Co-Parenting Companion

I’m an unapologetic, all-in advocate for Collaborative Law. It is a far superior option to the messy conflict-escalating pathway of lawyer-negotiations, mediation and family-court-land (even when you've chosen an excellent, ethical legal team).

There’s a tonne of protections hard-wired into the collaborative process to make it safe and successful for families seeking resolution for parenting and financial matters. But there is one rule that often takes people by surprise:

If collaboration fails, your team disbands - including your lawyer.

If you want to take things to the courtroom, none of us will go there with you.

It’s not because we’re scared of the magistrate. 😉

And it’s not there as a punishment or threat incase you or your co-parent are not “collaborative enough.”

It’s your insurance policy.

When your team signs on to support you, your co-parent and your kids through separation, we are closing our own exits - not yours. We are making a promise that we are so committed to your collaboration ending in success that we will not give up on finding a way to support you though to a healthy solution.

If you don’t give up on us, we will never give up on you. We’re here for the long haul.

And the best part is - it’s a shorter “haul” in collaboration than pretty much any other process. Most agreements are finalised within three months, so you can get back to focusing on your fresh future and your amazing kids.

I have written a new article explaining why the "Lose Your Lawyer" clause is the ultimate safeguard for your family's emotional and financial well-being.

Have a read, and if it feels like something you want to explore, all your next steps are included at the end of the article.

Here for you, exactly when it’s right for you.

Why Losing Your Lawyer if Collaboration Fails is the Best Thing for You and Your Kids Why do you lose your lawyer if Collaborative Law fails? Learn how this non-negotiable rule guarantees commitment, protects your kids, and keeps you out of court.

Sending love to all our mums this weekend. May you be surrounded with warmth and comfort. May you be seen and celebrated. And may those that love you take such gentle care of you if your heart is hurting this weekend. # # #

You'll find practical tips and fresh perspectives on Mother's Day for separated families here https://blog.coparentingcompanion.au/co-parenting-and-mothers-day

You've got this - and we've got your back. After all, you were never meant to do this alone.

Today I had the privilege to guest present at the WA Family Law Pathways Network Conference (WAFLPN). Multi-disciplinary professionals came together to learn how to create positive change for families navigating complex transitions. Together, we’re working towards systemic change because separated families deserve to be heard and handled with care. It was truly an honour to be one of the presenters as such a high calibre event. Much gratitude to the organising committee on an event exceedingly well run!

Mother’s Day is coming up next weekend. The day where Hallmark is certain women want flowers and things that are pink, social media tells us everyone else’s family is perfect, while many mums (separated, or not) feel a sense of overwhelm - along with guilt that they’re not magically looking forward to it all.

It can all be a bit of a mess.

It's even more stressful and aching on the heart when your family is newly divided in two and suddenly a day that’s somehow supposed to be all about celebrating motherhood becomes all about negotiating additional handovers.

I call f*ck that sh*t.

If you’re a mum, I want you to freaking have your day. I want you to be honoured, treasured and celebrated - in whatever way that looks, as defined by you. (If you know me at all, you’ll know in my house that means karaoke.)

If you’re co-parent to a mum, I want to take the hard work out of knowing what you’re supposed to do - for her, for the kids, and for yourself. Supporting your children to celebrate their mum isn't about your feelings for your ex; it’s about your freaking massive love for your kids and helping them feel safe and secure in both homes.

To help you out, I wrote a blog full of practical tips for writing your own script for Mother’s Day Celebrations.

Life comes with enough guesswork, and this occasion doesn’t have to be one of them.

https://blog.coparentingcompanion.au/co-parenting-and-mothers-day

This is a true story. I recently saw an AI tool being marketed to lawyers with the very specific "benefit" that it could write legal letters in five minutes, while the lawyer could still charge the client for the full hour.

As you can imagine, I had a few thoughts on this strategy. Most of them aren’t suitable for posting uncensored on the internet.

When you’re looking for a lawyer to guide you through your scariest times, you want them fully focused on helping you find workable solutions, not sizing you up to see how much coin they can shift from your asset and liability spreadsheet into their back pocket.

Thankfully they’d pitched to the wrong audience - it was a room full of collaborative and kind lawyers who would have been as irate about the proposition as you and I.

The problem is, when you’re at the start of this journey, it’s hard to know which variation of lawyer you’re talking to - and whether the letter they’re offering to write for you is the one you want them to send - or if indeed, you want them to do anything at all, just yet.

It’s what I love about Collaborative Law.

At the intersection of the very best of psychology, finance and family law lies your collaborative team, coherently focussed on one goal: compassionately helping people transition from one home to two with dignity and respect.

We help you establish child-focussed shared care arrangements, and a division of assets that maximises wealth protection for you all.

If you’re done with BS and just want to build a calm, child-focused pathway to your next chapter, we’re here to walk with you, every step of the way.
..PS If you don't know this already - all the best collaborative professionals love karaoke (some just don't know it yet😁)

Please join us in welcoming Kate to the Co-Parenting Companion team! Kate has stepped into the role of Client Concierge, taking over the reins from Khim.

When your life feels a maze of corners, each one dark and blind, it’s critical that when you reach out for help you know that you’ve found it, right from the first “Hello,” on the phone or warm reply to your email.

When we met Kate, we knew she was the person we wanted to be in that space for you. Every part of our mission for supporting families in transition resonated with the values that beat in her heart. There weren’t enough “Hell Yeses” for how we felt about bringing this beautiful human into our team.

It was an important change, because our gorgeous Khim, who has been filling the role, is the creative visionary behind the scenes. She’s the one creating the tip sheets, visual tools, and website design: everything our parents use to keep things child-focused and calm. As we grow, we need to direct all of her attention there, as those are skills that myself and Cam, our Chief of All Things, most definitely lack!

We’re so glad to have both of these outstanding women in our corner, so we can stay firmly in yours.

Welcome, Kate! We’re so glad you chose us, and that we chose you.

Can't wait for this new addition to our team! If this sounds like you, we're looking forward to hearing from you. If you know the perfect person, please would you share this with them? Thank you!

Link to the full role description is in the comments.

Applications MUST include a cover letter and CV to be considered.

A bit of a different post from me today, it's a shoutout from one small business owner who aims to take on the Goliaths of the world, to another who took on her personal Goliath and won.

I recently read about Katie Perry's fight to keep her beautiful brand and its associated name that was prominent long before someone named similarly became a bit of a deal in Australia. On the other side of what I imagine was an unspeakably stressful and heartbreaking ordeal, this woman is full of joy, kindness, and all that is good in life. I felt uplifted just by meeting her - the same experience I have working with the parents I'm privileged to serve. 

I'm at the end of a week in Sydney, delivering workshops and a conference keynote, with more interstate and overseas travel ahead as we further our mission to change the paradigm for families in transition. We serve parents, and we train legal and mental health professionals - because how else do we create system level change across the world if not by resourcing all parts of that system? 

So when Katie mentioned how great her clothing is for travel, I couldn't resist. Sustainable, breathable clothing, beautifully made for long term use - and in our Co-parenting Companion brand colours, too! 

I love that I had the opportunity to support, in some small way, another fellow small business owner, using their greatest strengths to make the world a better place.