Meet Mary Ann Hughes

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mary Ann Hughes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mary Ann, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is real and holds many people back, and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome was a term I learned when going through self-development courses and trainings after my divorce, when I was taking courses to become a divorce coach, so I could serve special needs families going through challenges that I had experienced and overcome. I was more familiar with other terms that meant the same thing, and did feel these before and during my journey: not good enough, not experienced enough, scared, unsure, and worried about what others would think. But I learned, or rather reminded myself, that I am good enough, smart enough, and capable of doing what I set my mind to do. This was done by taking and immersing myself in training programs that encouraged me to develop my skills, surrounding myself with encouraging and supportive people, and by just going out and doing the things I was initially scared to do. I’m now seen as a respected thought leader in my field, and that wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t take a chance and put myself out there. As a coach, I am honored to help others to find the strengths they possess and develop skills to overcome their own imposter syndrome and insecurities.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
It’s been 5 years now that I had to unexpectedly face the reality that my 21-year marriage was coming to an end. Divorce is never easy, but as the mother of sons on the autism spectrum, I had many challenges to navigate as part of the process. It was a long, hard road, but I did eventually get a great result for my family, by learning what I had to do to advocate for my children’s needs. My experience inspired me to start Special Family Transitions and become a Divorce Coach, to help other special needs families through the overwhelm and complexities of divorce involving a child with a disability, so they wouldn’t have to go through the extraordinary time, expense and stress that I faced when going through the process.

I’m so proud and honored to now be a Certified Special Needs Divorce Coach, a program which I helped to inspire and create. In addition to many divorce coach certifications I have earned, I have also recently become a Certified Mediator, a Professional Divorce and Family Law Mediator, and a Parent Coordinator and Facilitator as well. I look forward to taking all my skills and experiences to support families facing divorce and other transitions or challenges, to work towards the best result for their family, taking account the unique needs their child with a disability may face.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three factors that have led to my success in recent years are (1) my dedication to my children, to make sure they have the love, support, and resources to thrive to the best of their ability in the short and long term, (2) my passion to help other families learn to navigate the divorce process and advocate for the needs and success of their children as well, and (3) my perseverance in the pursuit of improving my skills, impact and visibility, to be able to support special needs families facing difficult life transitions.

My advice to people starting their journey would be to believe in yourself, and do all you can to serve others, even if you don’t feel ready to put yourself out there. You may not feel ready, but people need you, and you can only help if you let others know how you can help them in their challenges.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I invite parents who are either thinking about divorce, in the midst of the process, or dealing with issues post-divorce to reach out to me for a complimentary discovery call to discuss their situation and how I could assist.

I am always open to collaborate with other professionals who can support special needs families facing divorce, as well as professionals involved in other aspects of raising, educating, or supporting a child or adult with a disability. It takes a village to support a child with exceptional needs, as well as their family members.

Professionals, parents, and anyone interested in connecting can reach me through my website https://www.specialfamilytransitions.com, by emailing [email protected], or by visiting and messaging Special Family Transitions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Looking forward to connecting with you!!

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