Welcome! I’m Kris.

My background includes a BA in psychology, an MS in developmental psychology, and a DrPH in public health with a focus in maternal and child health.

I’ve worked at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) School of Public Health since 2000; I’ve been a clinical assistant professor in the UIC DrPH in Leadership program since 2011. Prior to this I was a researcher with the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In 2005, I became a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, trained through The Coaches Training Institute. In 2015, I became a Certified Svaroopa Yoga Basics Teacher (RYT 200) and in 2016 I was certified as an Embodyment Yoga Therapist.

I am a life-long learner and have a list a mile long of the things I want to learn

(to play the mandolin, coach with horses, dance the west coast swing, throw pottery, and snowboard to name a few).

I love adventures! A current dream of mine is to buy a teardrop trailer and travel around the US visiting the national parks. I love Yosemite! My favorite place in the country is Stinson Beach in Northern California. I consider myself a city AND country girl. I am quite comfortable in big cities AND on farms! I’m searching for my ideal place to settle down and call home! I am a seeker by nature! I love to laugh! I am a Cancer! I am spontaneous! I have a big heart and I love like no other!

I had much success early in life. By 25 I had a master’s degree and was teaching at a university. By 29 I had a doctoral degree. By 30 I was working in a University doing work that was my passion. I also had success in my personal life. I found my ideal partner and we married when I was 29. We bought our first house at 30. By my mid-thirties, I had achieved all the life goals I set for myself with the exception of starting a family.

Throughout my life, however, I experienced challenges. I struggled with anxiety and self-doubt resulting in undiagnosable physical symptoms that impacted my quality of life and my relationships. My husband and I divorced when I was 38 after four years of separation. I had a broken heart and what’s worse was I didn’t have a vision or plan for the rest of my life. I didn’t even realize in my 30s that I needed/wanted a plan for the rest of my life. Prior to this, I relied on educational institutions to shape my goals. I realized that once I passed this stage of life, it was up to me to chart my life’s course. So, I enrolled in a life coaching training program (to get help with my grief related to my divorce, to scratch my itch to learn something new, and to build a new skill-set in coaching and leadership). I also scratched an itch to better understand my spiritual nature which kicked in at about 29 years when I completed my formal training. Since then I have pursued a wide range of spiritual practices to help me connect more deeply with the essence of who I am. I am drawn to anything that has the word ‘soul’ in it or that taps into soul or essence.

Getting more access to myself through both of these paths has completely shifted my relationship with anxiety and self-doubt and it has moved my life in beautiful ways I could never had expected.

I believe personal leadership is critical for life success (personally and professionally). It brought me alive and it brings my clients alive! It highlights what is special about each person. It helps people chart a path that lights them up so they can make their unique mark on the world. It helps them push the boundaries of external expectations and helps them experience freedom in a way that lights them and their world up. This work is powerful and it will change the world! People are amazingly beautiful, special, and talented and I am committed to helping my clients see and experience themselves in ways they are not accustomed to seeing and experiencing themselves. Through the coaching process, my clients live more fully and have greater impact. They are magnets for life, joy, and success!

For additional information about me please feel free to visit my LinkedIn profile.