We were lucky to catch up with Kristen Cooper recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kristen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

Everyone has undesired patterns they need to be mindful of to create the future they dream of instead of living in auto-pilot and just hoping life changes. Unfortunately, we all learn through adversities like losing a loved one or job, being betrayed by someone you loved, illness, money concerns, and more. Going through loss and pain can be one of our best teachers once we heal and start becoming mindful of what we can control: our responses.

I was a young mother who returned to college at 24 with a 3-year-old after leaving an emotionally and physically abusive marriage. Lost and depleted in all ways, I enrolled in Business, not knowing how I would pull this off and what I could or would do in the future.

Taking a leap of faith and knowing if you start working towards a new future, even if you are unsure where it will take you, allows your yellow brick road to illuminate in front of you. The college I graduated from hired me as an Admissions Counselor, and I had one of the best roles in my life. Helping others feel motivated and empowered to choose the correct program to start the foundation of a healthy new future. This role gave me the confidence to start my own non-profit and coaching business alongside my college career. I had a knack for using my intuition to help others with their blockages and the insight to see their future potential, and together, we plotted a plan of attack to help my client/student reach their hidden potential and gain a career they felt passionate about.

The point in sharing this story is that you must change what you don’t choose. When you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, that is the BEST time to invest in you. And if you are unsure how to get started, start researching mentors or leaders you can connect with. You do not need to know how it will end. You start with small acts of courage to show up in your life.

By ME getting out of my way and taking each day as it came, I was able to move up the corporate ladder to senior leadership and have my own business helping others. All because I was sick of giving my power to others and took action in believing I was worth figuring out my passions and going for it, even if I fell on my face often.

Kristen, 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 passionate women empowerment coach and community builder! I created Soul Work University after teaching mindfulness techniques, seminars, and retreats for the last 15 years. Through my experiences, I realized that everyone needs daily soul work and to know what that means.

WHY? As someone who escaped several abusive relationships and health struggles, I became passionate about researching, studying, and applying many health & mindfulness modalities that have completely changed my thinking and way of life. Once your magic is returned to you, how could you not want to pay that forward and help others?

I am trained in and teach others Hypnotherapy, Aromatherapy, Breath Work, EFT, Life/Career Mapping, Sound and Frequency Healing, Quantum Biofeedback, Yoga, and much more. Each year, I study a new way to heal and incorporate into my community giveback. Currently, I am studying psychedelics like Psilocybin and other natural plants to assist in trauma release.

I have been blessed to create and host retreats for large and small corporations and the general public, as well as provide keynotes and motivational speeches for different audiences. I help others know the science behind trauma and how to peel the layers back and create a daily routine to help reprogram the brain to develop habits aligning with future wishes and desires instead of the current program limiting one’s potential and abundance. I have worked with students to CEOs and it never stops surprising me how easy and valuable these practices are, once incorporated consistently. Like me, I have seen these teachings and healings completely break open hidden potential trapped by depression and past trauma.

I have paid training and 1-1 clients, but my joy is offering free community giveback events to help you and your loved ones have an opportunity to try group hypnotherapy, sound healing and learn from valuable lectures with action steps and homework to be a healthier and lighter person.

I create women’s communities to foster sisterhood, support, and empowerment for women. Our Buffalo group is called 716 Sisterhood and our Florida group is called Sarasota Sisterhood. I want to teach other ladies in Florida to set up their sisterhood group and have locations in Tampa, Clearwater, St, Pete, and more.

I love collaborations and always am open to teaming up with others to create events and classes for our community to thrive, not just survive.

We are all just walking each other home; My mission is to leave my positive footprints on this planet.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn helping everyone; it sounds counterintuitive since I am in the self-help space. I would tell my younger self you can’t fix other people’s problems; it is not your responsibility to heal and help everyone. I’ve learned I’ve enabled instead of empowered others and, thus, created imbalanced relationships, leaving myself depleted. You cannot solve anyone’s problems, and you shouldn’t… It prolongs one from being able to learn and grow from their despair. It’s their karma, just like you have yours. What do you learn when things are easy?

I depleted myself in my business, not knowing my worth and trying to solve everyone’s problems. I will always try to serve in my highest and best way, but I will not leave myself behind any longer or do the work for someone else.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was a senior leader in a university overseeing our admission offices. It was a role I always wanted to reach, and I felt like I finally was “making it”. The nonprofit I was running was doing fantastic community work, My coaching business and speaking gigs were gaining more speed. It felt like the 10 years of hard work to get “here” was worth the sleepless nights and missing out on fun due to working on getting ahead.

Everything was pretty great in my life, except my health. I was having a very hard time staying awake at my job. Walking and talking was enough to make me tired. I gained 40 pounds (which was odd as I have always been a thin woman).

I went to multiple doctors and I was told I have Crohn’s, Raynaud’s, Mitochondria Dysfunction, and reoccurring EBV (basically Mono, but I was the lucky small percentage of people it kept reactivating). I was told to quit my job and business and go on disability.

I felt so lost, and thankfully, I had a tremendous holistic network around me from my nonprofit work. I saw functional doctors, fired the ones who said to quit my job and give up, and learned to start saying NO to anything that wasn’t in my highest and best,

I quit my stressful university job, found more balance, stopped trying to be Superwoman to everyone I met, and healed. I am proud to say I have reversed all my diagnoses and live almost symptom-free. I have daily rituals and tools to help me.

I believe my non-stop lifestyle and not listening to my own needs were why I was so sick. But, I turned my pain into a purpose and now help others level up in their life,

Contact Info:

• Website: www.soulworkuniversity.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristen_floridagal/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Soulworkuniversity/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-cooper-a317878/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@soulworkuniversity?si=7LkICWIuZ8IEEwZH