Kristen Jonas
Certified Divorce Coach, Generalist, Consultant, Mentor
When I look back on my divorce and the impact on my kids, the same thought rolls around in my head. I would have done so much differently! I lived through a tough divorce. Therefore, so did my kids. I learned a lot along the difficult jenky road. And, from that living and learning (the hard way) I have a lot to share with others. It didn’t have to be as hard as it was.
My ex-husband and I shared an attorney to save money and planned to divorce amicably. It was only a $1500 retainer. In the first (and only) meeting the attorney said;
“Just figure out the kids. The rest is all calculations”.
And I believed him. I felt thrilled to be saving money in the face of big financial challenges ahead. I didn’t know what I didn't know.
Well, the “calculations” did not work.
The attorney provided a very basic off-the-shelf Marital Settlement Agreement that was a handful of pages long. It didn’t even begin to cover what we needed. There was no parenting plan nor was there written guidance on how to financially navigate co-parenting. Without guardrails or defined boundaries, within months of the divorce being final, disputes started and never stopped. We went back to court many times with only some solutions. A good night's sleep was 4-5 hours. Anxiety and worry for my children and finances were always present. And, when I look back on the sheer time, energy, and money spent to resolve disagreements, I feel regret. And I have not even touched on what this did to my kids.
I am now the person to others that I lacked and needed in my divorce journey!
Fast forward to today. As a certified Divorce Coach Generalist, I help people before during, and after. The more people I help, the more I realize, this is the approach I needed when I started. Coaching would have provided a more peaceful advantage for my kids. I am here to say, it does get better. I am remarried now to Mark. I found a great man to walk alongside my co-parenting journey while I walked alongside his. Along with my children, Maezy 23, and Nelson 20, I am stepmom to Shaw, 28, Cole 27, and Rhett 21. With their support, I can use my education and our experiences to help others.
