Welcome to Little by Little.

Hello, I’m Kristy. I am a Mayo Clinic-Certified Wellness Coach who is deeply committed to walking alongside my clients focusing on their wellness — emotional, mental, spiritual, intellectual, physical, financial — and my heart is particularly drawn to those who have lost loved ones, those who are navigating new diagnoses and those who are supporting loved ones with diagnoses.

I worked in the private, public and nonprofit sectors throughout my career —

I kicked off my career in San Francisco working with California Closets (organizing is cathartic!). Recognizing that one of my dreams (rooted in her Midwestern upbringing!) was to own property, I moved to Denver to return to a climate with four seasons (making snow angels and jumping in puddles being favorites!). Denver not only created space for me to realize that dream, but also brought me to event planning at the Denver Public Library.

While running 25 events every month and working a side hustle at Starbucks, I met my partner. For the next 17 years, Clarence and I made a life for ourselves in Denver (with a short stint in Chicago!), while I also worked in recruitment and human assets for the national nonprofit, Teach For America.

In the spring of 2022, Clarence passed away. In the midst of experiencing grief and loss at this profound level, I was diagnosed with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC).

I have created intimate journeys with grief and oncology, building my own self-efficacy, self-awareness and self-advocacy. I pulled together all the things I’d learned over my lifetime to help myself through the moment. It propelled my confidence to know that throughout my experience, medical provider after medical provider (along with friends and family!) consistently shared that how I approached my oncology treatment protocol was different than many:

I centered myself, my care and all I needed to hit every landmark in my treatment while not only focusing introspectively, but also actively including the community around me near and far (including consistent conversations with my 100 year old grandfather!).

And this is perhaps my favorite — if you walked into my local coffee shop and shared my name, the baristas (some of my most beloved champions!) would speak to my ability to take one step at a time (#littlebylittle), and would confirm that a journal, sunshine, cold brew, nourishment and community were amongst the key components to the joy I embraced during both my grief journey and treatment protocol.

(As for my formal education, I hold a Bachelors degree in International Management and Spanish from Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota; a Masters in Nonprofit Management from Regis University in Denver, Colorado, and I also studied abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica.)