About Me

Welcome. I’m Karol.

Since healing from migraines and neck pain you might find me walking the steps carved into the hills near where I live, hanging with my family and jumping like a kid into the swimming pool, or sitting with my morning coffee reading about the proven power of self-compassion. My path to recovery has led to exploring avenues that fill me with contentment and joy. These are just a few of them.

I have always loved hearing people share their joys and struggles. Bearing witness to the human impulse to dream dreams and be seen in spite of fear is where it’s at for me. I’m a firm believer in it never being too late to learn, grow or start something new.

No matter your age: no story, no struggle, no whisper of desire is too small to be heard. That core belief is what I bring to my coaching, and what I want to share with you. 

Sadly, those who experience chronic pain have often abandoned many of their hopes and dreams. When pain, fatigue, and other chronic symptoms are a part of daily life, these things can feel out of reach.

 

A little more about me… After graduating from the University of Iowa, I moved to San Diego where I got my massage therapist license. As a young person discovering the beauty of southern California, I loved carting my massage table into homes all over the county. I learned to use my calm, intuitive hands to bring relaxation to stressed out bodies.

While practicing massage therapy, I also obtained my teaching credential from SDSU, and soon began a career as an elementary school teacher. When my own kids were born, I decided to stay home with them full-time. Once they started school, I began working part-time as a program facilitator in a senior day-care program. I loved working with elders who were in a position to be fully present, sharing their wisdom and life experiences with our group. 

 

The constant in my life has been a commitment to never stop learning and growing.

As a stay-at-home Mom, I took nutrition and cooking classes, became a level 3 Healing Touch practitioner and practiced meditation, yoga and body-mind interaction.

I followed my heart yet again when I enrolled in Martha Beck’s Wayfinder Life Coach Training. There I met a woman whose experience of healing from 13 years of CFS/ME led to my own recovery from 20 years of migraines and neck pain. This was so life-changing that I felt drawn to help others suffering with chronic pain and symptoms. I continued my studies with mind-body coach Abigail Morgan. Mind-body coaching is the culmination of all the work and studies I have undertaken, and the experiences I have had. I integrate the work of Dr Sarno, Dr Schubiner, Alan Gordon, Kristin Neff and others, for a combination of mind-body and life coaching that helps clients get back to the activities they love with greater self-compassion, self-awareness and capacity for joy. 

How working with me can help:

You’ve missed out on so many family events due to the pain or brain fog caused by TMS. Every decision you make is filtered through how your body will respond. Even the weather has become an enemy: the barometric pressure or a bright, sunny day keeps you in a darkened, quiet room while your loved ones continue to live their lives without you. Your friendships have wilted because you’ve declined yet another invitation. 

I provide a safe, nonjudgmental space with the tools for you to explore what your inner self would like for you to hear. Through brain retraining, self-compassion and learning to recognize personality patterns that are keeping you stuck in chronic pain, I help you make the changes you desire, one step at a time, so you can get back to the people and activities you love. 

Certifications