I work with high-achieving men navigating divorce without losing their identity, their kids, or everything they built.
I specialize in accountability-based coaching for high-achieving men navigating divorce who are ready to do the work. Not looking for a cheerleader. Not looking for someone to blame. Ready to reflect, own their part in this, and take action. If that's you, keep reading.
You built something real. Now everything is on the line at the same time. I have been exactly where you are standing. I've personally been through a custody battle. Not a bad breakup. A nine-and-a-half-year war in family court against six opposing attorneys and seven different judges. I fired my own lawyer and represented myself. In 2011, I walked out with sole custody of all three of my kids.
If This Is You
You are a founder, CEO, or executive who has built something significant.
The marriage has been over in everything but paperwork for longer than you want to admit. And now that the paperwork is starting, you are doing the math in your head at 2am trying to figure out what you are going to lose and what you have any chance of keeping.
Your business. Your kids. Your identity. Your confidence.
Maybe all of it at once.
If that is where you are, you are in the right place.
Can a divorce coach actually understand what a founder goes through?
I am Mark Aylward. Executive coach, recruiter since 1987, and one of the very few coaches in this space who has fought this battle from the inside.
I filed for divorce in 2002. My son was 6. My daughters were 9 and 14.
What followed was nine and a half years of family court. Seven judges. Six attorneys on the other side who either quit or got fired. A system that treated me like I had wandered into the wrong building every time I walked through those doors.
My ex contacted my clients and employees during the process and destabilized the business I had spent years building. I sold my second company under duress. I walked out of a settlement with $90,000, paid off my credit cards, and was broke.
I fired my attorney and represented myself in the custody battle.
I won sole custody of all three kids in 2011.
I rebuilt everything else after that. The business. The identity. The confidence. Three kids who are doing well and who I am close to in the way that only people who have been through something real together can be.
That story is not my background. It is why I am the only credible voice doing this specific work.
What kind of men work with an executive divorce coach?
I work with Founders, CEOs, and C-Suite executives who are in one of three places.
You are contemplating divorce and want to understand what you are actually facing before you move. You need someone who has been in that courthouse and can help you think clearly before the legal machinery starts.
You are in the middle of it and your company is on the line. Valuation disputes, asset accusations, a spouse who is contacting your clients and employees. You are fighting a two-front war and you need someone who has fought that exact battle.
You are on the other side and still lost. The legal battle is done and you are standing in the quiet afterward wondering who you are now. This is where I do my best work.
I do not work with men who want validation for their excuses. I work with men who are ready to reflect honestly, take responsibility, and do the daily work. If you are looking for a cheerleader, I am not your guy.
What is the R.E.A.L. Framework for divorce recovery?
I use the R.E.A.L. Framework. It is a repeatable four-step process for rebuilding confidence and forward momentum after serious disruption. I built it from my own experience and from hundreds of conversations with men who needed a path back, not a pep talk
Reflect. Face the truth so you stop repeating mistakes.
Evaluate. Cut the noise and double down on what actually matters.
Activate. Create evidence of progress with small consistent actions.
Lead. Align your actions so your kids, your team, and the people around you follow your example again.
Confidence is not a mystery. It is a process. And processes can be repeated.
Credentials
BBA in Marketing, University of Notre Dame.
Certificate of Excellence in Entrepreneurship, University of Central Florida.
Business mentor and judge, Notre Dame Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship.
SCORE Mentor, Orlando FL Chapter.
Trainer and career counselor, Central Florida Coalition for the Homeless.
Executive recruiting since 1987. Two companies built and sold
Thousands of career conversations since 1987, hundreds of them with men at a crossroads. First as a recruiter, now as a coach.
A decade in family court. Sole custody, self-represented.
How do I know if executive divorce coaching is right for me?
The first step is a free five-minute assessment at therealassessment.com.
It takes five minutes. There is no obligation. I review every result personally and reach out if a conversation makes sense for both of us.
If you already know you want to talk, book a free thirty-minute strategy session below. No pitch. No program. Just an honest conversation about where you are and what the path forward looks like.
You do not have to figure this out alone. Very few men do it well alone. And the ones who try usually take twice as long to get where they are going.
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