Upcoming Events
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What I Do
My mission is to empower writers to:
- connect more deeply with their work
- listen more closely to their inner wisdom
- strike a healthy balance between writing and everything else they've got going on
- turn challenges into opportunities for growth
- lead more fulfilling lives
I spent a year training to be a certified life coach so I could work with clients in a style similar to talk therapy. Life coaches are not licensed therapists, but a coaching session with me can resemble a session with a therapist. I work with clients one-on-one, in workshops, and in classes.
What I Don't Do
- I don’t critique or edit manuscripts.
- I don't accept queries or submissions through this website or through my coaching email address for my day job at a publishing company. While we're at it, please note that that the views expressed in this site and on my social media are solely my own and do not reflect the views of my employer.
Try Your First Coaching Session
If I became your coach, we'd start out by talking about your goals. Then we'd collaborate on creating a plan that would likely include accountability to help you meet them. We'd connect via Skype or FaceTime, as well as email, on a regular basis, so you can live anywhere in the world and work with me. No two coaching relationships are the same, so your program would be ours to design together!
Want to see if coaching is a match for you? Schedule a free introductory half-hour session with me via Skype, phone, or FaceTime.
Featured in
Who I Am
Kendra Levin was inspired to become a life coach by her experiences as a publishing professional and award-winning playwright.
A graduate of the Leadership That Works program in Coaching for Transformation, Kendra has been a certified life coach for writers and other creative practitioners since 2008, working with a wide range of one-on-one clients both in the U.S. and internationally. Kendra has run workshops for creative organizations including Theater Communications Group and writers' groups including the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Connecticut Press Club, Children's Writers of the Hudson Valley, and Women Who Write. She has taught several classes for Mediabistro, including Get Over Your Writer's Block and Young Adult Novel Writing, and to female prison inmates through the Bard Prison Initiative. She has also taught many classes to defendants awaiting trial with the Focus Forward Project.
Kendra has been a publishing industry professional since 2002 and is currently the editorial director of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. She is co-founder and co-director of the Representation Matters Mentorship Program with Joanna Cardenas. As an editor/coach, she has spoken at conferences, run workshops, and facilitated retreats for writers in over twenty states and multiple countries. Follow her @kendralevin to find out where she'll be going next. Her home base is New York City.
Kendra's works have been produced Off- and Off-Off-Broadway. But these days, her greatest passion is inspiring and empowering other writers.
If you still want to know even more about Kendra, you can read this interview with her in the Rumpus or listen to this conversation with her on the Literaticast.
Testimonials
"Working with Kendra was like enrolling my inner writer in an accelerated program on navigating the writing life. Kendra is one of those rare people who can consistently ask just the right questions to help you discover the insight that lies at the core of the week’s tangled worries, doubts, and frustrations. I always left our sessions with something precious. Sometimes that “something” was simply renewed faith in the writing process; sometimes, it was a lightning bolt of inspiration that could carry me for weeks to come."
— Cheryl Reifsnyder, client
“I took up coaching with Kendra as a professional aid. It was a great decision that ended up transforming my personal life as well. Kendra has a profound understanding of how these two realms intertwine in a writer’s everyday life. She has held my hand during some deep changes that I long needed to make but just couldn’t alone. Now I write more and stress out less about it. But more than that, I’m a happier person than ever before.”
— Laia Jufresa, client
“Kendra is one of the best life coaches one could find to work with! I treasure each minute of the time I’ve spent working with Kendra.”
— Grace Chang, client
"Kendra Levin's coaching has made it possible to ease myself out from under the load of self-criticism and doubt that has kept me from truly engaging my path as a writer. Her gentle questioning and feedback encouraged an experimental approach to forming new attitudes and behaviors, and allowing those that weren't helpful to drop away. The guided meditations at the beginning and end of our work together evoked images, words, and feelings that remain with me as luminous touchstones. The best part of Kendra's work is that it's not really about the writing – it's about your life! I am profoundly grateful for the experience."
— Julie Shaull, client
"Kendra is a very thoughtful coach. She is in tune with the rhythms of writers and understands the challenges that they face in ways that other coaches I have spoken with do not. She has a warm approach and wants to take care of the individual needs of her clients."
— Nate Cooper, client
“Kendra helped me learn how to dig deep within and tackle various obstacles that were blocking me from finding a balance between my writing life and my “everyday” life. I am now a more confident, productive and happy writer as a result of our time together.”
— Alison McGrath, client
“Kendra is very reliable, insightful and clear-minded coach who helped me to stay on track with my goals and work through the challenges I faced. I was fortunate to cross paths with Kendra when I needed her assistance. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Kendra is a great teacher.”
— Ginny Uybungco, client
Speaking Engagements
“‘WOW!’ That’s really all you need to know. My writing grew in a huge way during two retreats where Kendra was on the faculty. Run, don’t walk, to work with her if you get the chance! ”
—Claudia Harrington, SCBWI Regional Advisor Emeritus
“Kendra Levin is an outstanding writing workshop leader and a consummate professional—a valuable resource and an inspirational guide. She is a warm and caring person who responds thoughtfully to the needs of others.”
—Michelle Parker-Rock, author of books for young readers, 2011 SCBWI Member of the Year, and Regional Advisor SCBWI Arizona
I've led workshops, spoken at conferences, and facilitated retreats in more than twenty states and abroad, for groups as small as six and as large as several hundred. Teaching is one of my passions, and I've taught classes in person and online. Book me for your event, or work with me to create a customized event for you and a group!
“Kendra will stir your creative imagination. She’ll make you smile. But, most of all, Kendra Levin will inspire you to work your hardest to make your writing the best it can be.”
— Brian Herrera, workshop attendee
“Kendra was truly awesome. She was professional, personally invested, and believed in every student. She offered encouragement and precise critique. Not only did she enhance my knowledge about YA, she improved my writing quality as well.”
—Jill MacKenzie, student, Young Adult Novel Writing
“Kendra has a great talent for bringing out creativity. After leaving her class, I had at least four solid story ideas. I thoroughly enjoyed her class!”
—Jenny Darlington, student, Get Over Your Writer's Block
The Hero is You
The Hero Is You is a grounded self-help book that offers writers a healthier process, liberation from old issues and habits, and the courage and confidence to write as they’ve never written before. Each chapter is packed with practical tips and advice, craft tools, road-tested creative exercises, and insights from professional writers. Building on the archetypes in Joseph Campbell’s heroic journey, The Hero Is You will take you from the inception of a brand-new idea all the way to completing a project, revising it, and sharing it with the world. By the time you finish the book, you'll have a more effective writing process, feel more deeply in tune with yourself, and be doing the best work of your life.
Now Available in Turkish and Russian
"With the perfect combination of encouragement and practical advice, Kendra Levin inspires writers of every stripe. If you want to take your writing to the next level, buy this book—now!"—Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sperry, The Book Doctors and authors of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published
"Kendra Levin’s wise, encouraging words provide guidance every step of the way to help every writer realize their creative goals.”—Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month and Co-founder of 100 Word Story
“If I were to name the one quality that writers need in order to get their books written it would be courage. Kendra Levin knows all about this necessary heroism and helps writers step to the plate in this much-needed guide to the brave writing life.”—Eric Maisel, author of Coaching the Artist Within
“Smart, perceptive, and inspirational advice.”—Susan Shapiro, New York Times bestselling author of Unhooked and Only as Good as Your Word
Tools For Writers
A popular feature of workshops I've led all over the country, this twelve minute-long guided visualization will help you get to know the main character of your writing project like you never have before. What's motivating your protagonist? What does your character want? What's blocking her or his path? Download "Meet Your Character" and let me take you on meditative journey that will plug you into the heart of your story.
Contact Kendra
Want to get free content from Kendra like e-courses, writing exercises, and more?
REACH OUT:
T 518.768.7042
E kendra (at) kendracoaching (dot) com