We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelly Collins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kelly, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
One of the best things my parents did was that they always gave me the freedom to explore what I loved without imposing their expectations of who they wanted me to be on me. When I excelled at something they fully supported me in going after my goals at my own pace. When I did not excel at something or wanted to quit, they still fully supported me while holding me accountable for upholding my commitment until it was completed. This way of parenting allowed me to follow my passions while still instilling discipline and accountability and this gave me a sense of autonomy and an ability to listen to my inner voice and follow what lights me up.
It is because of this that I have never been afraid to go after what I want or change my mind. It was also because of this that I was able to find my purpose at such a young age, even when it didn’t completely make sense.
Now, this is one of the primary things that I work on with my clients today. I teach people how to hear their inner voice and follow the trail of passion to their purpose so that they can feel that deep sense of fulfillment that we all deserve.
Kelly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a yoga teacher and Spiritual Coach to women who are burnt out, uninspired in their careers or relationships, and feel disconnected from their true selves. I support my clients through a holistic life audit and provide actionable spiritual tools all while using my signature methodology Soul Spark. Within just a month, my clients report having stronger relationships, a greater sense of self-trust, feeling more fulfilled at work, and they report feeling that “special spark”. I also curate female communities through yoga teacher trainings, group coaching, wellness retreats, and events. My signature coaching has captured the attention of 3.5 million readers through my blog, Paleohacks.com, and my highly-regarded podcast Soul Spark with Kelly Collins.
It all really started when I was a child with a passion for moving my body. I dabbled in just about every sport but soccer, gymnastics, and cheerleading were what stuck. By the time I was working towards my Bachelor’s in Kinesiology at San Diego State University, I was ready to make my love of movement and health into a career. At the age of 18, I began working with my first personal training clients and teaching group fitness class. 15 years later, I have obtained certifications in NASM CPT, E-RYT 200, YACEP, Trauma-Informed EFT, Reiki Practitioner, and Nutrition. Throughout the years, I have made a name for myself serving as a spiritual wellness advocate for women who are burnt out and feel disconnected from their true selves.
One of the things that I think sets me apart from others in my industry is my personal and career experience. For 10 years, including at the beginning of my career in fitness, I struggled with a negative body image, a perfectionist mindset, and identifying a true sense of self. In short, I was lost, tired, and didn’t feel like myself. It was not until I went on my own extensive spiritual journey – practicing and learning yogic philosophy, absorbing thousands of hours of retreats, workshops, books, and podcasts, and partaking in a deep dive in self-study that I was able to strengthen my self-trust and self-worth and rewire my brain. This massive spiritual shift inspired me to continue my education, share what I have learned, and build my unique coaching method which incorporates yogic philosophy, mindfulness, neuroscience, and actionable steps.
Fueled by my experience, passion for guiding others, and my belief that we all have special gifts that we are here to share, I developed my Soul Spark methodology where I curate sisterhood communities and group and 1:1 programs to help coach my clients in going from uninspired and burnt out to fulfilled, balanced, and lit up!
Over the years, I have served thousands of women and taught over 25,000 hours in workshops, classes, one-on-one, and group coaching, and 10+ international retreats.
When I’m not helping women to “spark their soul”, you can find me practicing yoga and breathwork, concocting a vegan creation in her kitchen, or spending time at the beach by her house in San Diego. On weekends you can find me hiking, going on an adventure with my dog Coco and my fiance, or enjoying a glass of red with my friends and family!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
My entire career has been built upon tiny pivots! The most significant pivot came, though, when I transitioned from fitness to mindfulness and yoga.
I had been working in the fitness industry for 8 years when I got my 200-hour yoga teaching certification. Before this, I couldn’t see the next steps nor did I have much of a desire to actually teach yoga. All I knew was that I was being called to take this certification.
Let’s just say that I was blown away. In 3 short weeks, my entire world and goals began to change. In a year a had a whole new vision for my future and my career and was beyond excited to share what I had and was still learning with the world. This pivot was all rainbows and butterflies, though. It still took me a few years to fully transition out of fitness and to be able to fully support myself with yoga and mindfulness and sometimes it felt like I was never going to get to my goals. But over those years, I had more and more tiny pivots which led me to yoga and wellness retreats, my coaching business, my yoga teaching certification courses, and so much more.
Being an entrepreneur requires resilience and pivoting is essential to this. It allows you to use creativity and intuition while growing your business(es), to be adaptable, and to find more and more expansion along your journey.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
In our instant-gratification society, it can be easy to get caught up in the notion that we should be able to find success immediately. Social media can make it seem like other people are instantly gaining recognition or monetary success too. This is not the reality of growing a business and a reputation, though, and what social media doesn’t show is the years of hard work and struggles that it takes most people to actually achieve societal standards of success.
So, I would say that time and authenticity are what have helped me to build my reputation and rapport in my market. I have been at it for 15 years which has allowed me to build many relationships and prove my efficacy as a coach and teacher. I also think that staying true to myself and being authentic to the creation of my business and everyone I work with has created very positive relationships that keep my clients coming back and referrals coming in.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kellycollinswellness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellycollinswellness/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellycollinswellness/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoT-J_ek4PpnMU1Pyc-fO3g
- Other: podcast – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soul-spark-with-kelly-collins/id1477393360
Image Credits
Yesenia Molar Charie Juaniza