Carrie Krueger is a certified life coach who helps people get unstuck, find their purpose, and grow with intention. In this episode of the Encourage Mindset Podcast, Coach Carrie sits down with host Ethan Van De Hey to share her coaching philosophy, the power of “I Am” statements, and why personal growth starts with getting honest about how you feel.
Watch the Full Episode with Carrie Krueger
Why Purposeful Growth Matters
Carrie opens the conversation by explaining what drew her to coaching in the first place: she loves helping people live differently and move forward. She describes how so many people feel stagnant, bored, or stuck asking themselves what they are even doing with their lives. That feeling, she says, is often a sign that you have lost connection with your purpose — and the only way through it is to start doing the intentional work of figuring out what purpose means to you.
She is quick to point out that growth looks different for everyone. For some people it is hiring a coach or therapist. For others it might be a meditation series, nature walks, journaling, or simply trying something new. Carrie practices what she preaches — she has her own coach that she works with and also sees a therapist. She believes in stacking your personal tool belt with the right people and practices to keep yourself moving forward.
The Workbook: Grow with Purpose
Carrie shares that she has written a workbook called Grow with Purpose, designed to help people get out of their comfort zones and define what purpose means in their own lives. The workbook walks readers through exercises and reflections that help them identify where they are, where they want to go, and what is holding them back. It is a hands-on resource built from the same frameworks she uses in her one-on-one coaching sessions.
Finding Your Personal Value
One of the most compelling parts of the conversation is when Carrie talks about helping clients discover their personal value — a core word or phrase that anchors everything they do. She is honest about the process: sometimes it takes six months to find the right one, and the first attempt is rarely the final answer.
Carrie shares a client story to illustrate the point. One of her coaching clients came to a session excited, saying he had found his personal value: be my best. Carrie celebrated with him and they agreed to revisit it over the following weeks. In their bi-weekly sessions, they kept checking in on how the value was working in practice. Eventually, the client came back and admitted it was not working — trying to be his personal best at everything was causing burnout and pressure instead of motivation. Together, they went back to the drawing board and refined it into something that actually fit his life. That iterative process, Carrie explains, is exactly how real growth works.
The Power of “I Am” Statements
Carrie lights up when the conversation turns to “I Am” statements, one of her signature coaching tools. She explains that I Am statements are declarations of what you believe you currently are or what you want to become. The key is writing them down where you will see them every day and letting them shape how you think about yourself.
She shares her own experience as proof. Before she was even certified as a life coach, she took a Sharpie marker and wrote on her bathroom mirror: I am the best life coach in Rock County. At the time she had not completed her certification, but she had already decided in her mind that it was going to happen. Four years later, she sits at the top of her Google reviews in her area. The certification mattered to her in that moment, she says, but the real shift happened when she claimed the identity before the credentials caught up.
Carrie encourages everyone to create their own I Am statements — whether it is I am a great mom, I am an amazing person, or I am building something meaningful. Whatever you believe about yourself is what you put out into the world, and those statements become the foundation for everything else.
Sitting with Negative Emotions Instead of Running from Them
Carrie describes herself as a huge emotions and feelings person, and she brings that same approach to her coaching. When clients are struggling, she asks them two simple questions: what am I feeling in this moment, and why am I feeling this way? Those questions might make people uncomfortable, she admits, but that discomfort is exactly where growth happens.
She acknowledges that negative mindsets are normal and that it is okay to sit in a bad place for a while. The goal is not to pretend everything is fine — it is to develop the self-awareness to understand what triggered the negative feelings and then pull yourself back out. That inward process of examining your emotions, Carrie says, is the foundation of lasting change.
Vulnerability as a Growth Tool
Both Carrie and Ethan get personal toward the end of the episode, talking about the power of vulnerability. Ethan shares that he wears his emotions on his sleeve and is transparent about what he is going through, and Carrie agrees that being vulnerable is one of the most powerful things you can do for your own growth. Most people are not willing to go there, she says, which is exactly why those who do tend to grow the fastest.
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Related Episodes You Might Enjoy
If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these related episodes from the Encourage Mindset Podcast:
- Chip Baker: You’re Not Broken, You’re Building
- Dr. Lucy Johnson: Small Wins, Big Results
- Randi Lynn Quigley: Empowerment and Self-Discovery
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