Today we’d like to introduce you to Kerstin van Bolderen.
Hi Kerstin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Hi! I’m Kerstin van Bolderen, a Nashville-based Functional Medicine Health Coach, mom of two, and founder of The Little Wins. I specialize in helping women prioritize their health throughout their motherhood journey, from pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. I’ve always been drawn to the health and wellness field, but narrowing down my specialization took time, and evolved as I grew in my personal and professional life, and became a mom. As I transitioned into motherhood, I noticed that women consistently put their needs last, and struggle to find the energy, time, or support to make their health a priority. Yet when they do, they feel better and more equipped to take on the load of motherhood mentally, physically, and emotionally. I work with women to bridge that gap and help them create sustainable lifestyle changes that are realistic and authentic to their lives. I help my clients realize the power of food and lifestyle, and the profound impact everyday choices can have on their long-term wellness. I’m always striving to inspire self-empowerment in my clients, and pride myself on being able to transform their mindsets around their ability to take their health to the next level.
Prior to becoming a health coach, I started out with an undergraduate degree in Health Studies and spent my early career working in the health insurance industry. This experience gave me first-hand insight into the crippling cost of healthcare and incidence of chronic disease affecting the lives of so many people and helped inspire me to take my passion for individual wellness one step further. I completed a one-year, comprehensive health coaching program through the Functional Medicine Health Coaching Academy, the gold standard in health coaching certification and the only program designed and delivered in collaboration with The Institute for Functional Medicine. I am thrilled to coach within the Functional Medicine framework and bring my unique background to my coaching practice. Today, I pull from my personal experiences as a mom, academic background, and work experience in the health industry to support women throughout one of the biggest transitions of their lives – motherhood.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Between relocating to Nashville from Chicago, the pandemic, no childcare, and having a second baby since launching my business, the road has not been as smooth as I had anticipated. I’ve had to scale back on some of my early goals, re-visit the type of clients I want to work with, and balance my priorities as a parent. I also transitioned to meeting with clients virtually, which has turned out to be beneficial for both myself and the women I work with. Frankly, it wasn’t the start I had imagined. Yet, as with every obstacle that life throws at you, it’s allowed me to slow down and gain clarity on where I see my business going from here, and how I want to partner with clients, practitioners, and organizations locally here in Nashville moving forward.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Little Wins Health Coaching?
From preconception, through pregnancy, postpartum, and the years following, I help women cultivate healthy habits in a way that supports them and their growing babies. We take a very holistic and integrative approach to a client’s pregnancy and postpartum experience. From self-care and mindfulness exercises, trimester-specific holistic remedies, and nourishing foods for every month of pregnancy, to how to prepare and thrive during the postpartum phase.
I partner with my clients and empower them in making real, lasting changes towards greater health. Health coaching isn’t about one diet or one way of living. Instead, the focus is on the idea that we’re all different and have unique dietary, lifestyle, emotional, and physical needs. What so many women don’t realize is that their needs change when they step into motherhood, and I am here to help them navigate that transition. When women are healthy and feeling well, they have more energy to focus on being amazing moms to their kiddos and to spend time on other areas of their life that are important to them. Too often women’s health needs are an after-thought when they become a mom, and I want that to change. This is why I created The Little Wins, to help women implement easy, approachable little habits to support their health, while also supporting baby’s. The Little Wins is not about perfect health, rather it’s about nurturing your body to help you have a life that is authentic and fulfilling to you.
I am also currently enrolled in a program to become a Certified Nutrition Consultant via the Oh Baby Nutrition Academy to deepen my expertise and expand my offerings for holistic pregnancy, postpartum and baby nutrition.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I was born in Canada and played ice hockey my whole childhood, and throughout college. While it’s not a specific memory, my childhood was full of early morning practices, hockey tournaments, pond hockey, and the friendships that grew out of it. It really was the root of so many things I am still passionate about today – physical activity, a sense of community, supportive relationships, and working towards a common goal. I was lucky enough to be part of the team that went on to win our league championship my senior year of college at Queen’s University, and without a doubt that is one of my favorite memories, and what felt like a lifetime of commitment that all culminated in that amazing moment.
Contact Info:
- Email: kerstin@thelittlewins.com
- Website: thelittlewins.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelittlewins/
Image Credits
Alisha Tova Siegel
Hannah Stachowiak
