Divorce can be a devastating and scaring experience for many families, but Chanel Martin and the team at Resolve Divorce, are flipping the script to turn divorce nightmares into positive pathways to resolution.
Chanel recently sat down with Tim Lavis on the ThirtyNiners Podcast to discuss how her value-driven leadership forms not only how she defines success in her personal life, but how she intends to help others prioritise their values through their divorce journey.
“I think lawyers have a huge responsibility to support people in a way that gets them an outcome that has the least impact on their lives, and who they want to be for themselves and for their children, and who they want to look back on and be proud of.
“So, a big part of the process in the beginning is helping them really remember what their values are and who they want to be, and then holding them to account throughout the process”.
According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, the total number of divorces granted in 2021 was 56 244, the highest number of divorces recorded since 1976.
Chanel knows these stats all too well, as Chanel’s parents separated when she was 12 years old, something she explains as tragic for her parents, but she considers herself extremely lucky as her parents developed a friendship that allowed them both to continue to be heavily involved in both Chanel’s and now her children’s lives.
“I am very lucky, I had two parents at every netball game, every school concert, every presentation, and even going into my adult life my parents were at my wedding, my dad walked me down the aisle and my mom was behind me with my daughter.
“That experience has really shaped how I feel about separation and the opportunity that people restructuring that relationship has not only for yourself and your kids in that moment, but for the future generations.”
This continued focus of clearly identifying your values, and then keeping yourself accountable to ensure you’re making positive contributions both personally and professionally, is the formation of Chanel’s leadership style and how she defines success.
“I think if you take the approach of thinking about what’s important to you, what your goals are and what your values are at the beginning, regardless of the outcome, if you stay true to who you are, if you can look back with integrity and feel proud of who you were through that process, then whatever outcome you achieve is going to feel like success.”
Chanel’s drive to continue to grow with integrity is what drew her to the ThirtyNiners, a group she knew she wanted to be a part of but didn’t realise the profound impact it would have on her personal and professional growth.
“I probably didn’t expect that I would meet people where I am and have a place where I could be vulnerable about my challenges in business and my challenges in life.
“Meeting people who are going through the same thing, who have either found the answer or a searching for the answer and then working with them, that was probably something I didn’t expect, but is now one of the reasons that I will stay, and one of the reasons I’ll sell it to anyone.”
To hear the full conversation with Chanel Martin, search for the ThirtyNiners Podcast by the South Australian Business Chamber wherever you hear your podcasts.