Meet the Coach
I am a native of Asheboro, North Carolina. I’m a wife and proud mother of two wonderful children. After completing my undergraduate degree from NC State University, I moved back to my hometown while I pursued a Master's Degree in Audiology from UNC-Greensboro. I continued my education and obtained my Doctorate Degree in Audiology through the University of Florida, and have since been a clinical audiologist for 20 years. My work in audiology allowed me to regularly connect with patients and I learned very early on that working with people is truly a passion of mine. I obtained my Integrative Health Coaching Certification through Randolph Community College and am a nationally board certified by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching. I began my health coaching career part time as I continued my work in Audiology. My passion for the field of wellness coaching continued to grow and I officially retired my audiology hat and now coach full time. In addition to coaching clients in both the private and corporate setting, I also serve as co-instructor of a NBHWC board certified Health and Wellness Coaching Certification Class at Randolph Community College. Most recently, I have co-founded an all female owned coaching academy KGR Health and Wellness Academy. Outside of coaching, I am thrilled to be an advocate for the youth in our community. In 2015, I was honored to be elected to the Asheboro City Schools Board of Education and I am currently serving my second term. I also also served a board member with Community in Schools- Randolph County for several years and a board member of the Randolph County Friends of the Library.
My Journey to Health and Wellness Coaching
Health and wellness is a true passion of mine. I discovered early on that I was not a natural born athlete nor was I granted with what I thought to be the “good genes” like all of my friends seemed to have. This was a difficult place to be as a teenager, constantly fighting the ambivalence of wanting to feel better yet also wanting to be like everyone else. It took me a while fully accept that my lifestyle choices mattered and that I needed to take responsibility for my health. I began my journey by adding movement into my daily activities. I instantly fell in love with the way exercise made me feel. I felt strong, energetic and confident. I always walked away from a workout with a sense of fulfillment. What started as an initial plot to overcome my adolescent weight gain turned into the realization that taking better care of myself made me feel amazing, both physically and mentally. I soon realized feeling good was far more important than than the number on the scale. Weight loss just became the side effect of feeling good.
As an adult, I became a group fitness instructor for our local YMCA . I loved sharing with others how fun exercise could be. Deep down, I knew there was more for me to give back to those who struggle with wanting a healthier lifestyle. Lifestyle change can be scary and hard. It certainly was for me! A few years ago, I read a newspaper article on Health and Wellness Coaching. I immediately knew this was my “more”! I enrolled that August and after only two weeks of instruction, I knew this would be my second profession!
My Philosophy
I believe everyone deserves to feel great! That same feeling I discovered in college is a big part of what keeps me going every day. What seemed unfair and frustrating at times, actually taught me a lot about my overall health and wellness. I was able to discover that wellness is about how my mind and body feel on the inside, and that my ideal path to a healthy lifestyle is just that, my own. I didn’t master this mindset overnight and there have been many twists and turns along my ride; many discoveries, many frustrations, many lessons learned. Wellness looks different to all of us and our journeys will vary vastly. What might come easy to some, will be difficult for others. We are all uniquely different but are ALL worthy of our best health and are ALL capable of change. As I continue down my wellness path, my goal is to empower you to discover your personal journey to better health as well.
