Putting Divorce Coaches on the Map
There are so days that “this” feels daunting. We are all up against a very broken system. When my battle came to its official end in 2019 and we terminated Seth’s parental rights, it would have been so easy to slam the door on this chapter and never look back. I have thought about it so many times – for my own mental health and because my family has already been through so much.
Anytime I thought about walking away, I remind myself that this (protecting children) is the most rewarding work I’ve ever done. I understood the desperation that my clients felt because for many years, I stood in their shoes. I couldn’t walk away because many of these women have become friends and I have become a valued member of their team – strategizing together, looking at things from different angles, feeling their losses and celebrating their victories. I could never walk away from these women and their children.
Then there is the reality of what we are all up against. When it comes to the family court system, I often feel like I am standing at the base of Mount Everest with limited equipment and a fear of heights, staring up 29,029 feet and knowing that I have to make it to the top. But HOW? I am not equipped to do it on my own, that’s for sure. I know that I need a team – I need people who are willing to climb this daunting mountain with me as we lend a hand to those struggling along the way. This analogy led to a real-life vision last year – an idea that immediately excited me but needed to be fleshed out.
I will spare you the details of fleshing this out and I will bring you to the important part: born of my desire to stand with the survivors who hold a special place in my heart and combined with the reality that it’s going to take an army to climb this mountain, I am shifting gears professionally.
Born of all of this is the High Conflict Divorce Coach Certification Program and my first graduating class of certified coaches, consultants and advocates. These women will help me to climb mountains – (or move them to the side so we can plow straight through) and make changes where change is so desperately needed.
What does this mean:
I am closing my coaching/consulting practice to new clients, but I will continue to stand with all of my current clients. I will serve in my role as their strategy partner until their little ones are safe. This is my commitment to them.
I am moving into the role of mentor, teacher and cheerleader to my first graduating class and all who follow in their footsteps. I am passing the torch to some amazing women who will work to educate those in their own communities about post separation abuse and the reality that it only takes ONE person to create a high-conflict situation. I am referring all of my new clients to this amazing group of people – and I have absolute peace knowing that those on the battlefield of family court system will be in good hands.
I am moving towards advocacy work – I have been working in the trenches for almost a decade and I know my calling is to use my story and my experience to make changes in this broken system. In many ways, things are worse now than they were when I began my own family court nightmare in 2009. I will be joining forces with Jaqueline Franchetti so that we can work to bring Kyra’s Law to all fifty states – many of the graduates from my coach training program will also be joining us. Its going to take an army – and I am building one.
Thank you all for being a part of my journey and I encourage you to reach out and find a strategy partner (aka a divorce coach) – you shouldn’t be doing this alone.
