Karen Pacent ~ Hand-in-Hand Retreats

About Karen: Combining Neuroscience, Mindfulness and Life Experience  Karen is a certified coach, meditation instructor and business leader based in Riverside, Connecticut. She has over 35 years’ experience in strategic leadership development in both the private and not-for-profit sectors.  As Director of Learning for Unilever, the multinational consumer products giant, and Director of Learning & Leadership Development for the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the sport’s national governing body, Karen designed and facilitated more than 25 leadership skills programs, including Strategic Thinking and Conflict Management.  In 2015, when Karen’s daughter, Kimberly Dawn, died tragically six days before her 27th birthday, Karen learned the hard way how searing personal loss and pain can be. Helping others find healthy ways to cope in the face of difficulty became Karen’s way to honor Kim’s spirit and creativity. Her company’s name, Hand-in-Hand, was inspired by Kim’s beautifully-rendered drawings of human hands.  Karen’s multi-faceted background and training makes her a grounded, compassionate coach with a deep commitment to helping others. She holds a Results Coaching certification from the NeuroLeadership Institute, a meditation instructor certification from the Chopra Center, and actively integrates an extensive knowledge of Emotional Intelligence into her coaching.    Karen holds an MBA in Marketing from Pace University and undergraduate degrees in Psychology and History from Muskingum College, a small midwest school best known as John Glenn’s alma mater. She is an active member in the Association for Talent Development.