Brainz Magazine Exclusive Interview
Kristen Russell is an accomplished Transformation & Emotional Fitness Coach with a remarkable career spanning over 18 years. She has excelled in high-level management positions within the Project Management & Construction industry, predominantly in Defense Contracts and the Public Service Sector. Throughout her professional journey, Kristen has always been naturally inclined towards collaboration, leadership, and mentoring teams. She derived immense satisfaction from her roles, not only due to the sense of fulfillment they brought her but also because of the opportunity to connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
However, in 2014, Kristen's life took a tragic turn when her childhood sweetheart and husband succumbed to cancer. At the young age of 30, she found herself widowed with two young children under the age of 6. Despite the external appearance of having it all together over the next five years, Kristen faced immense personal challenges.
Today, Kristen channels her experiences and personal growth into coaching and mentoring executive leaders and individuals on a transformative journey of self-awareness and leadership. Through her business, Kris Mind Dynamics Transformational Holistic Coaching, she helps individuals shift their perceptions, integrate their emotions, and guide them toward a profound transformation. Kristen's ultimate goal is to enable individuals to authentically align with their truest selves and live a life of genuine purpose and fulfillment.
Can you share your journey and how you embarked on your career as a coach?
My journey and career as a coach really began over 10 years ago when my childhood sweetheart and husband were diagnosed with a rare type of cancer in 2012. At the time I was at the height of my career working for top construction companies in Australia and my children were 4 and 2, it came as a complete shock to us as he was a healthy 32-year-old. Our lives changed in a single day and after a 2-year battle with cancer, my first husband and father to my children passed away. It was completely devastating. I’ll never forget the moment of having to sit the kids down and tell them daddy had gone to heaven. I was alone to bring up our 2 children and had no idea how I would do that. Over the next few years, I really struggled through the pain and loss, suppressing my emotions and numbing my pain with addictions to the point of getting to the lowest point in my life. I was riddled with anxiety and PTSD. During this time, I have no idea how I met my current husband. One day in the depths of my darkest moments he shared with me about how he was going to do a coaching course and shared with me the details of what the coach would be sharing with him.
I was like a deer in headlights. Everything he said was hitting every fiber of my soul. It sounds so cliche yet, I just knew it was my calling. My soul was saying- This is why I am here on this earth, you have to do this...That was in 2019 and the only time I've looked back is when I've had to heal from what was in my way to grow. I became my first client and had to grieve, stretch myself, heal and do it again and again and again. I'm still doing the work as we are all a work in progress. The transformation I’ve already experienced is insane. I don’t even recognize that person anymore.
You're using Various techniques in your coaching, can you elaborate the benefits they provide to clients?
My teaching and tools have a holistic mind, body and spirit facet. I have many tools in my toolbox. I've lost count, however predominantly Meta Dynamics coaching techniques, Timeline Therapy & NLP, Internal Family Systems, and Neuroscience Principles, Body Somatic, Quantum Physics and Emotional Intelligence teachings just to name a few. I'm also a group fitness instructor as I'm a fitness lover and believe in keeping the body healthy. These techniques in particular really help shift and empower a person’s perspective, untangle their thinking and release and move emotions that are trapped in the body. Ultimately what this achieves is the individual can begin to let go of what is keeping them stuck and be free to be themselves without feeling like they have to keep pretending they are ok. As we move through and release we can begin to live more from our true authentic self underneath.
Tell us about the true self. What do you mean by that?
It's such a great question. Our true self has many names, many may know it as our authentic self, our higher self, our soul, our conscious self, the divine, the universe, consciousness. Essentially, it's who we are at the core of ourselves. We're always meant to be this part of ourselves. At our core we are love, we are curious, we are playful, we are joy. We are the fullest expression of who we are. We no longer feel like we have to ‘fake it’ or pretend we are something we are not and we have the ability to be vulnerable. When we are able to do this, we have self-acceptance and love for who we are and can give ourselves compassion and not be so hard on ourselves. We can be ok with not having the answers and being imperfect. We are able to become more connected to something much bigger than ourselves and this is where the spiritual aspect comes in.
I wish someone told me when I started my journey, life really isn’t meant to be this serious lol! I spent so many years being the fun police, anxious, controlling, and worried about what others were thinking of me and comparing myself. I was so far from being my true authentic self. I had to go within and transform and I truly believe the ultimate goal in life is to be who we really are. I remember for so long my kids weren't really allowed to have fun, now we are all kids in our house lol.
When we are living from our authentic place we realize, It's not about having stuff. You can have everything you ever wanted in life and be completely miserable. I know this firsthand. Our stuff follows us everywhere and it's always going to be there until you face it. Being our true self is being “free to be ourselves” and living in alignment from here. It's feeling like we can say our truth without the fear of being judged by others and more importantly by ourselves. It´s living life from a place of love and compassion instead of from a place of fear. I acted like I had it together my entire life, yet it was far from the truth. Today, I really feel like me with my human moments thrown in of course. I have days where that doesn’t happen. It's a practice and continued learning and lesson over a lifetime (and beyond if you believe that!), we are always a work in progress when it comes to being our true selves. We are not perfect and embracing our human imperfections with love is key.
You mention the importance of having a relationship with your emotions, share with that why it’s important for us to do that and how it fits in with the true self/ consciousness.
Our emotions are the source of our decision-making and are the gateway to experiencing life. Having a healthy relationship with our emotions (or having a relationship with them at all) can give us the ability to heal, reconnect to ourselves, and can essentially shift perceptions and move through the layers that we have developed over the years. These layers are a natural human part of us that has been essential in protecting our true self and it´s our mind's way of protecting us from hurts and perceived hurts that have built us over our lifetime.
When we are in touch with this part of ourselves, we can speak our truth, have closer relationships, be authentically ourselves and break through the limits that are keeping us stuck. It´s so important to understand, the healing we must feel. No spiritual bypassing. To raise our consciousness, getting in touch with our true selves comes with feeling our emotions and essentially having a relationship with them. The body holds them till you feel them. Emotions are everything.
What motivated this type of coaching? Can you share a specific event or experience that led you to pursue this type of path?
For me personally, I’ve always been interested in spirituality from a really young age, I've always loved seeing others grow and overcome challenges. I've always loved growing and learning. Essentially the motivation is driven a lot by my own experience of interest in spiritual growth and empowerment and loss and healing. It has a strong attachment to my previous husband and the journey I have undertaken in relation to my own growth and how it has changed my life. I honestly, wholeheartedly thought my life was over and I know from personal experience how much this work can change your life. So many of the people in my life have experienced changes from me doing this work. It has changed my husband's and my children’s life. My family's life. It is such an important message and it is core deep for me to spread this message globally.
It is also very much a representation of what I love and is the next level for the leaders I have previously developed. I hit a point where they were like “what's next from here Kristen, we want to keep going”. So, when it comes to the spirituality and true self-work I now do, this program has ultimately come from my own growth, moving through my own layers and really speaking my authentic truth from my core. It's me living a life doing what I deeply love and in line with my ultimate purpose.
The Power of Your Purpose Program was essentially born from this. The key transformational message and theme of the program is that your purpose in life is to be your truest self and who you really are. The life you can create from here is immensely powerful and you can be unstoppable and can be connected to something much greater than our human self. It's moving beyond the material world into the spiritual world of deeper meaning and fulfillment.
Tell us a bit more about the program and how it works and how you achieve the breakthroughs!
It is a 6-month closed group program. This type of work requires intimacy, vulnerability and safety. So only a small group of up to 20 people is offered 3 times per year. In these groups, we identify what we are looking to achieve and create. Getting clear on what you are desiring gives you deeper meaning and fulfillment.
This is really personal to the individual, however most times it´s around relationships with self and self-judgment, the relationships with others such as spouse and children, healing from past pain, slowing down and stopping the hustle addiction, business growth in alignment with you, increasing wealth and moving through the blocks, improving their health and connecting to their spiritual side of themselves. Then we work through the truth of where they are right now and the layers that are currently in the way of that. This is where the healing and transformation takes place.
Now, I feel it's important to clarify that, yes there can be some moments of challenges, yet it's important to highlight how many individuals experience moments of ease, elation, joy and complete fulfillment throughout the process. I've lost count of the number of times my clients have shared joy and elation with me about where they are at or how things are changing for them. Sometimes you may not be ready for growth and sometimes you are. Everyone’s journey is different and individual, and so it should be because that's the ethos of the program! What we ensure is that it's an intimate group of support and compassion for people that are on a similar journey that really get each other.
You are lighting up as you say that? Why is that?
I really am. I'm so passionate about it. One of my favorite parts of this program is seeing the growth in each person and overcoming the challenges that some have been holding into for their entire life. The freedom and joy they experience is something that deeply lights me up and I never take it for granted, I hold immense gratitude for the beautiful humans that enter my world.
What are some of the myths around this type of healing and transformation work?
I would say a myth of this journey is thinking that we are done with healing and looking for a quick fix when it comes to this type of work. Many think they can bypass the feeling without realizing we must feel to heal, and that it really is a lifelong journey. The only way up is through the stuff that is in the way and we never actually arrive at this magical place we think exists, we just find another layer to grow through and peel more layers. And it's up to you how far you go. Many of my clients have transformed and have moved so many things, yet there is still growth that can be done. It's part of having a human experience. I remember way back in the beginning when I was starting thinking “Ok I'll do this and I'm done”. I can laugh now at the naivety of that. Every journey is unique and we approach this with no judgment. Knowing this also takes the pressure off having to get somewhere. Ultimately, it's not about getting to the destination, it's who we become in the process.
It is evident your passion for this work. Can you tell us about some of your greatest achievements and recent training you have obtained to enhance your coaching skills and how they have influenced your practice?
There has been a kaleidoscope of moments over the years, yet 2 stick out for me. I would have to say one of my greatest achievements would be winning the International Coaching Guild - International Coach of the Year 2021. I had grown a multi 6 figure business by myself with no employees in 2 years starting from being in the darkest place in my life. It was a really big moment as all my dedication to my craft and the hard work and ups and downs were deeply acknowledged. I remember crying for 2 days! Which was such an indicator of my growth in the past I never even allowed myself to fully express. It was a big moment.
Secondly, I would say the second is becoming one of the Trainers and Facilitators at The International Coaching Institute 2 years ago. I remember when I first started looking at my trainers in awe at how they knew what they knew and delivered the training with such knowledge and ease. Fast forward to the present moment and I am now running these trainings at the Institute for the new coaches just starting and embarking on their coach training journey. I seriously pinch myself sometimes that this is my life.
When it comes to recent training I have obtained, I'm always upgrading my skills. I believe I am a lifelong learner and have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in educating myself. I am a Meta DynamicsTM Level 3 and Certified Coach and have skills and certifications in multiple modalities. My latest enrolment is to become a Certified Breathwork Facilitator which is a somatically-intuitive approach to breathwork and the gateway to heart-centred leadership. I am adding this tool as another way to transform all facets of mind, body and spirit with the intention of going deep as part of the brand new retreats that are offered as part of the program.
I heard you say you have retreats, Is there any other services you offer as part of your business?
Yes, retreats are something we have begun running this year as an opportunity for a deeper immersion. The focus of the retreats is deeper restorative work with the realignment of mind, body and spirit. It's really about taking the time to calm the body and connect with who we are and it is an opportunity to really connect with others on the journey. The connections of the people in the group coaching are one of my favorite aspects. Many have created friends for life in the program. I also offer 1:1 coaching for individuals wanting more intimate coaching with me and behavioral profiling and coaching services in the leadership space. I have a team of coaches who also coach around different modalities of the mind, body and spirit.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and your passion with us Kristen Russell, is there anything you would like to share with the Brainz Community?
Thank you so much. What I would love to add is if you are stuck where you are at you really don't have to be. So many of us think we need to suffer alone yet fail to realize even the most successful individuals had a team of people supporting and helping their growth. Reach out to friends, family, and mentors and let them know. The more we can move and have a relationship with our emotions, the more we can awaken our true authentic selves and begin to live a life on our terms. It is so important to be who you are. You really can have an amazing life, you aren't defined by your past, it just begins with being brave enough to do something about it. One of the biggest lessons I learned early on in my journey is that no one can do it for you. Only you can make it happen. If I can do it you can too!
