Meet Kristen Richardson

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

Hi Kristen, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?

For me, self-care has become less about checking off a list of activities and more about learning to love, honor, & connection with myself. It has been a journey of slowing down enough to hear what my mind, body, & spirit are actually in need of.

On a micro level, rest is my favorite form of self-care. It is the foundation of how I provide & reconnect with myself. Sometimes that looks like taking an actual nap, giving myself ten extra minutes in the morning to savor stillness, or choosing to do less—or nothing at all—without guilting myself. Rest also shows up in the small moments that refill me such as meditating, praying, doing mindless things, spending intimate time with my partner, & being intentional about nurturing my relationships with family & friends. These quiet acts of replenishment ground me & help me show up fully in my day-to-day life.

On a macro level, self-care becomes exploration My favorite form exploration is traveling. The idea of visiting new places, trying new foods, and immersing myself in unfamiliar cultures allows me to expand beyond my comfort zone & enjoy time in fresher ways. The act of exploring is healing—it unlocks my curiosity and satisfies my desire for inspiration & growth. Experiencing the world reminds me of who I am becoming & what brings me alive.

Together, these forms of self-care have had a profound impact on my effectiveness. Rest strengthens my clarity, patience, & emotional presence. Exploration reignites my creativity, broadens my perspective, & renews my motivation. By caring for myself in these ways — both in the slow, quiet moments, as well as through the expansive experiences — I am more grounded, more intentional, & far more capable of showing up authentically in everything I do.

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?

My business, What Are You Growing Thru?, LLC, cultivates a safe space that is devoted to challenging taboos & destigmatizing conversations around sex, intimacy, & mental health, specifically in BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ communities. As a mental health professional, with extensive experience in crisis intervention & trauma-informed care, I work closely with clients navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, etc., providing compassionate support & evidence-based therapeutic approaches tailored to their unique needs. Through my role as an intimacy guide/educator, I specialize in promoting sexual wellness, healthy relationship-building, & comprehensive sex education. I am committed to fostering open conversations about intimacy, sexual safety, & consent, helping clients cultivate deeper connections & a stronger understanding of their own desires & boundaries.

With photography, I aim to reveal beauty not as perfection, but as authenticity. This work is both personal & political. In a world that often rushes past depth, I genuinely enjoy creating space(s) to feel, to see, & to be seen. Through the lens, I invite viewers into moments of radical presence—where emotion is not hidden, but honored; where intimacy is not taboo, but sacred. My practice is a fusion of my clinical understanding of the psyche & my reverence for the erotic as a life force.

What Are You Growing Thru?, LLC will soon be releasing Reconnection Packages for singles & couples. The services for singles will offer bundles of exercises, rituals, & practices for rediscovering your love language, self-dating, prioritizing self-pleasure, etc. The services for couples will provide bundles of exercises, games, & routines for healthy communication, increasing/redefining intimacy, expanding pleasure, etc. It will also offer a dating concierge services, where people can learn to be more intentional or explorative when planning date nights.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, the three qualities that most shaped my journey were self-discovery, healing from people-pleasing, & deepening my relationship with myself. Each one transformed the way I move through the world & helped me step into a more confident, aligned version of who I am.

First, self-discovery allowed me to peel back the layers of who I thought I needed to be & reconnect with who I truly am. As I became more curious about my inner world — my desires, my boundaries, my fears, my strengths, etc. —I gained clarity about my purpose & the life I wanted to create.

Becoming a healing people-pleaser was tagged teamed with my self-discovery, as releasing the pressure to meet everyone else’s expectations & perceptions created room for my own voice to emerge. It taught me that honoring myself is not selfish, it is liberating. It is power. That shift brought an immense sense of confidence & comfort with who I am, who I was created to be, & who I am becoming.

Deepening my relationship with myself developed as a result of the layers of work that I was doing, which led to truly spending intentional time with my emotions, my body, & my spirit. This helped me cultivate inner trust. From that trust came contentment: in my work, my passions, my relationships, & the unfolding of my journey.

For those who are early in their own process, my advice is simple but transformative: check in with yourself, first. Become comfortable hearing your own voice, learning from yourself, and being in honest conversation with your inner world. Create space for intimate time with yourself—moments of stillness, reflection, curiosity, and truth. When you allow that space, you open the door to understanding, trust, and deep self-love. From there, clarity and alignment can naturally follow.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

My ideal client is someone who is open-minded and free-spirited — someone who approaches life with curiosity & a willingness to explore themselves on a deeper level. They are in love with their bodies or are learning to be. They may even crave a connection that feels more intentional, embodied, & authentic. Someone who is not afraid of vulnerability, or at least they are brave enough to lean into it.

Many of the people I work with have a story to share about their journey of coming home to their bodies— whether they’ve spent years cultivating that relationship or are just beginning to reconnect after a period of disconnection, discomfort, &/or change. Some arrive rooted in confidence & pleasure, ready to celebrate themselves. Others arrive seeking guidance, healing, or new ways of intimacy & self-expression.

My ideal client values intimacy & pleasure as essential parts of the human experience, or they hold a desire to explore. They are individuals who understand that connection—with themselves or others—requires presence, honesty, and a willingness to be seen. Ultimately, they are people who want to tell their story, embrace their body, and create meaning through intentional, embodied experiences.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.whatareyougrowingthru.com
• Instagram: @thejourneyytoself

Image Credits

Ina Maka