Her Story
About Kristin
I spent 25 years as a public school teacher before transitioning into my current role as a school counselor. For the past 4 years, I've also been working as a self-esteem workshop facilitator. I developed a self-esteem curriculum called How to Be Happy, which I use in multiple settings including my school, the juvenile center, and private workshops. My work is deeply personal - it stems from my own childhood, which wasn't so easy. I found how to release emotional pain, and then I wanted to share that with other kids as well. I volunteer at the Juvenile Center on Saturdays, working with incarcerated youth to help them work on their self-esteem and heal from their childhood. I love this work because the kids want it, they know it's real, they feel understood and not judged. I'm trained in hypnotherapy, meditation, and yoga, which all inform my approach. Right now, I'm working on getting my program into the prison system, which is my next big career goal. My mission is simple: helping teens of the world find their emotional happiness.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kristin
01What do you attribute your success to?
I really attribute my success to doing my own work and looking at my own self, where my shadows are, and looking at my hurt and healing those. You know, going back and doing that self-love. When I do my own work, I don't carry as much stress, and I don't take the no's as hard. It's like, well, it's free choice, and so people have a right to say yes, but people also have a right to say no. That lets the nose be less personal. You can't help kids if you have your own blocks, because you won't see it or know how to work with them about it. So it really starts from within, it starts from me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I was struggling with a principal one time, and I got the advice to just let him be him. He's not gonna change, you know? So don't fight against it, because it's going to make it worse. Instead, try to smile and understand his point of view. That advice really helped me. It taught me not to fight against things I can't change and to try to see things from the other person's perspective.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do your own work, you know. You're gonna feel better when you do your own work on yourself, and then you're also gonna be a better therapist or counselor when you do your own work. You can't help kids if you have your own blocks, because you won't see it or know how to work with them about it. So just probably do your own work. Be your first advocate. It starts with you.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Kindness would be first for me. So many people are angry and not kind, and kindness just goes such a long way. And then being genuine and not being fake. Those are the values that matter most to me, both in my work and in my personal life. We all need kindness, we really do.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · California
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.