Today we’d like to introduce you to Ksenia Muench
Hi Ksenia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised in Russia where I attended College of Music to train as a concert pianist and attained my MA in Linguistics before I immigrated to the United States. Once here, I had to start building my life from scratch – learn about the new country traditions and laws, figure out my career, and make new friends. During this time, I got married and had 2 amazing sons – Sean and Connor. I was fortunate to be a full-time mom for a couple of years when the boys were born until I realized I was not made to stay at home and I started to joke “I deserve to work”. That’s when my 12-year insurance career began. I worked for an insurance carrier first before becoming an insurance broker. I loved being in sales and working with clients – I met some incredible people while helping them restructure their insurance portfolios.
In 2020 my life turned upside down when I filed for divorce. I wasn’t scared to start over but I underestimated how ugly this would become. This transition was mentally, emotionally and financially exhausting. And even though I had a great attorney and friends who were willing to listen to my “adventures”, I felt I was alone as I did not have the support of people who went through similar experience and who could guide me through what seemed like a nightmare with no end in sight.
Once my divorce was finalized and the dust settled, I realized I wanted to be that guide for people and help them make this change knowing they are not alone and they always have a person on their side to listen to them, put them in touch with additional resources and guide them through the complicated legal landscape of the family law. That’s when Thrive Again DC was born.
Now my life is full: my sons who are now 16 and 14 are thriving at school and sports and my business is taking off. It truly feels like I am finally living my dream life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has not been smooth or easy.
The biggest obstacle in my way has been simple awareness of additional support available for people going through their divorce. This consulting field is fairly new and not well known.
Moreover, we get so overwhelmed by the emotional weight of the process, financial strain and simply being pulled in multiple directions while trying to adjust to the new life that it makes it challenging to consider making another phone call or talking to another person about the divorce.
When people reach out to me, they feel frustrated and exasperated by the lack of progress and not being able to see the finish line which in turn creates another block – lack of trust that anybody can help move it forward.
Breaking through these barriers has been pretty bumpy but rewarding when I am able to show my clients there is hope and they are closer to crossing this bridge than they think.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve created this business so I can help make my clients’ divorce as simple as possible and most of all, leave them empowered to create their best life afterwards.
I am one of a few divorce consultants with a niche – my focus is a high-conflict divorce. I found I am the most effective in the area I experienced through my own journey and learned dos and donts along the way.
I always say – you need more than a lawyer.
As a dedicated divorce coach, I offer comprehensive support and guidance through the difficult stages of high-conflict divorces. I understand the unique challenges my clients face and am dedicated to helping them go through this life-changing transition:
achieve mental clarity,
reduce anxiety,
receive emotional support,
develop divorce strategy,
manage expectations about the possible legal outcomes and factors that may influence the proceedings,
focus on the future and opportunities for growth post-divorce.
I also refer to myself as a divorce broker as I always connect my clients with additional resources and support services thus assisting them in creating a comprehensive support team for this challenging period of their lives.
My ultimate goal when working with my clients is making the divorce as simplified and less emotionally daunting as possible and help them find themselves and their power to thrive again.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I am a firm believer taking risks propels you to your dream life. Without those – whether they are calculated or reckless – life gets stagnant and very ordinary. And I love extraordinary.
I have taken multiple major risks to get to today.
First one was immigrating to the United States. I always enjoyed traveling and experiencing new places. When I came to the States in my early twenties, I knew this was the place where I wanted to live and build my life. That’s exactly what I did: I did it on my own without having my family as a safety net as they are all still in Russia and started rebuilding my life from scratch with learning about the new country, traditions, making new connections and figuring out new career path.
My second major risk was leaving my 16 year marriage and filing for divorce. I walked out from the family residence with just my clothes, baby grand piano, and table and couch sets leaving everything else behind. I was terrified because financially I was dependent on my former spouse who enjoyed exercising control and had no family I could turn to. The next couple of years were the most difficult in my life because I found myself entangled in a nasty divorce litigation that should have been a meditation instead. But life is funny because nothing lasts and this too eventually passed.
My third risk is my divorce consulting business – I have left my successful insurance broker career to start something I am very passionate about: guiding people through their divorce and empowering them to find themselves again and build their dream life once the divorce is finalized.
Contact Info:
- Website: www. ThriveAgainDivorceCoaching.com
- Instagram: @ThriveAgainDivorceCoaching
Image Credits
Alex Abercrombie Photography
