Break on through

Austin divorce coach empowers women to Break Free from the Divortex

Break Free from the Divortex is available now.

Courtesy photo

Editor's note: Christina Pesoli, author of Break Free from the Divortex, is a longtime contributor to CultureMap Austin. You can view her advice column, Emotional Hardbody Answers, here.

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Divorce statistics in the U.S. are staggering: 876,000 occur each year — one every 36 seconds. While going through a divorce can be gut-wrenching, the process doesn't have to be deemed a tragedy, says Christina Pesoli, author of Break Free from the Divortex: Power Through Your Divorce and Launch Your New Life.

In her new book, released September 2, Pesoli (an Austin-based lawyer and divorce coach) guides women through the divorce process. The goal? To get through the divorce with sanity — and finances — intact. Pesoli, who has experienced divorced firsthand, hopes the book will help women avoid the pitfalls that she fell into.

"The main thing I’d like women to realize is that divorce is a really hard thing, but it’s not a tragedy from which they will not recover," says author Christina Pesoli.

"In the early days of my divorce, I was completely knocked flat," Pesoli explains. With no guide to show her the way, Pesoli stumbled. "I made lots of mistakes before I eventually started figuring things out," she admits.

It didn't take long for Pesoli to realize that she wasn't alone. "I discovered that [other women] were struggling with many of the same issues I had struggled with, and making many of the same mistakes that I had made," she says. "I thought to myself, 'Hey, someone should write a book to help women get through divorce so everyone doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel.'"

Pesoli's Break Free from the Divortex is an easy-to-follow guide that offers practical tips and deep emotional support. In addition to guidance on choosing the right divorce attorney and communication tips, Pesoli delves into strategies for rediscovering one's personal identity and dating when the divorce is final.

"The main thing I’d like women to realize is that divorce is a really hard thing, but it’s not a tragedy from which they will not recover," says Pesoli. "It’s important not to give it more power than it deserves. It’s more like a broken leg than a broken neck. It will take effort to get back to normal; but just like recovering from a physical injury, if you do the work, you’ll get there."

Break Free encourages women to use divorce as a means to start fresh and create the life they want. "Divorce presents an incredible opportunity to take stock of your life and correct course in all sorts of different areas," Pesoli advises. "Don’t squander it."

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Christina Pesoli's book launch party is Tuesday, September 2 at Star Bar. Break Free from the Divortex is available now.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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