Sara M. Khan, mediator
I’m the founder of Olive Branch Mediation in Northern Virginia, and I’m always glad to help reporters, podcast hosts, and program planners talk about conflict in a practical, down-to-earth way. On this page you’ll find my bios, a headshot, the topics I speak on, my community workshops, and short quotes you’re welcome to use.
Email a Media Inquiry Call (703) 727-8839I usually reply within 1–2 business days and can work with tight deadlines when I know about them.
Quick facts
- Name & titleSara M. Khan, J.D. — Mediator & Founder, Olive Branch Mediation
- Based inBurke, Fairfax County, Virginia; serving Northern Virginia in person and clients statewide by video
- MediatesFamily & divorce, elder care, workplace, and business disputes
- BackgroundClose to two decades in federal consulting, legal operations, and organizational strategy
- EducationJ.D., University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law; George Mason University alum
- Mediation training40-hour basic mediation, 24-hour family mediation, and a 4-hour Virginia Judicial System orientation
- PracticeWomen-owned mediation practice serving Northern Virginia and clients statewide
- Preferred credit line“Sara M. Khan, mediator and founder of Olive Branch Mediation in Northern Virginia”
Short, medium & long bios
Use whichever length fits. Please don’t describe me as an attorney or as offering legal advice — as a mediator, I stay neutral and don’t represent or advise either side.
Sara M. Khan, J.D., is a Northern Virginia mediator and the founder of Olive Branch Mediation. She helps families, workplaces, and business partners resolve conflict privately and outside of court, in person in Northern Virginia or by secure video.
Sara M. Khan, J.D., is the founder of Olive Branch Mediation, a women-owned practice in Burke, Virginia, that helps spouses, families, employers and employees, and business partners resolve conflict privately and without going to court. She brings close to two decades of experience in federal consulting, legal operations, and organizational strategy, plus two years as a law clerk at an estate planning firm. Sara mediates separation and parenting plans, family decisions about an aging parent’s care, workplace disputes, and partnership disagreements. She has completed 40-hour basic and 24-hour family mediation training and the Virginia Judicial System orientation.
I’m Sara M. Khan, founder of Olive Branch Mediation. I help people in difficult disputes slow down, be heard, and build agreements they can actually live with.
I bring close to two decades of experience in federal consulting, legal operations, and organizational strategy, including two years as a law clerk at an estate planning firm. That background helps me understand how workplaces, businesses, and families really make decisions, and it keeps my sessions practical and grounded.
I mediate four kinds of matters:
- Family: separation, divorce, parenting plans, and support
- Elder care: care decisions, caregiving roles among siblings, and family disagreements over an aging parent’s affairs
- Employment: workplace conflict, separations, and manager–employee disputes
- Business: partnership, co-founder, contract, and vendor disagreements
As a mediator I stay neutral and do not represent or advise either side. The parties shape the terms together during our sessions. When they reach agreement, I put it in writing so each person can have it reviewed by their own attorney.
My mediation training includes 40 hours of basic mediation, 24 hours of family mediation, and a 4-hour Virginia Judicial System orientation. I earned my J.D. from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and am a George Mason University alum.
On a personal note, I’m married with two boys, and most weekends you’ll find me with family and friends or on a sideline at the kids’ games.
What I can talk about
Each topic works as a news segment, podcast conversation, article source, or short talk. I keep it educational and general — never advice about anyone’s specific situation.
Co-parenting through the holidays
How separated parents can plan Thanksgiving, winter break, and birthdays ahead of time, handle last-minute changes, and keep kids out of the middle.
Aging parents and sibling decisions
Why siblings so often clash over a parent’s care, housing, and money — and how to run a family meeting that keeps the parent’s voice at the center.
Workplace conflict for small teams
Spotting conflict early, holding a structured conversation between two employees, and knowing when a neutral third party can help a small business or HR team.
Team conflict on federal contracts
The pressures unique to government contractor teams — prime–sub friction, client-site tension, recompete stress — and practical ways to resolve conflict before it affects the work.
When business partners break up
How co-founders and partners can talk through roles, buyouts, and exits without destroying the business or the relationship.
Mediation vs. court: what it really costs
A plain-English look at the time, money, and stress involved in each path, drawing on published, sourced cost research rather than guesswork.
Divorce without the courtroom battle
What actually happens in a mediation session, what a mediator does and doesn’t do, and how couples prepare for one.
Hard conversations at home and work
Listening, reframing, and simple ground rules anyone can use to lower the temperature in a tense conversation.
Free, educational workshops
I offer these programs free to libraries, senior centers, community groups, SHRM chapters, and chambers of commerce. They’re educational only, with no sales pitch, and every session opens with a short disclaimer that I don’t give legal, financial, or HR compliance advice.
Understanding Your Options: Divorce & Separation Without Court
The different ways Virginia couples work through separation, what happens in a mediation session, how parenting plans come together, and what to gather before meeting any professional.
Difficult Family Conversations About Aging Parents
Practical tools for planning and holding hard family conversations about care, living arrangements, finances, and roles — while keeping your loved one’s preferences and dignity at the center.
Resolving Workplace Conflict Before It Escalates
Early warning signs, a simple four-step framework for a facilitated conversation, and how to tell when a situation belongs with HR, legal, or compliance instead.
Planning a program? Email me with your date, audience, and format, and I’ll send a description and handout for your listing.
Quotes you’re welcome to use
Feel free to use any of these with attribution to “Sara M. Khan, mediator and founder of Olive Branch Mediation in Northern Virginia.” If you need something specific to your story, just ask.
“The best holiday schedule is the one you agree on in October, not the one you argue about on December 23rd.”
On co-parenting & the holidays
“When siblings fight about Mom’s care, it’s rarely about the care plan. It’s usually about who has been carrying the load, and whether anyone noticed.”
On aging parents
“Most workplace conflicts start small. The expensive ones are the ones nobody talked about until it was too late.”
On workplace conflict
“Contractor teams are under real pressure: client sites, tight deliverables, recompetes. A structured conversation can protect both the people and the work.”
On federal contractor teams
“Business partners usually start out as friends. Mediation gives them a way to separate the business without burning down everything they built together.”
On business partner breakups
“In mediation, the people in the room make the decisions. In court, a stranger makes them for you. That difference matters more than most people realize.”
On mediation vs. court
Want sourced cost comparisons for a story? My mediation vs. court cost estimator lists every source it relies on.
Media & speaking inquiries
For interviews, podcasts, panels, or workshop requests, email info@obmediation.com or call (703) 727-8839. Please include your outlet, deadline, and topic.
Email info@obmediation.com Call (703) 727-8839