In this episode, I sit down with Sol Kennedy — software developer, founder of the co-parenting app Best Interest, host of the Co-parenting Beyond Conflict podcast, and a man who built the thing he needed most during one of the hardest seasons of his life.

Sol grew up watching a codependent father and a controlling mother, and spent years of his adult life repeating that dynamic — giving up his power in relationships, avoiding conflict at all costs, and calling the absence of fighting a good marriage. It took a divorce, his first therapy session at 38, and laying awake next to his girlfriend at 2am feeling that familiar anxiety spike when his phone pinged from his ex for Sol to finally build something different.

We dig into the psychology behind why co-parenting is so emotionally explosive — the trapped emotions, the triggers, the courtroom-ready anger that destroys custody cases — and Sol walks us through exactly how the Best Interest app works. It acts as an AI-powered filter between you and your ex, stripping inflammatory language before it reaches you, flagging your own reactive messages before you send them, and letting you set communication boundaries without needing your co-parent's cooperation. It's essentially a bodyguard for your inbox — and for your peace of mind.

We also get into the practical stuff: why you should start with a divorce coach, not a bulldog attorney; why anger in the courtroom is the fastest way to lose custody; and why therapy isn't optional if you want to actually show up well for your kids on the other side of a divorce.

Timeline Summary

[0:00] Introduction to the Dad Edge mission and the movement to raise leaders of families and communities

[1:02] The moment that sparked Best Interest — lying in bed next to his girlfriend, anxiety spiking at every notification from his ex

[2:23] What Our Family Wizard is and how co-parenting apps work

[4:28] Why co-parenting is so hard — you're still in a relationship with someone you divorced

[7:52] Sol's origin story — the codependent father, the controlling mother, and the name he chose for himself

[9:22] Stepping into therapy at 38 for the first time — learning what "triggered" and "boundary" meant

[13:05] Who Sol Kennedy is — founder of Best Interest, host of Co-parenting Beyond Conflict

[14:30] How Sol's childhood shaped the relationships he sought out as an adult

[19:47] The golden child, the scapegoat, and a marriage that never had real depth

[23:29] How divorce changed what he was attracted to — and the intimacy he found on the other side

[26:59] The catalyst for the divorce — a year and a half of therapy, a repetitive cycle, and his wife leaving just before the Covid lockdowns

[29:26] How Best Interest differs from Our Family Wizard — shifting from a court-ready mindset to a conflict-prevention mindset

[31:49] How the AI filter works in practice — stripping inflammatory language before it reaches you

[33:29] How it protects you from yourself — reviewing your outgoing messages before you send something you'll regret

[35:44] The only co-parenting app you can use solo — no co-parent buy-in required

[36:46] Setting message frequency limits — Sol's solution to the 30-messages-a-day ex

[38:25] The AI bodyguard — how Best Interest changes lives one filtered message at a time

[41:14] Why men specifically get themselves in trouble — anger in the courtroom is the fastest way to lose custody

[43:47] What newly separated men need to know — start with a divorce coach, not a bulldog attorney

[45:19] Get to therapy now — learning where you feel stress in your body is not soft, it's survival

[46:41] Internal Family Systems and somatic work — why trapped emotions show up as physical sensations

Five Key Takeaways

Co-parenting is still a relationship — and without the right tools, the same patterns that broke the marriage will destroy the co-parenting dynamic too.
Anger in the courtroom costs men custody. If you haven't done the work to regulate your emotions before you walk in, all the advice in the world won't save you in that moment.
The best co-parenting boundaries are the ones you can enforce yourself — without needing your ex to cooperate or agree to anything.
Start with a divorce coach, not a bulldog attorney. A good divorce coach will save you money, reduce conflict, and help you avoid the court system altogether where possible.
Therapy is not optional. Learning where you feel stress in your body, understanding your triggers, and processing trapped emotions isn't soft — it's what lets you show up as the parent your kids need.

Links & Resources

Dad Edge Business Boardroom: https://thedadedge.com/boardroom
The Men's Forge: https://themensforge.com
Best Interest Co-parenting App: Available on the App Store and Google Play — search "Best Interest"
Co-parenting Beyond Conflict Podcast with Sol Kennedy: Available wherever you get your podcasts
Episode Link & Resources (Episode 1466): https://thedadedge.com/1466

Closing

If there's one message from this episode that stands out, it's this: you don't have to let your ex's words reach you unfiltered — and you don't have to send your worst ones either.

Sol Kennedy built the thing he needed most when he needed it most. And what he built is now changing the daily lives of co-parents who are trying to stay grounded, protect their kids from the fallout, and build a new chapter without letting the old one keep pulling them back under.

If you're co-parenting right now, or you know someone who is, share this episode. It might be the most practical thing they hear all year.

Go out and live legendary.