Meet Kimberly Mathis

We were lucky to catch up with Kimberly Mathis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberly, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I found my purpose buried in the wreckage of a childhood shaped by addiction, my mother’s, and mine. I was born into it, literally. Born addicted, before I ever had the chance to choose anything for myself. My mother was a lifelong user, tethered to a despair she never escaped. I grew up motherless, not by absence of body, but by absence of presence. Love and loss came from the same woman, over and over again, until I stopped trying to tell them apart.

I didn’t just witness her unraveling, I wore it. I carried the silence of unmet needs, the ache of unspoken questions, and the loneliness of feeling invisible in a room full of chaos. But from that pain, something profound emerged: clarity. I learned that emotional abandonment can teach you how to be emotionally available for others. That writing, my oldest friend, could become the voice I never had, the balm I never received.

So I wrote. I wrote myself out of sorrow and into purpose. I wrote for every woman who ever smiled through heartbreak, who kept it together for the world while falling apart in private. Becoming a published author gave life to the suffering I endured in silence. It turned private pain into public healing. It allowed me to transform what once shamed me into something that could set others free.

And over time, people started turning to me, not just for words, but for refuge, for understanding. For truth.

That’s how my coaching practice was born, not from a textbook, but from trenches. From a girl who learned how to hold space because no one ever held it for her. Few careers allow us to turn pain into purpose, or grief into guidance. But every time I sit across from a woman who feels seen for the first time, I am reminded: this is more than a calling.

It’s a redemption.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Thank you so much for this space to share what I do and who I am.

My name is Kimberly Mathis, and I’m an author, speaker, and life coach devoted to helping women untangle themselves from emotional survival and step into honest, liberated living. My work is rooted in truth, raw, unpolished, often uncomfortable truth, the kind that doesn’t flinch when pain enters the room.

I write and coach from the inside out. My story includes addiction, abandonment, and years of silent suffering. But instead of collapsing under what I didn’t get, I chose to build what I needed. I’ve always known words were my lifeline, first as a form of self-soothing, later as a bridge between what I survived and who I became. Becoming a published author was more than achievement, it was reclamation. It gave shape and voice to the parts of me that had lived for too long in the shadows.

My first book, Dope Girl, laid the foundation for understanding what it’s like to carry the weight of someone else’s choices. It gave language to a life that many endure but few can explain, a life shaped by loving someone who’s battling their own destruction. It was the beginning of turning my private ache into public healing. My most recent book, Liar In Stilettos, goes even deeper. It takes the hurt woman and transforms her through the big-sis energy of raw, honest, storytelling that may make you uneasy, but will set you free. It’s a call to stop pretending, to stop performing, and to start living in truth.

What makes my work meaningful is that it lives beyond the surface. I’m not interested in quick fixes or curated perfection. I’m interested in the woman who’s tired of performing okay-ness. The woman who holds everyone else together while quietly falling apart. The woman who’s been called strong her whole life but is secretly exhausted by what that word has cost her. My coaching practice is for her.

Over the years, I began to realize that what I did instinctively, listening deeply, offering perspective, creating safe space, was something not everyone could do. Friends, family, even strangers would come to me when their emotional worlds got too loud to carry alone. I didn’t chase the title of “life coach”—I answered it. Today, through one-on-one coaching, group experiences, and honest conversation, I help women come back home to themselves.

The most powerful moments in my work are the ones when a woman finally exhales. When she realizes she doesn’t have to earn rest. When she tells the truth without apologizing. When she stops carrying the story that never belonged to her. That’s the magic I get to witness every day. And that’s what keeps me anchored to this work.

Professionally, I’m focused on expanding the reach of my coaching practice, publishing more written work, and creating spaces, live and virtual, where women can lay their emotional armor down. I also speak at events and collaborate with organizations committed to emotional wellness and women’s empowerment.

You can learn more about my coaching offerings at thekimmathis.com, and purchase my books—including Dope Girl and Liar In Stilettos, through my personal bookstore at books.by/kim-mathis.

Everything I create, every book, every session, every sentence, is designed to help women heal in the light, not just survive in the dark. My brand isn’t about me, it’s about us. It’s about every woman who’s ever been overlooked, overburdened, or emotionally underwater, and finally gets to rise.

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

Looking back, I’d say the three most impactful qualities in my journey have been emotional resilience, radical self-honesty, and the ability to listen, deeply and without judgment. These weren’t things I was taught formally; they were born out of survival, shaped through pain, and sharpened over time.

Emotional resilience came from having to navigate life without a stable foundation. I had to learn how to keep going, even when I was emotionally depleted. But resilience doesn’t mean numbness, it means honoring your feelings without letting them derail your forward motion. For anyone just starting out, I’d say: resilience is built in the small moments. Keep showing up. Especially on the days when you feel invisible, unheard, or uncertain. That’s where the grit is formed.

Radical self-honesty was a game-changer. I spent years performing strength and hiding behind “I’m fine.” But transformation doesn’t live in performance, it lives in truth. For those early in the journey: get clear on who you are when no one’s watching. Journal. Reflect. Get uncomfortable with your own reflection until you can meet yourself with grace instead of shame. The more honest you are with yourself, the more freedom you’ll create for others to be honest with you.

And deep listening, to others, yes, but especially to yourself, has been my superpower. When you grow up in chaos, you either learn to shut out the noise or learn to tune into the message beneath it. Listening gave me empathy, intuition, and the ability to create emotionally safe spaces for others. If you want to grow this, start by slowing down. Don’t just wait for your turn to speak, listen for what isn’t being said. You’ll gain insight that no degree or title can teach.

My advice? Don’t rush your process. What you’re building will take root beneath the surface long before anyone sees fruit. Stay honest. Stay available to yourself. And never underestimate the power of your own voice when it’s rooted in truth.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Yes, I’m always open to meaningful partnerships and collaborations, especially with people, organizations, or brands whose work aligns with truth, healing, and transformation.

I’m particularly interested in collaborating with:

Therapists, counselors, and mental wellness professionals who want to bridge the gap between clinical care and lived emotional experiences.

Authors, artists, and speakers who use storytelling to empower women, challenge shame, and normalize emotional honesty.

Nonprofits or community-based organizations focused on women’s empowerment, trauma recovery, or mental health awareness.

Podcasters, event curators, or media platforms looking to host real, soul-stretching conversations about identity, healing, and purpose.

Whether it’s a panel, workshop, retreat, live event, or digital collaboration, I love working with others who believe in deep, impactful connection and aren’t afraid to get honest in the process.

If you’re reading this and feel aligned with the work I do, I’d love to connect. You can reach me through my website at thekimmathis.com, email me directly at thekimmathis@gmail.com, or send a message on Instagram at @thekimmathis. Let’s create something that speaks truth and sets people free.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thekimmathis.com
• Instagram: @thekimmathis
• Other: https://books.by/kim-mathis

Image Credits

Sharom Rosas at https://www.sharomrosas.com