‘I tripled my income in a year helping women leave their husbands’

WA woman Carla da Costa used to clean people’s teeth for a living – then she quit her day job and now makes a fortune in a truly unique field.

Carla Da Costa used to clean people’s teeth for a living. Now she helps them leave their marriages.

She’s one of the many Australians who have joined what is being dubbed the ‘Great Resignation’ and quit their day job over the past year.

According to NAB research, over 20 per cent of Australians changed jobs in the last year, and more than a quarter are currently considering quitting. It’s a trend seen in workplaces across the globe, driven in large part by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic caused many people to rethink what’s important to them and search for a better work ‘deal’ that aligns with what they’re looking for, at the stage of life they are in,” explains Lauren Trethowan, Head of Talent at MYOB.

“It has presented us with a once in a lifetime opportunity to question the many fundamental assumptions we hold about where and how work gets done. The ‘Great Resignation’ or ‘Great Realignment’ is primarily driven by people looking to ‘trade up’ on their current position with respect to flexibility, pay, career development opportunities and wellbeing initiatives.”

While these factors all played a part in Carla’s decision to join the Great Resignation, what sets the WA entrepreneur apart is that she is capitalising on another great exodus happening under our noses: the Great Separation.

“I think the statistics at the moment are that one in three marriages in Australia ends in divorce,” Carla explains, “but anecdotally, I know that far more of those marriages are ending in separation – and the real data on divorces coming out of the pandemic will be much higher.”

Carla quit her day job and now makes triple her previous income. Picture: Supplied

Having gone through her own divorce in 2016, right as she was graduating as a life coach, the mum-of-two needed the stability of a nine-to-five.

“I needed to go back to work as a dental hygienist so that I could afford to leave my marriage and support myself and my daughters, who were four and five at the time,” she recalls.

Carla continued her work as a life coach on the side and quickly realised that the market was crying out for someone specialising in divorce to help people who found themselves with a marriage ending and no idea what to do next.

“Basically I needed someone to be that positive voice for me when I went through my divorce, so I became that voice for other women,” she explains.

“Sometimes, women come to me to help them find clarity – they’re not sure whether they want to leave, and they need help tapping into what they reality want instead of what other people think they should do.”

“Other women have already left their marriages, or are planning on it, and have no idea what step to take next. Like myself, a lot of them met their partners when they were still girls themselves, and have never even had a bill in their own name. I help them with the emotional and the practical side of leaving.”

What finally turned Carla’s side hustle into her career was the pandemic and resulting lockdowns, she says.

“I was one of those people for whom the lockdowns actually had a huge positive impact on business,” she says.

“Couples who had been distracting themselves with socialising outside of the home, sports, working late at the office – suddenly all of that was gone and the laser focus was back on each other and their marriage. And a lot of couples realised they had outgrown each other.”

With her marketing niche worked out just in time for the upswing in marital discord, Carla was able to resign as a dental hygienist and focus solely on divorce coaching.

“As soon as I did that, business has just completely taken off,” Carla marvels, “I haven’t even had the time to properly look at the exact figures, but I have easily tripled my income in this last financial year.”

“I have a one-on-one client base, a group program for people who can’t afford to do one-on-one, an online workshop and I’ve also published a book last year.”

Carla now helps women leave their marriages in her new role as a divorce coach. Picture: Supplied

MYOB’s Ms Trethowan agrees that, like Carla’s example, being sure about why you’re making the decision before you make the jump and quit your job can help ensure success.

“Once you know your ‘why’, develop a plan. This may include ensuring you’ve exhausted all internal options within your current company or explored with your boss ways to craft your current role to better draw on your strengths. If you decide to quit, make sure you’ve run the numbers on how you’ll cover your financial obligations, with wriggle room in case things don’t go to plan. When the time comes to exit, make sure you leave gracefully. This includes giving your manager plenty of notice and ensuring a proper handover. You never know what’s around the corner and if things don’t work out you may wish to draw on these relationships to help you find your next role.”

When Carla spoke out recently in an article about just how many women were unhappy in their marriages, she expected some backlash.

What she got instead was a tonne of new followers, and a lot of inquiries about her services.

“I know when a woman is unhappy in her marriage,” she says, “there’s a look in the eye, something to her body language. I know it, because I’ve lived it. I’ve played that game. And I can tell you there are a lot of people at the moment who are unhappily married and are coming to terms with what they need to do about it. They’re the people who I want to help. My big goal is to change the conversation around divorce. It doesn’t need to be a negative thing. In fact, it can be one of the best things to ever happen to a person, if they have the right support.”