Vicky Townsend – 63

President and founder Divorce Right

About me

Vicky Townsend is the founder and President of Divorce Right, Inc. an Employee Assistance company serving companies and government agencies in the US and abroad. She is also the co-founder and former CEO of the National Association of Divorce Professionals, a professional association consisting of licensed and certified professionals that serve families going through a divorce.

After a painful divorce, filled with errors, and a labyrinthine system that no one in the “real world” could negotiate, Vicky decided to radically improve a broken family law system. After a decade in the divorce industry, she saw the problems facing not only the employees but facing a company’s culture and bottom line as well. Divorce costs companies and government agencies over 300 BILLION dollars a year in lost productivity, errors, absences, and presenteeism.

Vicky is revolutionizing the divorce process by training HR professionals and company supervisors about the issues facing their divorcing employees, signs an employee may be experiencing or even contemplating a divorce, and the issues that they may be facing by way of international culture issues, religious matters, and more. Divorce Right brings highly experienced divorce coaches and case managers in to support their employees for days, weeks months or even years, so they can have their best outcome. Vicky is a proud mother of two great kids (who also went through two divorces) and looks forward to the day that the divorce process doesn’t destroy families financially or emotionally.

What do you do and why do you do it?

I support people as they try to navigate the divorce process through an employee benefit.

What changed for you after age 50?

Another god damn divorce! After my divorce at 53, I knew this system is not designed for someone going through it and I wanted to create a company that helped them navigate a labyrinthine system (by design) so they spend less money and have less emotional trauma, and so they can speak with each other in the future.

What would you tell the 20 or 30-year-old YOU?

Give yourself some grace.

What do you think you’ll tell yourself in retrospect at the end of your life?

You did good…you gave back and turned your mess into a message for others

What impact do you think increased visibility can have on your business?

Any and all exposure is a good thing, but sharing my message and letting employers know that they are doing more damage than good with their current legal plan is very important to me.

Who or what inspires you and why?

I’m a big Brené Brown fan! She manages to put into words what I have been thinking and feeling but couldn’t express it. She also makes me feel pretty normal!