower spouses to make better choices when considering divorce and choosing the process of it.

My contribution to "Divorce: Taking the High Road" was to outline the collaborative divorce process and raise awareness of it. Divorce does not have to be a bitter and devastating process. In particular, collaborative divorce provides the best alternative available to protect the children and make co-parenting after the divorce peaceful and cooperative. Read more about what I do at divorcedifferently.org

My contribution to "What You Need to Know About Muscle Building"was to give some brief yet powerful insight to building muscle, a strong body, and better health. I believe a healthy and strong body is the foundation on which great lives are built and the cornerstone on making a difference in the lives of others. Learn more about my thoughts at allaboutiron.org

Actually, my hope is that everyone experience the knowledge in one of those books and never have a reason to read the other. Thank you for your interest!