Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Howell.
Hi Olivia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story starts where so many others do — on the floor of a half-empty bedroom, staring at the gaps where furniture used to be.
It was 2019, a few months after my divorce was finalized. My ex had taken his instruments, the recording gear, the coffee table. The house I had stayed in with my kids felt hollow — full of memories and missing pieces all at once. And in that moment, I had one clear thought: we have registries for weddings and babies. Why isn’t there one for divorce?
That question wouldn’t let me go. I’d spent over a decade running a six-figure marketing and PR agency, working with global brands, authors, and television projects. I knew how to build communities and amplify voices. But I also knew, firsthand, how completely invisible the experience of divorce felt. There was no guidebook. No ritual. No infrastructure for people starting over. If someone like me — resourced, internet-savvy, with a supportive sister — could feel this lost, what about everyone else?
Around the same time, my sister Genevieve Dreizen ended her own decade-long engagement and left her New York City apartment with nothing but a suitcase. We were rebuilding in completely different ways — I was surrounded by memories and missing furniture; she was starting from scratch — but we were both asking the same question: why is there no real support for this?
That’s when we decided to build it ourselves.
We launched Fresh Starts Registry as the first and only divorce registry, and over time it grew into something much bigger: a premier global divorce support network and education platform. We built it completely bootstrapped. I sold my house, moved back in with my parents with my kids, and poured everything into creating the platform I wished had existed. Neither of us took a salary. We just kept building — because every day, people were reaching out to tell us they needed exactly this.
Today, Fresh Starts has supported millions of people worldwide. We offer a free private registry, a global network of 150+ vetted experts, free downloadable guides, free one-on-one Zoom consults, multiple award-winning podcasts including the top-rated Divorce Happens, and Divorce Guide Magazine — the only divorce magazine in America. We’ve earned over 1,500 press placements, been recognized by Forbes as “the first divorce registry of its kind” and by New York Magazine for “destigmatizing divorce,” and our work has been shared by people like Monica Lewinsky, Shannon Watts, and Eve Rodsky.
And I’m just getting started. My book, Divorce Happens: A Compassionate Guide to Starting Fresh, will be published by Sheldon Press in August 2027 — and it’s everything I wish I’d had on that bedroom floor in 2019.
I’m a clinical hypnotherapist, a certified divorce and life coach, a solo mom to two tween boys, and someone who has lived every part of what I teach. That’s what drives me. Not theory — lived experience, and the unshakeable belief that divorce is not a failure. It is a fresh start.
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?
Smooth? Not even a little. And I think anyone who tells you their founder journey was smooth is leaving out the best parts.
The early days were fueled entirely by belief — belief that this needed to exist, that people deserved better support during one of the hardest seasons of their lives. But belief doesn’t pay the bills. And one of our biggest early struggles was one we hadn’t anticipated: we had built something real, something people genuinely needed, and we had no idea how to make money from it.
From the beginning, Genevieve and I were committed to making Fresh Starts as accessible as possible. Divorce is already expensive and overwhelming — the last thing someone in the middle of it needs is another paywall between them and the support they deserve. So we made our resources free. No email required, no credit card, no strings attached. That felt right. That still feels right. But it also meant we had to figure out a completely different way to sustain the business.
For a long time, we genuinely didn’t know how we were going to make this our life’s work. Then a friend said something that changed everything: do what you’ve always done. We had spent years in marketing, PR, and business coaching — helping people tell their stories, build their audiences, grow their businesses. Why weren’t we doing that for the divorce professionals who were joining our platform? That conversation is what gave birth to our expert membership. We created a space where therapists, lawyers, coaches, mediators, and financial advisors could not only be listed in our directory but could grow their visibility, access press opportunities, and get real business development support. It became a revenue stream that let us keep everything on the user side completely free — and it felt completely aligned with who we are.
But even with that clarity, it hasn’t been easy. We’re bootstrapped. I sold my house and moved back in with my parents with my kids so I could fund this company. For a long time, we kept a roster of social media clients on the side just to make sure we could pay our own bills. We were building a platform for millions of people during the day and managing client campaigns at night. It was a lot. We’ve also had to get creative and stay creative. Diversified income is always on our minds — the expert membership, Divorce Guide Magazine, our podcast network, and other revenue streams we continue to develop. We’re always asking: how do we keep growing in a way that never compromises our mission? How do we make sure the people who need us most never hit a wall? It’s an ongoing balancing act. But honestly, the struggle has made us better. Every hard season taught us something — about clarity, about our values, about what we’re actually building here. And what we’re building is worth every bit of it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Beyond Fresh Starts, I’m a clinical hypnotherapist, a neurolinguistic practitioner, and a certified divorce and life coach. I work at the intersection of the practical and the emotional — because people navigating divorce need both. They need someone who can help them find the right lawyer and explain what a retainer is, who can help them figure out how to talk to their kids and how to rebuild a home that feels like theirs again. That’s the space I live in.
What I’m most proud of isn’t the press or the accolades — it’s the DMs, the emails, the Zoom calls where someone exhales for the first time in months because they finally feel seen. I’ve heard from people who said they wouldn’t have left a marriage that wasn’t working without the support they found through Fresh Starts. That is what this is for.
What sets us apart is that none of this was built from theory. It was built from lived experience — and a commitment to making sure that nobody who needs help ever hits a wall. We don’t profit from our users, we don’t sell their data, and we never put our resources behind a paywall.
My forthcoming book, Divorce Happens: A Compassionate Guide to Starting Fresh (Sheldon Press, August 2027), is the culmination of everything I’ve learned — a compassionate, practical roadmap for anyone navigating the end of a marriage and the beginning of whatever comes next. I can’t wait for it to be in people’s hands.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are so many ways to connect with us, and I love all of them.
If you’re going through a divorce or supporting someone who is, start at freshstartsregistry.com. Everything there is free — the registry, the guides, the expert directory. And if you want a personal touchpoint, book a free one-on-one Zoom consult with me directly. I’ll listen, help you figure out your next right step, and connect you with the right people and resources for exactly where you are. No pitch, no funnel — just support.
If you’re a divorce professional — a therapist, lawyer, mediator, financial advisor, coach, or real estate agent — and you’re aligned with our mission of compassionate, shame-free support, I’d love for you to join our expert network. We have two membership tiers designed to help you grow your visibility, expand your reach, and connect with clients who are ready and looking for exactly what you offer. You can learn more and apply at freshstartsregistry.com.
If you’re a podcast host, journalist, or media professional, I would love to have a conversation. I speak about divorce support, entrepreneurship, resilience, reinvention, and the cultural shift happening around how we talk about and support people through the end of a marriage. My forthcoming book, Divorce Happens: A Compassionate Guide to Starting Fresh (Sheldon Press, August 2027), opens up even more opportunities for conversation, and I’m actively looking for the right media partnerships as we head toward launch.
And if you just want to support the mission — follow along, share our content, tell a friend who needs us that we exist. Word of mouth is everything for a bootstrapped company built on trust. Every share, every tag, every “I know someone who needs this” makes a real difference.
You can find me on Instagram at @OliviaHowell and Fresh Starts at @FreshStartsRegistry. Come say hi — I genuinely love hearing from people.
Pricing:
- $25/month – Essential Membership for Divorce Professionals
- $55/month – Premium Membership for Divorce Professionals
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviahowell/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/freshstartsregistry
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKm1t6t-vLVK0zLaw1m8oig
