Divorce and Your Career

HER EMPOWERED DIVORCE

HOST: Beverly Price, Divorce & Empowerment Coach

GUEST: Vicky Townsend, President of Divorce Right Inc

SUMMARY:

Our guest on this episode of Her Empowered Divorce is highlighting the terrible (and usually unnecessary) damage that contentious, drawn-out divorces inflict – on our bodies, our psyches and our financial futures. Vicky Townsend, president of Divorce Right Inc., shares with Host Beverly Price her passion for providing resources to avoid the kind of disturbing fallout reflected in the statistics. Divorced women are at higher risk of illness, poverty, bankruptcy and mental health issues. Their children, too, suffer from the stress. But it doesn’t have to be that way, says Vicky, whose company specializes in advising employee assistance programs. She explains the many ways in which divorce negatively impacts workplaces – in terms of profitability, productivity and performance – and how putting in place solid HR strategies helps employees and employers alike navigate to a better place. Without adequate guidance and support, women often experience shame and isolation – especially on the job. Many simply quit. You’ll learn about the tools available to HR departments – and to all of us – and how an investment in coaching can pay significant bottom-line dividends. Vicky shares Top Tips for getting through what is one of life’s most overwhelming transitions while protecting your health and the promise of a brighter future. “Just know that there’s help out there – people you can bring into your case that will make it feel better,” she Vicky, who is also the founder of the National Association of Divorce Professionals. You’ll come away from this conversation ready to enlist the help of a certified divorce professional who can steer you away from the landmines of acrimonious divorce and towards a settlement in which everyone wins. Take heart. There is a kinder, gentler way!

Click here to schedule a consultation with Vicky and find out about the HR and other support services her firm provides. You might also be interested in trying this cost calculator at the Divorce Right website.

If you’d like to schedule a complimentary private consultation, reach out to Beverly at this link. You can also join her Empowered Divorce Women’s Meetup Group here.

Visit this link to access the entire archive of Her Empowered Divorce episodes and while you’re there, please subscribe, rate and review our show!

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

· Vicky’s Story: About her mission to reduce the confusion, frustration and wasted resources that are so common in the world of family law and divorce.

· Reverberations at Work: How the stress of divorce negatively impacts women in the workplace – and the HR solutions that Vicky and her team offer to mitigate the billions of dollars of lost productivity.

· Disturbing Stats: About the shocking rates at which divorce drives single mothers into poverty and bankruptcy.

· 3 Reasons Women Leave Their Jobs (and What HR Can Do About It):

o They feel completely unsupported and isolated during their process. (Answer: Get people coaching and resources.)

o They can’t find affordable housing close to work. (Answer: Facilitate guidance from Certified Divorce Lending Association professionals).

o Lack of affordable child care. (Answer: Consider providing either a stipend or on-site facility that provides coverage).

· There All Kinds of Divorce – Which Do You Really Want to Choose?

o Lawyered up with a bulldog! (Even if only 3% of divorces go to a full trial.)

o Mediation.

o Arbitration.

o DIY.

· Before embarking on a high-conflict divorce, consider:

o Physical impacts from the stress (for men and women): heightened risk for a variety of cancers, myocardial events and even suicide.

o Traumatic impacts on children, including increased risk for suicide.

o Increased rates of bankruptcy.

o Long-term mental health deterioration, including chronic depression and anxiety.

· Major Impacts of Divorce in the Workplace:

o Absenteeism for court appointments, negotiations, home sales.

o Errors caused by distraction.

o The loss of divorcing employees, some 10% of whom quit in the first year.

· Goodbye, Shame & Guilt: Why fewer than 10% of employees go to HR about their divorce and how to overcome the isolation and hiding that often results in as much as a 40% loss of productivity over three to five years!

· Vicky’s Three Key Takeaways:

o #1: Take care of your health! The more you escalate conflict, the more you suffer real consequences mentally and physically.

o #2: Consider the children and make it a priority to find a gentle way to navigate the divorce process for the sake of them and the whole family.

o #3: Reach out to a divorce coach to:

§ Keep yourself out of the “muck and mire.”

§ Help you with strategy and communication.

§ Role play and anticipate areas of friction.

§ Facilitate plans for child custody.

§ Keep an eye on details that might otherwise fall off the radar.

§ Clear the fog of details, unknowns and overwhelm.

· Yoga & Meditation: These practices are a great way to calm the cortisol that floods our bodies when we’re under the stress and uncertainty of divorce. Make it a priority!

· Parting Thought: Hire a certified coach who knows the industry and can help you (and your kids) avoid the landmines to come through divorce as unscathed as possible.

NOTABLE QUOTES:

· “(Family law) is a labyrinthine system by design that you can spend your life savings trying to get through.” (Vicky)

· “Divorce is a Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. business. So if that’s your company’s hours, that’s also the time that your employees are going through it.” (Vicky)

· “When you ‘lawyer up’ and get that bulldog, that immediately sets the tone and communication between the spouses is done.” (Vicky)

· “The most important conversation you can have to prevent hostility is the initial conversation … because the way that conversation is handled sets the tone for the entire process and your co-parenting.” (Beverly)

· “You need somebody that’s an outside force, that can tell it to you like it is – what reality is and not what you think it is.” (Vicky)

· “You are just not able to process thoroughly when you’re under stress and divorce is nothing but stress. So just know that there’s help out there – people you can bring into your case that will make it feel better.” (Vicky)

· “When looking for a divorce coach, make sure that you get a certified divorce coach; someone that has been through training.” (Beverly)

· There are a lot of divorce coaches who have hung up a shingle because they’ve been through divorce themselves, but you really need somebody that’s trained in a number of situations.” (Beverly)

FURTHER RESOURCES/RELEVANT LINKS:

· More about the National Association of Divorce Professionals at this link.

· Find out about Divorce Lending Association professionals and what they do.

· Beverly’s personal Facebook page can be found here.

· Women’s Divorce and Empowerment group discussion available here.

ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Vicky Townsend is the President and founder of Divorce Right, a professional development and employee assistance program company. Vicky is also the co-founder of the National Association of Divorce Professionals, an association for all the licensed professionals that work with clients before, during, and after divorce. Vicky has worked for years in the divorce industry, but also knows first-hand how painful and frustrating the divorce process is. After going through it herself in 2013, Vicky experienced a complicated system that is costly, filled with errors and difficult to navigate. Realizing there needs to be radical change to improve a broken family law system, Vicky decided to revolutionize the divorce process by founding Divorce Right. Divorce Right caters to Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies to help their employees through this grueling process.

FOLLOW OUR GUEST:

WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | EMAIL | FACEBOOK

ABOUT YOUR HOST:

Beverly Price is a CDC Certified Divorce Coach®️and Women’s empowerment coach with over 25 years of experience. Her passion lies in supporting women through every aspect of separation and divorce. She offers a comprehensive coaching experience that goes beyond just empowerment work to help clients develop their communication, conflict management, boundary setting and negotiation skills. Beverly also provides expertise on the technical, legal, and financial aspects of the divorce process. Women will learn how to evaluate whether they want to stay or go in their marriage and how to make the best possible decisions for themselves and their families. With a holistic approach that combines goal-oriented strategies with emotional support, Beverly’s coaching helps clients build a positive and fulfilling future for themselves and their families during and after divorce.

CONTACT YOUR HOST:

Divorce and Your Career

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