Our Story

OUR STORY

We were over the moon excited about our new life together!

In love, yes, committed to forever, yes, prepared for what it would mean to join our families together, no.

Shortly after we said, “I do,” marriage encounters as we called them took over the “1happylife” we were focused on creating. And then…

Everyday Life Became Harder Than We Could Have Ever Imagined

Our Breaking Point

Getting married flipped the switch and co-parenting issues that were nonexistent while dating now impacted our ability to focus on creating the family life we both wanted.

Zero boundaries, co-parenting communication issues, scheduling changes, tracking co-parent finances, staying connected on away from home days, first day back after exchange day, parenting styles (discipline and responsibilities), challenging relationships, yes to all of this and more.

This messy and upsetting daily life became our normal until we decided we wanted better, we wanted more.

"I DO - for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for his children, for my child and for children we would one day have together."

Rewriting Our Story

Out of this commitment we began taking the steps we needed to create our 1happylife. From date night conversation ideas written on a napkin, we envisioned solutions to the challenges we faced. We needed a healthy space to not only simplify our co-parenting life but to focus on developing our blended family in private. No more intrusive and emotionally charged issues spilling over into our daily life, feeling disconnected on exchange days, or experiencing the stepmom “outsider syndrome” because you are not in the know.

Here’s what we knew to be true, the research was discouraging. The blended family divorce rate is even higher than first marriages and even more depressing...it typically takes blended families 5 to 7 years to bond. What? How does this ever work when stats indicate that blended marriages end in divorce within 5 years. It is true friends, after four years, Chris and I were at our breaking point. Living a life against all odds is where we began.

The Game Changer

From our date night napkins to making a dream come true we designed a secure platform for creating a private family community™ featuring an exclusive privacy-based “relationship manager” to simplify the complexities of co-parenting and blended family life. The boundaries we needed came to life instantly.

Inspiring Hope

We are living proof that against all odds you too can create the 1happylife you were meant to have. Married for over 18 years, we have endured the growing pains of learning how to work together in a team of his, hers, and ours. Now we want to share what helped us!

Bios

Chris

Chris is a proud husband, dad, stepdad, and pop pop. He is a lover of family, the White Sox and Scrabble. He holds bachelor’s degrees in both Communication and Business with Master degrees in Adult Education and Management.

Chris is a certified Authentic Strengths Advantage® Coach.

Karina

Karina is living her best life as a wife, mom, stepmom and Gigi. She is a lover of dreaming big and encouraging others to live their best life. Karina has a BA in Communication and an MAED in Teaching and Learning Technologies.

Karina is a certified Stepmom Coach and an Authentic Strengths Advantage® Coach.

Our mission…

1happylife seeks to create private family communities™ to solve the complex challenges of co-parenting and blended family life. We are passionate about creating a lasting impact on the well-being of all families.

Our Partner

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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Highly Recommended

“1HL is a must have. The tools simplify what has always been difficult and allowed me to handle the issues I had with my ex to become the parent I wanted to be. There’s nothing better than knowing that I’m focusing on what’s best for my children.”

Leaving the Past Where It Belongs

“At 32, I found myself newly married to a wonderful man with three children of his own. My husband's ex has been a constant issue. High conflict interactions and stress completely derailed my marriage. 1HL made it easy to create boundaries leaving the past where it belongs.”

Simplified Communication

“My world with my daughter had boundaries, ground rules, gratitude, respect, communication, and unconditional love. This new world didn’t. It’s so hard - happy with your spouse but miserable with blended family life. 1HL dramatically changed my husband's communication with his ex, helped resolve scheduling, holiday issues and allowed for the children to transition more efficiently without being caught in the middle.”

My Relationships Are Better

“1HL communication tools made such a difference during our exchange days. My kids love that we get to share life no matter whether they are at mom’s or dad’s house. No more “fear of missing out” feelings. Thank you 1HL!”

Reframing the Impossible

“That 3:00 am Google search gave me 1HL. A platform I never knew existed gave me tools to resolve and reframe the impossible. You CAN have peace in your heart, home and marriage. Life changing!”

Relationship Saver

“I was ready to quit. 1HL scheduling and document sharing saved my relationship!”

Taking Control of Our Life

“Always trying to keep the peace with someone who is unreasonable keeps you in survival mode. My husband’s ex was in the driver seat because we always wanted what was best for the kids. It took a huge emotional toll on our relationship. Once we built our family community there was no turning back. It created the boundaries we needed so that we could take control of our life. No more feeling defeated or stressed. Issues no longer consume our day or trigger negative emotions!”