When you first meet Karen Kleinwort you’ll notice her friendliness, the warmth in her eyes, the gurgle of laughter that’s 
unexpected and her tendency to physically reach out and touch the person she’s talking to. Next you may become conscious of her eyes – what a beautiful hue of blue, their softness and how deep they seem to be, taking in the person in front of her, focused on you rather than her.
Lest you believe she’s Mother Teresa, let us assure you that she’s not. She’s a wife and mother of one child and two dogs, living and thriving in Wilsonville, OR. She also owns her own business called Therapy in Transition – a unique and exceptional coaching program.
Karen grew up in Ontario Canada where she started work at age four. Yes, you read it right – age four. Karen and her older sister were expected to help in the general store her parents owned in the small town where they lived. “My parents understood customers always come first; that was our livelihood,” she says. “And what we did could affect that.” From a very young age the girls were raised with the values that good customer service, integrity and honesty won out over anything else when it came to business. So there were rules. One of them was they must be smiling upon entering the store and before helping themselves “we had to ask a customer if we could help them,” she says.
Her journey toward her current life’s work started on Feb.16, 1999 when she found Tito, her beloved lab, at a California animal shelter. “For the next seven plus years Tito challenged me to rise above the norm and the expected regarding dog care and what people expect of human/animal relationships,” Kleinwort says now.
In 2006 Karen and her husband decided to move to Oregon and shortly thereafter discovered Tito had bone cancer. She still cries today when thinking of that time. “I had not lost anyone in my life,” she says. “I didn’t know what grieving was.”
While Karen was supporting Tito in the fight against the cancer, the idea of starting Therapy in Transition took root.
The original concept focused on the Interactive Pet Therapy Program but within a few short months after his passing Karen soon realized what the real purpose was and from there the organization expanded to include Life and Business Coaching for individuals and professionals as well as offering Reiki, CranioSacral, and many other supporting elements for clients to positively embrace changes and transitions they are experiencing.
Therapy in Transition essentially supports clients to continuously be “adjusting the focus on their perspective lenses” so they may see opportunities where they didn’t before. The mission of Therapy in Transition says it all: Our mission is to coach individuals in rediscovering their inner wisdom by creating an open and safe communication environment. Through the use of multiple healing modalities our clients are able teach themselves how to accurately identify which role of their student-teacher selves is being invoked during each life experience. It is by meeting our clients where they are and by adjusting the coaching and healing approaches to each individual we further their transformation, growth and success.
Here’s what Karen had to say when we asked her our favorite Flourish questions:
1. Who is your hero?
Simple, my sister Krista. There are no words to articulate or express why she is my hero; I just know she is one of the most amazing people I have come to know. As children we were like any other set of siblings but as adults we have come to know each other in a way that makes me want to be more like her every day as a mother, a woman, a wife and as an individual. She is inspirational and remarkable.
2. What is your favorite quote and why?
There are so many quotes and not enough time in the day to reflect on them but I would have to say one of the top 10 would be “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.” by Albert Einstein. One of the keys to embracing change is willing to look at alternative perspectives of the situations we encounter. This quote reminds me any problem can be overcome by seeking the support of those around us and by being open to a perspective which is not our own.
3. What keeps you flourishing?
My clients – their success reinforces my belief in what I do does make a difference one person at a time. Their improvements and forward growth makes a positive impact on so many others that the ripple effect of my work reaches thousands. My clients gratitude is the wind which keeps me airborne, courageous and in love with life.
4. If you were a pair of shoes, what kind would you be and why?
I think this is the hardest question to answer for me since I love to be barefoot. I find shoes are too restrictive for my toes. There are no shoes which provide the grounding, nurturing or support like that of my skin touching and connecting with Mother Earth.
5. I can’t wait to…
Hug my son, kiss my husband, snuggle with my dogs, or embrace my family members. For everything else I have the patience to do and experience when the timing is right.
