Elissa is an ICF Certified Holistic Wellness Coach, with a specialization in somatics and mental fitness, who helps women awaken their visionary mindset. By activating your visionary mindset you are able to connect to your true self and to your life’s purpose.
‘Vision Activation’, her 4-month step-by-step proprietary program, begins with a visionary mindset training, empowering you to navigate challenges with a more positive outlook and opening you up to new possibilities and a sense of inner calm.
Her coaching style is compassionate, playful, curious, and includes guided visualizations. Her holistic approach to mindset training uses Positive Intelligence to change old patterns and create new pathways as you begin a new chapter of life.
Elissa believes women thrive by connecting to their intuition, establishing a support system, and belonging to a community. She creates a safe space for women to gather, learn and grow by facilitating programs, workshops, and retreats.
Elissa Kennedy, ACC, The Visionary Empath, ICF Certified Holistic & Intuitive Visionary Mindset Coach
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
Hi, I’m Elissa Kennedy.
I grew up in rural upstate New York where I was a country kid, supported by my extended family and a tight-knit community of people who looked after one another. I loved the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley, where I learned to forage, camp, fish, build an amazing fire, and cook. I walked to my grandmother's house where I learned to bake, garden and sew.
When I was 15, I moved to the colorful city of San Francisco, with my mother and sister. It was challenging to be so far from family and to shift from country life to city life. But once I adjusted I couldn’t imagine a better place to live. I enjoyed expanding my understanding of the world in such a diverse city and learned to appreciate other cultures through wonderful friendships, amazing food, and beautiful cultural celebrations.
When my husband and I finally decided to leave San Francisco 11 years ago, we vowed to help our children learn more about world cultures through travel and their Spanish Immersion education. Now, I feel extremely lucky to live in a college town in beautiful Northern California with my husband, our children, a golden retriever, two cats, and three chickens.
Spending foundational years in a small town and then moving to a city helped me to have a unique perspective about people. I realized at a young age that people have more in common than they have differences. We all want a sense of belonging, love, connection and to feel happy doing what we love.
I want to live in a world where we notice all the ways that we are the same and celebrate and honor the differences that make us each uniquely beautiful.
What is your business and how do you help your clients?
I am an ICF Certified Holistic Wellness Coach, with a specialization in somatics and mental fitness. I work with women that are stuck at a transitional stage in their life. Through our work together, they overcome self-doubts so they can embrace their purpose and courageously step forward on their new path.
The women I work with are smart, driven and have a desire to create something positive in their part of the world. They have so many gifts to offer but their inner saboteur voices often hold them back. Shifting their mindset through mental fitness training sets them free from those negative thoughts.
I developed Vision Activation to help these women with a unique step-by-step program that begins with mindset training. Then we create a vision for their next chapter. We also establish a support system and some healthy habits. Finally, we activate their action plan. I've seen amazing transformations through this program. It’s really incredible what these women are capable of creating in their lives with support!
I love being able to help women overcome hurdles that have been holding them back, sometimes for years. I try to be the support system I wish I had 10 years ago.
What kind of audience do you target your business towards?
I’m a multi-passionate person (I enjoy learning new skills, ceramics, gardening, cooking, yoga, nutrition, and traveling), so I naturally connect with clients that also have many interests.
Coaching is the fourth career for me. I was a full-time mother. I ran an Airbnb for several years hosting international travelers. I owned and operated a photography business. And before that I worked for a large non-profit in San Francisco. My life experience helps me support women through many different stages, because I’ve likely navigated many of those stages myself. My clients are often women in transition, including relationship changes, career transitions, entrepreneurial startups, approaching new milestones, and empty nesters, to name a few.
What are your current goals for your business?
Right now, I’m focusing on making coaching accessible to more people. As a child of teen parents, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to make ends meet, while trying to establish a support system. I want to be available to women that could use extra support even if they can not afford the cost of a personal coach.
I’m also excited to announce my new program, The Mindset School. It’s a group program that teaches people how to develop a mindset that will unlock their potential and set them free from destructive and negative thought patterns. They develop new skills so they can handle life's challenges with a more positive mindset and less stress! They experience sustained improvements in performance, relationships, and overall well-being.
The Mindset School is a mental fitness program based on breakthrough original research by Shirzad Chamine, of Positive Intelligence. It’s a synthesis of recent discoveries across neuroscience, positive psychology, cognitive behavioral psychology, and performance science.
I’m thrilled to offer this program to larger groups so that more people can afford to participate. I shared my own story about how mental fitness changed my life in a previous Brainz article. You can read it here.
What is your work inspired by?
I’m a curious person and I love to learn. Over the past several years I’ve become interested in learning about my ancestors. As I study more about my ancestors' tribes and traditions, I enjoy bringing some of that knowledge to my work. Many ancient communities relied on a built-in support system, which helped everyone thrive.
My early childhood also influences my work. I was supported by my extended family in a small town, but when I moved away, that support system couldn’t hold me the same way.
Part of my work is to build a safe and supportive community for women. I am careful to create groups that will work well together, balance each other, and support one another in a non-judgemental, supportive environment.
Someday, I hope to open a multicultural and multigenerational center to dissolve social barriers. We would celebrate cultural traditions and everyone could teach and learn from others in the community.
In the meantime, I incorporate these ideas into my work, by creating community and building connections where we help each other get to the places we want to go.
What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future?
During the past two years, I’ve done most of my coaching on Zoom, which has been incredible because I can work with anyone from anywhere in the world! But I also really enjoy connecting to people in person. I’m developing some new, local, in-person workshops, in addition to many online workshops. Sort of the best of all worlds.
But the thing I’m most looking forward to is connecting with more people for week-long retreats. Retreats offer accelerated, powerful transitions. When we are able to take a break from our normal routine and get full support, we go home with renewed energy and drive. It really helps us move forward quickly and with a focused purpose. There’s a magnification factor when you bring supportive groups together. It’s amazing to see what people accomplish after they participate. It’s a beautiful experience!
Now that the world is relaxing COVID restrictions, I’m planning a couple of retreats for 2023. I am researching eco-friendly locations that support their local communities and have sustainable business models. Last month I was lucky enough to spend a week at an amazing place in Mexico that will definitely make the list!
I love bringing women together. We thrive when we feel supported and are engaged in a community. Connecting with other women, realizing you are not alone and embracing the love and support from that sense of belonging is uniquely powerful. I’m so excited to be a small part of that transformation and look forward to the endless possibilities ahead of us.
Thank you so much for this opportunity to share with the Brainz Community! I’d love to hear from anyone that’s interested in learning more about working with me and I always welcome new connections!
