We were lucky to catch up with Kerri Lewis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kerri, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My mission is to guide people as they face what causes them suffering, overcome addiction and addictive behavior and step into a life that fills them with passion and purpose.

At the age of 14 I found myself with little parental guidance and in a whole lot of mess. Coming of age on the streets left me susceptible to addiction, domestic violence and s*xual assaults. After yet another beating from my partner at the time, I had enough. I filed charges and a year later found myself testifying in open court against a man I gave my heart to. Definitely not the way I had envisioned stepping into my twenties. This said, testifying in open court gave me the courage to leave my past behind and begin anew. I found employment with Starbucks and began climbing the corporate ladder. After 13 years of loyal service I decided to move on and accepted a position with Nordstrom. Again I grew my role as a leader and spent five years moving from one store to another aligning standards and creating a positive employee culture in which people were set up to rise. After losing my sister to addiction, I knew I needed to find a position closer to home so I could better support my daughters and ended up being hired to help open a Cannabis company in MA. Being a woman who never made it past 10th grade, I was quite proud of this accomplishment. With a lot of blood sweat and tears, I can happily report that I was part of a team of 36 that helped open and successfully built a company that eventually sold for 122 million dollars. When new leadership came in, I knew it was time for me to move on as my core values didn’t align with the vision of my superior. Despite being heartbroken, I stood firm in my morals and walked away from what at the time felt like a part of me. My heartache did not last long as I was tapped on the shoulder to take on the role of CEO for another startup company. I remember the day I agreed to the role…. My heart said no but my head said yes. I listened to my head and while many would say I had achieved it all, I found myself void of joy, unfulfilled and in need of a change. My feelings of lack coupled with the mounting evidence that people did not have the adequate skills necessary to handle life’s ups and down including the effects of a pandemic, I decided to step out on my own and become a Transformational coach. My passion for all things related to stoicism, theology, psychology and fitness have helped me move from having a victim mentality to becoming the empowered authentic woman I am today. It is my passion to help move the world from hurt to healed. One person, one connection, one heart at a time.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Kerri Lewis, an addiction and mental health recovery coach, working with people who are addicted to substances, or to ideas, like perfection and success.I gut you like a fish so that you can live life fully, without fear, on your own terms. My superpower is helping you free yourself from old patterns of belief and conditions so you can experience life from a place of acceptance and freedom from suffering.

Using my extensive knowledge in many areas of health and wellness, I create a customized plan to help people achieve freedom from addiction and addictive behaviors. Some of the tools my clients can expect to learn are meditation, breath work, changing their water intake and incorporating moments throughout their day to celebrate themselves.

I do one-on-one coaching with professionals and with teenagers. Alongside individual coaching, I offer group coaching which focuses on helping people learn to have tough conversations.

I also offer webinars, and do speaking engagements on various topics relating to mental wellness and addiction.

Having been a leader in corporate America for 25 years, I understand what it’s like to appear to have it all together when really we’re struggling internally, causing addiction and addictive behaviors. My lived experience and recovery from addiction and perfectionism gives me unique insight and wisdom, which aid in other people’s paths to recovery.

For me, suffering is optional. But I did not always know this and it is for this reason, I am passionate about helping others as they take the steps needed and do the work necessary in order to break free from addiction.

My biggest source of pride is my unwavering commitment to growth and healing. As a result of my tireless and continuous effort, I earned the position of CEO despite not finishing high school, overcame a myriad of addictions and and am now proudly using my own story of overcoming to help inspire hope in others and aid them as they move through their own healing journey.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I’m one of six children and grew up in a home, where despite my parents best efforts, love was not easily displayed and deep loneliness was the resident emotion in our home. Due to my need to be seen and loved, I acted out and found myself punished more often than not. Leaving me angry and resentful. Feeling unloved and unseen lead to deep self hatred and feelings of unworthiness which lead me, at the age of fourteen down a path of drugs, s*x and abuse. A path that took me many years to escape.

After surviving two rapes and escaping an abusive relationship, I went to work building a new life for myself. I stopped seeking comfort in drugs and alcohol and I secured a job at Starbucks. Despite not finishing high school, I worked hard and managed to move my way up into leadership for the company. By all accounts, I was thriving. I found love, was married and together we made two beautiful babies. Life was idyllic….. Or so I thought.

Because I hadn’t really learned to deal with the emotional trauma I experienced as a child and teenager, I started falling back into old patterns of behavior. I picked up drinking again, first a glass of wine a week, then every few days and finally….. Every night. To combat drinking, and to empower myself after having been raped, I took up boxing and found a new passion, fitness. I worked hard and managed to get my body in great physical shape. Things were coming together when out of the blue, I was in a major car accident landing me bedridden for five weeks, unable to train by body, hold or hug my babies. Not good for someone who battles with depression. Needless to say, I fell into a deep state of depression and after months of struggling to make it through my days, I was let go from Starbucks. A massive blow given I had worked my *ss off for the company for thirteen years.

Despite still navigating depression, I rallied myself and sought employment at Nordstrom. Because I had been a leader for so long, I was happy to take a sales position and focus on doing what I do best, connect with people. Due to my skills and work ethic, I was quickly promoted and found myself once again climbing the corporate ladder. Moving from store to store building connections and empowering people. I really did love what I did.

This said, the darkness of my childhood and past experience lingered and I found myself, once again leaning into alcohol as a means to cope. As my drinking progressed, my relationships with my husband and children declined. Our house became a classic example of being in fight or flight mode. Every little thing would set me off and as a result, my children were terrified of me. While I give myself grace, I also must acknowledge that these years were not my finest moments.

The catalyst for my change happened when I got a call no one wants to get. My sister, a severe alcoholic herself, died as a result of her addiction. Despite my state of shock, I knew that this could have just as easily been me. Talk about a wake up call. In the weeks after her death, as I walked around aimlessly trying to make sense of it all, I made a promise to myself and to her. I would once and for all do the work necessary to heal my trauma and then help heal my family. And that’s just what I did. I started by trusting my instinct and taking a leadership role in a startup cannabis company. A role where I could create the environment and culture, something I am very passionate about. I then made the difficult decision to leave my husband. While he is an incredible man, I had outgrown him and knew that if I stayed, I would not reach my fullest potential. This was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Deciding to leave someone you love so deeply in order to love yourself more.

I also went to work on myself. Having studied psychology, theology and stoicism on and off since I was fourteen, I had a pretty good idea of where I needed to start. I went deep and started to do the shadow work. I honored what came up, was gentle with myself and slowly but surely, I started loving myself. While the process was difficult, the results, beyond what I could have hoped for.

The work I did to heal myself unexpectedly prepared me to navigate difficult emotions that came up when covid hit. I easily and calmly managed my days as I watched fear strike the hearts of many. It became increasingly obvious to me that my employees and society at large did not have the skills needed to cope with a pandemic. I watch in horror as co-workers, one after another fall apart, be crippled by the weight of fear and start isolating themselves from the world, leaving me thinking, there has got to be something I can do. It was then that I decided to step away from my career and go into the business of helping people navigate their own mental health. My mission was to hold space for people to share their truth, empower them to take control of their mind and support them as they reclaim their authentic self and start living life rather than being afraid of it.

While the road has not been easy, it has been the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences of my life. Continuing to step into my power while helping others do the same. Not only did I launch my own business, but in the process I was hired on as CEO of a cannabis training company, a dream title for a woman who didn’t finish 10th grade. And while I ultimately decided that the CEO of my own life suits me better than the CEO of a company owned by another person, I take pride in the fact that I was able to earn the position of CEO despite not following a traditional path.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Trust is imperative in my line of work. By consistently showing up fully present and from a place of unconditional love and curiosity, I build trust and loyalty with my clients.

The work I do with my clients requires them to open up to me in a way that often leaves them feeling vulnerable and exposed. For this reason, I work hard to establish credibility and trust by sharing my own healing journey. By sharing some of my personal struggles and missteps, I open the door for my clients to share their experiences freely and without fear of being judged.

Additionally, because I work with people who struggle with self worth and confidence, I build in a lot of touch points throughout our work together to ensure that they feel seen heard and valued. I reach out frequently throughout the week and offer support through positive affirmations, accountability and to celebrate their big and small wins.

Another way I build trust and remain present in my clients lives is by sending short video clips of me celebrating them or acting silly. I do this because I believe laughter is therapeutic and can provide relief from what can be very challenging work.

Lastly, I remain one hundred percent true to who I am as a person. This allows me to attract the right client and ensures that my client has a clear understanding of how I show up for them and hopefully, what I will be able to impart in them so that they can show up authentically in their own lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kerrilewis.coach/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerrilewis.coach/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerrilewis.coach
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerri-lewis-coach/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYr-dq7rCALrShSu9WUB1wg

Image Credits
Lindsay Hite