Meet Julie Kaminski

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Julie Kaminski. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Julie, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I draw my resilience from a combination of life experience and professional skills. Life has shown me that even in the toughest moments, I have the strength to move forward. Knowing I’ve faced challenges before and come through them gives me the confidence to persevere, even though the process is rarely easy.

In addition to personal experience, my resilience is deeply rooted in my training and work as a coach. I focus on fostering resilience and post-traumatic growth, both for myself and my clients. My background in positive psychology has equipped me with practical tools to navigate difficulties in a meaningful and intentional way. This dual perspective—blending personal insights with professional expertise—allows me to view challenges not as insurmountable obstacles but as opportunities for growth, learning, and transformation.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Hi, I’m Julie Kaminski—a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, ACE-certified Personal Trainer, and counselor. Along with being a wife, mom, daughter, and friend, I bring 30+ years of experience in health and wellness, along with education and certifications.

The combination of coaching, counseling, and training skills has allowed me to develop a robust approach that blends mental health and psychology to cultivate a happy mind while focusing on achieving a healthier body.

At the core of my work is my signature SAVOR Method, a mindful framework designed around five key pillars of health and happiness: Sustenance, Activity, Vitality, Organization, and Refuelment. By addressing these areas, I empower my clients to build sustainable habits that foster lasting, positive change and help them lead their most vibrant lives.

Like many of my clients, I’m a multifaceted woman navigating the beautiful chaos of life—juggling roles, responsibilities, and priorities. I understand firsthand how easy it is to put others first and neglect your own well-being. Thankfully, my foundation in positive psychology, counseling, and behavior change has taught me how to prioritize self-care and create a thriving life, even amid life’s busiest seasons.

This January, I’m thrilled to lead the 60-Day Challenge: Creating Your Blueprint to Thriving. This transformative wellness challenge is designed for individuals ready to elevate their health and happiness through targeted, science-backed strategies and luxury-level support. Over the course of the program, participants will craft their personalized blueprint for optimal wellness by identifying and manifesting the key elements of their thriving life.

The challenge includes validated tools for self-discovery, individualized goal-setting, and milestone checkpoints to celebrate progress. With added layers of community engagement and accountability, this program is designed to inspire meaningful change and lasting results.

Whether it’s finding balance, building healthier habits, or taking the first step toward greater health and happiness, my mission is to empower and inspire individuals to thrive in mind, body, and spirit.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back on my professional journey as a Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, three pivotal moments stand out as most impactful:

The Spark: College and Stress Management
During college in the 1980s, I took a graduate-level course in stress management at a time when the mind-body connection and wellness were just becoming mainstream concepts. That class was a turning point—it ignited my passion for understanding the interplay between mental and physical health, a theme that has guided my career ever since.

The Framework: Health Coaching Training
In the mid-1990s, formal health coaching training became available, and I jumped at the opportunity. This curriculum filled in the missing pieces of what I had been doing intuitively with my personal training clients. It gave me a structured framework to guide others more effectively and showed me the immense potential of coaching to create lasting change.

The Validation: Board Certification
In 2017, the National Board of Medical Examiners offered the first-ever board certification exam for health coaches. Sitting for that exam and earning my board certification was a proud moment that validated my years of work and learning. It also reinforced my commitment to the field and its evolution as a respected, evidence-based profession.

One of the things I appreciate most about health coaching is the diversity of niches and populations coaches can serve. My advice for those early in their journey is to explore a variety of demographics and areas of interest. This exploration can help you find the intersection of your passions and strengths. For me, that intersection has been counseling, fitness, and coaching, particularly helping women discover and manifest what makes them thrive.

No matter where your focus lies, continuous learning and curiosity are key. Stay open to new ideas, embrace evidence-based practices, and lean into the areas that energize you. It’s an exciting and ever-evolving field with countless opportunities to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

Yes, I am currently navigating a significant challenge related to a philanthropic project I founded over 15 years ago: The Walking Book Club. This concept was born from a deeply personal place after my son was diagnosed with dyslexia. Audiobooks became one of his learning accommodations, and I also enjoyed them. I made a personal “rule” that I had to be moving while listening. I soon realized this could be a powerful tool for my clients—making activity and exercise more enjoyable by engaging both the mind and body.
What began as a simple idea grew into a global community, ultimately becoming a trademarked entity and collaborating with a prominent audiobook provider. One of my proudest achievements was during the pandemic when I created Heart and Soul Book Chats. These virtual gatherings featured best-selling authors and encouraged participants to donate to charities instead of bringing snacks or drinks like a traditional book club. This initiative raised over $10,000 for organizations aligned with causes supporting women, children, and the environment, including:
* International Rescue Committee
* Feeding America
* Whitney Plantation Museum
* Sacred Ground Project
* Autism Society
* BlinkNow Foundation
* Ripple Center
* Covenant House
* Room to Read
* Kentucky Humanities
* Breast Cancer Research Foundation
* Charleston Parks Conservancy
* Charleston Literary Festival
* Everytown for Gun Safety
One of my “blue sky” goals was establishing in-person chapters of The Walking Book Club worldwide. However, as I prepared for expansion, I needed to defend my trademark against organizations—many likely unaware of the trademark—using the term “walking book club.” Most groups responded positively when I discussed becoming affiliates or renaming their programs. Unfortunately, one instance led to a viral Reddit post filled with inaccuracies, which incited a wave of hatred, threats of violence, and even death threats. It was an incredibly traumatic experience, and it remains deeply painful.
My passion for helping women and children thrive has always been at the core of my work. The Walking Book Club was never about profit—it was about creating impact, fostering community, and encouraging well-being. Reflecting on my career, I am proud of the philanthropic projects I’ve led, from taking underprivileged children camping to providing backpacks for kids entering foster care and renovating safe housing for abused women.

Moving forward requires resilience. While hindsight offers lessons I would apply differently, this experience has given me a more profound empathy for the pain my clients may face. It has also given me real-world insight into navigating challenges and moving toward post-traumatic growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.JulieKaminski.com
• Instagram: @juliekaminski
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-kaminski-healthy-happy/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@juliekaminski5370

Image Credits

Anna Laura Photography