As a North Carolina based author and attorney, I’m on a mission to change shared parenting legislation, improve conversations about custody, and create healthier family relationships throughout North Carolina and the nation for current and future generations.

I traveled to New York City in September to speak during a National Parents Organization (NPO) press conference at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.  The purpose of the event was to release the results of the 2019 Shared Parenting Report Card. North Carolina received a ‘D-’ in the recent study. I’m honored to have been chosen to speak at this national event based on my experience with divorce, custody issues, and parenting agreements.

“Ashley-Nicole not only spoke of the trauma inflicted on her as a child, but about how it inspired her to heal others by working in collaborative law. Her journey inspired everyone at the press conference.” 

– NPO Deputy Executive Director, Ginger Gentile

I’m a child of divorce, divorcee, and divorce attorney. Through my personal and professional experience with divorce, I encourage my clients to put their children first in all aspects of their divorce process and lives. While custody agreements can be an emotional topic, I remind my clients that their respect for one another will better their children.

I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if my parents, whenever they divorced, were equal parents. What would it have been like if they were as equal then as when they created me? The conflict would have been minimized in a dramatic way and my life would have been shaped in a completely different way. I was shaped by divorce and it is my mission to change how divorce is handled. It all starts with shared parenting.

I wrote the book, The Cure for Divorce Culture, in August 2018. The book, dedicated to everyone, aims to expose the myths and stereotypes behind divorce culture to illuminate the cure and incite transformation nationwide. A large portion of that goal focuses on prioritizing families. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, more than half of divorces in the United States involve children.

As a Collaborative Law attorney, I’m trained in conflict resolution. This type of divorce process is a legal alternative to filing in court. Collaborative Divorce Proceedings in North Carolina allow child custody arrangements to be made without placing children in a courtroom. I’m also working with NPO chapter volunteers to draft a bill for shared parenting to be presented before state lawmakers.

Shared parenting is a focus in the practice of Collaborative Law. There are various studies which find that children who grow up with both parents, who are equally present, even in separate homes, are healthier and happier. The well-being of their children should be the goal of every divorcing parent.