TESTIMONIALS

  • For over 40 years, Karen Lawson has been a wonderful friend and colleague in helping to promote and educate patients and doctors about holistic medicine. She is a pioneer who played a vital role in moving the field from obscurity to mainstream.

    Bill Manahan, MD, Past President - American Holistic Medical Association

  • “Whether Karen is in the role of consultant, coach, program director, doctor, author, wife, mother or friend, she works from multiple perspectives. She integrates her training and experience in logical thinking, program creation, behavioral change interventions, energy and somatic theory, spiritual awareness, and organizational development. Besides all of those qualities, her values of integrity and her ability to create a fun and collaborative experience, make her a first choice to hire if you want to have success in your goals.”

    Linda Bark, PhD, RN, MCC, NC-BC, NBC-HWC, Author, CEO Wisdom Of The Whole

  • “Karen Lawson’s outstanding leadership was vital to the creation and development of the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching.” ”

    Michael Arloski, Ph.D., PCC, NBC-HWC, Author, Founder and CEO Real Balance

  • Dr. Karen Lawson is the brilliant, groundbreaking educator, physician and health coach who put the INTEGRATIVE into health coaching, taking it from a stale old model of goal-oriented yada yada that rarely inspired people, students and organizations who needed to get to the heart of the matter in order to make lasting change. She blended the wisdom of integrative medicine that recognized the whole person (finally!) and drew upon those techniques, motivations and insights to help people make sustainable, healthy, transformative change. I’ve worked side by side with her for almost two decades, watching her lead academic programs, offer national/international trainings, publish peer-reviewed articles, and launch national standards and certifications, and develop methodologies that have transformed this profession. I highly recommend that you bring on the original thinker in the field. You’ll learn what you need to know and enjoy the journey as well.

    Meg Jordan, PhD, RN, NBC-HWC, Professor, Integrative Health Coaching, California Institute of Integral Studies

    Author, How to Be a Health Coach

  • "I've had the pleasure of working with Dr. Karen Lawson in recent years with both clinical teaching of the concepts of health coaching, implementation of health coaching in our care model, and conducting National Institutes of Health funded research on the efficacy of health coaching. She was wonderful to collaborate with. Her insight, knowledge, and practical solutions have made health coaching easy to integrate into our routine care.. Dr. Lawson’s background and knowledge on the research and efficacy of health coaching have been essential to the research grants on health coaching we have received from the National Institutes of Health."

    Dr. James Fricton DDS, MS, Pain Specialist, Minnesota Head and Neck Pain Clinic. Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota. Senior Researcher, HealthPartners Institute

  • "Karen is a pioneer in the Integrative Health Coaching field -- her teaching methods require deep personal work, creating coaches who walk with skill and empathy next to their clients."

    Ricka Kohnstamm, MS, NBC-HWC, Founder, CEO Align Whole Health

  • Karen Lawson embodies a powerful force for positive change in integrative health and wellness coaching and the health care system at large. I have been fortunate to have worked as graduate faculty under Karen’s leadership for 16 years at the University of Minnesota in the Earl E Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing two health coaching offerings; certificate for Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices: Health Coaching track and MA Integrative Health and Wellbeing Coaching Program. She is one of the brightest, most intelligent people I know. Her capacity to understand the minutia, big picture and all the steps in between is stunning. What makes Karen unique is her blend of drive, passion, generosity, and wisdom. Karen invites everyone she works with, whether she is teaching, speaking, writing, volunteering, or practicing, to step into their full potential. She has taught me much about embodying the principles of healthy mind-body medicine by walking her talk through her fabulous self-care of yoga, biking, salsa dancing, and travel. Her ability to develop relationships, from staying connected to old friends to forging new colleagues is admirable. I am grateful for her presence in my life and our community.

    Michele Rae, BS, MA, RPh, Rev, NBC-HWC

  • "Karen is a pioneer, leader, and advocate for whole person health. Her expertise and guidance was invaluable to me as a student and now as a professional Integrative Health and Wellness Coach. Her depth of knowledge, energy, and passion shows up in her connections with people and is truly inspiring."

    Shannon Yocum, MA, NBC-HWC Client Experience and Coaching Director, Arctos360

  • “Karen is not only an influential visionary for what healthcare can be, but a practical action-taker who understands how to work within established systems to create lasting change. She is a fierce leader and advocate for integrative health with decades of valuable experience, while also being a joyful, authentic soul who is a true pleasure to work with and learn from. When you are with Karen, you feel safe, seen, and inspired.”

    Cynthia Shockley MS, NBC-HWC, Founder, CEO of Mighty Mama Wellness

  • " Karen is a phenomenal instructor. She weaves authenticity and spirituality in a unique expression that has held a container for my growth personally and as a professional over years."

    Simone Childs-Walker, MD

  • Karen is a seasoned leader in the area of integrative medicine and health coaching. Having been part of the many visionary organizations, Karen brings a unique holistic perspective to her work and life. Her dedication, passion, knowledge and fun energy will enhance any team or project.

    Dr. Tabatha Parker, ND - Executive Director, Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine (AIHM)

  • "Karen Lawson is an expert in integrative health and has created an impactful, high-quality health coaching program at Northwestern Health Sciences University. Our program shines in didactic excellence and real-world coaching applications, directly aligning with NBHWC standards. Karen's gallant efforts in supporting student success, marketing, and program development have elevated the health coaching profession and will positively impact educational programming for health coaching well into the future.

    Cheryl Krouse, DHSc, LMT, RYT

Consultation Contracts

Recommendations

"Dr. Lawson is an extremely talented and knowledgeable consultant with impeccable interpersonal skills and is extremely communicative. Dr. Lawson did a wonderful job developing and leading a program throughout the consulting time; her experience and knowledge is invaluable in health coaching as well as in integrative care academia and clinical application."

-Christopher L. Smoley, DC, DACBR - Professor & Director of Clinical Education

"Karen Lawson is an expert in integrative health and has created an impactful, high-quality health coaching program at Northwestern Health Sciences University. Our program shines in didactic excellence and real-world coaching applications, directly aligning with NBHWC standards. Karen's gallant efforts in supporting student success, marketing, and program development have elevated the health coaching profession and will positively impact educational programming for health coaching well into the future.”

-Cheryl Krouse, DHSc, LMT, RYT