About

One beauty of being human is we have the capacity to change. We can be completely frustrated by our behavior and choices but we never have to settle and stay there. It’s not easy to grow and change, but as long as we are breathing on our own, we can do it. We need support and that’s what Journey Forward for Life is all about!

Journey Forward for Life offers encouragement and support through Workbooks, Blog posts, Workshops, Courses, Coaching and Counseling so you don’t have to walk this journey of change alone.

Who am I? I’m Karen Thacker. I have been on my own journey toward change since 2005. I know exactly what it’s like to feel like I’m not enough or don’t measure up. I can look put together on the outside but on the inside be a jealous, prideful, angry mess. I did not know any of this until I imploded my life in the early 2000’s.  There I was just going along merrily. I had a wonderful husband, three fabulous children, a home and a dog! What more could I want? I didn’t think there was more. I had been a stay at home mom and loved that job but my husband needed a change in his life. I encouraged him to pursue a music degree. I went to work. I learned that I loved my new job. I also learned that my boss loved me. Hold on there! What?! Yes, that is what happened. I was so disconnected from the reality of who I was and what I was doing, I thought I could just keep this to myself and manage it. I was working at a church, of course nothing bad would happen. Sad to say, the worst happened. I got sucked into an affair. I gave in. I made really bad choices again and again. Like an addict, it seemed like I couldn’t stop. So I lost it all: the job, the marriage, the perfect life, the respect of my children and anyone who knew me.

I remember sitting alone in my studio apartment and thinking how did I get here? What happened to me? I was a Christian. I was a good girl. I didn’t do things like this. I was responsible. Over time I learned I was pretending. I was fooling everyone, including myself, about who I really was.

During my childhood, I started to believe that I needed to be perfect to be loved and accepted. So I figured out how to be really good at hiding myself behind a facade of perfection. I don’t remember doing this. It wasn’t a conscious decision I am aware of making. It just happened. I got really good at it. I perfected perfection until I imploded. That’s when I started looking into myself. I went to a Shadow Work Coach who helped me see the shadow and gold within. I attended Woman Within (a transformational retreat) and did some completely uncomfortable things that helped me let go of the perfect me in front of others. I went to a counselor to process through issues via therapy and EMDR which helped release me from some of my childhood traumas that blocked me from being free. I immersed myself in Dr. John Townsend & Dr. Henry Cloud’s work through books, Solutions CDs and process groups at their week long Intensives. I delved into studying the Bible to fully understand the truth and power of God’s love for us, all of us no matter what we have done, are doing, or will do.

At the beginning of this journey, in 2005, I also decided I wanted to walk alongside others who, like me, needed help reconnecting to their true selves, finding healing, and walking free on this side of heaven. I went to graduate school and earned a Master’s in Counseling. Since then, I have continued to grow and celebrate my freedom. All the while, dedicating myself to helping others do the same. That is my motivation for my work. My private practice, individual coaching, marriage coaching, book, workbook, blog, workshops, courses, even teaching at a graduate school, all have the same overarching purpose: to make a positive impact in at least one person’s life that brings them to freedom.

I journey with you from experience. Everything I pass on to others I have tested in the real world of my life. If it doesn’t work, I don’t recommend it. If it does, I shout it from the mountain tops. Few of us got good solid training on how to process our thoughts and emotions, and effectively function in relationships. It’s no wonder we end up frustrated, miserable, and perhaps like me, imploding our lives.

You don’t have to stay there. Come join me and Journey Forward for Life!

Karen