Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Moore.
Hi Kelly, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
To say that I was a reluctant counselor would be an understatement. While in my senior year of high school, I was still trying to figure out how to be an artist. I wanted to do something I was passionate about. The only problems with this scenario were that I could have done better with deadlines, and I also hated feeling like my artwork was being criticized and judged. So I searched for something different to pursue due to my mother’s encouragement to find something I could make a living in versus risking being a starving artist. During my senior year, I had my first encounter with my school’s social worker. It started with helping a friend, but it evolved. This time in my life was rough; I had lost a parent, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and other family challenges that were either unresolved from my past or were new and presenting themselves seemed part of my day-to-day. I’m sure this sounds cliché, but this experience changed my trajectory.
I went to college, and I pushed myself further than I had ever done before. I graduated with two degrees, one in Psychology and the other in Criminology, and that’s not a typo. I graduated with enough credits and coursework to complete two separate degrees with two minors and an honors degree in four years. I say this because this was a huge part of my story. The pressure cooker I often occupied by my demands created a lot of stress and anxiety. I even recall going to the ER for chest pains, lightheadedness, dizziness, and tingling sensations in my fingers. At that time, I didn’t realize it, but the overwhelmed feeling of anxiety and perfectionistic tendencies created the symptoms. But I digress a little; my goal was to be a forensic psychologist. In the words of my criminology professor, I saw myself being this big-time psychologist working on high-profile “sexy” cases, the ones we’re a little ashamed that we follow. Still, they’re so extreme we can’t help exploring them. Looking back at my twenty-two-year-old self, I would have told you I went to graduate school and followed this dream, but life happened.
We need to rewind a little. While in college, I met my college sweetheart, and we married before I graduated. He went into the military, and I went with him. This created yet another detour to my initial plan. I was a fish out of the water at our first duty station, and it was hard finding a program to do a doctorate immediately after my bachelor’s degree because I wasn’t sure if I’d be in one location for longer than 3 years. So I went into a master’s program. And this was only the beginning of the rerouting of my plan. And I plan to stress that, as I mentioned earlier, anxiety sometimes sets its claws very deep into me. By the end of this journey, I had attended 3 graduate schools, the changed subject focuses twice, and spent 8 years getting a degree that typically takes 3 years to complete. Again, life just kept happening to me in terms of giving birth to 2 children, experiencing 4 relocations, career instability, and just naming a few things.
My journey truly helped me become the counselor I am today. Clients that find me organically can do so because they connect to my message because it is a part of my own story. When I talk about getting it, I mean it, and that’s why I love working with clients to find ways to become their better selves by challenging their anxiety. Setting personal and relational boundaries, creating work-life harmony, and defining who they want to become. I also work with other therapists to support their professional and personal development. And lastly, I’m a huge endorser of self-care, and I am working on creating a line of self-care items to support this message of wellness.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all, Lol. My journey has had many roadblocks, stumbling stones, and even mountains I’ve had to climb. And I’ve spent time overcoming my perfectionism tendencies, and yes, they still arise. Still, that progress in that area has allowed me to permit myself to be okay with life unfolding however it sees fit. Each shift in my life circumstances has made me uncomfortable enough to make much-needed changes and gain insight into who I am in that moment and who I am meant to be in the next. Whether it needed to change schools, relocate to a completely different state, have children, or even find a role that fit my unique therapy style. I’ve had to learn that these adjustments are a part of my journey. And one of my favorite sayings now is not “why did this happen to me” but instead, “why did it happen to me.”
The beauty of these struggles, challenges, and obstacles has helped me to relate to my clients in a different way. Of course, I know that shared experiences do not equate to being able to provide empathy or care effectively. However, it allows me to be there for my clients in a very authentic way and has shaped what my ideal client looks like. It also has defined the need to take time to pour into ourselves without guilt or judgment. During challenging moments, we have the strength to challenge our perceptions and thoughts to become more aligned with who we are not only meant to be but truly want to be.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Moore Life Transformations?
Moore Life Transformations is truly my baby. It’s all about my work with clients in helping them to transform themselves into who they see themselves as best. And let’s be honest, I had to put my spin on it with my name, but it was perfect for this. I want my clients to ask themselves what they need “more constantly.” Is it more trust within their relationships? More self-care? More self-compassion? More peace? More transformation?
My services include individual therapy, but this will soon change to include much more. But if we look only at my work in providing counseling, in doing this work, I’m known for meeting my clients where they are. I know that sometimes places we find ourselves in can be dark and lonely, and there’s nothing worse than feeling as if someone is trying to bark directions on creating immediate fixes without coming to that dark place with you. My goal is to walk alongside clients without judgment and make them feel less lonely and safer to think about the possibilities. I’m very client-centered, and I pull out so many things and tailor them to the person I’m working with at that moment. Although I did not become a professional artist, I still find myself creative working with my clients. And I like to invite clients to think outside the box and tap into things outside of only doing talk therapy, such as therapy through art, journaling exercises, finding themselves in everyday things such as music, quotes, sayings, etc. Not only am I known for this, but it sets me apart, and I’m proud of it. I want readers to know that there’s more to come, no pun intended.
Any big plans?
I’m excited about the future of my business. Between us, I’m working on creating a line of self-care items, and the plan is to allow for the use of a personalized approach to meeting one’s self-care needs. I also will be taking on more clients shortly. Lastly, I’m in the workings of creating more opportunities for fellow therapists to feel supported. I can’t wait to share about this work and will present them in detail as they manifest and unfold.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.moorelifetransformations
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelly_mooretransformed/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070197152662
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@moorelifetransformations2077
Image Credits
Kamilah Jacobs Photography (cover photo and photos 5 and 6) Chanitra Dreher Photography (photos 1 – 4)
