Meet Abbie Godles, Esq. | Family and Divorce Mediator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abbie Godles, Esq. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abbie, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I came up for the idea for my family and divorce mediation firm when I saw the gaps in accessing justice, specifically in the family law arena. I wanted to offer affordable and out-of-court services because most families don’t require full representation or a knock-down, drag-out fight. Further, I don’t believe a judge should decide your important family decisions for you, unless absolutely necessary. So, when I couldn’t find a firm accomplishing all of these goals, I knew I needed to open my own doors.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am very much living my best Elle Woods life and use not fitting the stereotypical lawyer mold to my advantage. Further, I have bipolar disorder and always do what I can to advocate against the stigma, emphasizing the toxic “always on” culture isn’t strictly necessary to succeed. Both of these things have given me and my firm an edge because I am authentic in addition to bringing my legal and psychological expertise to the table. Plus, between my love of pink, quirky branding (for a law firm at least), and last name, I am certainly memorable!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A day trip to Sedona, Jerome, Wickenburg, or Prescott would be a must. For an indoor activity, I would definitely have to say the Phoenix Art Museum. As for food, there has to be a frybread place for Indian tacos and Ranch Market for street tacos. And for my fellow sweet lovers, Banham’s Cheesecake is hands down the best cheesecake I have ever tried! Even just finding a section of Biltmore or downtown to explore all the cool businesses hiding in nooks and crannies – there’s so much packed into these areas you can always find someplace new!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Personally, I have to do the trite parental shoutout: without my parents’ relatively healthy divorce starkly contrasting war stories of my friends’ parents’ divorces, I wouldn’t have so easily found a passion in wanting to mitigate the divorce fallout on children. Further, my hippie mother primed me perfectly for the mediation arena. Professionally, I have to shoutout MCAFM (Maricopa County Association of Family Mediators) for being just as passionate about family mediation as I am.

Website: www.MediateMyFamilyAZ.com

Instagram: @mymm_az

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mind-your-manners-mediation

Twitter: @mymm_az

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindyourmannersmediation/

Image Credits
Professional headshot by JJ Westgate of Intrinsic Imagery. Screenshots from the Zoom recordings of Abbie L. Godles’ October 2020 and 2021 MCAFM presentations.