From Divorce Attorney to Coach: A Branding Journey
The Power of Pivoting: Why Karen Covy Left Law Behind
Ten years ago, Karen Covy made a bold decision that would transform her career and impact thousands of lives. As a successful divorce attorney, she noticed a troubling gap in the legal system—a disconnect between what clients expected their lawyers to do and what attorneys actually delivered. This realization, combined with her desire for geographical freedom, led her to rebrand herself from divorce attorney to divorce coach.
“I realized there was a huge gap in the market between what people thought their attorney was going to do and what their attorney was really going to do,” Covy explains. “Because of that gap, I saw people falling off a cliff, making bad decisions and doing things that ultimately ended up hurting themselves and their kids.”
Rather than trying to change an entire legal system, Covy chose to “fix the people going into it.” This pivot allowed her to reach clients nationwide instead of being limited to specific courthouses in Illinois.
Building Trust Through Strategic Branding
For service-based businesses, particularly those dealing with emotionally charged situations like divorce, trust is everything. Covy learned this lesson firsthand when transitioning from law—where clients already knew they had a problem and understood how lawyers could help—to coaching, which many people don’t even know exists.
“Branding became critically important,” she notes. “To me, branding is deciding who you are, what you want to stand for, what are your values, and then finding a way to convey that to the general public so that they do trust you.”
Her solution? The memorable phrase “recovering lawyer.” This clever branding move serves multiple purposes: it leverages the trust and prestige associated with being an attorney while clearly communicating that she no longer practices law. It’s also memorable and often generates chuckles at networking events.
The “Just Do It” Approach to Brand Development
One of Covy’s most valuable insights is about overcoming the paralysis that often accompanies brand building. In the early days, she was overwhelmed by questions about what her brand should be and how to describe her services.
Her advice? “Pick something and just do it, see how it lands and iterate.”
Over the years, Covy has tried numerous taglines and approaches—some successful, others complete flops. But each attempt provided valuable information that helped refine her brand. She emphasizes that marketing isn’t an exact science; it requires experimentation, willingness to fail, and constant iteration.
“If you sit there waiting for the perfect marketing slogan to fall from heaven into your lap, that doesn’t happen,” she warns.
Finding Your Marketing Sweet Spot
Covy’s marketing success comes from identifying the intersection of three key elements: what she’s good at, what she enjoys, and where her clients are. For her, this meant focusing on writing and speaking—activities that energize rather than drain her.
She started with blogging when videos were expensive and difficult to produce, learned SEO and copywriting, and gradually expanded to social media, video content, and eventually podcasting. The key insight? You can’t build everything at once.
“Find a lane and exploit that lane,” she advises. “Build one thing, then build the next thing, then build the next thing, rather than scattershot, which is trying to do everything at once.”
The Strategic Approach to Outsourcing
As a solopreneur with one virtual assistant, Covy has learned to strategically delegate tasks while maintaining control over the core creative elements. She handles the strategic thinking, content creation, and client-facing activities, while her assistant manages the backend tasks like uploading podcasts and administrative work.
She leverages AI tools to help with descriptions and headlines but emphasizes that these are starting points, not final products. Her philosophy is clear: “You can’t outsource the thinking process. You can outsource the little doing.”
Covy recommends documenting every step of your marketing processes, then identifying which tasks only you can do versus those that can be delegated. This approach transforms marketing from a dreaded chore into a manageable system.
The Podcast Success Story
Covy’s podcast “Off the Fence” focuses on decision-making in difficult emotional situations, extending beyond divorce to employment decisions, relationships, and other life transitions. She knew the podcast was working when the first unknown potential client called after hearing an episode.
But success didn’t happen overnight. She emphasizes that simply creating content isn’t enough—you must actively market your podcast. The strategy, planning, and content creation remain her responsibility, while technical tasks are delegated.
Lessons for Aspiring Brand Builders
Covy’s journey offers several key takeaways for entrepreneurs looking to build their brands:
- Start before you’re ready: Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. Begin with something, anything, and improve through iteration.
- Leverage your existing credibility: Don’t abandon valuable aspects of your professional background—find creative ways to incorporate them into your new brand.
- Focus on what you enjoy: Marketing requires sustained effort over time. If you hate the activities, you won’t maintain consistency.
- Build sequentially: Master one marketing channel before adding another. Quality and consistency trump quantity.
- Outsource strategically: Delegate tasks that don’t require your unique expertise while maintaining control over creative and strategic elements.
Karen Covy’s transformation from divorce attorney to successful coach demonstrates that with strategic thinking, consistent execution, and willingness to iterate, it’s possible to build a meaningful brand that serves both your business goals and your clients’ needs. Her “recovering lawyer” brand proves that sometimes the most memorable brands come from honest, creative ways of communicating who you are and what you offer.
Karen Covy is the founder and CEO of Karen Covy Coaching. Learn more about her work and access free resources at https://karencovy.com/. To hear the full conversation, check out the episode on The Turbo Branding Show YouTube channel.