Ep. 191 – Next Chapters

00;00;00;00 – 00;00;29;22
Jeff + Doreen
Hey, everyone out there! We’re so excited to have this episode with you today about next chapters. So if you’re ready, let’s get started with episode. Very special episode number 191. Hey, Jeff. Hey. Doreen. How are you? Good. Why are you smiling and laughing at me? I’m smiling because you have me in a very good mood. Okay. Watch out!

00;00;29;24 – 00;00;59;08
Doreen
So this is. This is going to be a interesting episode because we have made a decision, and it really involves next chapters of our life and where we are and where we want to go. So I think you all can relate to this or should relate to this with your divorce and your new chapters, because it’s kind of the same.

00;00;59;14 – 00;01;21;23
Doreen
I know a lot in the divorce world, and when I’m coaching your coaching, we talk about the next chapter, writing your next chapter in your life. You know, imagining in your mind your thoughts about your next chapter. Yeah. So the announcement that we have is we’ve made a decision to basically take a little break from our podcast, as you know.

00;01;21;25 – 00;01;48;26
Doreen
You know, just looking back at the history I started this August 2021. Yes. As I record this now, it’s September 2025 and the end of September. Amazing. I haven’t got there yet, sweetie. Okay. Go ahead. Back then it was called Your Amazing Divorce and it kind of got a little bit of heat for that. Remember that. I do remember that because people were like, what do you mean?

00;01;48;26 – 00;02;08;17
Doreen
Your amazing divorce. Nothing about divorce is amazing. And I’m like, yeah, there can be an amazing side because but for the divorce, you’re not going to have all these other beautiful opportunities in your life. And let’s face it, most of the time when people are at the stage of divorce, marriage isn’t going so good. Right. Well, maybe it’s the amazing divorce.

00;02;08;17 – 00;02;29;24
Doreen
It could. It’s probably you were coming from the life after divorce, right? You look back at the divorce and say, thank God. Well, I guess I kind of said that. Exactly right. So then, so that was August 2021, and I had done 49 episodes. I was doing it back then, once a week, and then you got certified as a life coach.

00;02;29;25 – 00;02;56;05
Jeff
I did, and then I dragged you into the podcast. And I was begging to come. And. What are you talking about? And you started when it was, I, it was July 11th, 22, 22. Right. And we changed and we changed the name. Changed the name to Life After Divorce Coaching, because obviously we had a website and all the things.

00;02;56;05 – 00;03;31;05
Doreen
And Jeff was doing coaching and I was doing some coaching. You know, things have evolved. So most of you know, I’m still a practicing attorney here in Boca Raton, Florida. So I’m mostly serving South Florida. But I’m very passionate about blending what you learn here in coaching. Hopefully what you’ve heard throughout the years and, trying to take technology and people that need a divorce, to have more accessibility and affordable representation.

00;03;31;07 – 00;03;55;08
Doreen
Now, that is not to say that I’m not still litigating. I am still a litigator. I still do those cases when necessary. Board certified. All the things I’ve been doing this 32 years, but I see that there’s such a need for representation of people that can work through it and don’t have a lot of resources but want a represent, you know, representation.

00;03;55;08 – 00;04;30;01
Doreen
They want to make sure that they are legally entering into something that, you know, complete, full protects them and enforceable and think so and say it like it is without the negativity. Well, yes. You know, so I am forming a new division to a family law group, which is called our SplytUp services, which is a budget friendly quick for people that are in agreement and people that are at the emotional level of wanting to finish and get through the divorce quickly.

00;04;30;03 – 00;04;52;22
Doreen
And I think that, this is my passion moving into the next chapter of my life. And I still love coaching, and I still want to do coaching on some level, but I I’ve learned that I have to focus because if I can’t spend the right amount of energy and focus on a big project like this, it’s not going to be where it needs to go.

00;04;52;25 – 00;05;20;04
Doreen
And I know you want to talk a little bit about past, present, future. Well, last night we saw the movie Downton Abbey, you know, and it’s, filmed in the 1930s. The main character was ousted, shunned. I mean, just totally socially disgraced because of a divorce. And I’m thinking to myself, wow, we’ve really come a long way in divorce today.

00;05;20;05 – 00;05;41;20
Doreen
It’s more of a common thing. It’s very. It’s 50% or greater now. Get divorced. Right? I don’t know of that, you know, and that’s not all good, but I know that. Well, it’s not good, but it’s reality. It’s reality. And I think there’s a lot of there’s a lot of interesting reasons why, you know, thought. Was that split up is very much the wave of the future.

00;05;41;26 – 00;06;02;24
Doreen
You know I do it yourself a lot of things that are there trying to make things simpler quicker, less expensive. Yeah. Split up seems to be the wave of the future. So I don’t I mean I just thought it was interesting when I saw that last night in the movie thinking about today and then your passion that you’re, bringing to life today.

00;06;02;25 – 00;06;41;22
Jeff
Yeah. And let me just say that the SplytUp services at your for Family law group, I would love to be able to bring to other states, but it’s really for those narrow few that qualify. It’s, you know, so you have to have a relatively simplistic case. You have to have a meeting of the minds on the terms, generally because you don’t know what you don’t know, but generally you have to both be in a good emotional state where while you’re hurt and you’re trying to get through things, you’re dealing with your emotions, you’re focused on really resolution and, you know, you have to be good with technology because that’s how we are able

00;06;41;22 – 00;07;04;02
Doreen
to streamline this and make it cost efficient. So it’s not for everyone. Right? But I’m just hoping that when I can get this advertised out in the world more and marketed, the people will say, wait, let me hear about the split up service, that you have a family law group. And what does this mean? And then go back to their spouse and say, listen, we could have a lawyer assist one side.

00;07;04;02 – 00;07;24;24
Jeff
I only assist one side, but we could get through this and we could have or at least one of us, or both of us will have proper representation, to make sure it’s solid and all the things, but, yeah. And I agree with you. It’s needed in every state. It may start with one in Florida, right. But I, I see big things.

00;07;25;00 – 00;07;52;21
Doreen
Well, there’s so many pro se litigants, litigants that cannot afford attorneys. And I was talking to some of the judges, local judges here. And they were saying that a lot of them want to get through the system. Right. Like they can agree. But they don’t know how to do it. They want to get through it with representation, but they don’t even sometimes know that it’s available at an affordable price, because there aren’t a lot of options out there to have an attorney really not available yet.

00;07;52;22 – 00;08;11;11
Doreen
There’s a few, there’s a few, but they’re not. They’re not well marketed as far as from my perspective. So the public doesn’t really know about them. But I but I think it’s an opportunity. Oh, you said there’s a few but there’s not a few that aren’t. Do it yourself with and representation. Yeah, there’s a few. There are some, there are some.

00;08;11;14 – 00;08;49;14
Doreen
But here’s the thing. Also, I think it’s not as good looking as you are. Look, I don’t have anything to do with this, my dear. And that might be a sexist statement I have to talk to you about later. But in any event, I was going to say that the nice thing about having this as a service within a law firm like mine is that you can start off with a split up service, and if things go a little bit murky or you find out that maybe something wasn’t disclosed or there’s a valuation or a custody issue, now you just transition over to the, to our litigation department where they can better serve

00;08;49;14 – 00;09;14;06
Doreen
you. And remember, litigation, for example, in our firm doesn’t mean that you’re going to go to trial necessarily, just means that the parties haven’t yet agreed. There’s a lot to discover, understand as to full disclosure of what you’re entitled to. And maybe the motions are not, you know, where they need to be yet, because 95 somebody told me yesterday or the day before it was 97%.

00;09;14;08 – 00;09;40;05
Doreen
I always say 95% of the cases settle. So with the SplytUp services, we’re hoping people settle sooner. They come to the table really trying to work through it as best as they can. Perhaps it yeah, maybe they should, seek coaching before they go for their divorce. They should. There’s a lot of things. If we didn’t have this freaking primitive brain that we deal with, right?

00;09;40;08 – 00;10;04;29
Doreen
I mean, seriously, the primitive brain is what doesn’t work. Well, when you have, a circumstance for all of our listeners, a circumstance meaning the fact. So in this case, divorce and emotions are high because there’s a lot going on and it’s negative emotion because our primitive brain is there to help us and protect us and to fight.

00;10;05;01 – 00;10;31;23
Doreen
But people that this is what we’re so smart as humans, we have the ability to really control that primitive brain with our prefrontal. And that’s about split up. But it’s it’s challenging. Yes. I’ll do some webinars I foresee where I’ll show people how to work through this together and come together on trying to resolve their cases. And I believe I can probably do that for both couples and just do workshops and things like this.

00;10;31;23 – 00;10;46;04
Doreen
I have some big plans and things I want to do that would really help. Yeah, I think it will. I think it will. And you know what? The court systems, at least here in Florida, would be relieved because they’re there. You know, the judges are trying to do the best they can with pro se litigants that don’t have attorneys.

00;10;46;04 – 00;11;10;18
Doreen
And it’s challenging, very challenging anyhow. What else? So on to that and wishing everybody an amazing, amazing, you know, go back. Look at all of our episodes. We have so much great material in there, you know, pick it up, listen to it, go for your walk, put on your headset and, you know, just really enjoy it and then reach out to us because we’re still here.

00;11;10;19 – 00;11;18;11
Doreen
I love to hear from you. All right. Everybody will be back again another time. See you soon. Bye bye bye.