When Divorce Doesn’t Have to Mean War: A Conversation with Maribeth Blessing

On this episode of The Erica Glessing Show, Erica talks with family law attorney and peacemaker Maribeth Blessing about a different way to approach divorce, custody, and family conflict.

After decades as a litigating attorney—and with an earlier career as an elementary school teacher—Maribeth has made it her mission to help families stay out of court whenever possible. She shares why mediation, collaborative law, and even “kitchen table” negotiations can give families more voice, more choice, and a better chance of remaining a family after divorce.

Maribeth and Erica also have a candid conversation about abuse, fear, financial dependence, protecting children, and the importance of finding confidential resources before making major decisions. Most importantly, Maribeth offers a message of hope: even when life feels overwhelming, there can be a way forward—and you don't have to navigate it alone.

This is a compassionate conversation about divorce, empowerment, children, and choosing a more peaceful path when one is available.

More about Maribeth Blessing

At Blessing Law & Mediation in Rockledge, Pennsylvania, Maribeth Blessing concentrates her practice primarily in challenging, high-conflict, and settlement-oriented Family Law Matters, but it also extends to simple Will and Estate documents. Maribeth is an accomplished arbitrator, mediator, parent co-ordinator and collaborative family lawyer with over three decades of legal experience. She also provides alternative dispute resolution services, including offering unbundled legal services, with the goal of settling out of court the majority of the family law cases she handles. Along with her firm, Ms. Blessing serves clients in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Philadelphia, and Delaware counties. Find her here: https://www.mbfamilylaw.com/.

A former educator and hearing officer, Ms. Blessing received her Juris Doctor cum laude in 1991 from Widener University School of Law. Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, she is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Supreme Court of the United States. As a measure of her professional reputation, Ms. Blessing has been elected by her peers to become a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and has been honored many times for her achievements, receiving Strathmore's Who's Who Professional of the Year award in dispute resolution in 2007 and the 2011-2012 Woman of the Year award from the National Association of Professional Women. She has been nominated and chosen as a Super Lawyer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for over 11 years.

About Host Erica Glessing

Recently included in Who's Who in America for 2026, Erica Glessing is the host of The Erica Glessing Show, where she explores the stories, ideas, and experiences that help people create more visible, meaningful lives and businesses.

A third-generation publisher, bestselling author, journalist, entrepreneur, and SEO/GEO strategist, Erica has spent decades helping people turn their ideas into something the world can actually find. Through her publishing company, Happy Publishing LLC, she has helped more than 225 authors reach #1 bestseller status.

Today, Erica also leads SEO for Lead Gen, helping entrepreneurs, local businesses, professionals, and thought leaders become more visible in Google and increasingly in AI-powered search and answer engines. Her approach combines storytelling, search strategy, creativity, and a healthy dose of curiosity.

Erica began her career as a professional writer and journalist, publishing thousands of articles before moving into publishing, podcasting, and digital visibility. She believes deeply in the power of a well-told story—and that being seen for the work you do can change both a business and a life.

With hundreds of podcast episodes behind her, Erica brings a warm, conversational style to interviews. She loves asking the question behind the question and giving guests space to share not only what they do, but why it matters.

Her guiding belief is simple: when you tell your story, you change the world.

In this episode host Erica Glessing gives an inside look at her Author Transformation program—a high-end publishing and authority-building experience designed to turn a nonfiction book into a powerful business asset.

Rather than simply publishing a book and hoping people discover it, Author Transformation builds the “bedroom” for the book—the ecosystem that gives it a purpose, builds authority, attracts the right audience, and creates opportunities for clients, speaking, media, and long-term visibility.

Erica walks through the six milestones of the journey:

→ Intention & Positioning — Clarify why you are writing the book, who it is for, your core message, and the job you want the book to do.

→ Book Blueprint — Develop the concept, key messages, table of contents, stories, and structure so the manuscript has a clear and compelling foundation.

→ Manuscript & Design — Develop the book in the author’s authentic voice while creating the cover, interior design, and professional look and feel.

→ Bestseller Launch — Strategically prepare and coordinate a launch campaign designed to give the book its strongest possible start and pursue bestseller status.

→ Amplify Your Authority — Turn the book into an ongoing marketing engine through blog content, social media, email, lead magnets, reader gifts, and other ways to build relationships with potential clients.

→ Business Integration — Connect the book to the larger business through speaking opportunities, a speaker page and reel, lead generation, and a clear pathway for turning readers into clients.

Erica also shares why publishing a book is only the beginning. A great book can become a gift for prospects, a calling card at events, a speaking tool, a lead-generation asset, and an evergreen expression of an author’s knowledge and legacy.

Author Transformation is for entrepreneurs, professionals, and thought leaders who don't just want to write a book—they want their book to do something for their business and their life. To explore, send her a message at HappyPublishing@gmail.com or find her on IG, LI or FB at Erica Glessing.

In this episode of The Erica Glessing Show, Erica Glessing talks with entrepreneur and community builder Sunny Sangster about client attraction, online community building, lead generation, recurring revenue, and creating a business that provides greater freedom without requiring endless hours of work.

Sunny shares one of her most important strategies for business growth: test the market before building the offer. She calls these tests Indicators of Interest (IOIs)—the "hand raises" that show when people genuinely want a product, service, program, or solution.

Rather than spending weeks creating something and hoping it sells, entrepreneurs can use polls, conversations, newsletters, and communities to discover what their audience actually wants. If people raise their hands, there is an opportunity. If they don't, the offer can be adjusted before significant time and money are invested.

Sunny also explains why community is increasingly valuable in the digital business world. With more people working remotely, meaningful connection can be difficult to find. A strong online community creates opportunities for deeper relationships, collaboration, referrals, and business development.

She believes successful communities begin with a clear mission. When the purpose is clear, the right people naturally gravitate toward it while others can simply self-select out.

Authenticity and contribution are equally important. Sunny encourages entrepreneurs to participate genuinely rather than entering communities simply to pitch their products or services. Sharing ideas, helping others, solving problems, and creating connections build the relationships that can ultimately lead to clients and strategic partnerships.

One of Sunny's favorite concepts is what her mentor Travis Sago calls "Marilyn Monroe Money" — income generated from work that has already been created.

The idea is that an entrepreneur can build a body of work—such as books, courses, digital products, software, intellectual property, or other assets—that continues generating revenue over time.

Technology also makes it possible to earn recurring income by promoting or connecting people with someone else's products and services through affiliate marketing, referral partnerships, and strategic collaborations.

The objective is to create value once and continue benefiting from that value rather than constantly starting over.

Sunny shares several practical strategies for entrepreneurs who want to increase cash flow without adding overwhelming amounts of work.

Auctions: Sunny uses auctions inside existing communities to connect an audience with an attractive product or service. She facilitates the promotion and sales process and earns a percentage of the revenue.

Strategic Connections: Entrepreneurs can connect someone who has an audience with someone who solves a problem for that audience. The connector can earn a referral fee or recurring commission without delivering the service themselves.

Recurring Revenue: By connecting customers with valuable subscription-based products or services, entrepreneurs can potentially create ongoing income from an initial introduction.

These approaches can be especially useful for people building a business alongside a full-time job or for established entrepreneurs looking to create additional revenue streams.

For Sunny, the ultimate goal isn't to stop working. She genuinely enjoys connecting people, helping entrepreneurs, and building relationships.

The goal is to create enough recurring revenue and business freedom that work becomes a choice rather than a necessity.

This conversation offers practical ideas for entrepreneurs, coaches, authors, consultants, creators, and service providers who want to attract more clients, build an engaged community, develop strategic partnerships, and create scalable income.

Sunny's message is simple: find out what people want, solve real problems, connect the right people, and build assets that continue working long after they are created. Go over to Skool and search for Collab Club and Sunny Sangster! Join for free, or click here: https://www.skool.com/collabclub