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206 Bird Court
Normal, IL, 61761

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Testimonials

Kind Words from Clients

 Kind Words from Clients


Caitlin
Certified Life Coach, Entrepreneur, and Mother
I now trust my body and intuition, and I'm building the life of my dreams! The amount of expansion I have experienced over the last 6 months of working with Kirstin is, frankly, astounding. I am more aligned with my core values and my integrity than I've ever been.

One of the greatest benefits to come from working with Kirstin is how much I now TRUST my own body and intuition. I trust my needs, my desires, my inspirations, my choices; and I know how to own and express them.

In these short 6 months, I started a business, signed on my first paying clients, quit drinking booze, enhanced the quality of my marriage, let go of huge amounts of guilt and people-pleasing, cultivated a wonderful community of like-minded women, and started a podcast! I did all of this with Kirstin's masterful coaching, and her powerful belief in me. I feel immense gratitude for having found Kirstin, and for the opportunity to work with her. It has been entirely life-changing.


Mark
Integral Therapist, Teacher, Speaker, Author, Filmmaker

I had the privilege of working with Kirstin during an incredibly challenging period in my life, when my wife unexpectedly left our marriage. The emotional upheaval was overwhelming. Yet, Kirstin provided a safe space for me to navigate my grief and insecurities. With her guidance, I gradually found my way to a renewed sense of purpose and happiness. Kirstin combines wisdom, compassion, and deep insight, ensuring that even when she challenges you to confront difficult truths, it leads to profound growth. I wholeheartedly recommend her.


Rebecca
Podcast Host and TED Speaker

Kirstin held the HUGEST container for me so I could feel safe exploring so much. She kept gently guiding me forward, connecting the dots of where we’d been until my skin softened. I actually laid down during our first session, I felt so relaxed. She helped me snip the cords of ancient binds. Coach with her. Your future self will thank you.


Nadia
Writer, Poet, Teacher, Coach, Entrepreneur

I'm delighted to enthusiastically recommend Kirstin as a coach. I can't say enough good things about Kirstin or working with her.

I'm a writer and also, myself, a coach. So working with Kirstin seemed like an unusual opportunity to work with someone who is both a wise coach and who herself is part of and understands the literary world and its rewards and also pitfalls.

When I had my first session with Kirstin, I immediately found it helpful and wanted to sign up. But when I heard the price, I paused. In all of my years working on my own business I’ve always been frugal in my expenses, so this felt like a big spurge. But I realized that Kirstin was the perfect fit for what I was looking for. I trusted my gut and signed up. I’m so glad I did!

I’ve grown in my business so that the price tag seems less important. And beyond the financial exchange, the personal and emotional benefits have been priceless. I’m so much clearer on my goals and more grounded in myself. In the time I’ve been working with Kirstin, I’ve had a book accepted for publication, partly I think, because working with her helped me clarify my own vision and process. I’m now working on finishing my third block, which is a memoir, and it's really helpful to have the support of someone who has all the wide-ranging skills that Kirstin does. I don't use Kirstin as an editor, though she's very talented in that area as well, but I am so lucky in that I’m able to share my pages with her and my project and my story and really get clear on my own path.

Unlike working with a therapist where there's always, no matter how wonderful the therapist or healer is, some underlying assumption that there’s a problem that needs to be resolved, working with Kirstin is always about trusting my own inherent strength and wholeness and growing into greater strength and wholeness without there needing to be any problem.

I also want to say I am just amazed by how incredibly generous and available Kirstin is. The ongoing support Kirstin offers between sessions is unlike anything I have ever experienced. She is available by text, by voicemail, by email. If something comes up during the day and I want her support or want to check something out with her, she's there for me. We don't just talk every other week; we are in an ongoing conversation. I often send her a message not needing any reply, and she responds with some insight that is incredibly helpful. This allows me to treat my own growth and path as ongoing daily work in a more concerted way with a witness and support by my side.

I am now in my third contract with Kirstin and I'm feeling so very lucky to be able to work with her. She has such an incredible range of skills from being able to do inner child work, trauma work, The Work of Byron Katie, dreamwork, somatic work, the list goes on. And her generosity and insights are vast. She’s also just an incredible, fun, spunky, person— energetic, kind, unusual, full of life, someone I now think of as a friend as well as my coach. So, thank you so much Kirstin; I really am in a very different place than I was when I first started working with you. I came to coaching hoping I would feel more aligned with my purpose, especially as my kids are going off to college. I am in a much steadier, stronger place with more tools and a deeper rootedness than when I was when I started working with you. I’m excited to see how the chapters continue to unfold, and also to watch and admire Kirstin as she continues to grow and expand in her own life and work.


Cori Strong Burns
Entrepreneur, Photography Educator, and Marketing Strategist
Working with Kirstin has been one of the most eye-opening and fulfilling experiences of my life. After trying therapy, I felt like something was lacking. After my first call with Kirstin, I knew I had found it. Between my individual calls and working with a mastermind group, my view of life opened radically. Through her unique approach to thought work, Kirstin helps you identify areas that you didn’t even realize you were struggling with. Her approach is gentle, encouraging, fiercely intelligent and inspiring.

Through my work with Kirstin, I learned to feel my emotions in my physical body and notice them with curiosity, instead of spiraling into shame and over-analyzing; this has allowed me to process emotions in a healthy and calming way. I’ve also learned to identify the areas of my life where I was reacting; Kirstin helped me identify the areas where I could be proactive and the areas where it was healthy to let go of the need to control. This alone has been incredibly helpful because I used to be a “control freak,” which lead to anxiety and unhappiness for me and everyone around me.

One of the biggest things we worked on was my fear of being judged, which admittedly held me back from pursuing goals that I am very passionate about. Working through my limiting beliefs about not being good enough has allowed me to finally create the art that has been begging to be made. Not only have I found my voice, I also feel confident speaking my truth. All of these things have played into how I show up in my relationships with my kids, my husband, my clients, and my friends. I feel like I can love them unconditionally now and see them for who they are.

Doing this work with others in a group reminded me of our shared humanity. Take away the labels we give ourselves and you just have human beings, all looking to live life more fully. This is Kirstin’s superpower. After your first call, you will be asking yourself why you didn’t do this sooner.


Tracy
LCSW, Psychotherapist

Nothing has been more powerful and impactful in my personal growth and momentum, at midlife, than my work with Kirstin Hotelling Zona! Nothing.

I’ve been a mental health therapist for over twenty years. And with that comes a great dedication to my own personal growth and well-being. Traditional personal growth modalities were helpful and necessary, but something was missing. I still continued to have limited success in accessing emotional freedom that lead me to feeling more traction in my life. I wanted to not just settle into the life I had created but bring more joy to my daily existence. Bottom line? There were things I needed to change about how I was living.

First, I needed more than a platform to complain—and real, honest-to-goodness accountability for my life choices. I needed to feel empowered, motivated, and to see beyond my own limited scope of the world. And I got it!

I went to one of Kirstin’s retreats and I was honestly blown away by her skill set. And believe me when I say I was skeptical. I gained so much from just a day with her coaching that I could not stop thinking about it. She showed up authentic and real, giving us her best coaching. I ended that day wanting more, but the investment scared me; my husband and I are raising three sons and are not independently wealthy. But I was in pain, stuck, and knew I had to do something. I hired Kirstin and my work began within 24 hours. Once I took that step, I knew my life would change. I had just made a huge investment in myself and this work. It felt a bit like diving off a cliff into the unknown. But I knew I didn’t want to keep standing on the cliff, as it were.

Kirstin has been preparing for this role as a personal life coach her entire life - without even knowing it. She possesses a knowledge base, drawing from 20 years as a university professor, teacher, writer, mother, intuitive, and life coach, that has assisted me in a process that you can’t find in a therapist's office, a book, or a friend. I was launched into a process of evaluating everything about my life and what I wanted and needed.

The support and guidance was truly unimaginable. My connection with my Mastermind Group has been one of the greatest forms of support I have ever had outside of my friends and family. I can honestly say that my work with Kirstin has improved my life in ways I cannot explain, and I will be eternally grateful for the skills I have gained, the perspective, and the abundance of joy and responsibility I feel empowered to carry forth.

Every aspect of my life has improved, in some areas dramatically: my marriage, my parenting, my career, my friendships, and mostly, my own inner peace and well-being.


Roberta
Retired Assistant Vice President & Sr. IT Architect, State Farm Insurance, Avid Hiker and Adventurer
Hiring Kirstin as my life coach has undoubtedly been the best investment I’ve ever made. It was an investment in myself, my future, and my emotional and spiritual health. For the first time in my life, I did something just for me. It was an investment that profoundly changed my life.

As we began our work together I was battling an eating disorder, an addiction, that had dominated my life for over 45 years. I was carrying a tremendous burden of shame and self-loathing, feeling both helpless and hopeless. I was numb, disconnected from my emotions and from my body. A failed marriage was the source of tremendous guilt, and my relationship with my adult children was fraught with anxiety, tension and fear. I felt unworthy of love and utterly alone.

As I opened my life to Kirstin, she poured herself into me. I shared with her my pain, my fears, my despair. She listened intently, without judgement, and responded with tremendous compassion. She provided me with tools to help manage my thoughts and challenge the self-condemning stories that I had come to hold as truth in my life. She guided me down a path of self-discovery, self-acceptance and self-love, the bedrock of healing and living a conscious life.

With regard to my eating disorder she not only helped me understand its roots, thereby allowing me to move past the shame and into a place of self-compassion, but she also offered me practical tools and protocols to confront the addiction. She became my thought partner as we looked at specific situations and developed detailed plans for successfully navigating circumstances that in the past had triggered my eating disorder. I can proudly say that with Kirstin’s help and constant support I’ve been in recovery now for more than 18 months.

Kirstin helped me move past the guilt I felt from my failed marriage, and helped me craft a vision for the future of my relationship with my adult children. Again, we developed specific, actionable goals to improve those relationships. The changes have been astounding. I couldn’t be more grateful.

More that anything though, Kirstin has helped me cultivate love in my life and love of my life. I am able now to feel my feelings and experience my emotions, the depth and breadth of which are astounding. I have never felt so alive. In many ways I feel as if I’ve been a witness to my own resurrection. I can honestly say that through my work with Kirstin I have come to love my life, and believe that I am indeed worthy of love.

As a coach, I found Kirstin to be both engaged and engaging, compassionate and unwavering in her support. She is knowledgeable, intelligent, and has a wealth of life experience to draw on. She is attentive and has made herself available to me between our coaching sessions via text and email, to which she replies promptly and thoroughly, offering her wisdom, encouragement and gentle kindness. As a poet, writer, and teacher she sees the world from a unique, refreshing perspective. As a human being, she is simply delightful.

Working with Kirstin has had a profound impact on my life. Hands down, the best investment I’ve ever made.


Joe
Physician
I’ve been thinking about writing about my experiences with Kirstin for some time because I’ve had something very important to share with anyone who might wander here to read this, especially if you came here feeling a bit lost like I was over one year ago: As a physician, I deal with saving lives fairly regularly. And why would I open a testimonial with that? Well, although Kirstin may not have the crazy hours a doctor does, there’s something I am very happy to share with all you about her:

Kirstin saved MY life.

That sounds a bit deep, doesn’t it? But it’s completely true.

Like so many people, I found myself lost and without purpose. Sure, like everyone else I would go to work, and take care of the very important job of taking care of others and my family, both jobs I had always aspired to in my youth. But there was a problem. I wasn’t taking care of myself, and it showed unconsciously in my words and actions in ways I didn’t intend or understand. And even bigger than that problem, I wasn’t aware that I was in need of help. Help to find out what really drives me; to find personal joy; to find true purpose again; to make my soul smile again as it did when I was a child; and help with so many other things.

Kirstin did all this and more.

Kirstin’s kind, gentle, and nonjudgmental approach was invaluable to make me feel compelled to look inside myself, to bravely ask myself why, to fearlessly chart my life’s course forward, to leave anger and judgement behind, and to replace it with empathy, compassion, and love. I wish I could impart to anyone who may be reading this the weight of these words, and how my life is forever changed for the better because of Kirstin. I feel I am a different person and a different man. This has been noticed by closest friends and colleagues, and more importantly, me. I am happy to have found Kirstin at the moment in my life when I did, and now look with curiosity and excitement to the future.

I hope my words can convey my feelings to anyone reading this, but I know words alone could never completely do justice to where I was before I started and the direction I am headed in now. I will be forever grateful for Kirstin‘s help in charting my life and helping me with the necessary skills for taking control of my life’s course, and I strongly recommend her services to anyone in need (and if you read this far, that’s probably you.)

Good luck to everyone reading this with living the best life possible… after all, isn’t that what this is really all about?


Katinka
Senior Executive, State Farm, and Mother of Five

I will forever be grateful to Kirstin! Over the course of a six-month journey, she has helped me learn more about myself than I’ve learned over the previous 55 years.

Those previous 55 years were full of many fun, fulfilling and happy experiences, and also full of the pain, heartbreak and disappointment that comes with being a daughter, wife, mother, friend, employee and co-worker. I had built up some world-class armor and resilience that allowed me to be “successful” in all those roles - but also denied me the skills to live authentically. With her patient and thoughtful approach, Kirstin inspired me to open my heart and begin my work toward living a more vulnerable and wholehearted life.

Kirstin helped me reset the course of my life’s journey. She came to every conversation with a sincere desire to listen, understand, and help me develop the skills that I needed. She is loving, patient, and kind beyond measure. She helped me build a practice of meaningful self-care and mindfulness, inspired me to reconnect to my true passions, and connected me to a world of resources I never knew existed. It has been a breakthrough experience!


Allison
Certified Wayfinder Master Life Coach

I have grown so much from coaching with Kirstin that I hardly recognize the person I used to be – stuck, unsure of herself, and with no idea how to make her dreams a reality. Kirstin got me moving! In our sessions, she got to the root of my challenges and helped me to think differently about them, so I could come up with my own solutions. Then, in between sessions, she was there for support and celebration. That combination of insight and availability made our coaching relationship transformational. I am now living the life I dreamed of: I have created a business I love and that supports my family, my relationships are thriving, and I am confident in my future.


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Christine
Speech Language Pathologist
I stumbled into coaching with Kirstin quite by “luck”. I won a Four Weeks to Flourishing session at a silent auction, and began the experience with the attitude that it was a severely discounted prize and “hey, I might even learn something new!” Looking back at that thought, I have to chuckle because I learned EVERYTHING new, a whole new way of looking at myself, my problems, my past, my present...every aspect of my life was touched and enriched by what Kirstin had to offer. When I began she told me these were forever lessons, and she was 100% true to her word.

After the initial 4 weeks, I signed on for six months of coaching and the work of my soul really began. Kirstin set me on a path of self-awareness, a way of noticing without reacting, seeing without judging, and holding myself accountable without beating myself up. She is encouraging, directive, and curious, and she helped me grow to be that way too. With her help, I was able to soothe and connect with a version of myself that was clinging on to old hurts and calling out for attention; I learned how to give myself what I really needed: mercy, boundaries, and an anchor in my day-to-day busy life.

I’m a word person by nature and profession, and with Kirstin’s guidance I learned how to re-write the narratives that constantly ran through my brain so that I could watch, reflect and consider the scripts I had assigned myself and the people closest to me. I learned how to capture each thought in the present moment and make it work to my benefit. I was able to learn where my greatest professional skills and interests lay to make room for new opportunities. She provided endless outside resources: books, podcasts, homework to help me get the most of my coaching experience.

With Kirstin’s help I was able to define and change my tendencies to misuse sugar and zone-out into unproductive internet loops. I was able to make health and relationship adjustments that were not punitive. None of this was easy, and there were times I would get sassy, but Kirstin—ahhh, ever the professional—called my bluff when I needed it and held space for my growing pains. Coaching with Kirstin has indeed initiated life-long changes; as she promised, her lessons are not here and then gone—they are forever lessons, and an investment in her coaching is the first step to the best version of you.


Lach
Founder at Satori, Premium Client Management Solution for Coaches

Before working with Kirstin, I felt overwhelmed by the responsibilities of leading my business and frustrated by my lack of progress. After a string of setbacks, I was struggling with self-doubt that would spiral into bouts of crushing depression on a regular basis. I was needing to reboot my mindset and see myself more clearly. Although I was afraid that hiring a coach would just be another opportunity to fail again, the way Kirstin showed up for me with 100% presence, empathy, and clarity gave me courage to take the leap and hire her as my coach.

Through deep listening, insightful questions, and honest, compassionate reflection, Kirstin helped me develop awareness of the thought patterns that were keeping me stuck. She gave me tools to expose and challenge my limiting beliefs, and helped me get back on track whenever my thinking was captured by old patterns of fear, doubt or resentment.

None of this was easy. It took months of hard work and emotional vulnerability which was at times very uncomfortable and challenging. But, with Kirstin's skillful reflection and partnership I always felt very safe, seen and supported.

Kirstin is insightful, compassionate and wise. She has an amazing, uplifting energy that is both powerful and gentle, and a profound understanding of the human experience which she brings to her coaching. She never failed to show up with 100% presence and dedication to supporting me. The level of support she gave me both during, and between sessions (in emails, text messages, and voice notes) was incredible.

I experienced many benefits from my partnership with Kirstin. I'm more confident in myself, more productive at work, and generally happier in my life. I'm more motivated to work towards my goals, while at the same time more at peace with the journey. I'm accomplishing more, with less striving and less resistance.

I still have a lot of work to do. And I still have the occasional bad day. But now, I'm more able to meet challenges with self-awareness and compassion, and this allows me to get back on track more quickly.

Perhaps most valuable of all, I learned to trust myself. I'm able to connect with my feelings, listen to the guidance they're offering, and take more responsibility for my emotional life. I'm able to trust my own intuition and experience before the cacophony of outside voices, standards, expectations, and comparisons.


Michelle
Professor and Opera Singer
Kirstin is a game changer! After surviving cancer twice and divorce twice, I believed that life was an unfair struggle and that I was just unlucky. Add to that the fact that I was a people pleaser and one who had followed “the rules” all my life—“be nice, think of others first, put yourself last, give to others.” I felt helpless and was ready to burst with disappointment and resentment. Then a friend introduced me to Kirstin.

When I began working with Kirstin, I had no idea how many obstacles I was throwing in the way of my own power and happiness. I was astonished to learn that many of my hardships were self-imposed. Without realizing it, I was relinquishing my power and living by the rules of others all the while ensnaring myself in an unending cycle of frustration and anger felt in my personal and professional lives. Through systematic thought work, Kirstin helped me to notice when I was caught in the cycle and showed me how to take control of my thoughts and feelings.

After each session, Kirstin gave me well chosen, valuable homework assignments which served as follow-up exercises to clarify and reinforce that which we discussed in our session. I learned how to be accountable to myself and no one else. I no longer give away my power, but instead choose my thoughts and feelings.

With my increased self-awareness and the tools Kirstin taught me, I have a strategy to dive into and move through feelings intentionally without fear or discomfort. I also learned the absolute importance of compassion for self and self-care. Thanks to Kirstin’s coaching, I now embrace my entire selfhood (strengths and weaknesses) and celebrate who I am with compassion instead of self-judgment. For the first time, I feel authentic, more fully comfortable in my own skin and best able to meet my own needs.

One of my favorite things about working with Kirstin was her availability. The text messaging that she offered in between our sessions was an enormous benefit to working with her. Much of her coaching was done through those texts just when I needed her guidance as various issues arose throughout the week. I felt that she was always there for me which truly anchored me through this entire process.

During our collaboration, I assembled a large 3 ring binder (quite thick now) where I still keep my worksheets and session notes, as well as other work such as thought dumps, letters to self, and podcast notes. So now I have a manual to guide me as I “go it alone.” I actually see the world as a kinder place and I am eager to be an “all in” participant where before I would have chosen isolation and felt very alone. I feel that I understand myself and my relationships much better. In sharing my newfound insight with my son, he has also benefitted from Kirstin’s expertise. I will be forever grateful to Kirstin for her enormous impact on my quality of life. THANK YOU KIRSTIN!


Melinda
Author, LMT, CYT, CHHC, Pathways to Health, Master Life Coach
My coaching work with Kirstin has been transformational! I have wanted to do one on one coaching for a while but the price felt prohibitive. When I met Kirstin at her retreat last summer, I knew I had met my match and wanted to find the funds to work with her.

My work with Kirstin has enabled me to forge a relationship with myself like I've never known. I am now able to have my own back and truly love myself and my past in a way that has been so healing!!

Thanks to our work I had the courage to take on a grueling diet in the name of bettering my health. I know that if she wasn't in my corner holding me to my best self I would have continued to put it off. By doing this diet I've learned so much about my illness and myself that is invaluable for my work with others. In terms of my business, I have successfully double my rates and stepped into my power as a coach in a much bigger way! I started running women's retreats, which is something I was scared to do before, and now I've run two.

I have gained so much insight about myself during my work with Kirstin—some of the most profound revelations I've ever had, and I've been in therapy for many years of my life. Kirstin is so smart and articulate. She has incredible insights and wisdom. I couldn't recommend coaching with Kirstin more highly!!


Chuck
Fashion Art Director and Photo Shoot Producer, Designer, Artist

I’ve been working with Kirstin for about 7 months and it has been truly life-changing. Kirstin is deeply intuitive and remarkably intelligent in her work. Her gentle but effectively firm, no-nonsense coaching and leadership inspires me to engage in what is the most important work in my life so far. There is a passion and dedication in Kirstin’s coaching that makes me feel like I truly have an advocate, friend, mentor and teammate, all at once. This is an incredible feeling when you are confronting deeply emotional and challenging things while setting forth on an invigorating life-changing journey.

Through my work with Kirstin, I am recognizing the many ways I stand in the way of my own peace and happiness. I am identifying the ways that my creative and passionate journey has become buried in a lifestyle and world full of never ending demand and stimulus. I am learning how to cut through the fog to navigate the path to my fullest potential, to find my true self and my most authentic purpose.

Working with Kirstin is giving me the tools to sort through the clutter of a complex life, to become my truest self, and to practice daily the simple things that can bring peace, joy and abundance...to establish a foundation from which literally anything is possible. I can’t say enough about the work I am doing with Kirstin and the impact it is having on me. I am incredibly lucky to have this opportunity and to have her in my life.


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Jenny
Artist, Writer, and Teacher
Working with Kirstin as a life coach has been a transformative experience for me. She has helped me go from feeling stuck, reactionary, distracted and frustrated to living a life I feel I'm meant to live. I first met her at a retreat that I had signed up for and I knew from the start that she could be key in helping me get past my hurdles. At the time, I felt creatively blocked and was seeking help for that, but I had no idea that she would help me in so many other ways and truly transform my life. While coaching with her she was able to get me to see what wasn't serving me in my life and to stop living small, which was huge for me. I’d felt for years like I wasn't reaching my potential, that I was just treading water. I was comfortable, but not fully happy, not truly thriving. My relationships suffered, my work suffered. My art and creativity suffered. I just wasn’t living up to what I knew I could be. I wasn’t fulfilled and I wasn’t doing what I knew I was meant to do. With Kirstin’s help, I was able to shift from a life of lack to one of abundance, and it changed my life. My outlook, my attitude, my work, my relationships all changed, and I felt for the first time in my life that I was on right path.

With her gentle but firm and intuitive approach, Kirstin hones in on what it is that blocks you, what you need to work on to get past the hurdles that are keeping you from living your best life. Her warmth and generosity as a person and a coach make you feel seen and understood, and she gives you the courage to be open, honest, and authentic so thatyou can go all in and feel comfortable examining who you are and what you need. She helps you see in yourself what you may not have the objectivity to even realize is there. Her vast knowledge and resources help equip you with what you need to focus on to get you to where you need to go.

My experience working with Kirstin has cracked open my life in the most glorious ways. It has not only changed my life for the better, but those around me as well. When you are able to thrive it has a radiating effect on those around you, and your relationships flourish. I've not only seen this enormous growth in myself, but in friends of mine who have also worked with Kirstin. I've seen them transform and grow and shine and it has been such a joy to witness.

I'm forever grateful to Kirstin for helping me realize what I could become, and for helping me get there, and I encourage everyone I know who needs that same kind of help to work with her. Her warmth, keen intelligence, and intuitive nature will help transform the lives of those who take that important step and sign up to work with her.


Stacy
Female Empowerment Entrepreneur

I first met Kirstin at a Full Potential workshop, and I immediately knew I needed to work with her. I wasn’t living a FULL life, even though I desperately wanted to. Kirstin helped me develop tools for living and dreaming BIG. She taught me that feeling ALL the feelings and being with them is of the utmost importance, and that putting myself first is NEVER selfish and always a must. I’m forever grateful to my time with Kirstin, and it was the best money I ever spent.


Noelle
Author, CEO/Owner of Write On, Author’s Coach, and Founder of An Ordinary Woman

My introduction to Kirstin as a Life Coach was through attending her 1-day Women’s Retreat. The day was full of new ideas and ways of thinking about one’s “full potential” through presentation, group process, and several creative expression activities. I left feeling a renewed sense of inspiration, but more importantly, a clarity regarding my life’s work and a plan of action to begin living a life that supported my goals. I have attended many retreats, and Kirstin’s was superior in its method to draw out deep desires, and also leave with a plan to achieve them. This was no “woo-woo” event.

I committed to working with Kirstin as my Coach at the end of her retreat. I did not have the money in my bank account to pay her, but I knew I couldn’t afford not to get some help to work further on my aspirations. Over the next two weeks, I achieved unplanned contract-work bonuses that would pay for my first 3 months of coaching!

Since beginning coaching with Kirstin only a few months ago, my business income has more than doubled. I attribute that directly to Kirstin helping me create specific steps for improving my behavior patterns, sticking to my goals, and revising my plans without self-deprecating.

As a result of this process I also have realized the need to take charge of my health and have lost 40 pounds. Because I am feeling more happy and fulfilled, my relationship with my husband is better than ever, and I have moved on from toxic relationships that were holding me back.

There is no question that coaching has helped me propel my life and work forward far more quickly than if I had continued to struggle through it on my own. I was feeling overwhelmed by what to do next, and was stuck in self-doubt and habits that left me beating myself up. Kirstin’s ability to remember explicit details about my work is amazing, and directly impacts how honestly we work together. She is an objective and caring listener, and gives honest and compassionate feedback. She is teaching me to challenge myself to move to the next level, and the support of coaching, and our coaching Master Mind group, gives me the foundation of support I need to go for it!


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Rebecca
Speech Language Pathologist
Kirstin has been a dear friend of mine for closing in on twenty years. We originate from communities just a few hours apart in Northern Maine, and New Brunswick, Canada and share a deep love for the wilder, northern end of the Atlantic seaboard from which we come. We also share a deep love of our mother role.

Four years ago, following several years during which I had been under a great deal of stress, I was bitten by a tick, and became extremely ill. For eighteen months I did not have the energy to get off the couch, and ended up resigning my position at the university where I worked.

My anxiety, which had been subtly - and at times less subtly - present throughout most of my life, went through the roof as I sought and failed to get my health and life under control. As time went on, and despite all my best efforts, I wasn’t getting better and I began to panic. Following that, I fell into a severe depression.

I began working with Kirstin a few months after I participated in a workshop offered by Kirstin in which she helped me see that I could change my perception and that that could possibly change and improve how I was approaching my illness and my life.

I realized that I could benefit from an additional, and different kind of help to that which I was receiving in counseling. I also realized that I had maxed out what I could achieve on my own with self-help websites and books. I wanted more for myself than simply living in survival mode the rest of my life. I also realized that if worst came to worst and I could not get my health and energy back, I needed to find a way to live with myself - and be happy - for both myself and my family’s sake.

I knew I needed help to get to that place. I knew what Kirstin had to offer professionally as a transformational life coach and educator, and personally, as a friend. I knew I could trust Kirstin completely, and I was pretty sure she could help me.

Kirstin is very, very good at listening and helping clients identify and articulate problems, limiting beliefs, and barriers that stand in the way of their self-esteem, health, happiness, and success, and then helping them move through and beyond those barriers.

Kirstin helped me identify my own limiting beliefs and behaviors, and worked with me to change those beliefs and behaviors. For example, she helped me understand that my urge to control was a strategy born out of a longstanding desire to keep my family and loved ones safe. She helped me view a behavior of which I was deeply ashamed with self-compassion and understanding, and this was critical to enabling me to accept, release, and change that behavior.

I am a reader and at every meeting during our work together, Kirstin gave me a list of resources to support the work we were doing together. This really helped me solidify my understanding and learning as we progressed.

Our work together focused a great deal on helping me to accept myself with compassion; particularly the ongoing fatigue and loss of stamina that I continued to experience and that was very difficult for me to accept. I had always based my self-worth on my ability to work well and work hard. I felt worthless. Kirstin helped me learn to accept and view myself with less judgment and more compassion. She also helped me become intentional in identifying and changing long-standing habits of critical and negative self-talk and general self-loathing that I had engaged in my entire life.

As we worked together to identify and change beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, not only did my relationships with my family members improve, but so did my health, my energy and stamina, my self-esteem, and my happiness.

My healing journey has been a spiritual journey as well, for me, and Kirstin was able to support me in this aspect too. She helped me to better understand that the spiritual “surrender” that I experienced, but didn’t really understand, was something that others have also gone through as they have moved towards a life more in alignment with their spirit. Kirstin was always only affirming and never judgmental of the intuitions, synchronicities, miracles and manifestations, and other - that which I perceive as - spiritual happenings, that I experienced and shared with her.

Kirstin is not only a transformational life coach but also a poet, writer, and academic. Kirstin is one of the finest communicators I have ever met. This past year she has served as a writing mentor and coach for me as I have been writing the story of my spiritual and healing journey.

Kirstin has helped me understand myself better, learn to love and respect myself as I am, and has helped me transform my life. I know what it is to feel joy now and am happier than I ever have been. And wonderfully, I can report that four years later I have fully recovered my health and energy, and the underlying, ever present, anxiety I lived with for over forty years is gone.

Kirstin brings to her transformational coaching an exceptional ability to identify and articulate barriers and help clients navigate through and beyond them. She is positive, affirming, compassionate, loving, and one hundred percent trustworthy.

You are safe with Kirstin.

I no longer live in survival mode. I no longer live in fear. I feel joy. I see magic and miracles occurring all around me every day. I enjoy life and am no longer afraid of the future. I am much, much better at meeting challenges with self-compassion, a positive attitude, faith, and optimism. I am happy and relaxed and my relationships with my family members have deepened and improved. And, for the first time in my life, I feel good in my own skin.

I am okay.

My friend, Dr. Kirstin Hotelling Zona, played a huge role in helping me get to this beautiful place, and I will be forever grateful to her for her teaching and healing.


Jenni
Certified Nurse Midwife and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
My first encounter with Kirstin was not by choice; my employer of the time had hired her services as part of an employee enrichment program. I remember being skeptical, reserved, feeling like an outsider to what I perceived as the dysfunctionality in my midst. But it was also in this first meeting with Kirstin that I was introduced to the idea of pause—a concept that would burrow deep over the coming months of my coaching. The practice of pause helped me take responsibility for my thoughts and feelings, allowing me to no longer be captive to resentment or the opinions of others.

With Kirstin’s guidance I learned to replace self-judgement with celebration and trust. In a very practical way, I developed a reverence for my present and future self in the context of diet and exercise. Through introspection, meditation, and journaling, all taught and encouraged throughout my coaching experience, I have grown to live thrive within the seeming paradoxes of stillness and discovery, of distinctness and belonging, of contentment and growth, of exploration and home, of careerhood and motherhood, of empowerment and vulnerability. And what a magnificent place it is, my friends.

If you are looking for a safe space filled by one who will share a genuine and loving curiosity about your story and push you to discover your own authentic potential, look no more. You won’t regret investing in you.


Lenore
University Dean
Fifteen months ago, I had to acknowledge to myself that I needed some help. I had a lifetime of “unsuccessful” relationships despite great success in other areas of my life. One romantic prospect even told me I needed to do some work on myself. Additionally, as I tried to fill out on-line dating profiles, I had difficulty defining my interests, describing who I was. On top of that, I was facing a transition into retirement. The thought of facing retirement alone and without a clear idea of what I wanted to do or even what I really liked to do threw me into a slump and drained me of energy and happiness. An acquaintance had such a positive experience with a life coach she suggested I give it a try. I had a long history of traditional therapy and was a little skeptical. She had to mention it to me three times before I finally made an appointment for the introductory session with Kirstin. Halfway through the session, I knew Kirstin would be able to help me. Kirstin is intuitive, compassionate, sensitive, firm, knowledgeable, smart, and perceptive.

What a huge difference my experience with Kirstin made in life! Kirstin helped me identify and resolve the barriers/obstacles in my thinking that prevented me from living a wholehearted life. I feel energized, with a clearer idea of my path ahead. I am no longer afraid of experiencing life by myself. I am happier and resolved to only bring into my life the people and activities that facilitate living my life to the fullest. I cannot thank Kirstin enough for her patience and helping me see that the future is mine to create.


Penny
Mother, Wife, Lover of Life & Independent Norwex Consultant
Hiring Kirstin as my life coach has been the best investment I’ve ever made. I was in a dark place when Kirstin was recommended to me by a friend. I decided I had to make an investment in myself before everything around me came crumbling down. The change in me over the last six months has been profound. When we began our work together I was feeling tremendous guilt over things that were truly out of my control. I carried the burden in my heart, and it began affecting every aspect of my life including my job, my marriage, and my ability to function as a mother. Kirstin helped me really evaluate my thoughts and feelings about all aspects of my life. I was able to become conscious about and quickly evaluate my thoughts and feelings before reacting. I learned to stop worrying and accept the things that were out of my control. I was much like a flower blooming: my guilt went away, my marriage got better, and I became the mom that my boys needed. In addition, I really figured out what I want / don’t want in life. I feel like I have energy and purpose in life. Additionally, she gave me the tools I need to continue my self-exploration as I continue life’s journey.


Lynn
Small Business Owner
Working with Kirstin was life-changing for me. I was ready to make changes in my life, but I didn't know how. Kirstin listened by me; she started with me from where I was and then she taught me how to grow. She did this with love and respect, never making me feel that I was less than or that I needed to change. She just lovingly guided me to new ways of thinking and living. I gained so much confidence from my work with her. I went from worried about my life to feeling empowered and prepared to make my life what I want it to be. I would encourage anyone who is looking to grow in their personal life, business life, or relationships to work with Kirstin. I will forever be grateful to her for her guidance, her teaching, and her encouragement with love.

April
Small Business Owner, Entrepreneur

After attending one of Kirstin’s day retreats I decided to commit to 6 months of one-on-one coaching. I am a long-time entrepreneur running several businesses while juggling a family, and was feeling overwhelmed and stretched too thin to take care of myself. After working with Kirstin I have learned how to manage my time with proper planning techniques and how to best prioritize. I now feel like I have all the time I need to do whatever I want and I feel empowered to grow personally and professionally beyond my wildest dreams!


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Jessica
Yoga Specialist and Blogger, healyourselfyoga.com

Kirstin was instrumental at the beginning stages of my business in helping me not only refine my niche, but also my mindset. It is really hard as a new business owner to prioritize and not feel overwhelmed. Kirstin provided the guidance and support to help me through this unchartered territory of entrepreneurship.

Being able to consult with her regarding the best next steps for my business brought a lot of comfort and clarity. The encouragement she gives is sincere and really helped motivate me to continue to pursue my dreams.

On a personal level, Kirstin taught me how to take care of myself. Questions like “what is the most important thing you can give yourself today?” helped to reestablish myself as a priority. And I will never forget her response to a hurtful comment someone made to me. She said the most important thing that matters is that YOU care about your feelings. YOU care about your heart. Give to yourself. Bring yourself the love and comfort that you need. That truly helped empower my whole life.


Shari
Associate Dean, Illinois State University

I started my relationship with Kirstin with modest goals, and she encouraged me immediately to dream big. After only one year, my life has deepened and expanded in ways I hadn’t imagined possible. The daily texts with Kirstin and her careful consideration in her responses to me keep me both grounded and inspired as I reach for MORE in myself and my life. Especially important to me is her ability to move from her own voice, to careful listening, to poetry and other thinkers to find the keys that open something in my thinking. It works.


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Jen
Banking Leadership, Psychology Graduate Student

Working with Kirstin has been a tremendous experience. She has helped me to grow and develop in so many ways and has greatly enhanced many areas of my life. Predominantly, I worked with Kirstin on improving personal relationships; but through this work, I saw so many other areas of my life transform, or bloom, as well.

I moved into a new job that I absolutely love. I have re-discovered hobbies I am passionate about; I have stronger relationships with family and friends, and I have even started seriously dating again after a divorce, something that seemed nearly impossible a year ago! The key to this was focusing on my thoughts and recognizing how they were shaping everything about and around me. In working with Kirstin, we set goals and worked together to achieve them. She was always available and there to help in any way needed.


Ann
LCSW, Psychotherapist

From first meeting Kirstin Hotelling Zona, she openly engaged me in a safe invitation to pursue my curiosity, discover strength and courage, and take action toward my deepest desires.

Kirstin saw and ignited that spark within me that allowed me to face my shadow and old stories in order to find balance and light in the transformative power of love and compassion. Kirstin’s intuitive, nurturing and action-centered stance provides a foundation for me to develop rituals and strategies of self-care that move me towards self-trust and connection with others. With Kirstin’s nudging and well-crafted assignments, I’ve grown to be less reactive and more connected with joy. I have the tools to manage my time, to engage in daily practices of self-care and to not become paralyzed by overwhelm. My relationships with friends and family feel more genuine, with greater understanding, as I let go of the burdens of guilt and shame. I reconnected with my sister after being estranged from her for more than two years. Professionally, I am more present and able to implement and teach clients new skills with an array of tools for managing their problems. Coaching with Kirstin has been an incredible investment that I would highly recommend for anyone interested in connecting with their passion and desire.


Lisa
Certified Yoga Instructor

Working with Kirstin has literally changed my life. She has helped me to trust myself and to listen to those nudges and voices of authenticity and desire that I might have ignored or pushed aside.


She has held me accountable for taking actions, both small and large, to begin living out those desires in my everyday life. With incredible honesty and unconditional love, Kirstin helped me to see through my fear and replace that fear with total acceptance. She has given me the tools I need to continue on this path of truly living authentically. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with such a loving and gifted individual.

Melissa
Certified Health and Wellness Coach

Kirstin has a gift for quickly pulling you out of the story you've been telling yourself and helping you get closer to your truth. She brings every part of her into her coaching—her brilliance, her vulnerability and her humor. Despite being a masterful coach, she doesn't pretend to have it all figured out.

Her genuine curiosity for learning and human potential guides her coaching. So if you truly want to transform your life, like seriously transform it, you've got to say YES to working with Kirstin.



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Maria
PhD., Bilingual Education Program

I met Kirstin in one of her one-day retreats (September, 2017). I was invited by one of my good friends and it happened just at the right time. It was an amazing experience to be there with a group of great women and Kirsten as our facilitator/leader/coach. She created a very comfortable environment for all the participants, and even though not all of us knew each other, we felt good to be there sharing. At that time, I was going through a transition in my life, and I knew that changes were coming but did not know how to deal with them. I was overwhelmed, overthinking and going in circles in my head. Kirstin tailored a perfect retreat for all participants. She took into consideration our one-on-one conversations with her prior the retreat and prepared something very special and just for us.

This retreat helped me to put things in perspective, create a plan, and work on real goals. Also, it helped me to think on the balance sometimes we need in our lives in order to let things happen naturally. Kirstin is an amazing coach; she makes everyone feel important and she really cares about what her attendants are going through.


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April and Steve
Owners, Coffeehound, CH3, and Sirius Roasters

Coffee Hound is a well-established business of 16 years and is committed to our staff and community to be a business of high standards and continued growth. After working with Kirstin for 6 months in one-on-one life coaching I, along with my husband and partner Steve, decided to incorporate her skills in developing a staff retreat for our management team. This two-day retreat was a well-planned and well-executed strategic planning retreat designed to motivate and empower our managers to help us grow our business.

With Kirstin’s guidance not only did we do strategic planning, but the staff also left with all the tools needed to improve their personal lives, learn to be better managers, and develop skills to better communicate and organize. This retreat made our staff feel valued and empowered!

 

Are you ready to break out of limiting patterns, create lasting change, and fully realize your potential?