SMILE™ APPROACH
SELF-DISCOVERY AND
GRIEF RECOVERY
"Drop the Ego, Pick Up Love!"
Welcome to your inward journey filled with tools for self-care and well-being. Through the holistic SMILE™ approach, you will uncover the power of self-love through taking action in discovering the heavy grief surrounding your emotional and loving heart and applying grace and gratitude as you allow the emotions to be voiced and heard. The healing journey through grief transpires to a balanced mind and heart.
Open Up Your Soul’s SMILE (2022) is my personal journey of using the holistic SMILE™ approach—Story, Mindfulness, Ignite, Let go, Embrace—as a guide for self-discovery and grief recovery. It represents a shift from a mind-centered perspective to a more balanced, heart-centered way of living. This is a path to greater awareness, leading to a life filled with happiness, gratitude, hope, and love.
Richard K.
I highly recommend you read this book. It is not just Kim’s story of overcoming a tremendous amount of hurdles and heartbreaking events, it also makes you think of your own life and how you have handled and/or are handling your own losses and difficulties.
It also reminded me that just because someone is laughing and smiling, it does not mean they are completely at peace and ok. We are all questioning ourselves and our emotions at any given moment. Some of us, especially us men, keep it all inside and adhere to how we were brought up …. show no weakness. Kim’s book provides a gateway to a different approach.
Dr. Thomas Armstrong
Neurodiversity
You do an amazing job of combining inspiration, memoir, and practical advice to parents and others based on your experience with your kids (and in such a clear, simple, and humble way).
Barry G.
The book, Open Up Your Soul’s SMILE, has caused me to deeply reflect on the past 7 decades. I am a male “Boomer” who has experienced significant life challenges from growing up poor on a dairy farm to wrestling with a self critic that has haunted me most of my life. Being a workaholic was my way of demonstrating personal value to my family, friends and coworkers. Loved to hear “boy Barry sure works hard.” I have also struggled with depression which in my case was a traveling companion to my poor self concept. Another constant that remained a challenge was expressing emotion. Emotions were to be contained because if seen or heard, then one ran the risk of harsh judgment. My generation of men were brought up in a culture that emotions were not part of the male experience. They were often perceived as weakness.
Join Kim on her SMILE™ journey because happiness and success takes much more than shifting one’s mindset. It requires a balance between the heart and mind.
Self-Awareness & Grief Educational Programs and Services
SMILE™ Self-Awareness and Grief Recovery Educational Program
The SMILE™ approach is a holistic framework that helps individuals on their journey of healing and self-discovery. It creates a safe and supportive space where participants can:
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Connect with their emotions: Understand and express their feelings.
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Practice mindfulness: Develop inner peace and self-awareness.
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Discover their purpose: Identify their strengths and passions.
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Let go of the past: Heal from grief and establish healthy boundaries.
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Embrace their whole selves: Celebrate joy, gratitude, and self-compassion.
In 10 hours of training, participants learn practical tools to balance their emotions and intellect, leading to lasting healing, greater self-awareness, and overall well-being.
The Transforming Heartache to Well-being: Educational Program
The Transforming Heartache to Well-being: Educational Program is an eight-session course designed to support aging and neurodivergent individuals in their healing journey. It helps participants turn heartache into wholeness by addressing past emotional wounds and embracing a future of peace, confidence, connection, and purpose.
Grounded in self-discovery and self-compassion, the program uses reflective exercises, guided meditations, and compassionate dialogue to help participants explore their life experiences, challenge limiting beliefs, and reclaim their worth. It encourages a shift from self-criticism to emotional awareness, fostering love, compassion, and understanding for themselves and others.
The program helps participants transform heartache into hope and wisdom by letting go of ego-driven beliefs and embracing love as the foundation for well-being. It empowers individuals to heal, grow, and build stronger connections, leading to a future filled with hope, purpose, love, and belonging.
Grief Recovery Method®Online Individual or Group Support Sessions
Your feelings are normal, even though society often suggests that emotions—especially grief—are something to hide. Loss can take many forms, including:
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Death
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Divorce or breakup
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Loss of safety, career, or health (like from COVID-19)
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Loss of trust, finances, or a pet
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Infertility or miscarriage
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Moving, loss of faith, empty nest, and more
The Grief Recovery Method® is an evidence-based program that offers practical steps to help. Through weekly exercises in The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell Friedman, you'll start to release and heal the emotional pain you've been carrying.
Public Speaking
We often don't realize what we’re carrying emotionally. SMILE™ helps uncover hidden wounds and offers simple steps for self-discovery and healing. Presentations cover topics like grief, trauma-informed care, neurobehavioral learning, embracing differences, and the reminder that You ARE Enough.
In each session, I share my own journey of self-discovery and grief recovery, inspiring others to reflect on their own experiences. Together, we explore how we can rewire our brains through awareness and practice.
When I lost my dear friend Jim, this year, I gained a new friend, Kim. Kim Jones guides people through self-discovery and grief recovery with her S.M.I.L.E. Approach.
"Grief" is not what I thought, as it has many meanings. Kim offered her program to me, along with the Grief Recovery Method, and after listening to her talk to me about it, I decided it was what I needed.
Over 7 weeks, we met once a week and went thru the steps. It wasn't easy. There were tears and reflection and some revelations. Not only about my journey but my life too. It is amazing what we carry thru our lives. In a word, I feel.... Freer... Better... Enough.
I am working on all the things I learned. Every day is a step towards finding myself and forgiving myself and others. I recommend Kim's S.M.I.L.E. program in self-discovery and the Grief Recovery Method to heal the grief lugging along in your life.
If you are scared? I was too. I made a decision to put myself first. I am so glad I did. Kim is compassionate and understanding. She is committed to seeing her clients through steps to bring them to a place of ENOUGH.
THANK YOU, KIM. WITH MY WHOLE ❤️
You ALL deserve a life of understanding, freedom, and self-love. Sometimes, we need a bit of help to achieve those.
Julie
SMILE
Self and Social-Awareness
Training Program
Who Am I?
Have you ever asked yourself this question? Join me on a journey within your heart to self-discovery. The SMILE™ approach will guide you, providing the tools you need to unlock and sustain the key to your happiness and well-being—MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS!
By cultivating curiosity and courage, YOU will explore the SMILE™ tools that will help you connect with your heart while simultaneously strengthening your brain's neural pathways for compassion, happiness, gratitude, hope, and love.
99%
Participants "Agreed" to "Strongly Agreed"
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SMILE™ training would benefit their personal and professional well-being.
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The materials and exercises were practical, intuitive, and helpful.
SMILE Training Testimony
CAROLINE
Participating in SMILE™ offers you a chance to pause and reflect on your overall well-being. Life is stressful and SMILE™ provides ways to check in with yourself and learn strategies to find calm and peace in a demanding world.
Becky
The SMILE™ program not only helped guide me as a school counselor but also helped foster my personal growth and healing as well. After completing the SMILE™ sessions, I felt energized to get to know my students, their stories, and how I could help advocate for their academic, social, and emotional needs. While also discovering my own need to heal from my unresolved grief, and the impact it had on preventing me from being the most healthy socially, emotionally, and physically that I could be.
Everyone could benefit from Kim's SMILE™ program and knowing her. She is a beautiful soul, a heart with ears, and a brilliant keeper of knowledge. I can't thank her enough for the courage and health she has given my life!
Kim
SMILE™ was a great experience for me! The activities Kim shared and facilitated during our time together allowed me to look more closely at myself, my personal habits and my professional practices. During my three hours of 1:1 coaching, Kim helped me refine my interactions with staff and students at my school in ways that facilitate connection rather than control.
Every person within the SMILE™ family has different goals, concerns and areas in their lives or profession that lend themselves to serious growth potential. No matter where your journey to self-discovery and growth take you, Kim will walk the path side by side with you!
Laura
I was a doubting Thomas when I first heard about SMILE. I thought no way would I talk about mypersonal life/feeling to anyone. I am a private person, that is my business, but I was wrong. Going through the sessions I found it was helping me handle situations/moments in my life, understanding there are ways to heal through activities, breathing techniques, and listening to others. I started to feel less intrusive to open up and share some of what I was feeling. Thank You
SMILE™
Self and Social-Awareness Coaching
I offer support, encouragement, and connection from the heart.
As your compassionate guide, I walk beside you—not as an expert with all the answers, but as a heart that listens without judgment, criticism, or comparison. I am here to support you as you take courageous steps inward toward self-discovery and grief recovery, creating a safe space for your healing journey.
Laura
One of the most enjoyable training/coaching I’ve ever had. The amount of tips, tricks, and insights she gave me was amazing.
Cindy
This was the best training I have had in my 37 years of teaching. I’m thankful to have attended this SMILE™ training/coaching with Kim.
100% of participants either "strongly agreed" or "agreed" that the follow-up coaching sessions improved their personal and professional well-being.
Anonymous
I encourage others to take the SMILE™ training/coaching.It is so worth the time! Everyone needs this.
Presentation Reviews
100%
● Participants were “Satisfied” to
“Very Satisfied” with the quality of the event.
● Participants “Agreed” to
“Strongly Agreed” the event
would benefit them or their
community.
"Grief Does Not Just Disappear," Hoard's Dairyman Magazine article which mentions information received from my presentation: Grief; The Flip-Side of the Trauma Informed Care Coin, https://hoards.com/article-33735-grief-does-not-just-disappear.html.
Authentic, genuine presenter. If the speaker is able to interact with the audience more, it's likely more of their personality will be able to come through in the virtual
environment. The speaker was highly recommended by the project manager, and from a skill and knowledge perspective, it's easy to see why.
Excellent presentation, very enjoyable! We look forward to featuring this speaker more in the future through the Technical Center’s activities!
Georgiana, GRM Online
Kim was an amazing facilitator. She handled difficult information with care, kindness, and compassion. Her skill in redirecting me when I completed the homework in an alternate way brought me back on track in a sensitive manner. She was the perfect "heart with ears" that allowed me to cry, laugh, breathe deeply, and release what I didn't even realize I had been carrying for so long. I highly recommend Kim, and have already recommended her to colleagues and friends.
Francine, GRM Online
Thank you Kim for the assistance on getting this up and going but most of all, thank you for encouraging me and giving me the confidence and desire to set it as a goal again. I had given up before talking to you.
You’ve really helped me in so many ways that I’ll always be grateful for and it wasn’t just through GRM it was YOU!
Thank you for your priceless friendship too!
With gratitude always.