Renewal & Resilience Mentoring
Hello. While you may look okay to the rest of the world, I see you. I suspect you often feel lost in the shadows of grief. Life as you knew it is over, but you don't see a path into a new life either.
You're grieving not only the one you've lost, but, let's be honest, you're also grieving you a little, too, yes?
Where did you go? Who are you now?
You're ready to feel fully alive again. Yet you feel torn between a nagging sense of guilt about even wanting to be happy and answering that tiny voice within, asking, "Isn't there more for me?"
You need a path & a guide
The Renewal & Resilence Program
A proven pathway back into your life, with personal coaching from a mentor & trusted advisor who's been where you are.
Let's come together, collaboratively, on a tailored, transformative 4-month+ experience designed to guide you through the places where you feel stuck in grief and toward a reimagined life reflecting:
- purpose & a renewed sense of identity,
- a continuing connection to the one you've lost, and still love, so you can live forward,
- revived relationships with family, friends, the world around you, and you,
- true well-being, peace, confidence, creativity, optimism, and inner joy.
Along the way you’ll create your personal toolkit of habits, rituals, practices, and mindsets to support your personal growth now while cultivating resilience for the journey ahead.
What my client's say they appreciate most about my mentoring and coaching is found in my emphasis on deep listening, posing mind- opening questions, exploring possibilities they didn't see for themselves, and mirroring back mindsets and negative self talk that don't support creating vibrant, meaningful lives.
You can't change what you can't see about yourself. A mentor sees you.
How our process together works
Our process begins with an online starting-point assessment, followed by an in-depth Intention-Setting & Orientation conversation (typically over 75-90 minutes). From there, we begin twice-monthly virtual conversations (one-hour each) tailored to your needs and the intentions set for our work together.
I offer both a Foundational 4-month and an Immersive 6-month working engagement. Both follow a similar process, though the 6-month immersive option enhances your journey with additional momentum-building conversations early on and at mid-point, offering deeper support in fulfilling your life-rebuilding intentions.
We'll be using a combination of live conversations, along with small, yet essential, actions and assignments between conversations.
These next-step actions are designed to help you address specific challenges while opening pathways for healing and growth. We'll be sure assignments are meaningful, without creating overwhelm or being time intensive.
Based on how best to support you, assignments may take a variety of forms:
- self-reflection exercises;
- meditative, visualization, and/or breathwork practices;
- somatic approaches (involving body & movement);
- written, video and/or audio resources;
- journaling & creative outlets;
- other activities related to breaking through blocks and developing supportive rituals, habits, mindsets, and ways of being.
I share approaches that work. You pick those that work for you.
Because growth and life-healing happens between our live conversation, you'll have direct access to me via fully private, chat messaging (both text- and voice-based).
You can ask questions, we'll discuss issues that come up, and I'll be checking in on your well-being and progress all along the way.
All of our work together happens in my private, secure, online client platform. It hosts our Zoom conversations (with cameras on or off per your preference); our chat messaging; assignments & next-step practices; and a range of additional resources you can explore to support yourself at any time.
My support doesn't stop after the last conversation.
To ensure you’re supported after our 4-6 months of working together, there's an additional month of chat support, to help you integrate the tools and practices we developed to support you, navigate challenges that arise, and share successes as you live forward from your loss, into a life that feels good again.
In a nutshell, what you get ...
Who this is for & why work with me?
Who is this program for?
The Renewal & Resilience Program has been created to support those (most often women) at midlife & beyond who are ready to integrate the loss of someone they love into a vibrant, meaningful new season of life.
While still in the grieving process, my clients are typically past the emotionally-raw, early days of grief and are able to function 'okay' most days. As one client put it, "I'm mostly able to cope every day, but coping isn't really living, is it?"
When people come to me, they're still feeling lost and caught in waves of grief that seem to come out of nowhere. There's an inner pull towards living more fully again, but they feel stuck in 'loss limbo.'
Loss limbo is that place where you can't go back to your old life, but also don't see a way forward into a new life that's light-hearted, optimistic, and purposeful again.
Why work with me?
We’ll take a holistic approach, bringing together mind, emotions, body, and spirit (whatever that means for you) to help you develop the practices, habits, rituals, and mind shifts to renew your life and create deeper resilience for the challenges ahead that inevitably come with being a human on this planet.
I not only draw from traditional mental and emotional health coaching modalities and research-informed grief support techniques, I also bring a one-of-a-kind framework I've developed called the Grief Releasing Pathways process.
Please know, I've been where you likely are right now. So my process with clients isn't theory, it's a life-tested journey.
Finally, as a naturalist and a creative—and depending upon my clients' needs and preferences—I integrate a range creative and nature-infused approaches proven to boost new thinking, emotional grounding, self-nurturing, and overall well-being.
Exploring the potential of working together
Grief is tidal, like the ocean. Big waves rise, recede, go calm, ebbing and flowing—and with it all, is joy. It's about learning to live with loss by tapping into your inner reserves of peace, lightheartedness, curiosity, delight, creativity, and possibility.
Here are your next steps ...
🔆 Learn about my Grief Releasing Pathways Process
Below is a 16-minute video that explains this new framework that grew out of my work with clients and others—and my own journey—to rise through grief and reimagine what's possible for our lives.
In short, I've discovered there are Four Pathways we all navigate to find our way back to well-being. That said, there's often one pathway where you can get stuck.
The good news? To borrow from the Roman emperor & philosopher Marcus Aurelius, "What stands in the way, becomes the way." That is, that 'stuck place' holds the key to moving forward.
Kimberley Pittman-Schulz shares the Grief Releasing Pathways process she developed.
After watching the brief teaching above, you'll have two options:
- You can take the brief self-quiz (immediately below) to discover your best grief releasing pathway
- You can schedule a complimentary Embracing Life After Loss Consultation (scroll down to learn more).
Discover your best grief releasing pathway
Take a brief self-quiz
Your information is secure and will never be shared.
🔆 Learn about me & my background to see if we might work well together
Visit the About page on this site by visiting the About tab on the menu. Also spend some time poking through my Writing, which will give you a good sense of my mindset and voice.
🔆 Schedule an Embracing Life After Loss Consultation
This 25-30-minute consultation is a complimentary, safe-space, phone conversation. Together, we'll explore where you're struggling most, unlock new insights about your specific journey with loss, and identify possible next steps.
I won't be offering my paid services, but instead being a resource to you as we get to know each other a bit. At the end, if we both agree that working together may make sense, we can then schedule another time to talk about what that it look like to work together.
Let's talk and see what might help you rebuild your life
Embracing Life After Loss Consultation
If a consultation makes sense for you, this link will take you to a page to learn more, schedule a time, and answer a handful of questions so I can better understand your situation and make the most of our time together when we talk.
Any information you share is private & secure.
What's the investment & any guarantee?
The Renewal & Resilience Program is offered as either a Foundational 4-month or an Immersive 6-month mentoring and coaching program.
As a tailored, collaborative, life-rebuilding experience, it includes all the components described in detail above & summarized below:
- One-to-one private, virtual conversations twice monthly, after an initial 75-90 minute in-depth Intention-Setting & Orientation session. The Immersive Option includes additional momentum-building conversations early on and at mid-point for deeper support and progress.
- Focused, doable & proven action steps to support progress toward your intentions.
- Direct access to me between conversations via private, chat messaging for asynchronous, as-needed mentoring and support.
- Private and secure online client platform where all of our work together happens.
- Additional month of chat messaging support after our 4- or 6-months of working together.
It's an investment in your well-being and ability to make the most of your heartbroken-and-still-unfolding life.
🌀 4-Month Program: $2,700, or $750 per month for 4 months
🌀 6-Month Program: $4,000, or $735 per month for 6 months
What outcomes can you expect?
While no one can guarantee someone else's inner joy and well-being, when my clients complete our work together, they understand how to:
- Take the reins of their grief so they feel less at the whim of dark emotions.
- Tame their wild thoughts and self-blaming self talk.
- Go safely within to unearth a new sense of purpose & identity.
- Learn to hold on to the one they love and have lost in new ways as they step forward on their life's continuing path.
If, after our initial Intention-Setting & Orientation conversation, working with me doesn't feel right for you, then, no worries, I'll refund your fee.
Frequently asked questions
Have a look at the FAQ's below to see if your question has been answered, or click the "Ask Me Something" button (at the bottom of this page).
How are coaching & mentoring different from therapy & psychotherapy?
- Therapy & Psychotherapy typically focus on helping people understand, address, and cope with disabling life challenges and mental health conditions, often filtering present or chronic struggles through the lens of past or childhood experiences, then offering therapeutic or treatment-oriented approaches.
- Mentoring & Coaching typically focus on helping people move forward in their lives by envisioning their future, setting intentions and goals for the person they want to become, addressing mindsets & beliefs, and providing strategies, structure, support, and accountability for overcoming current life challenges and succeeding with personal & professional growth.
What kinds of losses or grief do you help people with?
There are three core areas where I have deep experience and have helped clients reach new levels of well-being and meaning:
- Life After the Death of a Beloved Other: People most often come to me when they are ready to live again after the death of someone they love, most often a spouse or partner, mother or father, adult child, beloved animal companion, or a series of deaths. I also have deep expertise with Anticipatory Grief and supporting caregivers.
- Post-Traumatic Growth: Additionally, I work with clients whose grief is tied to traumatic experiences, either recent or recently surfaced from the past, that are preventing them from living fully. I only do so where a mentoring & coaching approach is appropriate, often supporting or following other psychotherapeutic care.
- Creative Grief Transformation: Being a creative, my work sometimes attracts other creatives. We work through their challenges with grief related to loss or trauma, integrating creative approaches into the coaching & mentoring process. I've worked with writers, songwriters, visual artists, and dancers.
What kinds of people do you work with?
I support and serve people from all walks of life, cultural backgrounds, and areas the world ... thanks to the virtual reach of the Internet.
That said, those most likely to resonate with my approaches and mentoring style, and frankly, my personality, tend to be women at mid-life and beyond. My clients, (regardless of gender or orientation) typically reflect one or more of these qualities:
- Have an affinity for the natural world, outdoor activities, or animals in their lives,
- Sense a spiritual connection to something larger than themselves,
- Appreciate the arts, creativity, and cultural curiosity,
- Bring an open mind for trying new ways to support themselves.
My main criteria for mutually choosing to work together is that the individual is ready to rise through their grief and move toward a vibrant meaningful life, which includes a commitment to taking at least tiny, consistent steps toward their own healing and well-being.
"Talk therapy" helps process the wild range of emotions, thoughts, and physical feelings that come with grief, while "action-oriented" coaching moves you from hopes and possibilities to a renewed and resilient life.
Do you ever mentor or coach other writers or poets?
Yes, when it makes sense for both of us.
I love working with kindred spirits (whether or not they think of themselves as 'writers') who are looking to evolve their writing, their ability to see and be in the world more deeply, and/or explore their journey with loss through words.
I don't do editing, nor do I offer other technical writing and publishing services.
To learn more about this option, please reach out to me by clicking the "Ask Me Something" button below, where you can privately share what you may be struggling with and I can follow up with more information.
I'm not sure about investing in a program over 4 or 6 months. Do you offer shorter mentoring options where I can sample your services?
As much as we'd like to move through the most painful aspects of grief quickly, rebuilding life after loss or working through the impact of traumatic experiences nearly always takes a readiness, clear intentions, willingness to take tiny consistent actions ... and time.
A few conversations or sessions is usually not enough to truly transform loss into a life that makes sense and feels good again.
That said, for previous clients and for new clients who need help with a focused issue or prefer to sample what it's like to work with me, I do offer what I call a Wayfinding Conversation.
A Wayfinding Conversation involves:
- Identifying one specific challenge,
- Meeting for 75-minutes by Zoom or phone to delve into that challenge, then arrive an approach that includes one or two next-step actions.
- That conversation is followed by one month of asynchronous, as-needed chat support within my private client portal to help implement the approach & actions.
To learn more about this option, please reach out to me by clicking the "Ask Me Something" button below, where you can privately share what you may be struggling with and I can follow up with more information.
Do you help people dealing with the death of a beloved pet or companion animal?
For some of us, a beloved animal represents a dear relationship, providing unconditional love and a joyful presence in our daily lives.
Many who have not had that kind of relationship with an animal, don't understand the depth of loss when a pet dies, so those grieving the loss of a furred, feathered, or other non-human friend can feel isolated.
I've worked with clients—and I've worked through my own companion animal losses—bringing compassion to the process. Early in my professional life, I worked with the #1 veterinary school in the country, including it's one-of-a-kind (at the time) Pet Loss Support Hotline that taught aspiring veterinarians how to work with human grief while helping countless pet grievers find solace. It was a mind-opening experience.
How does my coaching and mentoring approach differ when it comes to navigating pet loss? It doesn't differ at all.
Grief and the process of rebuilding life after loss is about the depth and nature of the relationship and the impact of that relationship in one's life.
Do you offer payment plans or options?
Yes, for most of my services and programs I offer payment plans. While a one-time investment will always be the most cost-efficient option, many need to spread their investment in their support over a period of months, and I'm happy to find a way to do that.
We can discuss payment options during a consultation.
HOW CAN I HELP OR BE A RESOURCE FOR YOU?
Let's Connect
I usually respond within 48 hours during the work week (though working solo, sometimes longer). Thank you for your patience.
"Love is a habit. Say it with me, okay? Love is a habit. And how we love people takes shape in countless tiny rituals .... When loss comes along, we need to pay attention to the way our habits of loving someone and the rituals around that love have been ruptured. Otherwise, it will be hard to move forward."
— Grieving Us: A Field Guide for Living With Loss Without Losing Yourself