Though an encounter with cancer in 2017, led to the birth of her brand, H.E.A.L (Harvesting the Exceedingly Abundant Life), Karen D. Smith has been coaching, supporting, and inspiring people to heal in their personal, professional, and social lives for years. She understands the literal and figurative cancers that show up and seek to choke out our futures and successes. More importantly, she knows how to get rid of them - faith, perseverance, and targeted practices aligned with what is at the root of the disease. For those who are courageous enough to do the work, Karen is committed to showing them how to heal!
She shares greater details about the most recent addition to her work - physical healing– in her co-authored book, Transforming Your Life, Volume Five. She asserts that healing is different from treatment. It is about accessing and sustaining a standard/quality of life, not about addressing symptoms and hoping they will not return. It is a lifestyle...an approach that one is willing to take in order to be whole - spiritually, mentally, and physically. Karen realized and embraced this during her journey with cancer, and is committed to sharing with others how to leverage faith, mindset, and holistic practices to heal physically.
She also speaks and coaches in the area of Executive Leadership. Her belief (supported by research) is that organizational performance, retention, and success all hinge upon a leader's ability to engage others in a meaningful pursuit where everyone wins. In most cases, it is not the strategy or skill that is lacking, but a leader's ability to get out of their own way. Karen has experienced and studied this phenomenon and now speaks to and coaches leaders to heal from the disempowering mindsets and practices that hold them back from doing that which they most want to do...win!
Along these lines and very embedded in the work she has done with leaders is this thread referred to as “racial equity”. Karen believes and coaches that racism is a condition that is rooted in and damages the heart. Its effect is felt by those who perpetuate it and by those who experience it. It cannot be resolved with anti-racist statements, increasing numbers of people with diverse backgrounds, or with periodic DEI sessions. It is a movement that will be led, fought, and won by those who are willing to do the deep work of healing themselves, and who are ready to lead and support others in doing the same. Karen’s conviction around the importance of healing in each of these areas is what allows her to share and engage others in such authentic and compelling ways that they are moved to change…to be unchangeable.
Karen considers it a privilege to walk in her purpose, and thus, has created a lifestyle that facilitates her ability to do so. She prioritizes her spiritual growth, family-time, yoga (Bikram) practice, acupuncture, healthy eating, and personal travel to help her stay focused and strong. When she is not engaging with the masses, she can often be found with her fiancé in Louisville, KY, with family in her hometown, Washington, DC, or with new friends in her most recent home, Raleigh, NC.
