After going through a divorce and spending many years working as a clerk in a family law practice, Andrea Klein saw firsthand the emotional damage divorce wreaks and felt that the legal process failed to alleviate that turmoil. So she started ‘The Wholehearted Divorce,’ an online program to help guide women going through it.
Says Andrea Klein, “I just noticed that there’s a really big disconnect between what people go through (in) the legal process and their emotional state. I created a program that walks them through the process and I give them that safe space to talk about the divorce with other people and sharing my experiences and giving them accountability.”
Klein thinks of herself as a divorce coach, using her legal background to help women navigate their new normal.
“I think being a law clerk, I was always the first point of contact for people when they came to see a lawyer so I really got to see the emotional state they would come in. I am very empathetic by nature so I let them tell their story and help them put it in a legal format. I was really the front line there for the longest time.”
According to Klein, divorce is mainly an emotional process.
“Divorce is really 80% emotional and only 20% legal so if they can get help and support through the emotional elements, the legal process will become much easier on themselves, the kids and on the whole family.”
Klein says the most difficult divorces are the ones where children are involved.
“Even in my case, I’ve been separated 13 years and my ex-husband and I still have to have a relationship because of my son. One of the hardest things is really putting your child’s interests before your own, before your ego and say this child belongs to me and him. Regardless of what our issues are, we need to let the child have the relationship with both parents and make it work.”
Klein thinks divorce is a process that should be taken one step at a time.
“Be mindful of what emotional state you’re in, and what emotional state your husband is in before you run off and seek legal advice. Because you have to go through a certain grieving process, one person might be angry, the other might be in denial, and that will have a huge bearing on how the legal process goes.”
Klein says that being a divorce coach has been a really rewarding experience.
“I think just being able to connect to these women on a really personal level, being able to help them through one of the most challenging times of their lives. Divorce, I would say, is the number one stressor next to death and when women come to me they’re very confused, they don’t know where to start. I find it very emotionally fulfilling when they can move forward. It’s really fulfilling work.”
