Your First Stop in Divorce Isn’t a Lawyer | Olivia Howell

What if the first call you made when you were thinking about divorce wasn't to a lawyer? Olivia Dreizen Howell, co-founder and CEO of Fresh Starts Registry, joins Leslie Mathews to talk about what people actually need when life comes apart, and why so few of us know how to ask for it.

🧵 Free 15-minute resource chat with Olivia: https://calendly.com/oliviafreshstarts/divorce-resource-consults-

free

🧵 Not sure yet whether to stay or go? Mending or Moving On: https://theloomlife.com/op/mending-or-moving-

on

🧵 Going through divorce now? THROUGH with Leslie: https://theloomlife.com/sp/through-divorce-program

Olivia grew up in a family where divorce was "the water we swam in," and she still felt isolated and scared when

her own marriage ended in 2019. So she and her sister Jenny built the world's first divorce registry. Today Fresh

Starts is a network of about 180 vetted divorce professionals, with free workshops, free e-books, a magazine

and several podcasts, all free for the people going through it.

In this episode:

• Why the first stop on the divorce train isn't a "shark" lawyer

• The hidden barriers to getting help: unsafe phones and inboxes, unclear pricing, and not knowing what you

need

• How a stay-at-home parent can start building a nest egg

• How to choose a divorce coach or strategist without getting the ick

• Building your hype team: coach, CDFA, real estate and mortgage pros, therapist, healer

• What divorce professionals miss about what's happening inside the home

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome: who shows up when life falls apart?

01:50 Meet Olivia Howell & Fresh Starts Registry

05:20 "Divorce was the water we swam in"

07:20 Two sisters, two very different fresh starts

10:40 Bootstrapping a company with heart

11:50 Free 15-minute calls & why it's not just for divorce

14:50 The real barriers to getting help

20:40 How to reach out safely

22:20 Pricing, the ick & stay-at-home parents

25:10 Why your first stop isn't a lawyer

31:00 How Fresh Starts keeps support free

33:20 Shame-free, inclusive & naming emotional abuse

36:20 Why free support matters so much

38:30 No upsell, no obligation

42:40 What divorce professionals miss

45:20 What's really happening inside the home

50:30 Building your hype team: who's in the network

53:00 Where to find Olivia

CONNECT WITH OLIVIA & FRESH STARTS

Fresh Starts Registry: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com

Free e-book, How to Get Divorced as a Stay-at-Home Parent: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/books-

inventory/how-to-get-divorced-as-a-stay-at-home-parent

Free workshops & events: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/public-events-1

Divorce Guide Magazine: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/divorceguidemagazine

A Fresh Story podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-fresh-story/id1652881132

Newsletter: https://freshstartsregistry.substack.com

Instagram: @freshstartsregistry | @oliviahowell

Threads: @oliviahowell

Divorce professionals, join the network: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/join-us

CONNECT WITH LESLIE

https://theloomlife.com

Instagram: @the.loom.life

TikTok: @leslieellenmathews

This conversation is for education and support. It isn't legal, financial or therapeutic advice. If you're in danger, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.

#DivorceSupport #FreshStart #DivorceRecovery #SingleMom #PullingThreads