Hi, I’m Kelly.
For most of my life, I was the capable one.
I spent 20 years in senior leadership roles in human rights and humanitarian organisations around the world: global campaigns, conflict zones, refugee camps, testifying before Congress. At home, I was raising two sons, partially on my own. I could hold a crisis, a team and a household together at the same time. I was very good at it.
What I wasn’t good at was holding myself.
MY STORY
I normalised chronic stress and sleep deprivation. I monitored everyone’s moods, said yes when I meant no, and carried things that were never mine to carry. My body was braced for impact most days, and I didn’t notice, because that was just what life felt like.
Then came burnout.
What I rebuilt
Rebuilding took years, and it wasn’t one fix. It was learning how my nervous system worked and how to come back to myself under pressure. It was rebuilding my body: sleep, strength, nourishment, recovery, tracked with real data instead of guesswork. And it was the harder part: noticing how often I left myself to keep other people comfortable, and learning to stop.
In 2024 I lost both my parents to preventable conditions. It made one thing very clear to me: our health is the infrastructure for everything else we want to do with our lives, and it’s worth protecting early.
What became possible
The energy I used to spend managing, pleasing and bracing became available for living. I wrote my book. I co-founded a health-tech company. I started a podcast. And, to my own surprise, I got back into dance performances at 46!
None of that needed to impress anybody. It just needed to feel like mine.
HOW I WORK WITH YOU
I bring together nervous system science, behaviour change and the practical foundations of health, with your own data where it helps, to support you to come back to yourself, rebuild your capacity, and go after what you actually want.
I’m not here to make your world smaller and safer. I’m here to help you build the capacity to live a bigger life without abandoning yourself to live it.
Credentials
20 years in senior leadership in human rights and humanitarian organisations
Published author: A Reluctant Warrior
Nervous System Certification for Coaches (Jessica Maguire), completing 2026
Heroic Certified Coach (formerly Optimize Coach)
Co-founder, Vitopia.ai (preventative and longevity health technology)
Host, Wellness Simplified podcast
Coaching is not a substitute for medical or psychological care. Where it’s useful, I’ll encourage you to work alongside your GP or therapist.