Meet Kim Polinder of Polinder Coaching Group

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Polinder.

Hi Kim, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My career path took a few turns before settling into my passion as a relationship coach. I spent many years as an IT engineer, as I’ve always had a curiosity about how things work, including the human psyche. My career as a relationship coach started out as a hobby. I was voted “the Peacemaker” in 5th grade, so I’ve always had a reputation for wanting to resolve conflict between people. This involved wanting to understand my own inner challenges with abandonment as a result of being adopted at a very young age. As an adult, I started coaching others informally, offering my services for free because I loved it so much. This eventually led to a masters in Spiritual Psychology and now a second masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. In a couple of years, I’ll be a licensed psychotherapist in CA. I now run a coaching practice with coaches who I employ and mentor. With the rise of my social media following, now at nearly 500,000 followers across all social media platforms, I find that I can help more people in effective and accessible ways. Technology continues to play a big role in my life in this way, as I’m constantly figuring out ways to make mental health care affordable and accessible in our digital age. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t know that any business owner can say that their career has been a smooth road. Roadblocks and challenges force people to pivot and course correct, and my path has certainly had its challenges. One of the biggest struggles I faced was embracing my passion and leaving the safety and security of an IT engineering position with a Fortune 500 company. Throughout it all, my early rooted trauma in abandonment always influenced my confidence level and belief in myself. I find that our core wounds color most behaviors and choices we make in life. While trauma can create obstacles when it comes to relationships, it can also result in invaluable skills in other areas of your life. I decided very early on that I didn’t want to depend on others or be a burden per se, which helped me become a highly motivated and goal-driven person in my career pursuits. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The thing that I hear most from clients and social media engagement is that we make things very relatable. Mental health care does not need to be clouded by complicated words and psychological theory. The essence of healing is actually a very simple formula: The ability to be vulnerable with others about the things you feel most shameful about, being heard by those who are mature and can hold space, and knowing that their love for you doesn’t change as a result of knowing what’s in your closet of shame. My coaches and I stand out from others in that we are very big on communication exercises rather than taking a passive approach in sessions. None of us are taught communication skills in the standard K-12 curriculum, and we need to be taught listening, empathy, and the expression of needs. The biggest issue in relationships is that people do not feel understood. I’ve witnessed so many life-changing shifts in relationships when people experience empathy. The truth is, most of us grow up with some level of emotional neglect, and experiencing empathy and understanding is life-altering. It sets us up to be more compassionate and loving beings, which is our true nature. 

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see digital and virtual engagement continuing to grow in the next 5-10 years. With the growth of AI, many people are turning to ChatGPT and apps for mental health healing. These platforms can certainly fill in the blanks of what you should do on paper, but nothing will replace the feeling of being seen and validated by someone you love in real life. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beacons.ai/kimpolinder
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kp_counseling/
• Facebook: https://www.tiktok.com/@kp_counseling108
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimpolinder/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kp_counseling108
• Other: https://www.kimpolinder.com/