Divorce Support Circle – Hosted by Strong Savvy Women

Divorce isn’t easy – but it does get easier when you have support. This monthly Divorce Support Circle is run by Divorce Coach and Ridgefield resident Amy Polacko at the RPAC Art Center in Ridgefield. (**Entrance is to the right of entrance to 850 Degrees restaurant in an alley behind Main Street)

Polacko, a coach and journalist, founded the support group Strong Savvy Women for single, divorcing and widowed women three years ago. It’s grown to attract members across Fairfield County, Westchester County and even New Jersey at its monthly meetings in Darien. The Ridgefield Divorce Support Circle will be a second monthly event Polacko is offering that’s closer to home for area residents. She credits RPAC owner and fellow divorcee Dee Dee Colabella for helping to make this happen.

“The main goal of Strong Savvy Women is to help women move forward – by providing education, support and fun,” said Polacko, who guides coaching clients across the country. “We have women who are considering divorce, those in the middle of the process and many who are several years out. This creates a community where members give support and advice to each other. Magic happens when women get in the same room.”

As a divorcee who has also survived an abusive relationship, Polacko’s heart has led her to this work. She credits The Center for Empowerment in Danbury for helping her escape and has spoken at their annual breakfast. Polacko is an award-winning journalist who writes for national news outlets primarily on women’s issues like domestic abuse, coercive control, Jennifers’ Law, divorce and singlehood. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, Newsweek, The Independent, Observer and Ms. Magazine.

While Ridgefield women are always invited to the group’s monthly meetings in Darien on the third Wednesday of the month, the Divorce Support Circle will meet on the first Wednesday of every month. It will be held from 7-8:30pm at the RPAC Art Center and Academy at 424R Main Street (next to the entrance to 850 Degrees) which has been offered by owner Dee Dee Colabella. Registration is $20 and required in advance through Eventbrite.

“I am so grateful to Dee Dee, who I’ve known since our children were in the Ridgefield Montessori School together,” Polacko said. “She is an incredible example of someone who reinvented herself post-divorce and has had an impact on so many lives through her RPAC Art Gallery, Center and Academy. She continues to give back. Last year, Strong Savvy Women hosted a New Beginnings event at her gallery where she shared her powerful story and inspired every woman there.”

Strong Savvy Women will continue to hold its regular meetings in Darien at the women’s co-working space Hayvn with speakers and at other venues in the area. Registrants can get a virtual ticket to watch on Zoom. Past topics have included Tips from Divorce Attorneys, Real Estate for Single Women, Financial Divorce at Every Age, Coercive Control, Jennifers’ Law, How Do I Trust Again and a recent Divorce Success Stories panel that featured Ridgefielders Maura Dimm and Lisa Stiehl among others. The group also has social events including a Holiday Healing night at the Salt Cave of Darien and a Galentine’s Day Party at Chef Luis Restaurant in New Canaan.

Learn more about the group and its Facebook community here: https://freedomwarrior.info/strong-savvy-women/ or contact Amy Polacko at amypolacko@gmail.com, www.freedomwarrior.info