When I first made the decision to end my marriage, I spoke with a lawyer. I imagined my spouse getting served. Then he would get angry and I would probably have to move out of the house immediately and we would have nothing but fighting and disagreements from that point forward. I knew it would end badly and we wouldn’t even be friends. That was important to me, to stay friends as we have children. Then I found out about Redefining Divorce. I heard that Zina had a high reconciliation rate. So I approached my spouse and off we went. Although we still had some heated conversations, we amicably got through the divorce process thanks to the continued assistance and support from Zina. She made herself available whenever we needed to speak with her. When things would get heated, her care and compassion (and skill set) helped us to regain focus and get through the process. I don’t think we could have gone through the process as well as we did if we didn’t use Redefining Divorce. Now we may actually have a chance at reconciliation one day!
— Satisfied Client
I wanted to take a moment and thank you for what you do. Separation/divorce is never easy on anyone. It seems like the minute someone decides to go that direction their first thought is to call an attorney, not realizing their options. Working with you was one of the best things myself and my ex could have done in our situation. We were somewhat amicable and just needed to work with someone we could trust. First, I met with an attorney to draw up the divorce filing, gave him a $3,800 retainer, it was gone within days and nothing had progressed. I had to stop and re-evaluate what we were doing. I did not have $10k, $20k, or more to finalize my divorce and I certainly could not afford the debt. I came across one of your advertisements and the fresh look of it drew me to call you. One of the best calls I have ever made. I knew I liked you based on our first conversation and then I met you in person. It was such a relief to talk to someone who truly listened to my needs and gave me a realistic plan to finalize my divorce. You set realistic expectations and you met all of them. You were able to put us at ease and made us both feel that you were completely unbiased. Here we are, four years later and I still refer people and my customers to you. It just makes sense and I wish more people knew about your services. Keep doing what you do and please feel free to have anyone contact me to get more details of my experience. You are a wonderful person and you save families!
— B.G.
Thank you for your tenaciousness and persevering through a very difficult time in my life as we worked through the process of dividing 40 years of relationship and marriage. I realize this was far beyond yours or our expectations. Your desire to see the 40 years of marriage be maintained had to be as rough for you as it was for us. Regardless of the way it turned out you did all you could have done. I am sure 20 years or less would be a lot easier to dissolve or repair, but you stuck with us regardless of the time it took. I am sure there were many days you thought you would have to give up and move on to a more productive relationship, but you choose not to give in and I am truly appreciative that you didn’t. As you know, my former wife and I have both moved on with our lives. She is happy in new marriage and I am enjoying the dating process with hopes of a marriage again in the future. You have been an instrument in our healing and moving forward and I am truly thankful for you.
— J.G.
I wanted to express my gratitude to you and your staff for the time, energy and professionalism you offered during a very difficult time in my life. I will admit I was very hesitant to use a mediator for my pending divorce. I really wanted someone who was out for my best interest and that of my children. I was very concerned about the fact that you had to remain neutral between myself and my spouse. After meeting with you and your counselors several times I soon had a sense of calm and a feeling that I was in very capable hands. You remained professional and unbias during some very emotional times. Your ability to diffuse stressful situations between my spouse and myself was amazing. You kept our focus on the most important issue, our children. Your knowledge of the divorce procedure was amazing. You were able to address every question and concern. You were available for communication at all times and always got back to me in a timely manner. Although in the end my spouse decided to use an attorney, all of the stipulations and orders that you put in place, remained in place even after going before a judge. We have been in court and with attorneys now since January 2012. We have spent 3 times as much money with them as we did with you and we are still on the first issue. I didn't realize it then but you protected us both from a very grueling battle and I am thankful that we had you for the time we did.
— Thank you from a very grateful client.
"I never imagined myself going through a divorce, but at the moment I was faced with it, I knew there had to be an alternative to the traditional "lawyering up and slugging it out". Fortunately, someone recommended that I consider mediation and gave me Zina's name.
Just the word itself helped dampen the anxiety, and once I learned about "Redefining Divorce", I knew this was the only way to approach such a difficult challenge. Above all else, Zina is a professional and knows her trade. Then, she takes divorce and flips it on its head. She ushers people to an eventual agreement all the while listening, coaching and reassuring both parties that each person's best interest remains intact and her primary concern. Zina does this artfully and with integrity. While I don't ever want anyone to experience the dissolution of a marriage again, I would recommend Zina to anyone contemplating this path."
— K.F.
During my divorce I realized that I was blocking a lot of emotions from things that had happened to me in my childhood. Things that I didn’t even know happened. During that extremely emotional time I started to hurt myself in ways that no adult could ever imagine they would subject themselves to. Zina recognized that I was in a state of emotional turmoil (to say the least) and that I needed help. I fought her over the idea of therapy or that I needed help because I believed “I could do it on my own if everyone would just leave me alone.” Turns out, I couldn’t. I finally listened to Zina and showed up at my therapist’s appointment. If I hadn’t done that we don’t know what would have happened to me or my children.
I truly believe that I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Zina. She inspires me daily! I can now recognize when I start to slip in my life and I think about Zina (and Judy, my therapist) and what she would say in the situation and I make it through the day. I thank Zina and Judy for saving my life . . . Zina is an amazing woman with compassion and patience I have never seen in anyone. I won’t ever forget my experience with her and the staff at Redefining Divorce. Thank you, Zina. My children thank you also- they are happy to have their mom back.
— K.H.
My husband and I were divorcing and needed a mediator. After our initial phone conversation, I knew that Zina was warm, compassionate, and ethical. It was important to me that our divorce be handled with as much integrity, fairness, knowledge and kindness as possible. Zina made the whole process very easy and I felt grateful that I had someone who I trusted handle such an important transaction in my life.
As I got to know a bit about Zina's practice, I learned there were some very special things about her. I learned that when she takes clients with children, she insists that the children be in counseling. I learned that Zina's passion is not only for a couple to find the easiest path to a divorce but also that their children are well cared for along the way. I believe this shows an unbelievable commitment to her clients and her community.
I also learned that she networks with other professionals in her community such as therapists, financial planners, and tax accountants as all part of the divorce solution.
Zina is special because she truly cares and it shows every step of the way. These are the types of leaders that we need in all our communities.
— A.P.
Zina is an innovative and passionate business-community leader in the field of family law. Her dedication and commitment to helping her clients is the golden model that puts family values first. Her professional services focus on caring for and understanding individual families to help them build better futures. All the clients I have recommended to Zina love her and are most grateful for her care and attention to helping mediate their sensitive family matters. She provides her families with every resource necessary to help them grow and find happiness. She loves kids and her professional career. As a result of her dedication and commitment to helping people, she has been recruited to serve on the Board of Directors for Youth Leadership America (YLA), a local non-profit organization that services Orange County youth. She is truly an example for how we all should conduct ourselves in life and business.
— J.N.
I have had the pleasure of working with Zina Gleason at Redefining Divorce for 2 years and I am thankful that I discovered this amazing woman and company.
As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in Newport Beach, my specialty is helping couples in marriages that are on the brink of divorce. It is a painful and agonizing journey that leads a marriage to divorce. On a number of occasions, I have been asked for a referral for a lawyer-mediator when divorce seems to be the only option. My first and only choice is to refer them to Redefining Divorce. I know that my clients will be treated with the expert knowledge, unconditional kindness and compassion that are needed. Without exception, my clients have been genuinely surprised and pleased by the professional yet gentle and empathetic approach that is the cornerstone of this company.
Of the most stressful events that can occur in a person's life, divorce is at the top of the list, and divorce occurs at an alarmingly high rate. The personal triumphs and legal outcomes achieved by Redefining Divorce not only affect the individuals who seek help with a divorce but also the families, communities by extension and society in general who are impacted by divorce. Redefining Divorce is a business that deserves to be honored for its work toward changing how divorce is handled and exemplifies what the legal field is meant to be- compassionate, competent, diligent, and grounded in good judgment.
— Linda M. Price, Ph.D.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Zina Gleason is the epitome of an entrepreneur. She saw a need for mediators that could help couples maneuver their way through what could be a complicated, emotional and expensive path of a divorce process, and filled it. She provides a service that saves her clients money and unnecessary heartache. Her reputation as a fair, honest and realistic mediator has propelled her business to be profitable in a very short period of time.
It was never a question for Zina as to where she would locate her business. Fullerton is her home. Upon opening her business, she immediately joined the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce. She is a fixture at most of the networking events and has made it a point to meet as many fellow members as possible. Zina also cares about the City. You will find her at a variety of Fullerton civic and non-profit events that better the community.
Zina is a unique, vibrant and passionate individual and her work is unparalleled. I am honored to know her and grateful that she created Redefining Divorce to service struggling families.
— A.N.
As a Marriage Family Therapist who specializing in treating couples, I know all too well the destruction an adversarial divorce can have on a family. Both partners pay a heavy price in any divorce scenario but, unfortunately often the children of divorcing partners suffer the most. The financial cost of dissolving a marriage can be well into 5 figures for each partner.
I have worked with Zina specifically because of Zina's tireless efforts with her clients in mediation. She advocates for the interests of the children when necessary. All too often, children need to have their interests voiced and Zina has demonstrated clarity and determination to work for the best solution for everyone, including the children.
I would highly recommend Zina to anyone seeking help with their family matters.
— Paul McCandless, MFT
Licensed Marriage Family Therapist
I just wanted to thank you for all of your help over the last 7 months. The choice to go with mediation for my divorce turned out to be a great decision! I've watched a few friends go through divorce with both sides using attorneys, and seen how contentious and expensive things can get. You were able to smooth over issues that came up and kept the process rolling along. When issues arose that seemed insurmountable (to me!) you had the knowledge of different legal options to solve the problem and keep the process on track. I really appreciate you being so available by phone and answering my endless questions! Overall, the cost of using Redefining Divorce was much less than hiring an attorney, and my divorce was final in 7 months. I would be happy to talk to anyone who is considering using your services to let them know what a great job you've done. Thanks again!
— K.N.
When I was introduced to Ms. Gleason, through an attorney I retained in 2006, I was immediately impressed with her attitude. She was a standout in an industry teeming with jaded, impersonal, money hungry representatives. What stood out mostly about this woman, was her skill, determination, and devotion to the children caught up the nightmare of Family Court. With Ms. Gleason's help, I was able to navigate through the paperwork, protocol, and shark infested waters of court. Often working for free to see the right thing done, Zina is a breath of fresh air. Able to think outside the box, and unmotivated by profit concerns, I recommend Ms. Gleason whole-heartedly.
— C.P.
Divorce is a difficult, painful journey for the entire family. I was unprepared for the lessons I learned in Family Court. Those lessons took me through nearly every avenue available to a parent in litigation. I hired attorneys who showed more passion and capability in our first interview than in the entirety of my court case. As a divorcing Mom I was cut off from any funds, and this lack of finance seriously affected the way I was represented. I watched retainer fees I could scarcely afford get eaten up before we ever went to court. I am still paying some of these attorneys to this day. If knew then what I know today, I would have opted for a program like Redefining Divorce over hiring my attorneys, going to court, and spending over $40,000 dollars. I am so glad this program has been developed for couples out there who need assistance through this journey.
— C.A.
When I started my divorce, I hired one of the most reputable Family Law firms in California to represent me. This is where I met Ms. Gleason. While the attorneys at the firm were spending my money fighting with the opposing counsel and making little progress, Ms. Gleason was trying to mediate my emotions and current situation for the sake of my daughters. She had no control over my ex husband or his attorneys, but she could control me. It was the first time during my divorce I believed I was the focus and not my pocket book. She kept me sane and emotionally stable during the most difficult time of my life. No one else seemed to care about my case, I was just another one in their stack.
I learned through this process that attorneys can get favorable orders and judgments from the court to make their clients happy. However, these orders and judgments do not mean the other party has to abide by them. The attorneys can try to force the other party to follow through on the orders but that just costs incredible amounts of money and nothing changes. It is much smarter to come to an agreement that both parties agree with in order to maintain some support versus none.
Mediation allows the parties to make their own agreements so that enforcement of the orders is not impossible. Ms. Gleason is a very reasonable person with an extremely ethical character. There are some attorneys out there that practice family law and mediation but Ms. Gleason focuses exclusively on mediation and carries the parties through the entire process. She also provides services that continue on after the process so that the parties can move on with their lives, amicably. I am so grateful that Ms. Gleason is doing this.
— L.Y.
Orange County: (714) 365-4822