We were lucky to catch up with Melissa Murphy Pavone recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Melissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

At Mindful Divorce Partners, our mission is to bring clarity to the financial aspect of divorce. Divorce is often one of the most emotionally charged and financially complex transitions in a person’s life and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. My goal is to be a financial ally during this time: to help people pause, take a breath, and really consider how the decisions they make today will affect them 10, 15, even 20 years down the line.

This work is deeply personal to me. My why is my mother. She went through her own divorce with very little financial support or guidance. I saw firsthand how hard she worked to rebuild her life and how different things might have been if she’d had someone in her corner to help her understand the long-term financial impact of the choices she was making.

That experience stuck with me. It inspired me to pursue this path as a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® and create a practice that empowers people to navigate divorce with greater confidence, understanding, and long-term security.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

For those who may not have heard of me or Mindful Divorce Partners before, I’m Melissa Murphy Pavone, CDFA®, CFP®, and I specialize in helping individuals and couples navigate the financial side of divorce with clarity, strategy, and compassion. My work lives at the intersection of financial planning and divorce consulting, and I’m particularly passionate about collaborative and mediated divorce processes that promote dignity and long-term stability for everyone involved.

I came into this field after working for many years as a Certified Financial Planner®, helping individuals and families with comprehensive financial planning. But I saw time and time again how divorce was one of the biggest disruptors in people’s financial lives and how unprepared most people were to deal with it. And not just unprepared logistically, but emotionally, mentally, and financially. Divorce often brings fear and uncertainty, especially around money.

My pivot into becoming a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® was very intentional. I wanted to be someone clients could lean on when they were most vulnerable, someone who could help them understand what was at stake and advocate for financial decisions that support their long-term well-being.

At Mindful Divorce Partners, we offer a range of services tailored to individuals at various stages of the divorce journey:

The Divorce Prep Package – a 3-hour deep dive that helps individuals get organized, understand their financial picture, and get clarity on their options before meeting with an attorney or mediator.

Ongoing Financial Consulting During Divorce – where I collaborate with divorce professionals to model settlement options, analyze assets, address tax and retirement implications, and create post-divorce cash flow projections.

Post-Divorce Financial Planning – helping clients rebuild their financial lives, adjust to new realities, and plan for the future with confidence.

What sets me apart is my team-based approach. I firmly believe divorce doesn’t have to be destructive and that the right team can make all the difference. I work closely with mediators, collaborative attorneys, therapists, and coaches to ensure my clients are supported holistically, not just financially.

And I don’t just crunch numbers, I help clients pause, reflect, and make values-based decisions. I bring a sense of calm and clarity to a time that often feels chaotic and emotionally overwhelming.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn is the idea that “more people means more money”-in other words, the belief that involving more professionals in your divorce will automatically make it more expensive. That’s a really common fear, and I used to think the same way.

But the reality? The right team actually saves you both time and money.

Early in my career, I saw so many clients go straight to litigation, thinking a single attorney could “do it all.” But what ended up happening was that attorneys were expected to manage everything; financials, emotions, parenting plans, all on top of the legal work. That often led to miscommunication, inefficiency, and skyrocketing fees. Worse, clients ended up with settlements that didn’t work for them long-term because they didn’t have the right guidance in the areas that really mattered.

The “aha moment” for me was seeing how a collaborative, team-based approach worked so much better. When each professional stays in their lane, whether it’s a divorce financial analyst like myself, a therapist, a parenting specialist, or a mediator, and they’re all working together with the same goal? That’s where the magic happens. You get better outcomes faster, with less stress and often for less money than a traditional court battle.

That philosophy is at the heart of my upcoming book, Divorce by Design: How Building a Divorce Team Can Help You Get Divorced Efficiently (Without Going Broke!) in Less Than a Year. It’s all about helping people understand that divorce doesn’t have to be chaotic or financially devastating. With the right team, you can make thoughtful decisions that set you up for long-term stability and even peace.

So yes, I had to unlearn the idea that fewer people means less cost. The truth is, specialists save time and money and more importantly, they reduce the emotional toll on everyone involved.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think what’s helped me build my reputation in this space is a combination of expertise and empathy. Yes, I bring spreadsheets. Yes, I know the ins and outs of asset division, tax implications, and retirement planning. But what I hope clients feel most is that I see them… beyond the balance sheet.

Divorce is a deeply personal and often traumatic experience. People come to me in a vulnerable state, and what they need isn’t just financial guidance, they need reassurance, clarity, and someone who’s truly in their corner. I meet them where they are, help them take a breath, and remind them that the decisions they make now will shape their financial future for years to come.

I’m proud to say I’ve built strong relationships not just with clients, but with other professionals -attorneys, mediators, therapists- who trust me to show up as a true team player. And if I’m not the right fit or the situation calls for something outside my expertise, I’ll always connect someone with a colleague who can help. That’s a big part of my philosophy: no ego, just support. Because the goal is to get people through this in the healthiest, most efficient way possible.

At the end of the day, I think my reputation is rooted in how I treat people, with honesty, warmth, and the belief that they are so much more than just numbers on a page. My upcoming book, Divorce by Design, reflects that same mindset: that when we slow down, get the right support, and make informed choices, divorce doesn’t have to be destructive, it can be a turning point toward a better, more empowered future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mindfuldivorcepartners.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissamurphypavone

Image Credits

MARK DICONZO
from KMDECO Creative Solutions