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Hi, I’m Kristen.
I spent over a decade as a miserable success before deciding to burn it all down to go after what I wanted—instead of resigning myself to what the world told me I was allowed to have.
I had the house, the husband, the kids (twins!), the careers. And yet I still felt like I was slowly being crushed alive by the pressure to do everything perfectly. It was the perfect trap.
Now that I’ve gotten out of it, I’m going back to free the others.
My Story: From Miserable Success to Authentic Leadership
For years, I looked successful from the outside. I’d built multiple businesses, earned advanced degrees, spoken at national conferences, been featured in books and publications. But privately? I was exhausted, stuck, and wondering “Is this really what I worked so hard for?”
Sound familiar?
I’m not interested in a half-lived life. I don’t think you should have to live one either. You deserve more than just surviving. You deserve to thrive, to live all the way, YOUR way.
The truth is, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and compulsive over-performance are all trauma responses. We use them to stay safe in overwhelming circumstances, and they work so well that our brains latch onto them as default patterns. But these responses usually aren’t the right tools for our everyday lives—they consistently leave us feeling worse, not better.
That’s why, no matter how accomplished you are, everything can feel like a constant “fuck me” instead of the “fuck yeah” you thought success would bring.
I’ve broken free from that trap, and now I help other high-achieving leaders do the same.
My Approach: Integrative, Human-Centered Leadership
What Makes My Work Different
I don’t believe in coaching just one area of your life or consulting on strategy without considering the humans who have to execute it. Sustainable success requires both brilliant strategy AND healthy humans.
Whole-Person Perspective: Your business doesn’t exist in a vacuum separate from your relationships, health, or personal fulfillment. When we change your brain in any area, you benefit everywhere.
Trauma-Informed Practices: I recognize that many successful people carry invisible struggles—stress, anxiety, past trauma, neurodivergence—and I create safe spaces for real transformation.
Multiple Modalities: I weave together neuroscience, somatic practices, business strategy, evidence-based mental health approaches, and 20+ years of real-world experience.
Results-Oriented: Whether it’s personal transformation or organizational change, we measure success by actual outcomes, not just insights or plans.
My Background & Experience
Professional Journey
My coaching career formally started around 2006 with business coaching, when my freelance communications firm became so successful that people were beating down my door to find out how I did it—just 2 years out of college.
Early Success Highlights:
- My blog was named one of the top 10 blogs for freelance writers for multiple years
- Featured in several books and national publications about business success
- Spoke at organizations including the National Press Club, American Independent Writers, Society of Professional Journalists, and National Writers Union
- Built my first 6-figure business before age 25
Career Evolution: Since then, my work has spanned entrepreneurship, organizational leadership, mental health, and coaching—which is why I’m skilled at addressing the whole person, not just isolated aspects of life or business.
Currently, when I’m not working with private clients and organizations, I serve as operations and advancement director for a nonprofit running domestic violence and homelessness services in Colorado’s High Rockies. I’ve been blogging about life, business, and parenting for almost 20 years, and have been featured on podcasts, in interviews, and at conferences sharing insights on everything from entrepreneurship to mental health to navigating major life transitions.
Education & Credentials
Academic Background:
- MBA (2019) – Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts–Amherst
- Master of Professional Studies in Publishing (2007) – The George Washington University (concentration in electronic publishing)
- Bachelor of Arts in English (2004) – University of Mary Washington
Specialized Training & Certifications:
- Certified Life Coach – Life Purpose Institute (2020)
- Certificate in Motivational Interviewing – University of Massachusetts Medical School (2019)
- Certified WRAP Facilitator – The Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery (2011, 2016, 2019)
- Mental Health First Aid Training – Bayfront Hospital System (2017)
- Certified Virtual Event Producer (CVEP) – iCohere Academy (2013, 2015)
- Leading Virtual Teams Certificate – Dale Carnegie (2015)
Additional training in trauma-informed approaches, wellness facilitation, hypnosis, integrative change work, and organizational development.
Meet My Amazing Assistant
Erlinda Jean is my executive assistant and an absolute goddess.
Erlinda joined my team in July 2022 and immediately became my right hand and the other half of my brain. You’ll see her in my inbox and in my communities, as well as alllllll over behind the scenes, keeping the lights on and the trains running on time.
From her home near Manila, Philippines, Erlinda works off-hours so she can be fully present with her son during his days — a total win-win-win for all of us! (And can we just mention that her kiddo is ADORABLE? Omg, he’s so cute.)
When she’s not working or momming, Erlinda enjoys reading autobiographies and watching a wide variety of TV series, mostly comedy-drama, crime fiction, and adventure.
Personal Philosophy & Values
What I Believe
There’s nothing wrong with you. This work isn’t about “fixing” what’s wrong with you—because there’s nothing wrong with you in the first place. It’s about meeting the parts of you that’ve been hiding and becoming more of who you actually are.
There’s always a third option. When we feel stuck, whether in business or life, breakthrough comes from finding the path that isn’t obvious but feels aligned with who we actually are.
Community makes us stronger. The best transformations happen in relationship—with coaches, teams, and communities that see and support our full humanity.
Sustainable success honors the whole human. High performance without wellbeing isn’t success—it’s just expensive burnout.
Who I Work With
Individual clients are typically 40-60 years old, high-achieving leaders and entrepreneurs who’ve built impressive careers or businesses but feel trapped by their success. They’re intelligent, ambitious, and ready to do whatever it takes to create something that feels as good as it looks.
Organizational clients are small to medium businesses and nonprofits (typically 10-500 employees) that prioritize both results and human wellbeing. They’re mission-driven, values-aligned, and committed to creating workplaces where people thrive.
Life Outside Work
I live at 10,200 feet in Leadville, Colorado—America’s highest city—with my husband, our twins, two cats, and a spring-loaded border collie mix. We moved here from central Florida in 2017 after a long-distance love affair with this tiny former mining town about 2 hours west of Denver.
Making the move from sea level to the High Rockies should have been massive culture shock, but it felt like coming home from day 1. (After we recovered from driving cross-country with two dogs and two 5-year-olds during historic flooding and blizzards, that is.)
Random Things About Me
I’m great at:
- Embracing major life changes and rolling with the punches
- Singing Disney songs (especially late ’80s/early ’90s Disney)
- Displaying relentless enthusiasm in the face of adversity
- Making lasagna (seriously, it’s amazing)
- Karaoke
I’m still working on:
- Cooking anything other than lasagna
- Becoming a morning person
- Putting the book down before “just one more chapter”
- Saying no to adorable rescue pets
Ready to Work Together?
Whether you’re an individual leader ready to stop surviving your success and start thriving in it, or an organization committed to sustainable growth with human-centered practices, I’d love to explore how we might work together.
Get Started
- Individual Coaching: Contact Me for a Free Exploration Call
- Organizational Services: Contact Me to Schedule Your Consultation
- Speaking Inquiries: Contact Me to Schedule Your Speaking Consultation
Kristen was my coach for over a year. She changed my fucking life and helped me double my business income, which my brain definitely thought was impossible. Kristen helped me become more of myself and my business become more aligned with who I’m meant to be. She’s a bomb coach and you should definitely coach with her because she’s a fiery ambitious bitch who’s changing the world.
Kristen is an amazing coach. She is listening carefully, knows the right questions to ask and the right lessons to share at the right time. She helped me to solve major problems in my personal life and finally start my own business. Step by step I rediscovered myself. We went deep. Sometimes it hurt. I trusted Kristen. I felt understood and supported. So thankful and happy that we met.
Kristen’s coaching is that perfect balance between tough love and empathetic support. In just the past 6 months, her sessions have allowed me to overcome perfectionistic blocks that I didn’t even know were present. I’m healing burnout, learning to show up as myself, and letting tasks be easy. I’m experiencing more freedom than ever in my business. And now, I’m able to better access the joy and fulfillment in my life that I felt like was missing. I can’t recommend her enough!
Kristen's container is energetic and laser-sharp focused on the results I wanted to get, and I got them overnight!
Kristen is an absolute genius at business strategy and mindset, with the added bonus of being an unapologetically hilarious-as-fuck feminist. She's built multi-6 figure businesses and grown national presence with her marketing and teaching brilliance. Her ability to make you feel understood while cracking wise with new perspectives is unparalleled. Hire her immediately and thank me later.
I hired Kristen King because I felt professionally stuck and my brain was on repeat: "It's never going to get better than this"; "I don't deserve to make more money or get a better job"; etc. Kristen helped me see that my mindset and preconceived ideas were the only things in the way of achieving my goals. It sounds simple, but it really is a profound experience when you realize you can change your life if you change your thoughts. The insights and epiphanies that I had while working with Kristen have been invaluable to my professional and personal growth. I highly recommend her services.
Kristen takes the time to really understand and to see me and to see what the exact problem is — whether it's in my business or in my personal life. Not only that, but she can help me see it. And when I can see what's happening, I have so much awareness and the choice to just absolutely fucking stop right there or choose to go on. Kristen has taught me how to fuck around and find out — which has helped me explore many things in my life and business sooner than I would have, had I hesitated for fear of getting in trouble or staying small. I highly recommend working with Kristen King. She will not only tell you how it is, but she will lovingly give you tools and the ability to express yourself, while always making you feel seen and heard in her programs.
Kristen is a phenomenally talented coach. I experienced her coaching directly as peers in a MM together — and HOLY WOW the insights she revealed to me were nothing short of life altering. She colors outside the lines; she weaves her mindset coaching, her brilliant knowledge of pop culture (she mentioned a scene in Harry Potter that illuminated a whole new POV for me), and her CALM commanding demeanor create an infinitely safe-but-strong space for you to get to the heart of what’s going on. I recommend working with her highly and endlessly.
As a Jew from NY I can assure you I have been through my share of therapists. Within this last year I sought out Kristen King. Her approach to supporting each person is like nothing I've ever experienced. The way she speaks, the way she gathers information, the way she shares, the way she guides is truly remarkable. Hang-ups that I've held onto for decades, she has helped me wipe away in just a couple of brief sessions. I've never worked with anyone like her. If you are looking for a truly authentic human who has a way with words and approaches to helping you with every part of your life — she's seriously the one. This last year hasn't been the easiest for me, and she's really given me incredible perspectives, shifts, acceptance and ways to take on life moments that I'd never considered before. Thanks to our work together, I finally let go of the shit that had been holding me back and reopened my private practice post-kids.