I’m offering what I wish a younger version of myself had.
Hi new friend, I’m Kelsea!
When I was 31, I had to transform my own life. The life I’d been building fell apart. So many stories of rebirth begin with a moment of devastation, and mine was no different. As I contemplated how to start over, I was full of self-doubt and confusion, and I realized I knew very little about myself or how to build a life that reflected me.
I was highly educated, but was shocked to realize that in my zest to learn other things (art, literature, languages, theories), it had never occurred to me to try to deliberately learn about myself.
That’s actually not uncommon. We live in a world that teaches us constantly to doubt our own thinking, to mistrust our instincts, to defer to outside authorities. We’re taught to be full of self-loathing, especially if we’re women, and believe that we are problems that need to be fixed.
I wondered: What if I could accept myself? What if I could learn to trust myself?
What if I could build a life that reflected that trust in myself, that deep acceptance of myself? Just asking those questions changed me, and set me out on a new, self-directed path of discovery. I realized I’d lost my whole world, but I had the chance to gain myself.
I’ve spent the last decade doing a lot of intentional work in empowered, purposeful living. While the journey of self-awareness and growth is ongoing, I can look back now and see manifold ways I’ve grown stronger, clearer, braver, and more authentically myself. That’s the best feeling I’ve ever known.
I’ve been writing my whole life—and I have an MFA in Writing—and the rewards of my own writing practice have been more than just getting published. Writing is a powerful tool for growth and discovery, and I’m committed to using it to help people explore and transform their lives. (I have published books, too! See below!)
Guided reflective and expressive writing is a main method I use to help women transform their own lives and build trust in themselves. I use other important tools as well, like contemplative practices/meditation, intuitive art-making, forming meaningful connections with nature and people, and developing personal rituals.
I have learned a lot about how to live a self-discovered, self-directed life, and now I’m thrilled when I get to help others do the same.
I’ve taught, coached, and led retreats in a wide variety of settings—as a public school teacher in an Iñupiaq Eskimo village in the Arctic, for universities, as a private writing teacher, and in retreat settings, with students ranging from age 3 to 80—and I’ve seen over and over again the tremendous power of reflective writing as a catalyst for personal growth.
I’ve developed methods to turn basic writing exercises into cathartic experiences that provide essential self-revelation and deep insight, both of which are necessary for transformation.
My Books
I’m a feminist poet, and I also write fiction and nonfiction.
My first book of poetry, Hollow Out, was selected by former US Poet Laureate Charles Simic as winner of the Many Voices contest.
In 2020, my husband and I co-wrote an instructional guidebook called How To Write Poetry. In addition to concise lessons on fundamental aspects of poetry, the book contains hundreds of writing prompts as well as space to practice your writing.
In 2019, I published a chapbook (a short collection) of poetry, The Walrus Wives.
My next full-length collection of poetry, North Wife, is forthcoming in 2023 from Salmon Poetry in County Clare, Ireland.