lovelustlaw

In this episode of lovelustlaw, Michele Locke sits down with Courtney Gilmartin, founder of Monarch Consulting Group and creator of the Monarch Method, a powerful system born from her own experience navigating high-conflict litigation and post-separation abuse. When the system failed to see what was happening, Courtney stopped reacting, and started building her case like a business. Using timelines, spreadsheets, and linked evidence, she created a clear, structured narrative that exposed patterns and cut through “he said/she said” conflict. Together, Michele and Courtney unpack what really happens after separation; how control tactics escalate, why communication becomes a weapon, and how children and finances are often used as leverage.

What really leads someone to cheat, and can a relationship ever fully recover? Michele sits down with psychotherapist Lauren LaRusso, an expert in infidelity who brings both clinical insight and deeply personal experience to the conversation. After discovering her own husband’s affair and navigating divorce, Lauren now helps others make sense of betrayal, healing, and hard decisions. Together, they unpack the emotional and psychological layers of cheating: why it happens, what warning signs often get missed, and what it actually takes to rebuild trust (if that’s even the right path forward).

After years handling divorce and infidelity cases, Michele admits the work has made her wary of red flags—but she still believes in love, even if “your person” can change. Ironically, she often misses flirting unless it’s obvious. Inspired by a lovelustlaw episode with affair coach Lauren LaRusso, she and Jake explore modern relationship gray areas—what counts as cheating, privacy vs. secrecy, and the urge to check a partner’s phone. Michele also shares her personal transformation after losing 120+ pounds, the traits of great litigators, and a clip from her True Crime Tonight appearance, featuring intense cases from domestic abuse to a newborn CPS situation where her warning may have changed a child’s fate.

What does it really take to rebuild your life from nothing - emotionally, financially, spiritually? Michele sits down with Kat Zammuto of the hit podcast Kat on the Loose to unpack a story that will stop you in your tracks. After surviving a 15-year abusive marriage defined by control and loss, Kat made the impossible choice to walk away - even when it cost her everything. They get brutally real about why women stay too long, the hidden patterns that linger after toxic relationships, and what reclaiming your power truly looks like. From the moment she knew she had to leave to the unexpected choice to return and care for her husband before his death, Kat’s journey is as complex as it is profoundly powerful. Michele dives into the quirks of Texas men, while the hosts speak candidly about money, control, boundaries, and dating dynamics. And when a fellow podcaster drops a surprise question about Michele and Jake, the conversation ignites into a fiery, no-holds-barred exchange.

This episode of lovelusraw brings on the pain—Michele’s brutally honest, somehow still worth-it threading experience—and quickly opens up into a bigger conversation about beauty, self-worth, and the price we pay to feel confident. Michele, Jake, and Gabi break down the evolution of beauty standards, from ’80s diet culture and Dexatrim to Hydroxycut, GLP-1s, and today’s obsession with effortless perfection. The trio gets real about societal pressure, body image, and the ongoing work of owning who you are, sharing personal stories of insecurity, growth, and self-acceptance along the way. Then, just when you think it’s all about beauty, the episode takes a sharp turn with Hot Takes High Stakes. The trio dives into a jaw-dropping judicial scandal involving a judge accused of stalking, calling out power, accountability, and why status never excuses inappropriate behavior.