Towards Wellness Coaching — home

My Approach · Personal Growth Coaching

Change without pressure or perfection

Most of us were taught that change should be fast, linear, and permanent. When it isn't, we assume we're failing.

If change keeps collapsing, the problem usually isn't your willpower — it's the expectations you inherited about how change works. This page is about a different way.

Not sure, or can't find a time that fits? Contact me

Looking straight up through a canopy of green leaves to blue sky and cloud

In Short

A personal growth coach walks beside you rather than pushing you. At Towards Wellness Coaching, change is built gently, at your own pace — blending lived experience, evidence-informed strategies, and self-compassion instead of pressure and perfection. The goal is not simply change, but change you can maintain.

The Pillars

What this approach stands on

A winding gravel path curving away through sunlit green forest at Aldergrove Regional Park

Pillar One

Compassionate accountability

Rather than focusing on quick fixes or perfection, we prioritize progress that is realistic, humane, and maintainable. You learn how to support yourself through change — rather than relying on pressure, shame, or willpower alone.

Accountability still matters here. It means being honest with yourself and taking responsibility for your choices — kindly, and without punishing yourself for being human. It keeps you connected to what actually matters to you, so shame never has to be the mechanism for change.

There is a strong emphasis on your relationship with yourself as a foundational element of meaningful, lasting change.

Pillar Two

Personalized to your real life

Your journey is unique — your coaching should be too. Coaching is non-prescriptive and collaborative, with a bias toward thoughtful action that respects nervous-system capacity, real-life constraints, and competing demands.

Sessions offer space to explore values, goals, supports, and challenges, while developing concrete tools for self-trust, motivation, regulation, and follow-through.

Kerisma Vere, wellness coach and author, against a soft sage-green background
A rainbow arcing down into the ocean under a grey sky, seen from a driftwood log on the shore
Photograph by Kerisma — the rainbow after the weather, not instead of it.

Pillar Three

Evidence-informed, lived-experience based

I draw from a range of evidence-informed and lived-experience–based models, including (but not limited to) DBT, CBT, trauma-informed and trauma-aware practices, motivational interviewing, and choice-based frameworks.

This work is informed by formal education, certifications in nutrition and fitness, and lived experience — so sessions balance emotional insight with practical, applicable strategies you can use in everyday life. More about my background

The Model

The Light Switch Myth

Change isn't a light switch you flip once and never touch again. Four images from Kerisma's book carry the model:

The inchworm

Even the smallest steps, taken consistently, can move us somewhere meaningful.

The rainbow

Aligning our actions with values makes the journey itself brighter and more rewarding — not just the destination.

The staircase

Change comes one step at a time — building stability and confidence before climbing higher.

The teeter-totter

Balance is not a perfect still point, but an ongoing process of adjusting between effort, rest, and life's shifting demands.

Why Work With a Coach

A fast charger for your goals

It still takes time — but the right support helps you stay on track and reach meaningful milestones more efficiently. Coaching isn't about someone telling you what to do or flipping a switch for you. It's about walking beside you.

Stay accountable

Keeping you gently but consistently aligned with your own goals.

See the bigger picture

Step back, gain perspective, and navigate obstacles with less self-judgment.

Personalize your journey

Tools and strategies that work for you, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Problem-solve with compassion

Shifting from self-criticism to constructive, realistic solutions.

Track meaningful progress

Noticing and celebrating even the smallest, most significant steps.

Become your own cheerleader

True nurturing support teaches you to offer that same compassion and encouragement to yourself.

Honest Fit Check

Is this approach right for you?

This fits if you…

  • Feel stuck in cycles of motivation followed by collapse
  • Are tired of trying to "push through" change
  • Struggle with burnout, shame, or unrealistic expectations
  • Want practical tools that respect your real life
  • Are ready for a kinder, more effective way forward — you don't need to be "ready," disciplined, or consistent to start

It's not the right fit if you…

  • Want a quick fix or a rigid program that promises overnight transformation
  • Are looking for someone to tell you exactly what to do — coaching is collaborative, not prescriptive
  • Need therapy or crisis care right now — coaching is not therapy, and if that's what you need, Kerisma will do her best to connect you with other resources

The free intake session exists exactly for this — a genuine conversation about fit, with no pressure either way.

Curious whether this fits you?

If you're curious about whether this approach might be a good fit, you're welcome to book a complimentary intake call. Space to talk, feel things out — no pressure, no commitment.

Not sure, or can't find a time that fits? Contact me