Vicky Townsend – 64
President and founder Divorce Right
Video Shorts
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!
Something else I’d like to share
Divorce doesn’t mean the end of your life. It’s just opening a new book filled with blank pages, and a new story will be written.
“I’m so much an advocate of believing that you shouldn’t spend your life savings ending a marriage. This is absurd; there are kinder, gentler ways to go about it. Where you can still have a relationship with each other because, guess what? You’re still going to have kids together; you’re still going to be at weddings, baby showers, and birthday parties. One day you’ll share grandchildren.“
Vicky Townsend
The Brief
In this interview with Vicky Townsend, the President and Founder of Divorce Right, which is rebranding to Fairwell.
We had a powerful conversation about how Vicky is disrupting the divorce industry with her innovative approach to divorce. She supports individuals by collaborating with their employers and helping them to become advocates through the challenging process. She explains how Fairwell reduces the stress and financial burden of divorce on both employees and employers by providing a network of over 100 specialized coaches covering various aspects of divorce, including religion, immigration, and culture.
We both shared our personal stories. Vicky’s painful divorce is what inspired her to create a company that offers the support she wished she had. She highlights the significant impact divorce can have on productivity and company culture, noting that many employees do not inform their employers about their divorce due to fear of being fired. By providing support and advocacy, Fairwell aims to improve employee well-being and reduce costs associated with absenteeism, distractions, errors, presenteeism, and turnover.
Divorce is not just a financial burden; the physical and emotional toll of divorce can have an impact on your health too. Vicky and her organization offer a built-in support system – divorce is hard, but it can be gentler without fear of losing your income or savings by having someone to go to for the answers to all the things you do not know and understanding that litigation is not the only way. It’s possible to take a compassionate approach to divorce that preserves relationships and minimizes conflict, allowing individuals to maintain healthy interactions with their ex-partners, especially when children are involved.
Vicky and her diverse team of coaches at Fairwell are available 24/7 – 365 days per year to help navigate the challenges of divorce and emerge stronger on the other side.
Connect with Vicky, and PLEASE share her with anyone you know ending a marriage or domestic partnership.
