“…be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” Romans 12:2

Life is a journey, isn’t it? As fellow travelers, our journeys through this beautiful but broken world may look different, but we all have this in common: our paths from birth to death will take us through mountains of joy and hope, valleys of sadness and despair, gardens of beauty and fruitfulness, deserts of pain and loss, sunny days of peace, contentment, and victory, or raging storms of fear, temptation, and failure. While this may seem dire, it is also a source of hope and an encouragement to remember that you are not alone…there are those who have walked this road ahead of you, who can reach out a hand and help chart a course of healing, growth, and strength to overcome. They have been there and have come out on the other side not only victorious, but stronger and wiser…and you can, too.

This is the significance of the pictured broken and restored pottery…a Japanese art form called Kintsugi. When a piece of pottery is broken, they glue it back together with gold infused mortar. Not only does this make the vessel more valuable and stronger than before, but the very cracks of shattered brokenness are the elements that add greater artistic depth and beauty to the piece. I can think of no greater picture of the redemptive work God can and does do with our broken places and challenging hurdles than Kintsugi.

Isaiah 2:4 is a powerful passage of scripture which says in God’s Kingdom, swords will be beaten into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Likewise, our goal in coaching or counseling will be to take your challenges that are acting as weapons of hindrance or harm and turn them into tools that will serve you in fruitfulness, growth, strength, capacity, endurance, and resilience. In doing so, we embody another passage below in Isaiah which refers to God exchanging our ashes for a garland of beauty and victory. We are Kintsugi in God’s loving hands.

“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Isaiah 61:3

In counseling and coaching, I take a holistic approach. We are integrated, multifaceted beings, comprised of mind, body, heart, and soul. What is affecting us physically will affect us emotionally. What is affecting us emotionally will affect us spiritually. What is affecting us spiritually will affect us mentally. Because those beautiful facets of our being are all interconnected, one can affect all the others in a multitude of ways. As compassionate and curious detectives, we will examine the whole of who you are so as not to miss the roots of the challenge you are facing and bring you to a place of greater and more comprehensive healing and growth. Even if the challenge is external, there is always the internal, personal work of how you are able to cope, make good decisions, build capacity, and respond in healthy ways for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being and growth.

Above all, I believe that because we are all created by God in His image, He alone is our ultimate wise Counselor and Comforter. He knows us better than we know ourselves. There is much therapy out there that “darkens counsel by words without knowledge.” Whether we are seeking to navigate pain and loss in Biblical Counseling or seeking to navigate common hurdles or decisions in Life Coaching, I rely on prayer and on God’s Word for wisdom and guidance as we seek to foster the development of the mind of Christ, the fruit of the Spirit, spiritual and relational maturity, self-regulation, new neural pathways in the brain, and personal and interpersonal renewal. Even if you do not identify as a Christian believer, you are still welcome and will not be asked to do anything contrary to your beliefs, however, Redeem still adheres to a Christian worldview and Biblical lens which informs the counsel, knowing that much wisdom, guidance, and comfort can be gleaned from scriptural principles when and where applicable.

Good counsel is not just about comfort but about capacity to endure for the joy set before us. Healing is more than just fixing what’s broken, more than just avoiding pain. It’s a journey of becoming, of stepping into the person God is calling you to be. He uses our challenges and wounds to shape us, refine us, and lead us toward greater maturity and deeper purpose. We don’t rush the process, nor do we remain stuck in the same place. We embrace the journey…every step, every tear, every moment of grace is leading you to wholeness. If you are on the road of suffering or simply facing a particular challenge right now, remember that suffering graduates the deepest scholars and challenges can build mental, emotional, and spiritual muscles. It is all working to build a resilience, purpose, and beauty in you that is obtained no other way.

I conduct 50-minute sessions via Google Meet or phone. Growth Groups are typically 75 minutes, once per week, for a designated number of weeks depending on the group. I work with youth 12 and up with parental consent for minors. I work individually with women of all ages and young men 12-25, however, all men are welcome in appropriate Growth Groups as well as in couples coaching/counseling. Check out Redeem Services to learn about the difference between Biblical Counseling, Christian Life Coaching, and Growth Groups. Book your first session to see if I am a good fit to walk with you through this stage of your journey. Together, we will discover how God can Redeem those challenging places!