We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristen Kurtz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kristen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

My husband and I both came from families that valued hard work. The only way you “might” get ahead in your life is through the hustle and maybe some good luck on your side. We were taught that financial success didn’t come easily if at all.

I had just turned 30 years old and we lived on the island of Kauai. A home in our dream neighborhood became for sale. We would drive by the home multiple times a day and talk about how we could possibly own this home. We had very little money for a down payment. We met with our realtor friend and somehow managed to get it together to put in an offer. Putting an offer on this home was a HUGE risk. We didn’t have the money, we didn’t have a clear plan and we didn’t know how it was going to work out. We did know that we needed to take a risk if we were going to get what we wanted.

We ended up getting the home! That’s not to say it wasn’t without its stress. It wasn’t perfect. We had a lot of problems with the home, the tenants, being new/young landlords, and managing a triplex. It was both magical and a nightmare all at the same time. We spent more weekends than I want to share cleaning dirty carpets and gross refrigerators with someone else’s stinky leftovers.

Looking back, that risk to buy this property ended up being one of the best lessons of my life. I still take those learning lessons into all of the business opportunities I do to this day. I would’ve never understood that you are never really stuck You can always change your circumstances.

I started to surround myself with people who are slightly above where I wanted to be so that I can see the roadmap to my success through their success. I learned the value of having mentors and sharing your experiences – both high and low so that you can step back and grow from your mistakes. Taking that real estate risk back in my early 30s ended up shaping who I became as an entrepreneur. We went on to purchase many more homes since then. We now live in our dream home. Without somehow scraping together whatever money we had back then (and believe me, it wasn’t a lot), who knows what would’ve happened? You have to take certain risks in life. The way you know what those risks are is by checking in and then trusting yourself to make the right decisions. This will ultimately lead you to live your best life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Kristen Kurtz has worked in the wellness industry for over 20 years first as a massage therapist, esthetician and spa owner after getting her degree from UCSC in Environmental Studies. She understands the demands of our modern day lifestyle and how it can negatively impact people’s bodies and minds. Her years of experience taught her how to help people take charge of their health and life so true transformation happens.

Working in different environments both in Hawaii and California she blended and refined her techniques resulting in her coaching practice today. As a certified life and health coach, Kristen mentors individuals and small groups in stress & anxiety, life transitions and finding purpose.

Kristen has been featured in the SD Voyager. She has been on many podcasts such as The Mosaic Life, Stretch Marks, Ignite Your Wellness, and We Are Multiplied.

Kristen is especially skilled in motivating people who feel stuck. She has been there too so she understands how to unlock people’s potential in a way that is loving yet direct and honest.

She believes that we all have the power within ourselves to grow, change and thrive. It is her mission to build confidence, connection and calmness in order to live a life you love.

Kristen Kurtz Coaching focuses on helping overwhelmed, exhausted and unclear individuals find themselves again resulting in a happier, healthier and more energized way of being. Her coaching programs offer people the space to find out what it is they truly want with Kristen’s guided direction, actions steps and expertise.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

I am a firm believer in education. Education can be the key to helping people get out of poverty, and have increased opportunities. It builds confidence resilience, and clarity so that you can have greater success in your life. However, gaining knowledge in your field is one key piece of having your own business. The other factor is your beliefs and mindset. You can have all the training in your field, but, if you don’t believe you are worthy of the success you will never get it. If your beliefs are one of lack, unworthiness, and struggle then it will be very difficult to get ahead in your business. It is also helpful to gain an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. If you know your zone of genius you can eventually focus on doing those tasks and delegate the things you aren’t as good at to someone else. This is the most effective way to grow your business sustainably.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Building your reputation in your market takes consistency, authenticity, and maintaining relationships.

It is beneficial to be consistent in your marketing strategy no matter what that strategy is. This is a lesson that has taken me a long time to learn. I started out thinking that I had to be on social media all the time posting multiple times a day. This led me to feel overwhelmed and procrastinate. I had to take a hard look at how I was showing up. I realized I can choose the marketing strategy that feels best to me. Once I made that decision, I also had to make the choice to show up on a regular basis in that way.

Being authentic to who you are will also help you build your reputation in a way that you can be proud of. People don’t want to feel that they are being sold something they don’t really need. And, people can tell when you aren’t being truthful or real.

Lastly, I’ve found that building and maintaining referral partnerships is a great mutually beneficial way to build your reputation. It’s a win-win when you can refer people to someone else’s business you love and they can recommend you to their clients. Referral partnerships also give you the opportunity to collaborate with other business owners. I enjoy doing this. It brings out my creative process and provides support when I feel like I need that extra push in my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kristenkurtzcoaching.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristen_kurtz_coaching/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/kristenkurtz

Image Credits
Micaela Malmi Photography