Kim Kristensen and I met some years back – I’m guessing around a decade now – through our shared coaching community. Over the years, we have developed not only professional admiration and, occasionally, collaboration, but also a meaningful friendship. Kim was even one of the officiants at our wedding, bringing his unique ability to hold space and feel into each moment to that milestone day:
These days, he’s all up in a pile of life change, perhaps the most impactful of which is the completion of his marriage of 25 years.
How does a person who spends his days practicing presence, exploring expansion and contraction, committed to being introspective and responsive instead of closed-off and reactive, navigate such a monumental change?
Watch or listen below to find out!
Key moments in the conversation include…
…how Kim describes himself as a human:
- Kim explains himself as a realist, someone who’s not “all that important” in the grand scheme of things – but in the same breath, it’s all about him!
- While Kim may not think himself very important, he strives to add value of his own to the world
- He may be messy, but that’s just being human!
…what Kim is all up in:
- After 25 years, Kim is going through an amicable separation from his partner – as a family mediator who doesn’t see many friendly proceedings, he’s glad to find his interactions throughout the process have been pleasant (though, of course, painful as well)
- It’s never too late to discover yourself, and Kim’s been relearning his identity and his feelings through resurfaced symptoms of grief
- Kim has been taking the time to reconnect with friends from previous years as he gets older, realizing time is precious and some people may not have much left
- He’s rediscovering the world by visiting places he’s been to, but viewing them in a new light as an older, wiser person
- Kim is moving outside his comfort zone for new experiences!
…his tools include:
- His “PBS” moments – pause, breathe, sense. For Kim, this means being in-tune with himself!
- His own form of meditation, which he practices at stoplights! He takes micro-moments throughout the day to notice and feel his surroundings, to be connected with himself and the Earth
- Kim notes his feelings first as a physical sensation, then dives deeper to discover the emotion associated
…the non-profit he chose to highlight was:
The South West Virginia Wildlife Center, which focuses on rehabilitating injured wildlife and reintroducing them to the wild! The Center gladly accepts aid in the form of volunteer work and donations. Kim also mentions Planned Parenthood, a wonderful resource for men and women looking for reproductive services regarding reduced-cost birth control and pregnancy resources, as well as life-saving cancer screenings and standard check-ups.