Divorce Coach Tells All After 18 Year Marriage...
We're diving deep into the personal journey of Hope Firsel, who is spilling the tea on the good, the bad and the ugly parts of divorce.
A Little About The Guest.
I’m a dynamic coach, consultant, and Certified Life Coach and Divorce Specialist, with over 15 years of experience guiding women through life’s most unexpected challenges.
Today, I lead a thriving coaching practice dedicated to helping women—and the professionals and organizations that serve them—navigate the emotional, legal, and logistical complexities of divorce.
My mission is to transform the divorce experience from one of overwhelm and stress to one of clarity, confidence, and purpose, changing not just the divorce experience but enhancing the lives of the entire unit following.
As a seasoned life and divorce coach, I blend strategic insight with deep emotional intelligence to support women during one of life’s most transformative transitions. My work is grounded in compassion, practical tools, and powerful mindset shifts that foster lasting change.
Beyond individual coaching, I consult with professionals and organizations to cultivate collaborative cultures, empowered community, and support sustainable growth.
My personal journey—overcoming cancer, infertility, and divorce—deepens my empathy and amplifies my commitment to helping others rise.
I hold a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology from The London School of Economics and certifications from iPEC Coaching, Rapid Resolution Therapy, and as a Certified Divorce Specialist. I’m also a proud graduate of the Feminine Frequency Business Leader™ program with Jessica Zweig and the Marketing Made Simple program with Lindsay Pinchuk, and an active member of the Entreprenista community.
With a multidisciplinary background and a passion for empowerment, I support individuals and organizations in navigating change with clarity, courage, and compassion. I welcome collaboration with legal, wellness, and business leaders who share a commitment to innovation, integrity, and meaningful impact.
You can connect with her here:
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK
The Guest Deep-Dive.
1. What is one thing you did during your divorce that you regret?
One thing I regret is not always giving myself enough grace in the process. There were moments when I thought I needed to hold it all together, be strong, be strategic, and stay composed for everyone else.
Looking back, I wish I had allowed myself to soften more and to accept that grief is not weakness. Divorce is such a life-altering experience, and I think I was sometimes harder on myself than I needed to be.
2. How long did you wait before dating again, and how did you know you were ready?
I dated before I was truly ready. I think that is the honest answer. In the beginning, it can be very tempting to seek connection because you have lost so much—your identity as a wife, your family structure, your daily companionship, and your vision for the future.
Over time, I realized I needed a deeper season of being alone. I needed to understand what love meant to me now at this stage of life and not just reach for what felt familiar. I knew I was more ready when I no longer felt like I needed someone to fill the emptiness, but instead wanted to share an already full life.
3. What is the wildest, most unhinged story you have ever heard about someone’s divorce?
I have certainly heard some incredibly intense stories, but what I will say is this: the most “unhinged” parts of divorce are often not even the dramatic moments people imagine. It is how quickly people can become strangers to one another. It is when years of intimacy suddenly turn into legal warfare, financial retaliation, or using children as leverage.
That, to me, is the wildest part—how grief, anger, and dysregulation can completely hijack two people who once built a life together. That is exactly why I care so deeply about helping women stay grounded and regulated through the process.
4. What are some of the “little things” you have to navigate on your own after divorce that people do not even think about?
There are so many little things people never talk about: managing a home alone, making every decision alone, paying bills, organizing schedules, handling repairs, filling the silence, figuring out dinners when the kids are not there, walking into an empty house, sleeping alone, and not having someone to text about a small daily moment. It is also the emotional labor of being the one who has to soothe yourself.
Those little things can feel enormous in the beginning because they remind you, over and over again, that life has changed. But over time, they also become the places where confidence grows.
5. What celebrity divorces do you think have been the saddest?
The celebrity divorces that feel saddest to me are the ones where you can sense that there was once real admiration, friendship, and family, and then the ending becomes public pain. Any divorce is hard, but when it unfolds under a spotlight, I think it adds another layer of grief and performance.
What saddens me most is not necessarily who divorced, but when the humanity of it gets lost and it becomes entertainment for other people. Divorce is still mourning, even when the people involved are famous.
5. What is your “victor story”? If you were to rewrite your challenges in life as a character who comes out on top, what would that sound like?
My victor story is not about a woman who avoided pain. It is about a woman who kept meeting life when it asked more of her than she thought she could give. She faced infertility when her plans did not unfold the way she had imagined. She faced cancer when life asked her to surrender control completely.
She faced divorce when the identity she had built over decades no longer fit the woman she had become. And each time, she did not just survive- she became more honest, more grounded, more compassionate, and more aligned. She comes out on top not because everything went according to plan, but because she learned how to turn adversity into wisdom and use it to light the way for other women.
The Podcast Deets.
Isn’t it interesting that as a society we can get behind leaving a career, moving to a different city, or even upgrading our wardrobe as our identity changes- but the idea of leaving a marriage when it’s no longer working is still so taboo to talk about?
Together, we’re exploring this exact topic. In this Friday’s with Friends feature, we’re diving into all the sticky parts of divorce with Hope Firsel as she explains to us what exactly one might be going through when a divorce is actually on the table.
We discuss the good, the bad and the ugly- and how there are a lot more ‘impacts’ to one’s life that we need to be prepared for if going down this road.
Speaking from personal experience (a divorce after 18 years of marriage) and from professional experience (now working as a thriving divorce coach for women), she is here to help us release shame, move past guilt, and talk about the hard things most other people won’t.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
Navigating Divorce: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly [with Hope Firsel]