About Sheri

My Story

From The Pain of Divorce to A Modern Family Transformation

I never wanted to get divorced. As a child of divorce, and then being part of a stepfamily that ended in another divorce when I was in high school, I experienced a lot of challenging family transitions. Multiple moves and many new schools. Cut off relationships with extended family. Financial instability. A distant relationship with a father who was not capable of parenting. I knew that I did not want my children to go through what I did.

However, after being married to my husband for 16 years with two daughters who were 9 and 11, I found myself suddenly confronted with the reality that my marriage was going to end. I was thrown into a state of chaos and complete overwhelm with all the decisions I had to make. I wish that I had a coach to guide me during this time and help me pause and slow down. At various points throughout the process I did try to slow things down, and it was during these times that I was able to find hope that there could be a different way to get divorced and to create a stable family.

There were some truly stressful times, but I decided that the one thing I had control over was how I responded to the situation. I chose to work together with my former husband to show our children that we value the importance of co-parenting in a healthy way. We have demonstrated to our daughters that our marriage may have ended but we are still a family. Our two daughters are now thriving in college — we have all benefited from the decisions that were made at different stages of the divorce process to create our modern post-divorce family.

From Clinical Social Worker to Coach

I’ve always been a helper. As the oldest daughter of a single mom I had to be responsible at a young age. I was an original latchkey kid who looked out for my younger sister. In high school I was selected to be a peer educator to support classmates who were struggling. In college I worked on campus as an advocate for survivors of interpersonal violence, along with training and educating students, staff and faculty on preventing abuse.

I received a Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Southern California. As a licensed clinical social worker for 20 years, I provided trauma-informed counseling services to adolescents and their families, college students, graduate students and young adults, collaborating with them to reach their goals.

In my work as a Certified Divorce Coach® I help people take steps forward and start to visualize a future they never imagined on their wedding day. As a coach I walk along side my clients as a thought partner and guide during a major life transition. I help people find the strength and courage to look at the big picture and remain true to their values.

Why Work With Me?

• Certified Divorce Coach® with additional training in co-parent coaching and Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead certification program.

• Licensed clinical social worker for 20 years working with youth, young adults and families from diverse backgrounds.

• Counseling background that provides me with a valuable lens to support people going through one of the most stressful times of their lives.

• Personal experiences with divorce and the professional background to help people redefine family and create a healthy way to move forward.