Meet: Coach Helen M. Kennedy!

Introduce yourself and profession to our readers:
Hello, my name is Helen M. Kennedy, sole proprietor of HMK Coaching & Consulting. I hold certifications as a Professional Coach, Entrepreneurship, Master Your Finances Instructor, and Chaplaincy.  I authored and self-published my first book, “He Heals the Brokenhearted: Living and Loving After Rejection,” and provide editing services for other writers.  In 2010, I founded and serve as the Senior Pastor of Sanctuary of Living Waters, my second pastorate, and The Community Empowerment Organization (The C.E.O., Inc.), a non-profit entity reorganized in 2014, which serves Broward County, Florida with a youth mentoring program, credit repair and restoration services, parenting classes and family empowerment services.  I am a mother of 5 sons and a daughter, and a grandmother of 10.  

What inspired you to pursue this area of interest?
At the age of 56, one week before Christmas in 2012, I was laid-off as a family law paralegal, a field which I enjoyed for 7 of 13 years as a paralegal.  It was then I decided to start my own business. The year of 2008 was a period of extreme hardship (my husband passed away to cancer a few years earlier, and I lost my home just 6 months prior).  During one of my early morning devotions, I was compelled to write my dreams in a journal.  One of them was the establishment of “HMK Coaching & Consulting.”  Upon notice that I would no longer be employed, due to economic reasons of my employer, my plan kicked into action and on January 1, 2013, I launched my coaching and consulting business.  

​For most of my adult life, I have been the “go to” person for information and/or direction.  I found myself constantly speaking with people about their life issues, goals, and dreams, beyond the pastoral ministry.  Because I’m innately a researcher and visionary, assisting individuals in navigating their ideas, hopes and aspirations has almost become first nature.  I recognize that what I have is a gift from Almighty God, and I want to be a good steward of what He has given me.   

What advice would you share with those interested in a similar pursuit?
Interests don’t necessarily equate to passion or calling.  I began working at 16; I’m now 61.  I worked many professions that interested me, and while those professions granted me great experience, it wasn’t until my prime of life that I understood my purpose, my calling, my destiny. To someone that really enjoys helping others, especially in the areas of consulting and/or coaching, I would highly recommend that you shadow a mentor or become “coached” by another professional, first.  When you KNOW that this is what you should be doing, select an area of specialty that you are passionate about.  I’m very family oriented, and want to see families thrive, not just survive.  Learn from others – both what to do and what not to do.  Invest in personal development.  Study your craft.  Become a reader.  And by all means, certifications add value, if you don’t have a degree.     

Discuss a professional challenge and how you overcame it.
Because I love helping people, and have done so for most of my life without compensation, getting paid to coach and consult was my biggest challenge.  Although I knew what I could be earning as a Certified Professional Coach, and had a proven track record of satisfied customers, I was selling myself cheap!  I overcame by personally valuing the gift I had been given, asking my satisfied clients for referrals, letters of recommendation, and testimonials for my website, while employing an appointment system, which details my fees and collects payment at the time of scheduling.  I’ve learned to respect time, too, because time is a resource that has financial blessings attached to it!

What is next for your brand/business in 2017?
There is a strong mandate for me to prepare families for the impending economic reset, by teaching them how to make the transition into the new monetary system through investment/utilization of cryptocurrencies and precious metals.  I have spent the last year learning and experimenting so that I can best assist my clients, and those I’m called to educate and empower worldwide about the new global economy and how it is changing the way we do things.  Many have no clue as to what’s about to take place.  I’ve been called to Sound the Alarm!  

​How can readers connect with you online and through social media?
Readers can connect with me – Coach Helen Kennedy - via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Periscope and Google+.  I can be reached via email at: coachhelenkennedy@gmail.com or coach@helenmkennedy.com.  They can also visit me at my website: www.helenmkennedy.com.