Kim helps individuals, teams, groups and corporations do three things:

1. permanently shift their culture toward wellness
2. implement and invest in effective retention strategies
3. swap a “crazy busy” lifestyle for a wholehearted, intentional life that thrives!

Her career is diverse. She began as a critical care nurse, spent time in the pharmaceutical industry and in 1989, combining her nursing background with sales and marketing, she founded a successful executive recruitment firm. Through personal and formal education, She has spent the past 20+ years studying the science of self-care and optimal health as the foundation for living a purposeful, passionate life. She truly believes that healing ourselves is pivotal to creating a life of service to others.

In 2005, Kim created Self-Care Academy®, and its component NurseFit®, as a comprehensive program that is dedicated to improving employee engagement, relationships with peers and creating an optimum healing environment in the workplace. Through coaching sessions, active participation and learning various modalities of self-care and stress reduction, the Self-Care Academy program creates a lasting behavioral shift that is documented by measurable metrics.

Her programs, keynotes and retreats:
— improve engagement, effectiveness and productivity
— inspire and motivate
— lead to better individual resiliency
— reduce absenteeism and burnout
— decrease insurance premiums
— create healthy work environment.

An inspirational speaker, prolific author, experienced life coach and yoga instructor, Kim put her knowledge into practice and manifested the life she dreamed of. Kim now lives in Puerto Rico with her wonderful husband, Dick. She enjoys all that Caribbean life has to offer, spending as much time as possible sailing aquamarine waters while island hopping. Kim offers flexible coaching packages to fit the needs of her clients, including video, telephonic, retreats at local resorts AND a new offering of onsite one-on-one immersion sessions in the Caribbean. With her husband, Captain Dick, Kim created a private land and water renewal retreat! Amazingly healthy food, good wine, paddle boarding to a beach for yoga, meditation, snorkeling, diving, great tunes, alone time, reading, deep discussion, sunbathing or just hanging out watching the millions of stars.

As US Coast Guard licensed mariners, Kim and Dick also offer group charters on several larger catamarans, designed with every comfort in mind. Leave renewed, inspired and confident, armed with an action plan AND ongoing support to ensure YOUR success in writing the life-changing chapter of your life story!

• International Nurse Coach Association (INCA) — Invited Adjunct Faculty
• Association of Nurse Executives (AONE)
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
• National Speakers Association (NSA)
• American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA)
• Global Nursing Exchange
• American Council on Exercise

• Richards K., (2020) Turning Tables: When a Life Coach Needs a Life Coach. Nurse Leader, February 2020, Volume 18, Issue 1, Pages 59–62.
• Richards, K.,Godwin, M., Best Practices in Healthcare Management Begin with Self, Nursing Economic$/May-June 2017/Vol. 35/No. 3
• Richards, K., The Urgency of Creating a Culture of Caring: Start with YOU!, Nursing Economic$/May-June 2016/Vol. 34/No. 3
• Richards, K., Intuition: A Powerful Self-Care Tool for a Life that Thrives, Nursing Economic$/September-October 2015/Vol. 33/No. 5
• Richards, K., The Disease of Busyness, Nursing Economic$/March-April 2015/Vol. 33/No. 2
• Richards, K., Sheen, E., Mazzer, M., (2014) “Self-Care and YOU: Caring for the Caregiver”. Published by Nursebooks.org, the publishing program of ANA.
• Richards, K., Planes, Trains and Other Interruptions: Such is Life!*, Nursing Economic$/May-June 2014/Vol.32.No.3. pp.159-161.
• Richards K, (2014) The Power of Self-Care to Transform Culture, Improve Retention, and Boost Resilience. Nurse Leader, February 2014, Volume 12, Issue 1. pages 56-59.
• Richards, K. Self-Care is a Lifelong Journey*, Nursing Economic$/July-August 2013/Vol.31.No.4. pp.198-202.
• Richards, K. (2013). Wellpower: The Foundation of Innovation*. Nursing Economic$, March-April 2013/Vol.31/No. 2. pages 94-98.
• Nurses: To care for others, we must FIRST care for ourselves (Part One), Reflections of Nursing Leadership
• AJN Book of the Year Award 2012! Richards, K,( 2012) The Practice of Self-Care to Prevent Burnout and Create the Optimal Healing Environment. Mastering Precepting: A Nurse’s Handbook for Success, ed. Beth Ulrich. Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International.
• Shiparski L, Richards K, Nelson J, Self-Care Strategies to Enhance Caring. Nurse Leader, June 2011, Volume 9, Issue 3: 26.
• Richards K, Nelson J, Overcoming Obstacles to Create the Optimal Healing Environment.Nurse Leader, April 2011, Volume 9, Issue 2: 37.
• Krischke M, Richards K, Expert Tips to Combat Compassion Fatigue Nurse Connect On-Line,February 2011.
• Douglas, K, (Richards, K contributor) When Caring Stops, Staffing Doesn’t Really Matter Nursing Economic$. November/December 2010: 415.
• Richards, K. (2009). 1) Self Recovery and Renewal  2) Jobless and Searching. 101 Global Leadership Lessons for Nurses: Shared Legacies from Leaders and their Mentors, ed. Nancy Rollins Gantz. Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International.
• Nurse Leader, April 2007 as the “Leader to Watch”.
• Richards, K. (2007) “Nurse Entrepreneurship: Braving the Deep” in Stringing Pearls, a book that highlights the personal journeys of twenty one of the nation’s outstanding nursing leaders. ed. Leslie Furlow. New York, NY: Springer Publishing.

* Reprinted from Nursing Economic$ with permission of the publisher, Jannetti Publications, Inc., East Holly Avenue, Box 56, Pitman, NJ 08071-0056; (856) 256-2300; FAX (856) 589-7463; Web site: www.nursingeconomics.net ; For a sample copy of the journal, please contact the publisher.