I always say: I am a lawyer, mediator, divorce coach and speak from experience.

Before starting out on my own as a lawyer-mediator, I worked at a law firm with a broad civil-law practice. During that time, I developed a preference for family-law cases because I am the type of legal professional who is fascinated by ‘personal problems’. As a family lawyer, I have unfortunately often observed that the conflict between (separating) partners seemed only to escalate through the involvement of lawyers, often on both sides.

It was not until my husband and I decided to separate in mid-2020 that I truly came to realise that a divorce is so much more than the legal and financial disentanglement of a marriage contract. Through my own divorce process, I personally experienced the significant impact of the emotional and social aspects of a divorce. But also how many opportunities it offers!

For me personally, my divorce was an educational and enriching period. Of course, it was a period marked alternately by anger, worries and fear, sadness, doubt and uncertainty, but also by recovery, freedom, autonomy, hope, confidence, reassessment and growth!

Although I realise that Marc and I were fortunate to be apparently able to adapt our communication to our new relationship with one another, so that we could create a good future for all of us together with confidence in each other, my own divorce has driven me to no longer guide partners through divorce solely as a lawyer from a legal perspective, but to support them in such a process of transformation from different professional perspectives.

To complement my mediation skills, I then completed a wonderful divorce coaching course, enabling me not only to guide people through their divorce or relationship crisis legally and practically, but also to help them very concretely by offering insight into the obstructive emotions so that these can be neutralised, and by providing tools to improve communication between them. My passion for this company, in which I have absolutely found a kindred spirit in Els, is that I want partners to experience that a conflict truly also offers an opportunity for growth!