Stay Grounded in the Good Stuff
In the beginning, our partner quickly becomes the center of our universe. But, as time flies by, we feel lucky to stay in the same orbit. Life happens. We get busy and distracted.
With a PhD in Family Studies and more than a decade as a relationship educator and coach, I help couples prepare for big transitions, like marriage, moving in, new homes, and babies. We talk communication, expectations, conflict management, intimacy, commitment, finances - the whole shebang.
As a non-therapist, I focus on prevention and education - helping couples move from good to great. Most of my work is with engaged couples preparing for marriage, but I love working with returners to maintain (and enhance!) their relationships as they move through married life together, too. I've also been fortunate to speak on healthy relationships and conflict dynamics everywhere from university classrooms to church conferences, podcasts to MOPS groups.
Check out my blog, curated resources, and coaching offerings, and join our little community for good on social media @groundedingood. We also have an Etsy shop full of soy candles and gifts, inspired by relationships!
Explore a bit. I hope you'll find tips, tools, and encouragement here for the relationships that matter most to you.
Happy Couples
Our time with Kara did not disappoint! We learned skills, tips and tricks to help us through just about any situation or problem. On top of that, Kara expertly broke down some of the things that were keeping us from realizing our relationship's full potential with wonderful examples from her own relationship and from her studies. Kara is a great communicator, fun and personable. If we ever need a refresher on some of the points we learned, there's no question that we will reach out to her. We'd highly recommend Kara's sessions to anyone!!
Chris
Private Sessions
My fiancé and I did the 8 hour course with Kara and it was the MOST rewarding experience of our relationship! Made me feel so reassured that we are going into marriage with all of the tools to take on the challenges of married life. She is so full of knowledge and takes the time to learn you as a couple. I felt so supported and no judgement which was exactly what I was looking for. We are so so glad we invested in this for our marriage!
Marilyn
Private Sessions
Kara’s practical approach to relationship building and tips have made us a lot stronger as a couple and empowered me to be a better husband to my wife. Our work with Kara helped us tackle some of the bigger issues (money, family planning, intimacy) that honestly no sane couple should address without some assistance. I look forward to participating in further workshops down the road with Kara as she really is that helpful.
Chase
Private Sessions
Kara provides a wonderful, concise course designed to nurture your relationship! She touches on the pitfalls couples often fall into, gives you tools for lifelong success, and allows you to really grow as a couple in a few short hours. It was apparent that she truly cares and doesn’t deliver a “one size fits all” approach. You’ll learn from Kara in a group and have plenty of private time with your partner as well. I loved this course and highly recommend it as it is a valuable use of your time and resources.
Brittany
Workshop Participant
We came out of this experience feeling stronger and closer to one another and find ourselves using these techniques on a daily basis...Kara was wonderful - nonjudgemental and truly just a third party source to learn from and bounce ideas off of. We never felt like she was taking sides and guys, my fiancé actually enjoyed our time here. His mind was blown during several topics and is recommending this to others, even the non-believers!
Kathryn
Private Sessions
This class taught us ways to be proactive about conflict in our relationship and gave us a lot of tools to take into our upcoming marriage. I left the class feeling great about our relationship and ready to conquer life together. Kara is a wonderful teacher, and clearly very educated and knowledgable. Not only did we learn a lot, we really enjoyed our day and had fun. I would recommend this class to anyone and everyone!
Nicole
Workshop Participant
This class wasn't corny, thanks to Kara! This was probably one of my biggest fears, as men tend to be more reserved and skeptical about things like this. It definitely helps that Kara is passionate about her job and willing to give one-on-one (or one-on-two?) feedback. I feel like I'm much better equipped to build on our relationship, so I'm considering doing more of these with my bride to be. Dudes....do it!
Nicholas
Workshop Participant