Episode #36: Redesigning Career and Success as a Highly Sensitive Person with Krista Casey
From corporate leadership and burnout to values-led work, nervous system awareness, and designing a life that fits your HSP nature.
Welcome back to The Happy HSP Podcast. I’m your host Kimberly Marshall, and today I’m joined by holistic life and career coach Krista Casey. She’s an ex-creative director for global brands like Wayfair and New Balance who now helps other HSPs and expats design lives and careers that feel authentic and aligned with their values.
We talk about her journey from corporate burnout to coaching and explore the importance of knowing how to manage our nervous systems, set healthy boundaries, and recognize our people-pleasing tendencies.
So, if you’re an HSP who longs to explore ways to design a career that actually fits who you are and you’re realizing that the old definitions of career and success just aren’t working anymore, then this episode is for you.
I hope you enjoy it!
Kim: Krista, thank you so much for joining me today. It’s such a pleasure to meet you.
Krista: You as well. Thank you for having me.
Kim: Yeah. So, my first question for you is your personal journey with high sensitivity. How did you find out that you’re highly sensitive?
Krista: Yeah. Okay. So, this story I think is a bit representative of my whole journey and it starts, I would say about five and a half years ago. So, at that time I was in a senior leadership role in a corporate environment, a lot of pressure, a really fast-paced situation. And actually, my husband came to me and said either he was listening to a podcast or a YouTube video and they were talking about highly sensitive people. And he said, “I think this could be you.” And as soon as he said it, I really shut it down. And I said, “I don’t really want to talk about that. I don’t really want to know what that is.” And reflecting back, I can tell that that’s because the environment that I was in at the time, my immediate thought was that’s not going to fit. Whatever that means, whatever high sensitivity means, I’m worried that won’t be valued in the work that I’m doing.
And I think maybe even deeper than that, maybe if I at that time had learned about it and it had resonated with me, that might bring up that I was in the wrong environment for me, or maybe that I might be confronted with things that I was trying to push to the side. But then if you fast-forward a few years, which would bring us maybe to three and a half years ago, and this actually coincides with the birth of my son. So, I became a parent and that kicked off a journey for me of a lot of interior work, looking inside, self-reflective work, coaching, all of this.
And I felt ready, let’s look inside this box, let’s see what high sensitivity is and if this could be me. And then when I realized, yes, this is definitely me, I feel like that’s such an important part of the rest of my story moving forward because it just kicked off such a big chain of events for me.
Kim: Wow. And how long was this time period when your husband first pointed this out to you? Because I feel like that takes time to process. What was that timeline like?
Krista: Yeah, so I would say it was about five and a half years ago when he first said it to me. And you know how HSPs are. When we get a piece of information, it goes in, it’s in there, it’s in there cranking around. But at that time, I really wasn’t looking at it. I wasn’t exploring it. I really did shut it off at that initial time. But then now, three and a half years ago was when my son was born and this kind of real period of transition started for me.
And I think also, I’m very fortunate to live in Germany and the maternity leave here is 12 months long. And that was the first time maybe in 13 or 14 years that I stopped working. And I was like, oh wow, I can think, I can have space to look at things that maybe felt too complicated, or I was too unsure about previously.
So yeah, that was a really interesting time.
Kim: Wow. You bring up so many beautiful points that I think a lot of us can just relate to. And it’s that initial fear of, no, that singles me out of something too complicated or whatever you think that is. Like you said, I won’t fit in this corporate atmosphere. And I really do believe we build so many masks to make sure that we’re tough enough and able to buck up and do our corporate work. Yeah. So, I can totally see how that would be scary. No, that makes me flawed and that means something bigger than what you’re saying here. Yeah.
Krista: Right. Right. I can’t even look at that right now. Don’t talk to me about that. Yeah, that feels too complex, too complicated to get into.
Kim: The second thing that I love that you mentioned was the time off. When we had time off and we’re stepping away from the things that we’ve built around us. So, what was that journey like? What were you learning? What were you seeking or kind of finding out about yourself?
Krista: Yeah. And of course, parenting becomes a whole other layer of work in itself. And so that is complicated. But the separation from work, the not being in a work environment, that space was incredible.
The story I keep coming back to, so we worked with a doula because we’re living abroad, we’re an expat family and we don’t have family here. And a doula was so important for me when I was pregnant, and my son was born and then postpartum. And I remember the doula said to me when I was still pregnant that the parent has this amazing ability to regulate the nervous system of the child just by proximity to the parent, just like laying the baby on your chest.
And my first thought was, “Oh my God, that’s incredible. How amazing.” And my second thought was like, “Oh God, I think that I have no grasp on my nervous system.” I think that I’m someone...I didn’t have a lot of language for this at the time, but I remember thinking dysregulated feels like me somehow that feels more like me than this idea of...And I know the goal isn’t to be in a constant state of regulation, but this idea like, What is my nervous system?
What would it mean to be more aware of the changes in it? Because I thought I want to lean into this powerful thing that I can do for my child. And that really kicked off this journey of self-exploration, I think you could say. And just trying to understand myself better, that’s when I finally had time to look at the highly sensitive trait, understand it was me, do my own coaching, my own journaling and reading and just all of these things because of that time that I had. Because if I wanted to look at something more closely, I thought like, Okay, I can open that up right now. If that’s uncomfortable, I have the support system that I need to work through that.
Kim: And what were you learning, would you say when it came to your nervous system and the trait, what would you say you were learning?
Krista: Yeah. So, when I learned about the trait, I’m someone, and maybe this is very common with HSPs, when I put language to something, it’s such an unlock for me. When I learned this term overstimulation, I was like, yes, yes, that is what is happening.
Kim: That is what I would talk about. That’s what I’m going through.
Krista: Yeah. Yes. Yeah. That’s what’s been happening to me in these environments. Or even I understood that I was an introvert. I understood that certain social situations were not the best for me, like big groups or places where I didn’t know a lot of people, but this idea that we’re always getting this input, this stimuli, and that you need to go through this depth of processing in order to, yeah, I don’t know, to unpack it, think through it, connect the dots. And I think that was a big unlock for me like, Oh, I’m just allowing all of this stimulation to come in, and I’m not making space for the processing. I didn’t understand that that’s how the trait worked. And once you understand it, then I’ve just made so many changes around making space for the processing and making space for when I’ve become stimulated or trying to get ahead of it.
It’s not a perfect system, but knowing that it can happen, what am I going to do to allow myself to process?
Kim: Yeah, I can relate to that so much, especially at work because I don’t know if you know what my story or where I was and how I got here, but I was in the corporate atmosphere for a really long time. And I feel that it was just like, take it, take it, take it in. Just this is your job, this is what you’re doing. I commuted to Midtown. I was on a bus. I was in the noisy city. I worked for Time Inc. at the time, and it was really competitive and it was like, well, this is your job. This is what you do. This is your profession. And you don’t realize that’s all collecting. And like you said, that dysregulation, it’s so hard to put your finger on it. And there’s no perfection to it, but it is a journey.
Krista: And I started to realize for me, one way that I can feel the overstimulation is, it almost feels like hyper to me. I feel like I’ve had too much coffee and I’m sure people feel things differently and maybe other people would describe it another way. But when I’m starting to get that feeling like I can’t just relax, that’s one indication of the overstimulation for me. I also sometimes have this visual of my brain as this very overstuffed file cabinet.
And I don’t know exactly how it works with the trait on a neuroscience level, but I’ve realized that I can kind of kick into the depth of processing if I make space for it. If I feel that my brain is so over capacity and I do something that I know works for me like a sound bath, for example, I go to a sound bath every Sunday, and I leave that feeling like I’ve moved through a lot of topics, a lot of stuff that was just kind of sitting in my mind.
Kim: So that’s what you’ve been kind of leading into is more like gentle processing or things like that?
Krista: Yeah. I’ve also found, it also works for me to go to a cycling class. It can be high energy. And that comes with its own stimulation. But for me, if my brain is really full and I’m looking for ways to move through the information, it’s almost always some type of movement, like taking my dog for a long walk in nature, going to a spin class, the sound bath has less movement, but I go to a sound bath where they use a very powerful gong and they always tell you that the gong actually moves the cells in your body. It’s like the sound is so powerful. So, I think that is similar in a way.
Kim: Yeah. It’s like all frequency, energy that builds up in our system not only...I mean, visually when you said that, I could just make sense that it would be vibrating, loosening the tightness or whatnot. Yeah. So, what was that transition like to the work you’re doing now? I know you’re coaching now for highly sensitive people.
Krista: Yeah.
Kim: You’ve kind of made that a mission. Can you share a bit about that?
Krista: Yeah. So, what was a very important part of this time that started three and a half years ago where I just did a lot of exploration and one of the big things for me was defining my values. I worked with the Designing Your Life program, which I think is interesting. They take this design thinking approach to life design, they call it, and the exercises are so practical, and I learned so much about myself. And one of them, it sounds so simple, but it’s called a work view. And you basically write this mini manifesto that answers the question, Why do I work? And when I wrote that, and then I looked at what I’d been doing, it was just not a match.
And so that was giving me a ton of clarity that in combination with my values, I was building all of this language about why the environments that I had been in were no longer the right fit for me, but then that kicked off a journey. Okay, but then what? And that’s also part of this designing your life program.
They have this really cool exercise called Odyssey Mapping. So, you basically design three distinct versions of your life. And I designed one where I stayed as a creative director in these complex environments. Let’s see how that could change and evolve for me. And then my second map was coaching. And I really got there by thinking, what did I love about my roles? Because I had an amazing career trajectory in these environments. And I think that’s also important to say. I think highly sensitive people are so needed in these environments, but it’s just they need to also have the tools and the information so they can set themselves up for success.
But when I reflected on that, it was really building teams, helping people understand themselves, managing, like being a people manager. That was by far the most fulfilling piece of that part of my career. And I thought it was kind of coaching, but only a small slice because when you’re leading a team within one of those environments, it’s a bit limited. You coach them to do the best they can within that construct.
Kim: Perameters that you’re set. Yeah. You have things you need KPIs you need to hit. That’s your tunnel vision.
Krista: Yes. Yes. And then I thought I thought, what if I could help people, but with an unlimited trajectory or scope or potential, that would be so cool. And yeah, the designing your life framework is just very practical. The next step they recommend, they call it prototyping, which means go try it, go see if you like it, if you’re good at it.
So, I joined two mentoring platforms so I could start that dynamic. And then I started doing some pro bono coaching and I was really feeling like the gears clicking. And then I realized that Designing Your Life offers a coaching course that they certify coaches. And I thought, okay, this is really cool because it was their tools that brought me to coaching and if they could be the one to train me so I could do that with others. So yeah, that’s kind of been my journey to where I am now.
Kim: I love that so much. It’s almost like you had the awareness enough to know that that wasn’t for you, but also all these things just seem to click into place, it sounds like.
Krista: Yeah. Yeah. I think this language about yourself is so important. And I see this with clients a lot. People know when they want to change. They know when something isn’t working, they know when they’re stuck, and this is why I think coaching is amazing, but then they don’t know what to do next.
Kim: Exactly. That’s the scary part.
Krista: Totally. And then you’re in this holding pattern, you get frustrated. And one of the first exercises I do is this values mapping. Let’s immediately bring you some language about yourself. It’s factual and then let’s start looking at maybe either your exact job or the industry you’re in. Is that aligned? Is that values-aligned for you? Sometimes the answer is yes, and of course other things can change. Sometimes the answer’s no, and that kicks off a whole other part of the journey. But that was just such a big moment for me. These are my values, this is why I work, this is what I want from my life. Okay, let’s go make that.
Kim: You’re so right because values are so deeply inherent in us and we can’t just go to work every day and act against our values and be fine with it. There’s such a guiding light or what I call the litmus test. When you’re looking for a new job or role, does that match this? Does that match? Is that aligned with what I am and who I am because it’s not, then you’re always going to end up unhappy in some way.
Krista: Yes. Yes. And it’s so interesting to me what comes out of these values conversations. A lot of people realize that they’re carrying someone else’s values and that’s how they got where they are today, which is super common. I think that happens to a lot of us. So just starting to realize without judgment, because we are all where we are and we have to start from where we are, but starting ... I can see a lot unlock for people when they’re like, “Oh, but that’s what my dad thinks, but I value this over that.” And when they can put the language to it, that becomes very powerful, I think.
Kim: Yeah. It’s all the unmasking. That’s all I keep hearing, too, is we learn so much about what we ought to be like. And I know this gets thrown around so much, and it sounds like buzzwordy, but it’s true. People wouldn’t be talking about this ad nauseum if it wasn’t true. And there’s a difference between talking about it and really acting on it, really digging into who you’re not. We don’t always give ourselves the time to really do that, and it takes time.
Krista: Yeah, totally. It does take time.
Kim: Yeah. So, what would you say you struggle with as a highly sensitive person? What’s the challenge for you?
Krista: I have very deep-rooted people-pleasing tendencies. And I think the way I think about it is HSPs read the room so well, facial expressions, body language, and we play certain roles in our family. In my family, I was kind of like the happy kid, the optimistic one, and then you kind of get into this groove. And I realized that I was feeling responsible for other people. Even in work environments, I felt maybe I was carrying some of that. It’s somehow my job to keep people happy or optimistic. So yeah, people-pleasing is something I’m working on. I would also say some overachieving behavior. And I don’t know, it’s interesting because I feel like a lot of us were brought up around this certain idea of intelligence linked to SAT scores, getting into certain colleges, being smart in that way. And I always kind of bumped up against that.
I would say that takes me a lot of effort to be smart in that way and that my intelligence is more like emotional intelligence, human connection, empathy, but I didn’t really understand that side of it until later. And so, I think some of the overachieving is at a certain time, I was trying to overcompensate for some of that.
And then yeah, boundaries are a really interesting topic for me. I struggled with boundaries for a long time. I think for a long time I didn’t know what they were or that I needed them, which is part of why the corporate environments were difficult for me. And now that I’ve, I would say I’ve really studied them, which has made me, I wouldn’t want to say I’m an expert, but it’s made me understand them. When you kind of study something separate from your own experience and just understand it, it also helps when I teach it to other people because then you can learn something better.
So yeah, boundaries are a really interesting topic for me.
Kim: Yeah. That’s so funny. And you’re so right. When you’re helping other people figure it out, it kind of gives you the clarity, too.
Krista: Yes. Yes. There’s this Adam Grant quote that he says, “The best way to learn something new is to teach it to someone else.” And I think that’s because you really do study it in this practical way, and you want to learn it from the ground up, and then you want to learn it in a way that you can explain it to another person. So, I think it makes complete sense.
Kim: I’m actually curious about what you found when it comes to boundaries, because you were a director at Wayfair, right? Yes. Creative director at Wayfair. You worked there for a while, right?
Krista: Long time.
Kim: Long time. Yeah. So super corporate. Not that we’re connecting this to that specific experience, but I just felt like, yeah, you get it. But boundaries, what would you say when you worked in certain corporate environments, or what are the boundaries that you felt you were coming up against, especially that ties into the people pleasing, that ties into kind of all of that. What was your experience?
Krista: Yeah. I think when I was there and when I was in those environments, I didn’t have this language. I don’t remember thinking like, “Oh, I need to set a boundary.” I didn’t even know that that’s what I was missing. When I look back, I’m like, “Yeah.” Looking back, I think, wow, I was radically unboundaried. And so yeah, that’s that part.
But if I were, and this is an important part of the work I do now, helping HSPs in those environments because I think that’s important. So, if I reflect on my experience, one of the biggest killers for me was this context switching throughout the day. So, my calendar would be stacked from 9:00 until 6:00 PM, and it was just like a grab bag. At 9:00 AM, I might be talking about a big budget for a production, and then maybe I’m helping someone with their development plan, and then I’m trying to plan the Q4 campaigns and this like this and this and this.
I think for the overstimulation, that’s really not good. It just hits you with all of these topics. Yeah. So something interesting, if I were to do it again would be being much more cautious and conscious of how I could bucket my time if I could group certain things together and tell myself, now you’re going into people development mode, and maybe stack those meetings together so that I could get into a bit of a flow. It was very hard for me to get into flow because of all the...That’s how I would describe it, all the context switching.
Kim: That must have been hard too as a creative person, and you think you’re stepping into this creative role and it ends up being like a management like...Yeah.
Krista: Yeah. I mean, it was a fascinating journey for me because I entered the company as a graphic designer, as an entry level designer and grew to be a creative director. And I credit that experience with all of my business knowledge, all of my marketing knowledge. And I’m so proud of that because I had to hold my seat at the table with consultants, people with MBAs, people with marketing backgrounds. So yeah, that pushed me a lot, but it is, there’s like a rub there.
And it was also my job in those leadership roles to educate people about creative, to try to don’t use jargon, don’t isolate people, bring people into the experience. And I think an HSP is amazing at that because this idea of connecting, understanding someone else’s pain points, where they’re stuck, where they’re frustrated, and then bringing them into your process. I mean, that was also some of my favorite parts of the role.
Kim: Yeah. I love that so much because so many highly sensitive people really feel like they don’t belong in those environments. And I’m not saying we all do, but it just goes to show you we are really good at managing a million moving parts and working fast paced. It’s just at some point, I think as professionals, we see there’s a softer path and we’re like, oh, I’m ready for that. Love the journey, ready for something new.
Krista: Yeah. And I think for me, the part I couldn’t ignore was the parenting piece because I think there’s something extra special about being an HSP parent, because if you’re talking about overstimulation from a toddler, we’re way up here now and this idea that I want to show up as the best version of myself, whatever that looks like on any given day, I can’t be in this scenario where I’m just in this nine to six stacked calendar, my attention going in all these different directions and then show up how I want from my family.
Kim: Such a great point. You want to be a more present, peaceful mom, but you have to be more present and peaceful in life.
Krista: Yes, completely, completely.
Kim: Yeah. So, looking back or thinking about how you help people kind of assert boundaries now, what would you say is, how do you assert boundaries, or maybe what did you think you or wish you could have done differently when it came to boundaries, or what’s your advice there?
Krista: Yeah. I mean, I had really bad, what would I call it, like bad hygiene around my guardrails. I would be on my email and on my Slack till 9:00 PM on the weekends. This was the radically unboundaried. So, I think it sounds so simple, but being clear on when you’re working and when you’re not working and getting...I think it’s hard to control our calendars because they’re at the whim of everyone else as well, but…
Taking a proper break, going outside. I think something that I did do well, and I don’t even know that I knew it at the time, when I did get to a place where I felt I was...How would I say this? There was more than one time where I felt that my role had become overscoped. I was doing more than the job description of my role at my level for my salary.
And those were conversations where I really did assert myself. And I help clients with that as well because that’s a conversation. And I think a lot of negotiation tactics come in there as well. I remember having conversations saying like, Okay, here’s how I see the situation, and here are two options I see. You could promote me because that’s what I believe my role is scoped at the next level. Or you could take a look at my responsibilities, the budgets I’m managing, the size of my team, and you could agree that it’s too much for the level and the salary that I’m at, and you could give this part of my team to someone else.
Things like that, I think we need to go into those conversations with this idea of options or packages that I approached it like that more than once, and I don’t think I knew the strategy at the time, but when I listened to people talk about negotiation, that’s part of it. This idea of going in high and not moving, I don’t think that really works for me. That wouldn’t be a strategy that would get the results I want, but this idea of a conversation, here’s what I see, here are some options, and it did work for me.
Kim: Yeah, I love that because I don’t know, that brings up such fear when you want to push back at work. But I feel like when I finally started believing in myself and leaning into those conversations, the easier they got somehow. It’s like, okay, they may say no, but I’m bringing it to the table and I have X, Y, and Z ready for this conversation. They’re people too, they just need to know clarity from you where you want to be, what’s going on. Yeah. It’s negotiable.
Krista: Yeah, exactly. And I think I also tried to release myself from the outcome. If they did rescope me and I had less work to do and it was manageable, that would be a great outcome. And if they promoted me and gave me more money, that would also be cool. So, it felt like I could live with you. Yeah.
Kim: Leave it up to whatever. Yeah, that’s such a great way to look at it. So, what do you love about high sensitivity? What would you celebrate?
Krista: Yeah, I am for sure this idea of being able to connect with people and build trust, I feel that comes very naturally for me. I’m much better one-on-one. That’s my happy place. I’m not so great in bigger crowds or rooms, but I just am curious about people. I want to understand them, and I hope it comes across. And I think that really serves me also in my coaching practice when you meet potential clients and you have this perspective of curiosity, of interest, of human connection. I think that all comes from the trait. Also, this idea of dot connecting, I call it. I don’t know if you call it this way too. Yeah. Okay. I think for creative people, this idea, I remember so many times we would get a brief for something and my brain would be like cranking on it, cranking on it, cranking on it.
You don’t know when the answer’s going to come, but I would always end up with ideas and multiple ideas. And I think that is the dot connecting. If you give a highly sensitive person something to think about, a big thing, these were like really all kinds of possibilities and options could have come out of this. That’s really, really cool to me.
And I also have read that high sensitivity correlates with creativity, that a lot of highly sensitive people are creative. And also that a lot of highly sensitive people are in caregiving roles like coaching or therapy or doula. And that also really resonates. I think that’s true because of the high levels of empathy. And I have to say, I don’t have any data on this, but I do think that highly sensitive people are driven by purpose and by doing something that is values aligned, which also makes sense to me that they would end up drawn to caregiving roles.
Kim: Yeah. I feel like the number one reason that we start losing our interest in work that doesn’t, to some degree, fulfill at least something of our purpose or have some sort of meaning for us. We’re just like, this is lame. We need to be challenged. Being ahead in a way that means something to us and aligns with our values with you 100%. Yeah. So, what advice do you have for HSPs who may be struggling, maybe finding joy or meaning or purpose in life?
Krista: Yeah. I know we’ve talked about it, but I think the first big step I would suggest is the values. If you’re an HSP who isn’t sure what their top two, three values are, I think it’s really worth the exercise because back to what we were just saying, if we’re motivated by purpose, if we want to do something that feels aligned and intentional, I do think we need to build language for ourselves. What is that? And I see that with clients a lot, again, when they know they want the change, but they don’t know what it means or what it looks like. Just understanding ourselves better, giving ourselves that language I think is the first step.
Kim: Yeah. Yeah. It’s so funny because you think you know your values, but when you really take the time to look at it and dig a bit deeper, sometimes you’re surprised at what comes through.
Krista: Yes. Yes. Yeah. And I listened to Brené Brown’s work and I listened to her talk. And I remember her saying one time that she makes people pick two, top two because she thinks then you have to get super clear with yourself on what your priorities are. And my top two are connection and curiosity, and I love them, I’m very happy with them. But for me to get to connection, I actually had to leave behind family, love, friends. I bucket that all in connection, but you make some hard choices. I had to really articulate, no, underneath everything for me is the connection I have with another person. It can be a colleague or a coworker or even a neighbor. And of course with my husband or my son, it’s much more amplified, but that’s what it is. For me, that’s the driver.
Kim: Yeah, there’s an umbrella there because you have to have that sense of this is the guiding light, the litmus test. This is what all I’m feeling goes underneath. Yeah. It just helps you kind of see yourself in a clear light.
Krista: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And maybe my other advice for HSPs who are looking for this, like joy and happiness is to find other HSPs. I think it’s ... I started my coaching practice with a totally different niche and I built the whole practice not talking about HSPs. And then I wrote one line in a bio, I’m a highly sensitive person. And it just unlocked so much for me. Clients wanted to talk to me for that one bullet point. I started meeting so many HSPs and I think it’s important. I think it’s important to talk about it, share, get excited about the really cool stuff and maybe talk through the frustrating points. But I think this is really motivating.
Kim: Yeah. It’s like it mirrors other HSPs kind of mirror the parts of us that we hide. And I feel like when we see each other and we really meet each other at this level, it’s like, wait, I feel like I’ve known you a million years and I like what I’m seeing and I like what I’m hearing like me too.
Krista: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yeah. But that’s so true because I think it also, some HSPs I hear, they feel they don’t have confidence or they don’t have that self-assurance. And I think that can be a lot because of the environments they’re trying to thrive in and with the masking and all of these topics. But then what you just said, when you see other HSPs and then you think, oh, hey, that’s me too. You kind of grow this real confidence as well. Yeah.
Kim: You grow into yourself. And then it’s like you shine your light and let the rest fall into place. At some point, the hiding yourself just doesn’t work anymore. Yeah.
Krista: Completely. Yeah. Yeah.
Kim: Well, thank you so much for joining me today. Where can people follow along on your journey?
Krista: Yeah, yeah, that would be great. Yeah, my website is Krista Casey Coaching. So yeah, I would love to connect with you there or Krista Casey on LinkedIn.
Kim: Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining me today.
Krista: Thank you so much. This was awesome.
Thank you so much for listening in on my conversation with Krista. I hope it reminds you that our high sensitivity isn’t something to overcome or fix, but it’s a part of ourselves we can design our lives around. When we can recognize what isn’t working, we can also allow ourselves to explore what does work better for us…just allow yourself to do so with lots of patience and grace.
Until next time. Take care!
About Krista Casey:
Krista Casey is a coach, co-founder, creative director, and expat. After spending more than a decade leading large creative teams at global brands like Wayfair and New Balance, she now helps HSPs design lives and careers that feel authentic, balanced, and values-aligned.
Her coaching combines design thinking, values mapping, and parts work to help clients move from overthinking to action with clarity and confidence.
A highly sensitive person herself, Krista brings both lived experience and practical frameworks to her work. She’s passionate about helping sensitive, thoughtful people thrive in a world that often feels really complicated. She also writes about identity, nervous system, boundaries, people-pleasing, and building a life that feels like yours on Substack.
Follow along on Krista’s journey:
Websites: https://www.kristacaseycoaching.com/
https://www.theshiftmakers.com/about-us
https://the-shift-a7b7a2-2829568a9d744a5faced0b.webflow.io/power-circles
Substack: https://kristacoaching.substack.com/
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About Kimberly:
Kimberly Marshall is an ICF-certified Energy and Intuition coach for highly sensitive people (HSPs) and host of The Happy HSP Podcast. After 20 years in the publishing industry working for companies like Time Inc., Monster.com, and W. W. Norton, she left her corporate career to pursue work that better suited her HSP needs. She now helps HSPs reconnect with their intuition, energy, and soul’s purpose so they can live gentle, heart-centered lives in alignment with who they truly are.
Through her work, Kimberly hopes to shed more light on the reality of living with high sensitivity and inspire more HSPs to embrace their empathetic, loving, and gentle natures.
Hosted/produced by Kimberly Marshall
Edited by Fonzie Try Media
Artwork by Tara Corola