The following blog post was written by a former client, Julia G. as a testimonial for Johnson/Turner Legal.
Despair. Failure. Lost. Hopeless. Terror. Shame. Worthless. Loser. Homeless. These are the words I used to describe myself when in March 2020, my husband told me he had retained a lawyer and that I would be served divorce papers. We were together 26 years. This is the story of my “gray” divorce.
Even though we had a sometimes-troubled marriage, we did have some excellent times. The very best times I have ever known. Along the way, he began making decisions as if he were single – decisions that affected me in a major way and it upset me when I found out about them. He was always baffled when I got upset. We were just not good at communication. Many times, I suggested counseling might help us understand one another better. He refused. This would have required both of us to make changes in the way we worked together … changes he could not make. He decided on a divorce.
In March, I turned to Johnson/Turner for legal representation. What did I even know about choosing a legal firm for a divorce? They assigned me not just an attorney, but a legal team. Right away I felt my interests were being watched out for. One of my legal team asked me if I would be interested in the coaching J/T had to offer. I assumed it was on how to behave in court, what to say, what not to say, things like that. So, I said sure, I could use that.
That’s when Matt Tuttle came into my life. My life coach. He told me at our first meeting that he did not want me to repeat those negative descriptions (as mentioned above) I said about myself ever again. He took each of those awful words and taught me how to re-frame my thinking and learn how to turn it around through disciplined thought. How to fight for myself. He gave me homework. Sometimes it was hard homework. I was required to train my focus on a positive outcome and learn to live a life I love. Those are hard things for a hopeless person to grasp. The sessions were about me and my recovery, my future, my goals. Week by week, exercise by exercise, it happened. I stopped feeling the despair, hopelessness, fear. I stopped feeling like a loser who was not worth the effort. I will have a home again. I will make it for myself. Today in July … think of it! … only five months later, I am happy and ready and excited to rejoin the world with a great deal to offer. I have plenty of time to live a successful life, to achieve things. These lessons will serve me well throughout my life. My gratitude towards him is huge.
At one time, I thought it would be better to have our meetings in person but see now the benefit of meeting remotely by phone, voice-to-voice.
My legal team has been wonderful. They got me through a nasty mess with skill and competence. My outcome was exactly as it should have been. I was supported at every turn. They were all so nice to me. Without a doubt, I absolutely chose the right legal firm. The coaching offered was a bonus I was not expecting. Something J/T obviously sees as an important part of supporting their clients.
With or without coaching, I would be a divorced person today. But the coaching I received helped me to erase the negativity that dominated my heart and threatened to destroy my life … my future … and brought me back to my normal, funny, optimistic, forgiving, silver-lining finder, energetic self. Welcome back, Julia. Welcome back.
Yes. I would recommend coaching and especially Matt Tuttle. That would be a big yes.
