Meet Coach Z

Divorce coach Tia Zavaras—affectionately known as Coach Z—is passionate about embracing change and peace. When we decide our relationships are unhealthy or unmanageable, we often don’t know where to start to make a change. We wonder: Do I call my neighbor’s divorce attorney? Do I talk to a therapist? My family? My money manager? Make your first stop a call with Coach Z. She’ll get you informed and educated so you can approach the divorce process with confidence. 

What is a Divorce Coach?


Managing a divorce is a full-time job and a trauma. You’re expected to find a lawyer, to process legal jargon, and to make decisions regarding your home and your kids, all while experiencing overwhelming stress and grief. In the very early stages, you will make important decisions that will affect the outcome of your divorce. That’s where a divorce coach comes in. 

Divorce coaching is a form of professional coaching in which a coach uses neuroscience-backed tools to help individuals navigate the emotional and practical aspects of divorce. A divorce coach is a thinking partner—they help the client find a new view of their situation and the emerging possibilities that exist. A divorce coach can work with individuals who are considering divorce, in the process of getting divorced, or who have already gone through a divorce.


Divorce coaches leverage science-based techniques to help individuals with a variety of issues such as coping with the emotional stress of divorce, feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to start, understanding the legal process, creating a budget for post-divorce living, co-parenting, and communication with an ex-partner.


Divorce coaches are not therapists or counselors, but rather focus on helping clients develop the skills and strategies they need to navigate the divorce process and evolve through it. They can provide support and guidance, but do not provide legal or financial advice. They may work in tandem with other professionals such as attorneys, financial planners, and therapists to help the client achieve their goals.


Who is Coach Z?


Coach Z has equal parts empathy and grit. She is a licensed attorney, divorce coach, and certified mediator. She is also a cancer survivor and a mother to three boys. She has navigated a divorce with small children, a high conflict custody battle and co-parenting. Where her extensive experience as a litigator gives her the sharp skills necessary to help you take the right steps in your case, her experience with high-conflict litigation and her expertise in mindfulness meditation equips her with a compassionate, trauma-informed approach to her work. When you hire Coach Z, you’ll get an expert guide and trusted partner to support you through one of the most challenging transitions in your life. Through evidence based coaching techniques, she will help you cultivate awareness, realize your strengths, and evolve into the best version of yourself so you can live a brilliant life beyond divorce.


What Makes Coach Z So Special?


Most divorce coaches are not attorneys. Coach Z is a licensed attorney with nearly two decades of experience as a litigator. As your Coach, she’s not your attorney. Rather, she uses her vast legal knowledge, her understanding of the legal “system” and its limitations, her lived experience, and her relational knowledge to coach you through the divorce process. Always the strategist, Coach Z will let you know what questions you need to explore with your attorney, and she will prepare you for any possible outcome. 


Find Your Way Back to You


In the years leading up to divorce, it’s common to feel you’ve lost sight of who you are. This makes the life changes that come with divorce feel even more overwhelming and scary—sometimes even impossible. But, behind the fear, you have a well of strength, confidence, and clarity just waiting to be discovered. When you work with Coach Z, she’ll help you tap into the core of who you are—uncovering the inner strength you need to move confidently through and beyond divorce. With Coach Z’s help, you’ll find your way back to you. 

Coach Z’s Specialties

  • Divorce Prevention

    Coach Z is not pro-divorce. She’s been remarried too, and understands the hard work and commitment that is needed for a satisfying marriage. There is no perfect marriage or perfect partner. If you’ve identified an issue in your marriage but aren’t ready to consider divorce, Coach Z can help you unearth the underlying issue, create a plan to address it, and support you as you take steps to preserve your marriage. 

  • Deciding to Divorce

    Deciding to divorce will change the trajectory of your life. If you’re considering divorce but feel paralyzed by the weight of the decision, Coach Z will help you ask the right questions and gather the information you need so you can move forward.

  • Preparing for Divorce

    There is a significant amount of logistical and emotional planning which goes into preparing for a divorce. Coach Z will help you with every step: from hiring an attorney and getting organized to deciding when and how to tell your spouse and creating a plan for the both of you to tell your children. Coach Z has considerable experience in working with the partners and the targets of narcissists and abusers, and she can help you navigate these particularly delicate situations.

  • Identifying Expert Support

    A wide range of professionals may become necessary during the divorce process, spanning from child and family therapists to accounting experts for businesses and tracing of hidden assets as well as experts for family trusts and substance abuse. Coach Z will help you to identify the right experts and to communicate effectively with them to reach your goals.  

  • Working with Your Attorney

    Working with a divorce attorney can be dizzying. Things move quickly, and your lawyer won’t always have time to explain what is going on. Financial disclosures and discovery are often overwhelming, stressful, and may bring on PTSD. Coach Z will help you understand and manage the process in a way that is empowering instead of overwhelming. Coach Z can help you utilize your attorney in a cost-effective way by helping you ask the right questions. She will prepare you for every possible outcome.

  • Navigating the Emotional Toll of Divorce

    There will be times in your divorce where you feel overwhelmed, unsure of where to begin, or tempted to give up. Coach Z will be there in those moments to help you get back on your feet, to learn to stand in your power, and to move forward with strength and clarity.

  • Protect Your Kids from Trauma

    Divorce does not damage children. Conflict in divorce damages children. Coach Z is passionate about protecting your children from your divorce.  She will educate you about the potentially life-altering effects a high-conflict divorce has on children and will teach you how to shelter your children from the negative aspects of your divorce. She’ll also help you understand and create space for the positive aspects that divorce can bring to children.

  • Post-Divorce Conflict

    Unfortunately, divorce-related conflict doesn’t always end once the papers are filed, particularly when kids are involved. In Coach Z’s own divorce, she had to navigate a year-long post-divorce battle. Coach Z draws upon those valuable lessons as well as her experience as an award-winning attorney to help you skillfully navigate post-divorce conflict without becoming burdened with overwhelming stress and anxiety. Coach Z has coached many clients through post-separation abuse and is empathetic, compassionate, and trauma informed. 

  • Learning to Co-Parent

    Co-parenting is difficult for anyone, but it can feel nearly impossible when dealing with a narcissistic, abusive, or conflict-prone co-parent. Coach Z will use neuroscience-backed coaching techniques to help you understand why conflict arises and the most skillful way to engage and disengage. She’ll help you give your kids the peaceful parenting experience they deserve.  

  • Build a Life Beyond Divorce

    Coach Z believes divorce is an opportunity for tremendous personal growth, and she finds great joy in helping clients build a post-divorce life better than they ever thought possible.  Together, you’ll overcome the trauma of a broken marriage and divorce, rediscover what brings you joy, and create an actionable plan so you can live your best life yet.

“My coaching lies at the intersection of law and emotion.” 

-Coach Z

Divorce Coaching Can Save Money


In some cases, hiring a divorce coach can dramatically reduce the financial toll of a divorce. As your divorce coach, Coach Z will help you avoid unnecessary expenses by:

  • Helping you divorce efficiently. Coach Z will help you understand the legal process of divorce and the documentation required so you don’t spend more than you need to on legal fees.
  • Teaching you how to communicate with your ex. When people get angry, they tend to litigate recklessly, needlessly racking up legal fees. Coach Z will teach you to develop effective communication strategies and conflict resolution techniques to minimize litigation and the associated fees.
  • Reducing the emotional toll of divorce. Divorce can be a stressful and emotionally draining process. When emotions are high, it is easy to spend excessively. Coach Z can help you manage your emotions and reduce the emotional costs of divorce, which can help you make better financial decisions.
  • Helping you plan for your financial future. Coach Z doesn’t just help with your immediate needs. She will also help you create a budget and plan for your post-divorce financial needs, which can help avoid financial mistakes and potentially save money in the long term.


Note that the money saved through divorce coaching will vary depending on the individual's situation and circumstances.


Wherever You Are, Coach Z Will Be There.


Coach Z is committed to ensuring she meets you where you are. All coaching sessions are conducted via Zoom or telephonically. In person coaching sessions are available for those in Colorado, if appropriate.


What if You Knew Everything Would Be Okay?


Divorce is a death. At first, it can feel like the end of the world. The fear can be overwhelming and paralyzing. How would things change if you knew that when it was over, you will have realized your true strength and power that resulted in a rebirth and a newer, wiser, version of you? With Coach Z, you’ll work together on your self-discovery so you can regain hope and peace. Coach Z is a lifelong learner of personal growth, mindfulness, and meditation. She will share these tools with you to help you manage the stress of your divorce so you know that whatever comes your way, you’ll be okay.


Is Coach Z the Right Fit for You?


Coach Z’s approach to divorce isn’t for everyone. Coach Z’s most successful clients share some certain things in common. They:

  • Realize long-lasting personal transformation means being ready to move out of their comfort zone.
  • Embrace a growth mindset and are willing to put in the work to become the best version of themselves.
  • Aspire to live a life characterized by peace rather than conflict.
  • Hope to reduce suffering for themselves and their children.


Coach Z is not the right fit for you, if you:

  • Want to do whatever it takes to make your spouse suffer in court, even at the expense of your own well-being.
  • Aren’t interested in using divorce as an opportunity for transformation.
  • Anticipate divorcing in a way which is sneaky or deceptive.
  • Are not willing to let go of your divorce story.


Coach Z Won’t Let This Divorce Destroy You


You’re too incredible to be defined by your divorce. In those moments where you feel like you’re about to break, Coach Z will be there to pick you up, dust you off, and remind you of your strength. All the while, she’ll help you lay the financial, logistical, and emotional foundation to live the post-divorce life of your dreams. This divorce won’t be the end of you; Coach Z will ensure it marks the beginning of your best chapter yet.


Don’t Do Divorce Alone.


Let Coach Z stand by your side. Coach Z uses her combination of legal expertise, neuroscience, and mindfulness to guide her clients through divorce with skill and compassion. Whether you’re considering a divorce, hoping to avoid a divorce, currently in the divorce process, or experiencing post-divorce conflict; Coach Z will help you manage your stress, stand in your power, and make the best decisions for your family and your future.