Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristi Williams.
Hi Kristi, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up very religious in the Seventh-day Adventist church. While there were many positive aspects such as community, meaning, and a lot of warmth and love, there were some very negative aspects. Many people who grew up religious will be able to relate. I had nightmares about the end of times starting from when I was very young. I was afraid I wouldn’t be saved and would end up going to hell. As a young adult, I became obsessed with pleasing God and not committing any sins. But it was difficult to know what was or wasn’t “sin.” It was hard to keep God happy, or so it seemed.
All of this came to a head in the spring of 2021. In 2018, my husband nearly died of leukemia, my first baby was born, and a second one joined in 2020. Add covid to the mix and end-of-times paranoia. My thoughts about religion and pleasing God became obsessive.
To add to that, I woke up to the multiple layers of subtle control, manipulation, and gaslighting coming at me from multiple directions–another common component of highly religious groups.
All of this culminated in my short psych ward stay in June of 2021.
And it broke me. And woke me up. I saw that sometimes “the least of these” have it a lot more figured out than the rest of us. The homeless alcoholic who taught me how to write. The psychotic, gay girl with a heart of gold. The Vietnam vet who truly knew what love was.
In the midst of this, I had a dream. I had a dream about the amygdala–the part of our brain where we store our fears and our trauma. And in my dream, I felt the distinct sense that I needed to learn about this and how to heal stored trauma through integration. With my background in neurological nursing, the challenge intrigued me.
I forgot about the dream. For years. Then one day, it all came flooding back. Ironically, right in the midst of reading a deep-dive on integrative trauma release.
If there’s something I deeply believe, it’s that freedom from religion is just as important as freedom of religion. And that in life, there’s no one-size-fits all. We each must forge our own path.
I’ve also seen time and time again that people may leave the church and their beliefs, and yet the trauma doesn’t leave them. Because it’s locked in our bodies, in our nervous systems, and programmed into our subconscious minds.
That’s why in my coaching practice, I take an integrative approach blending together gentle storywork, somatics (releasing trauma through working with the body in intentional, targeted movements), and gently rewriting the script of our subconscious beliefs. Above all, I deeply believe that each client’s particular journey must be tailored to be just as unique as each person I work with is truly unique as an individual. At Rise Within Coaching, each client and I co-create the healing journey together. The journey to truly stepping into a life of utmost freedom. To be able to say a full-bodied “heck yeah!” to the best that life has to offer.
The number of people negatively impacted by religious trauma is profound. Whether that’s through loss of identify and purpose, complex relationship and sexuality dynamics, or that lingering sense of anxiety and existential depression–I want you to know there’s hope. And more than hope. There’s freedom and a great big beautiful life, more than I ever dreamed possible.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Beginning Rise Within Coaching has not been a smooth road. As a full-time stay-at-home mom with two small kids, one with special needs, my time was very limited. I only had two school days or less each week to work. Day after day, week after week, I went to the library, just me and my laptop, and worked endlessly at my business. Building it from stach.
Sometimes I would discovery that weeks or even months of work was irrelevant and had to be scrapped. But it stretched me and grew me in uncomfortable, yet powerful ways. I had to learn that emotions of discouragement are just that–they’re an emotion–not ultimate truth. That persistence was far more valuable than what I accomplished on any given day.
I learned that sustaining myself and working at a reasonable pace yielded infinitely greater dividends than burning myself out. I found that most businesses die in the burnout phase. And that taking my time and nurturing myself was always my top priority, even if it meant that a whole month passed without any “progress” at all. Not bad life advice either.
It took me an entire year from buying my website until I had my first coaching client. It still feels absolutely surreal most days, but I couldn’t dream of a better life.
We’ve been impressed with Rise Within Coaching, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At Rise Within Coaching, I coach people with persistent or complex religious trauma to be able to truly release all of the trauma from high control religion, and step boldly into their best life.
I’m known for strong, dynamic coaching not only going into the stories that shaped us, but also the deeper layers. After bouncing between 11 different coaches and therapists myself, almost none of which I found helpful, I knew there had to be a better way. With my background in research and nursing, my desire was to create a science-based experience to healing religious trauma unlike anything else available. I have endlessly dedicated myself to learning and implementing everything there is to know about this topic to bring life-changing transformation and freedom to each of my clients.
I’m best known for not only deeply, thoughtfully, and kindly exploring the stories that shaped us, but also working with the body and subconscious mind. I get to the deeper layers. Whether it’s memories storied as tension in the neck, that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, or chronic fatigue, I utilize polyvagal theory and vagus nerve reset techniques to allow your body to release the stored trauma.
Furthermore, our subconscious mind writes the script of our life. Before we were old enough to know what was happening, we took on beliefs. “I’m too shy,” “I’ll never be loved,” “My life only happens from the sidelines.” Those subconscious scripts write the reality of our life. Through my proprietary CLEAR method, we gently drop straight into the deeper layers, allowing you to consciously choose what beliefs you want to be writing your most empowered version of reality.
I am most proud of my brand for being the only religious trauma coach or therapist that I’m aware of that seamlessly integrates all three of these experiences together: storywork, subconscious, and somatics. I’m incredibly humbled at the endless, consistent feedback I receive from my clients–that I understand them in a way that few do, and that I bring a potent, transformative experience to their lives that they have searched high and low to find.
If this things true for any of you readers, please reach out. All sessions are one-hour Zoom calls. First hour is free.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Nothing makes me more happy than that look of joy and relief–ecstasy–spreading across a client’s face. It’s that look of decades of burdens, finally dropping.
Pricing:
- $149/hour
- $700/6 sessions (option to split into 2 payments)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.risewithincoaching.com
- Facebook: Facebook Group: Deconstruction Church
