> ABOUT

Kim Kristensen grew up traveling and performing with his family in the Ringling Brothers Circus. He first learned about conflict and collaboration by working with a diverse group of performers from all over the world, leopards, horses, acrobats, and clowns. (These days, he does not support the use of wild animals in the circus.) He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in management and human resources and his master’s degree in social sciences with a focus on psychology.

During his career, Kim has managed public, private, and nonprofit businesses, as well as his own as an entrepreneur. He has led men’s leadership and empowerment groups for more than twenty years and has coached individuals for more than fifteen years.

As a Certified Family Mediator through the Virginia Supreme Court, Kim is well-versed in conflict resolution strategies. Kim is one of the only Certified Mediators in the Roanoke Valley and New River Valley area certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia to train prospective mediators.

In addition to mediating conflicts between individuals and small groups, Kim facilitates conflict-resolution trainings in nonprofit, corporate, and government settings. He has also taught leadership, conflict management, applied psychology, sociology, and critical thinking workshops at the university level.

Kim is an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). His training also includes experience with psychodrama, Pathwork, breathwork, Shadow work, mindfulness, yoga, and martial arts.

As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, his coaching techniques are trauma-informed. Kim’s approach to coaching and conflict resolution draws from a variety of life experiences beyond his formal education, including going on a “vision quest” (four days on a mountaintop without food and limited water), working with shamans in the Amazon rainforest, being charged by an enraged elephant and standing his ground, and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.