My Story

About Kelly

A Psychologist's Journey

There’s got to be more to life than this, right?

As a psychologist, that’s the most common question I hear. I’ve heard it from those in the depths of struggle and those at the heights of success. In 2011, I heard it in the center of my own heart. For a decade now, I’ve been answering that question with my life and my work.

My Path

Where It Began

I grew up in a small town in rural Illinois, and I got out of it as fast as I could, because I figured the satisfaction we’re all looking for couldn’t be found in a cornfield. I went to the University of Illinois and majored in psychology, before going on to Penn State for graduate school. There, I met my lovely wife (who also happens to be named Kelly, as if life isn’t already complicated enough), we had our first child, and I earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Then, I went on to become a successful therapist. I’d checked every box I could think of in search of a satisfying life, and yet true satisfaction still seemed somehow out of reach. That’s when I got depressed—really depressed—for the first time in my life. By 2011, I was asking the same question most of my clients were asking: there’s got to be more to life than this, right?

There’s got to be more to life than this, right?

My answer to that question has taken shape over the course of many years. It started in 2012, when I began a blog. I soon fell in love with writing. Then I published a book called Loveable.

My Awakening

Embrace your worthiness, build your belonging, and clarify your purpose

After I published Loveable, people asked me to speak to them about it, and I fell in love with speaking. Then some of the people I spoke to asked me to consult with them about their journey, and I fell in love with consulting. However, none of those public accomplishments really represented the more I was discovering. Rather, along the path of my awakening, I discovered that no matter what you do in the world—no matter where you live, no matter who you know, no matter how much you have—if you don’t embrace your worthiness, find your belonging, and clarify your purpose (in that order), you will be left looking for more.

Home Again

Finding Satisfaction Where I Started

In 2015, our family moved back to that small town in the corn from which I came, because now that I carry worthiness, belonging, and purpose around within me, I can take them wherever I go. These days, I work at the practice I founded—Artisan Clinical Associates—in Naperville, IL. I write from home. I coach from home. I do event speaking when I can bear to leave this little town for a while. And whenever possible, Kelly and I and our three kids—Aidan, 17; Quinn, 13; and Caitlin, 11—go walking as many wooded paths as we can find. It’s not perfect, but it is truly satisfying, and that is truly good enough.

three essentials

I’d love for you to join me on this walk through the three essentials of a truly satisfying life, and I’d love to give you a free weekly guide for the journey!

Learn The Three Essentials