We were lucky to catch up with Genevieve Dreizen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Genevieve, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I didn’t expect to start over at 33. I was engaged, living in an apartment filled with carefully chosen furniture, plans, and promises. And then, one day, it all ended. My fiancé told me he didn’t love me anymore. I was suddenly faced with a blank slate—emotionally, logistically, and physically. I packed up my things, left behind the life I had built, and walked into the unknown. It was terrifying. And it was liberating.

At the same time, my sister Olivia was going through her own fresh start. She was divorcing after years of marriage and trying to rebuild a home and a sense of self with two young kids in tow. I remember helping her sort through her belongings. Half of everything was missing. The air was thick with grief and disbelief. She turned to me and said, “Why is there a registry for weddings and babies, but not for this?” And that was it. We looked at each other and knew we had to build it.

Fresh Starts Registry was born from that moment. We created the world’s first divorce registry because we knew firsthand how it feels to start from scratch. It was immediately clear to us that this was a gap no one else was filling. There was nothing like this out there. We realized we weren’t the only ones who needed this kind of support, and that was a powerful indicator that others would too.

But it quickly became more than just a registry. It became a support system, a community, a platform for free education and expert connections, and a place where people could say, “I need help,” and actually get it. We knew it was a worthwhile endeavor because we were solving both an emotional and logistical problem—and doing it in a way that hadn’t been done before. Our approach was unique: combining practical support (like home goods and services) with emotional care, expert advice, and community—all in one place.

What got us most excited was the idea that we could help people feel less alone, less ashamed, and more empowered during one of the hardest transitions of their lives. We weren’t just filling homes with furniture. We were filling people with hope, support, and the reminder that they weren’t alone.

Now, we’ve grown into the premier divorce support network and education platform in the country. We have media recognition, a network of incredible experts, and thousands of people who’ve come to us during one of the hardest chapters of their lives. I’m proud of what we’ve built. But more than anything, I’m proud that we’ve made it easier for people to begin again. Everyone deserves a fresh start. And no one should have to do it alone.

Genevieve, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Jenny Dreizen, co-founder and COO of Fresh Starts Registry, co-host of A Fresh Story podcast, and host of Jenny Says So, a podcast about boundaries and modern etiquette. I’m also a former wedding industry professional, professional wedding officiant (I’ve married people on TV!), cut my teeth in events working in large corporate event production and on the technology side of events (Event Apps, Registration Systems, Badges, gamification), and a proud New Yorker who now lives in Scotland with my husband.

I got into this work the long way around. I was engaged, living in a beautifully curated apartment filled with furniture, future plans, and the belief that I had it all figured out. When my engagement ended suddenly, I moved into a very sweet but empty apartment and was struck by an idea my sister had come up with about 2 years earlier— why do we support people through the good times with registries and practical support but not in the hard times? I realized how little support there was for people going through major life transitions that aren’t traditionally celebrated—like divorce or a broken engagement.

My sister Olivia had recently gone through her divorce and had to rebuild a home and a sense of self with two young kids. We looked around and thought, “Where is the support for this? Why is there a registry for weddings and babies, but not for starting over?” So we created it. Together, we built Fresh Starts Registry—the world’s first divorce registry and the premier platform for expert-vetted support, education, and empowerment during major life changes.
At Fresh Starts, we provide both practical and emotional support for people who are rebuilding after transitions like divorce, breakups, moves, job loss, or grief. We offer a curated network of vetted experts—from therapists and financial advisors to organizers and real estate agents—as well as free education, a national media presence, and the registry itself, which helps people rebuild their homes and lives with dignity. We also run several top-ranked podcasts, publish books and guides, and create content that challenges the stigma around starting over.

What sets us apart is that we don’t believe in shame-based storytelling. We believe that fresh starts are powerful, worthy, and deeply human. And we know from personal experience what it’s like to rebuild a life from an empty apartment or a half-empty home. That lived empathy infuses everything we do—from our expert recommendations to our newsletters, podcast episodes, and product curation.

I’m most proud that we’ve built something that changes lives in quiet, profound ways. That someone can stumble upon us in the middle of a heartbreak and find not just a list of things they need—but a reminder that they’re not alone. That there’s a whole community ready to cheer them on.
If there’s one thing I’d want people to know about my work, it’s this: we created what we needed. We didn’t wait for permission. We just started building. And now, we’re helping thousands of people do the same.

I want people to know they can find support with us — through building a registry, through connecting with out Experts, through so, so much empowered education, and through our free divorce resource consults with my sister, our CEO, Olivia— where she connects people navigating divorce directly to our Experts and resources they need. It is imperative to us that we do not charge for access to our Experts, the making of a registry, or information– we write books to give them away because we do not believe that information, questions, guidance should be gate kept. Anyone can download our Divorce Guide series directly from our website in ePub or PDF form, no emails collected– just information, passed securely to you. We never saw people navigating divorce as our means of income. This is very, very important to us.

In order to make this business our life’s work, we knew we’d need to locate an income stream—and we felt at peace charging experts to be part of the Expert Guide. But we also knew we had to provide real value in return. We built an expert community that goes far beyond a listing. We built a trusted platform that offers exposure, growth, collaboration, and community. We’re not just helping people start over—we’re helping experts grow thriving, purpose-driven businesses that meet people where they are.

We took everything we’ve learned from years of experience—including running a successful marketing agency together—and poured it into building the Fresh Starts Expert Community. Supporting experts has always been at the heart of our work, and now we get to do it on a national scale. Our expert community offers vetted professionals visibility across our platform, personalized referrals, national media opportunities, podcast features, networking events, workshops, and marketing support. We’re doing what we’ve always done: uplifting experts, amplifying their voices, and connecting them with the people who need them most—during some of life’s hardest and most transformative moments.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Early on we considered pursuing outside funding when we started Fresh Starts Registry. But we were quickly reminded of the harsh reality—female founders receive less than 2% of all venture capital investment. That statistic isn’t just frustrating—it’s clarifying. We knew we couldn’t count on investment capital. And honestly, we didn’t want to build something that required us to shrink or shape-shift to fit into someone else’s idea of what was fundable. In the end, we felt uneasy about the idea of anyone dictating what the company was.

We also knew from the very beginning that we would never collect or sell data about our users. Period. That’s not what we’re about. Our users come to us in some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives—divorce, grief, rebuilding—and their trust means everything. We didn’t want investors pressuring us to monetize in ways that would compromise that trust. Staying self-funded meant we could protect the integrity of our mission and prioritize people over profit, every single time.

We wanted to make this work work for us. So we did what we had to do.

Olivia made the incredibly brave decision to sell her house so we could invest in ourselves. I invested my own personal savings during those early months to make sure we could pay our bills and keep going. There was no safety net—just a shared belief that what we were building was essential, and that it was going to change lives.

We bootstrapped every part of this company. Every dollar went toward building a platform we believed in—one rooted in lived experience, emotional intelligence, and practical support for people starting over. And because we self-funded, we’ve had full creative and operational control, which has allowed us to grow in a way that feels deeply aligned with our mission and our values.

Was it scary? Absolutely. But we bet on ourselves—and I’m proud to say, that bet is paying off.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When we were first starting out, we knew we wanted to bring more experts into the Fresh Starts ecosystem—but we were also very aware that with barely any website visitors in those early days, we couldn’t just promise visibility. That was a humbling realization, and it pushed us to pivot quickly and intentionally. We asked ourselves: What else can we offer that would make this valuable and meaningful, even before our traffic grew?

We pulled from our years of experience running a marketing agency together and shifted our focus to what we knew best—supporting professionals in growing their businesses. That pivot is what led to the creation of the Fresh Starts Expert Community. Instead of simply listing experts on a directory, we built an entire ecosystem: personalized referrals, national media opportunities, podcast features, expert workshops, brand strategy guidance, and access to a network of like-minded professionals. We turned what could have been a limiting moment—an at the time unknown brand—into a creative opportunity to offer so much more.

We also knew, if we wanted this to be our life’s work, we had to locate a sustainable income stream. Charging experts to be in the Guide felt aligned, but only because we were committed to delivering real value in return. That moment of pivoting wasn’t just about adjusting strategy—it was about leaning into what we do best: uplifting experts, amplifying their work, and creating a platform rooted in trust, collaboration, and shared purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://freshstartsregistry.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genevievedreizen/, https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve-dreizen/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@freshstartsregistry

Image Credits

FSR_0635, FSR_0568, FSR_2386, IMG_2256 – Photo by Terrie Alfieri
gen-4 – photo by Rachel Koudellou
Rest of photos by Genevieve Dreizen