Have you ever felt like you were created to be your vocation? I didn’t always believe this was true for me. In my 20’s as I was getting my doctorate, I realized in therapy I had chosen this occupation because of the role I played in my family.

 

This insight caused me to take a year off after my third year, which coincidently coincided with my first year of marriage to Dennis, fondly known as the chair guy here at GrowthSkills.

 

The year was 1997. During my sabbatical from school, I did the hard work of seeing if there was anything healthy in this role. What I rediscovered was that I loved understanding people. I learned to type on my middle school summer break by making notes from a 1980’s publication, “How to Read People Like a Book.” I loved personal transformation and engaging in the material I’d been learning in graduate school. There was so much more to the story than, “I became a psychologist because of my childhood family dynamics.”

 

Throughout my 30-year career, I’ve explored many growth models, but understanding how emotions are stored in the body and healing from trauma
without revisiting all its details has been especially transformative. I’ve spent the last two decades examining what it means to be emotionally, physically, mentally, and relationally safe. I'm particularly interested in resilience—understanding what truly drives lasting change and how we can navigate relationships that trigger us or leave us feeling unheard.

 

This year, I’m excited to expand my teaching offerings even further and offer some group experiences. In 2023, I developed a grief program called; A Journey to Hope, to support those processing significant losses. That community and resources is growing so check out my website to find out more. I’m also focusing on teaching people how to navigate difficult conversations through a program called; Ask Me Anything, which improves listening and assertiveness skills.

 

My love of writing has resulted in a memoir called Still: Making A Whole When Parts Go Missing, which shares the loss of my middle child, Baby Long Beach, during pregnancy. Catch my reflections and tips for how to enjoy life regardless of stress or circumstances through my twice-monthly newsletter, A Moment of Pause. Since 2022, I’ve hosted a podcast called I Thought I Was Over This, helping others develop better coping strategies in the face of stress and challenges.

 

I have learned the necessity of gentleness and soft start-ups by parenting my daughter, who is in her final year of undergraduate studies, and my son has taught me the importance of empathy and its power to de-escalate most situations. He’s a junior in high school and enjoys technology, especially coding for the Robotics team.

 

When I’m not creating, I’m enjoying sunsets, sitting outside, playing pickleball, or hanging out with friends. My word for the year is "Passion", and I’m also participating in Gretchen Rubin’s #Writing24in24 challenge. The future looks bright as I continue to blend my love of teaching, writing, and creating programs that help others navigate their journeys. Interested in group programs or other events? Head to https://www.drkimber.net/ and on Instagram @dr_kimber.