She once was a divorce attorney.

She once was married.

Now neither, Jacqueline Clark of Sammamish applies her legal expertise and personal journey through the divorce process as a life coach.

The 46-year-old’s aim to help people through some of the most emotionally charged situations in life has put her on a path to help people locally and abroad.

“The questions of life are the questions of our relationships,” she said. “So many times when we’re not having a great life, we blame our relationships.”

She sees three types of clients: those going through a divorce, those who are dating (usually middle-aged or those starting anew after their divorce) and those in need of direction, unsure of what to do in their current relationship.

She uses Skype to communicate with most of her clients, though she does have an office where locals are welcome to chat in person.

The Canadian native practiced law for more than seven years, about 40 percent of that focused on family law, like divorces or separations. Due to a technicality that would require her to redo her education in the U.S., she stopped practicing after she, her husband and their children moved to the States.

“I decided I would reinvent myself and become the best stay-at-home-mom ever,” she said. “I did a lot of volunteer work.”

She was married for more than 15 years before going through a divorce in 2014. Through her own emotional experience, she began to see what it was like to traverse the legal system as the divorcee, not the lawyer. She said she was her own first client.

But it really wasn’t until one of those ads on the side of her Facebook thread pointed her in the direction of life coach that she thought: “That’s it. That’s what I want to be.”

Since then, she’s taken more than 400 hours in coaching training and relies on her legal experience to “walk people through the divorce” and to “help them manage their emotions.”

She does not tell her clients what to do, but instead listens and asks them questions.

“A coach lets you be you; they don’t have any judgment,” she said. “They’re listening totally open-minded.”

She helps people understand what they’re facing and empowers them, so they’re not “hiding” from necessary decisions, she said.

Clark customizes each session to the client and has some group sessions available, too.

“People need to feel heard,” she said. “We all need a coach. We all have a blind spot.”

At the end of her session, don’t be surprised if she asks for a hug.

“People need that physical touch and they’re not always getting it,” she said.

More information

To contact Clark or to learn more, email jeclarkcoaching@gmail.com or call 425-890-1952.