Meet Kimberlee Herman

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kimberlee Herman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberlee , thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout

Simple: I realized I can’t save the world if I’m running on coffee and sheer willpower. I have been in this field for over 22 years. I have burned out a few times over my career and needed to take a year off (yes, a YEAR!) to recover.

I love being a counselor—it’s not the work itself that burns me out. It’s has been forgetting to care for myself in the process. Turns out, even therapists need therapy… or at least some solid boundaries and self-care.

So I made some changes. I slowed my pace (because speed limits apply to life too), and recently I added a creative outlet: my podcast Promise Hill and the storyline I write for it. It’s my playground for faith, fiction, and a little therapeutic wisdom. Sometimes I see myself in the characters, which is both terrifying and completely rejuvenating.

Bottom line? I avoid burnout by realizing I’m not a machine. I’m a human—who now schedules joy, creativity, and rest right alongside client sessions. So learn from me and take time to smell the flowers. They really do smell great!

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?

I’m a pastoral counselor, best-selling author, co-host on Wyatt Matters national radio show, and podcaster—and I basically spend my days helping people get emotionally and spiritually unstuck.

What’s most exciting to me in my counseling practice is seeing people set free of emotional bondage. In my author life I love the whole creative process and when the book is done, man does that feel amazing!

Lately, I’ve ventured into something new: my podcast called Promise Hill. It’s a blend of fictional storytelling and real-life counseling insights. I write a storyline full of relatable characters who wrestle with big life hurdles and questions, much like we all do. And honestly? I think most of us can relate to them.

I want people to know that my brand is all about hope—with practical tools, honest conversations, and a belief that faith and mental health can absolutely hold hands especially through the lens of a story.

So stay tuned… Promise Hill is growing, and I have new resources and creative projects brewing that I hope will keep people thinking, healing, and maybe even laugh once in a while. My podcast is on the serious side but sometimes Grandma Eden can throw in a sassy nugget that I hope makes listeners smile.

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

Looking back, the three things that have shaped my journey most are: understanding of the Bible (not just head knowledge, but real understanding), having the quality of compassion, and using storytelling skills—and these all come alive in my podcast, Promise Hill.

I’ve been a counselor since the playground days, always wanting people to feel seen and understood, without realizing it. Probably because I wanted to be seen and heard. Over time, I discovered that Scripture holds profound wisdom for emotional healing and that God cares about the hidden parts of our soul carrying emotional wounds. That insight changed how I help people—both in the counseling process and through creative work.

Promise Hill might sound like fiction, but it’s really counseling wrapped in a story. My creative process usually starts with a question like, ‘What would it look like if someone felt completely alone in their grief?’ or ‘How do you forgive when you’re still hurting?’ From there, I build story lines with characters who wrestle with those same struggles. I pour my life experience into their dialogue and their choices, and I weave in faith and practical tools without turning it into a sermon. Sometimes, writing those stories feels like free therapy for me, too—which is oddly comforting.

My advice for folks starting out? Stay curious about people’s stories—and your own. That’s just part of being a good human. Don’t box yourself in. Let your creativity and your professional calling work together. Faith, compassion, and storytelling can be a powerful mix for bringing hope and healing–if that’s your jam. And if you can sneak in a little humor? That’s just good medicine—for you and for everyone listening.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I’ve learned not to just power through like a runaway freight train. Instead, I stop—and I mean full stop.

If I am able, I will simply step away. A few minutes of sunshine and fresh air can completely reset my perspective. Because sometimes the problem isn’t the problem—it’s just that I’ve been staring at it too long without blinking.

Then I will do some box breathing (breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4, breath out for 4 and hold for 4. Repeat several times), practice mindfulness for a few minutes, and remind myself that my feet are actually on the floor (which is surprisingly grounding). I pray and pour out what’s in my heart, then I write a list of everything swirling in my head so it’s not bouncing around like popcorn.

Before diving back into whatever chaos I was dealing with, I slip on my “counselor hat” and ask myself, What’s really going on here? Once I’ve got my answer, I map out a game plan to handle it. And yes—I totally talk to myself. You should try it! Be your own counselor and see how it works for you.

So give these strategies a shot next time you’re feeling overwhelmed. You might surprise yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.promisehillpodcast.com
• Instagram: @Grandmaeden
• Other: www.RedeemedHopeAz.com
  @RedeemedHope

Image Credits

Amber Pommerening-Wheeler