Kelly is a gifted speaker, author, and storyteller. She is one of those people who leave you lighter and feeling more empowered after spending time in their company. Before she joined the Self-Portrait Studio as a founding member, we met on Instagram. We started chatting and it became abundantly clear that we were more than like-minded, when we began to host Clubhouse rooms together. I've also had the honor of hosting Kelly as a workshop leader for the women of SPS. I know you will love her as much as I do
Welcome to the blog, Kelly, I'm so happy to spend this time with you. Tell us about yourself.
I’m Kelly McIntee, a life coach for the woman who already loves herself but isn’t yet fully embracing that love. I help her love who she is so deeply so that she can also love what she does, whether that’s stepping away from her job to go all in on her business or making a fulfilling career transition.
I’m a Minnesota girl, the youngest child, married to my husband PJ, a college baseball coach, so I know all about that "coach's wife life". We have two kids ages 4 and 2.5, so we are in the thick of parenting right now.
I recently decided I like wearing jeans. I also love doing cartwheels. So naturally, my fit test for jeans is less about them being jeans I can run around with the kids in and more about “can I do a cartwheel in these?"
Where do you live? Where would you love to live?
I live in Mankato, MN, and honestly I love living in MN. I get to ENJOY all the seasons (yes, even winter) and what comes along with each of them. In winter, I love the hibernation time. In summer, I love the exploration and play. In spring, I love the anticipation of summer and the joy that comes with the change of season. In fall, I love the savoring of each beautiful day we get to have, and vibrant colors we get to see. I really do love it here!
Do you know your human design type and/or astrological sign?
I’m a Manifestor. Taurus. Air + Fire if you’re familiar with the Eyenie Schultz elements, and I’m an Enneagram 2, wing 3. In other words, I have big visions and big feels!
Tell us what you do and why you love it.
What I love most about being a life coach is the deep conversations and the unraveling of old stories. Then we rewrite them the way they want. We get to go from restrain and pressure to possibility and peace in every single session, week after week. I love seeing my clients change right in front of my eyes. It's an evolution from the way they dress, the way they change their office environment, the words they say, and most of all their smiles. I LOVE seeing how their smiles change over our time working together — they’re bigger and brighter smiles, because my clients become more themselves fully and lovingly.
I love deep conversations and the unraveling of old stories.
Is this career part of your first or second life? What was your journey up to this point?
I feel like this career path is a surrendering to what’s always been. The concept of coaching came into my life when I was a lost college student, before I even knew coaching was a thing. I was a sophomore and I stepped into the career counseling office. I met with a woman who listened to me, and I remember finally feeling heard and being struck by the power of her questions. In that conversation I felt a shift occur that created clarity on my path. Sitting in her office, after feeling the insane relief of pressure I had been putting on myself, I told her “I want to do what you’re doing — talking to someone who feels lost and helping them figure out a plan." So that’s the route I went. I left her office in tears — the best kind of tears possible. Tears that came from joy, freedom, and peace.
Were your parents creative? Were you encouraged to follow your passions and dreams growing up or did you have to discover this path for yourself?
Yes, both of my parents are creative. My mom taught me so many things like sewing, cooking, baking, and all things DIY which I love to do.
My dad’s creativity and life is what led me to do coaching, but not in a way you may expect. My dad was an amazing craftsman. He would see a dresser or piece of furniture at a store, draft up his own pattern for it, buy the materials, then make his own which always turned out more beautiful than the inspiration piece.
My dad’s life showed me just how quickly it can all go, so either learn how to love what you’re doing now, or make a change into doing something you already know you love but are afraid to go all in on.
When he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly, I rememeber being so mad at him for spending most of the life in which I knew him complaining about his work and not sharing his woodworking gifts more. My anger quickly subsided when I was astounded by the amount of people who came to his funeral. He worked in a delivery business where he interacted with people continuously, and while he had the gift of his woodworking creativity, he also had the gift of gab and making every person he encountered feel like the most important person to be talking to in that moment. That was reflected back to me at his funeral, and has carved a path for me to explore the legacy I’ve been brought into and what is the legacy I want to leave.
My dad’s life showed me just how quickly it can all go, so either learn how to love what you’re doing now, or make a change into doing something you already know you love but are afraid to go all in on.
I understand you have been on a personal journey of self discovery through storytelling. Would you mind sharing a few of your biggest realizations with us?
This year has been a huge year for me in getting really clear on my own story of my life and seeing the ups that come with the downs, and sometimes the downs that come with the ups. In going through this process I have felt a new sense of purpose and clarity, and it has helped me be more neutral in life experiences. Allowing the good and the bad, and trusting it all has a way of working out just as it’s meant to. It’s been a deep trust, surrender and acceptance of the path I’ve been on in this life.
In going through this process I have felt a new sense of purpose and clarity, and it has helped me be more neutral in life experiences. Allowing the good and the bad, and trusting it all has a way of working out just as it’s meant to.
What parts of your story surprised you the most?
Restraint to possibility has been a story arc of my life that I have discovered. What has surprised me most is how my big story arc can also show up in the little things in life as well. For example, mashed potatoes. I used to believe they were so hard to make so I never made them, yet I love them. Restraint. I denied myself something I wanted — a warm, delicious comfort food. Then I decided to try. In making them again I realized just how simple they are. Possibility. I can now be a person who can have mashed potatoes any time I want because I’ve shifted from “this is hard” to “I can have what I want.” This is a silly yet profound example of my story arc impacting my life in the little ways, and big ways. And what is life but simply a big collection of little moments?
In terms of the big things in life, it’s seeing that we all have a story even if we haven’t experienced “big T” trauma. I’ve been a person who has always loved herself and loved her life, yet there’s been some resistance to that love. As I’ve grown, I’ve learned how when you stop holding yourself from your own love that the world can truly open to into full and wild possibility.
In terms of the big things in life, it’s seeing that we all have a story even if we haven’t experienced “big T” trauma. I’ve been a person who has always loved herself and loved her life, yet there’s been some resistance to that love.
How do you use storytelling in your work with clients?
I see it as the framework of each weekly session with my client. They come to the call in some form of restraint or pressure and then in our conversation and unraveling, they leave the call with a deeper sense of peace and possiblity.
I’ve also realized the power and impact of all of my “little moments” stories so I don’t shy away from sharing them as it relates to a session to help a client experience relatability — I’ve been where they are.
I have loved the membership! Lisa has an incredible ability to connect with amazing women and curate a space that feels like a safe and loving community, yet is also expansive and creative. She also sees people deeply, beyond the surface. She sees their truth, their beauty, and their potential.
The Self Portrait Studio has been through several iterations as a membership and education community and you’ve been with us since the very beginning as we found our footing. How has your experience as a founding member been so far?
I have loved the membership! Lisa has an incredible ability to connect with amazing women and curate a space that feels like a safe and loving community, yet is also expansive and creative. She also sees people deeply, beyond the surface. She sees their truth, their beauty, and their potential.
What initially drew you in and what are you taking away from the experience today?
There are a few things that drew me in, aside from knowing, loving, and trusting Lisa. I’m a person who always has a lot to say and I was getting tired of having no photos to share on my social media that would go well with the words I wanted to share. I also am not afraid of the camera. I have fun in front of it, and wanted to learn how to take my own professional photos without paying for them again and again.
Looking back to your very first self-portrait session and your most recent, what has surprised you the most?
I’m so much looser now than when I was before. Less polished and perfect, and simply more me. I have a more playful approach and a deeper sense of confidence.
Tell us about your own evolution to uncover the roots of your personal story. How are self-portraits related and supporting your journey?
They are certainly expanding me, and allowing me to live a life of less judgement and of seeing more beauty in the human experience. In this last year or two I have become so much more compassionate with myself and others. In terms of roots I’ve done alot of generational unraveling. I’ve been brought up in this life by women who are both pioneers of their time and of their families, taking a path different from those they’ve grown up with, but they have also been slowed down by fear, doubt, and judgement. We are all both the possibility and the restrain, and each generation gets to help carry the next generation further and further. These portraits are a part of me leaning deeper into my own path of possibility and letting go of my own self-judgement.
These portraits are a part of me leaning deeper into my own path of possibility and letting go of my own self-judgement.
You recently hosted a workshop for members of SPS, how was that experience for you?
Hosting a workshop in the SPS was so fun as it was a community of high-level like-minded women. The topic was juicy and the conversations and questions were so good… just another reflection of the way Lisa builds such strong community.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the community of women inside SPS. What do you love most?
I love that we are connected by the desire to learn how to take better photos, and what emerges in our time together is so much deeper than that. It truly is a strong community of women cheering one another on, and we feel so safe with one another to show up in a vulnerable way. I mean, sharing photos that you’ve take yourself is pretty darn vulnerable, right? Each woman in this space is a master at their own craft, in addition to being so brave and courageous. It truly is a place of empowerment.
I mean, sharing photos that you’ve take yourself is pretty darn vulnerable, right? Each woman in this space is a master at their own craft, in addition to being so brave and courageous. It truly is a place of empowerment.
Kelly, what are you most proud of (personal, professional, or other)?
Did you know that "proud" is my word of the year for 2023? I’m proud of my life, truly. All of it. Who I am, what I do, the babies I get to raise, the home we have, the man I’m married to, the struggles I’ve faced, the triumphs I've had, and all that’s in between. As cheesy as it may sound, I’m literally so proud of this life that is mine. I love it.
Where do you find inspiration and motivation on the days you are not feeling it?
I find inspiration in my kids. They are the thing that can literally drain me, but yet they also inspire me. I’m in awe of just how smart they are, the kind hearts that they have and how wild their imaginations can be. I remember one time my son talking about a kid at school who wasn’t good at sharing. He said “he’s a good person, he’s just not good at sharing toys.” That stopped me in my tracks and reminded me that why I’m doing this life coaching thing — it matters, and it has a ripple effect. The kids see it and hear it. They are my motivation to keep going.
Favorite book, podcast, or Spotify recommendations? (Feel free to list several).
A favorite book of mine is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. It’s not the most riveting read I’ve ever read, but I keep going back to the concepts she shares. It’s so applicable and freeing for creatives.
A favorite podcast is Make Money As A Life Coach by Stacey Boehman. That woman has changed my life.
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BIO
Kelly McIntee is a life and business coach for the woman who already loves herself. She helps her own that love fully & embrace all the wild possibility that emerges when she does so she can leave the unfulfilling job she feels stuck at, love her life, relationships and finally be present in this big beautiful life.
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