Meet Our Experts

Bart is a proud member of the International Association of Collaborative Professionals, and is the President-Elect of the Board for the South Carolina Academy of Collaborative Professionals. He is certified by the South Carolina Board of Arbitrator and Mediator as both a Circuit Court and Family Court Mediator and has been a trainer in Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice since 2011.

Bart is a member of the American Bar Association, South Carolina Bar Association, and is admitted to practice before all Federal District Courts in South Carolina and the US District Court for the State of South Carolina.

Bart received his Juris Doctor Degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in Columbia, South Carolina.

Throughout nearly a quarter-century, Laura’s firm has established itself as one of the preeminent divorce law firms in South Florida. Laura is recognized and respected within the legal community and concentrates primarily in marital and family law. She has also featured several articles related to divorce in Simply The Best Magazine. 

Laura received her Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University of Law in Boston, MA. She is a member of the South Palm Beach County Bar and of Family Law Section of Florida. She is a Collaborative Family Law Trained Attorney as well. Her practice is based in Boca Raton, serving Palm Beach County and Broward County - concentrating primarily in Marital and Family Law.

Jamie is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Family Law Partners. She focuses exclusively in the area of family law and is licensed in Missouri. Jamie is passionate about providing meaningful legal services, advocating for clients in divorce, child custody issues, adoption matters, spousal support decisions, and other family law situations. 

After receiving her undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri - Columbia, Jamie went on to attend Saint Louis University School of Law where she earned her Jurius Doctorate with a concentration in Civil Litigation Skills.

Jamie is a member of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) and has served on the executive committee of the Young Lawyers Division of BAMSL. She received the Award of Merit for her service in BAMSL for the 2017-2018 year.

Jamie lives in St. Louis with her husband and family. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, decorating, and participating in a wine club.

Cheryl developed Collaborative Law in Michigan in 2005 where she served as President of the Collaborative Practice Institute of Michigan and became part of the board until she moved cities. She went on to serve on the board for South Carolina Academy of Collaborative Professionals where she served three years as President and as Treasurer recently.

Cheryl has held the “AV Preeminent” peer review rating by Martindale-Hubbell for more than 20 years. This rating signifies that her peers ranked her at the highest level of professional excellence for her legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.

She received her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy and a Master’s from the University of Michigan. Cheryl has organized and taught the collaborative method in numerous training sessions, both in Michigan and South Carolina. She is a frequent lecturer on Collaborative Law and Family Law issues, both in Michigan and South Carolina.

Keith has been in the private practice with General Civic and Criminal Law with emphasis on Business Litigation, Family Law, Employment Discrimination, Government Consulting, and Personal Injury Litigation since 2013. He is the attorney/director of Diversity and Inclusion for the St. Louis Community College.

Diane draws from over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. She graduated from the College of Charleston in 1992, has been registered as an Investment Advisor Representative since 1999, and received authorization to use the CFP® marks of distinction in 2005. Diane established her own fee-only financial planning practice located in Mount Pleasant, SC in 2005. She joined Charleston Financial Advisors in 2009 and currently remains there.

Outside of the office, Diane enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, boating or reading a good book just for fun.

Charles went to Washington University in St. Louis, MO and assists taxpayers and small businesses with taxes in St. Louis and the surrounding communities. Whether you are an individual or a local business, in or around St. Louis, Charles has years of valuable experience as an IRS registered tax preparer.

Karen is a wealth planning specialist and owner of The Emerald Financial Group. Her philosophy is simple: Live for Today, Plan for Tomorrow! She has 24 years of experience in the financial service industry and has been a keynote speaker for multiple industry conferences. She’s also been featured in magazines, newsletters, radio, and TV shows.

Karen’s TV appearances include The Daily Buzz, and Lifetime’s The Balancing Act, all in which encouraged women to gain control of their financial lives. Her most recent community outreach includes kick-starting a new educational program with JAFCO to teach women how to be in control of their money: how to make it, use it, spend it, and properly save it.

In 2014, Karen became a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst or CDFA. She is a past national president of Women in Insurance and Financial Services, WIFS; past president of local Boca Raton, Gold Coast Chapter of WIFS, and a past president of the Broward County Chapter of The Society of Financial Service Professionals.

Lina earned her Master’s in Clinical Psychology. She trained in infant mental health, child and adolescent development, interpersonal neuro-biology, and trauma-focused treatments. In 2012, she founded her parenting program - Stop Parenting Alone. 

Through doing so, Lina made a commitment to assist parents in identifying how children challenge parents to be their best selves. She helps parents understand when their child’s behavior is developmentally appropriate in contrast with behavior that is caused by divorce.

Lina helps parents manage and handle difficult behavior with children, as well as understanding and developing a healthy relationship between parent and child. She teaches parents how to raise emotionally intelligent children and would eagerly teach you everything you ever wanted to know about the adolescent brain.

Drawing from Philosophy, IFS Therapy, and a wide array of spiritual teachings - old and new  - Karen has helped clients turn toward their own internal turmoil in order to transform their pain into wisdom and confusion into clarity. Karen is a trained philosopher, educator, and counselor. She has helped individuals and families gain insight, invite growth, and heal their traumas.

Her years in therapeutic practice, her innate spiritual curiosity, and her deep appreciation for the ways suffering offers transformation has led her to create The Center. She works outward from her mission to help ease suffering in the world through compassion, growth, and healing.

Karen got her PhD in Ethics from Washington University, an MA in Counseling from Webster University and another MA in Philosophy from Washington University. She completed her training certificates for Internal Family Systems in Levels 1, 2, and 3 in 2019. She’s currently a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Missouri.

As an expert in the art of personal transformation, Sandy helps her clients understand the most important relationships of all - the one with themselves, the one with Source and the one between their heart and their soul.

Sandy is a Certified Relationship Coach for both singles and couples. She’s an Energy Leadership Master Practitioner, Licensed Massage Therapist and Energy healer. She held her Professional Certified Coach Certification through the International Coach Federation ICF, where she served on the leadership team of the ICF St. Louis Chapter. She's also a member of the Relationship Coaching Institute RCI and a certified Professional Coach.

Stephanie is a licensed psychologist in the state of Florida. She has a private practice working with children, adolescents, and adults for individuals, couples, family and marital therapy. Stephanie views therapy as a collaborative process where trust, safety, and commitment are valued and respected.

She also provides clinical supervision to Master’s and Doctoral level students at the University of Miami. She served as Adjunct Faculty at University of Miami and Florida International University, teaching multiple courses such as Marriage, Family Systems, and Family Therapy Assessment.

Dr. Triarhos received her MSEd and PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Miami. She completed a two year post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado with a specialization in working with infants, children, and their families.

In 2003, Eric collected intelligence for the United States military that led to the exact location of Saddam Hussein. His unique interrogation technique - Empathy-Based Listening - shaped the future of intelligence collection for the military and civilians around the world.

Just as his technique worked in gathering intelligence for the capture of Saddam Hussein, it can be used as well to turn the tides during negotiations in a divorce. Experience has taught Eric that an empathic listener is able to understand what the other side wants and why they want it.

Today he shares his technique with people and companies around the world as an inspirational speaker, author, consultant, and negotiator.

Debbie is the founder and president of Transformation thru Divorce, LLC where she provides divorce, post-divorce, and co-parenting coaching. She is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator, Florida Supreme Court Qualified Arbitrator, certified life coach, and a trainer in the practice of Collaborative Divorce in both Florida and South Carolina.

Her expertise has been recognized by multiple print publications including The New York Times, and she now hosts a morning talk segment Debbie Does Divorce, on WCIV-ABC News 4 in Charleston, SC.

She also writes a monthly divorce column in Carolina Compass newsletter and is the travel editor of The Florida Villager, in addition to her blog at The Huffington Post.

Debbie has her MA from University of South Florida and serves on the executive board for the South Carolina Academy of Collaborative Professionals.

Travis is the founder of Live Yes, And - whose mission is to inspire individuals, teams, and organizations to live their authentic brilliance. He loves supporting individuals and giving them the tools to thrive through adversity. He is the author of, 3 Words for Getting Unstuck: Live Yes, And.

Travis has served as a leadership coach for world-class organizations, including Fortune 500 companies and sports teams such as the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, the USA National Soccer Team, and the University of Georgia Football.

James has completed three deployments to Iraq during Operation Iraqui Freedom. He served as a physician for the Missouri Army National Guard. He is board certified in both Family Medicine and Pain Medicine, receiving his doctorate from the University of Missouri - School of Medicine. After finishing his residency in Family Practice, he completed a Pain Medicine Fellowship at the University of Iowa.

Alongside his medical career, Dr. Toombs has maintained a parallel career in the military spanning more than 30 years. He joined the Marine Corps Reserves while in high school, then transferred to the Army National Guard in college. James completed flight training with the Army in 1988. During Desert Storm, he commanded an air assault helicopter company in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq.

James is the author of numerous peer reviewed medical articles and was a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development, as well as medical advisor for Pain Treatment topics.

Karen is the best-selling author of Each Day a New Beginning, the first daily meditation book written expressly for women in recovery from addiction. She has published over 28 books, with some other best-selling titles like Keepers of the Wisdom, A Woman’s Spirit, Fearless Relationships, and A Life of My Own.

In a span of forty years, Karen has lectured and done workshops with tens of thousands of people across the world. Her book Each Day a New Beginning has sold more than three million copies and has been translated into ten different languages.

Over the years, readers around the world have come to regard Karen as a trusted companion on the recovery journey. She lives in Minneapolis, MN and Naples, FL.

Su-Nui believes that it’s possible for anyone to enjoy a delicious life while maintaining good weight and health. She’s a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist at Larkin Community Hospital with a Master’s degree in Dietetics and Nutrition.

Su-Nui’s creativity, charisma, and knowledge have made her a leader in her field and landed her various television guest appearances on popular shows like Despierta América, Sabroso on Univision, and Un Nuevo Día on Telemundo and CNN en Español.

As a nutrition expert, Su-Nui serves as a consultant on nutrition and fitness programs including Yes, You Can by Chaban Wellness. She also acts as a spokesperson for the Hispanic Milk Moustache campaign and is a frequent speaker on nutrition for hospitals and health and community centers.

In her free time, Su-Nui enjoys running in marathons and experimenting with new recipes.

Lisa’s expertise stems from personal experience. As someone who has gone through divorce, Lisa's most interpersonal moments shine through with retrospective tips and advice on how to cope with difficult moments. She shares simple and immediate ways that you can stop yourself from sinking into overwhelming emotions, the differing roles people play in your life, and how to approach new birthdays and holidays.

She's the former director of the divorce support group Untangled, and has helped many women going through the process.