Name: Karen Tindall
Kids’ names and ages: Isabelle 16 and Kate 13
Where do you live and what brought you to NWA?
We moved to Bentonville just over 4 years ago on an expat assignment with my husband’s role at Walmart. We were supposed to just stay for 2 years but we love living here so we decided to stay!
What’s the weirdest thing that happened to you as a mom most recently?
My eldest daughter now drives on her own and watching her drive home on her own for the first time via the Life360 app felt so strange! I had to keep switching off so I didn’t watch her the whole way home. However, my overwhelming emotion was pride that she had done it!
Where are your family’s favorite places to play in NWA:
We really enjoy walking our dog on the trails and exploring all the new trails that are being built. There’s always a new trail to follow. Coler is just beautiful with the creek and it’s nice and shady on a hot summer day.
Tell us about a recent trip you took (editor’s note: before coronavirus):
We were recently in Hot Springs for a volleyball tournament. We always try and combine our volleyball trips with the opportunity to explore. We visited Garvan Gardens which is the University of Arkansas botanical garden. The garden is set in woodland on the water’s edge and there is an incredible children’s garden which has an amazing architectural tree house and lots of places to explore. Stepping stones, bridges and streams. It’s one of those places children would see as magical!
Tell us about your coaching business:
I am just about to launch “Balanced Doctor”. I support physicians, dentists and health care professionals succeed professionally and thrive personally. It’s all about physicians, dentists and health professionals having the opportunity to step away from their busy lives to really think about who they are and to create the life that they want to be living now not later.
What prompted you to start it?
So back in England I was a dentist with a special interest of orthodontics. It is very difficult to transfer qualifications across the Atlantic and to start with I couldn’t work due to visa restrictions. I knew that I had to continue to work with people so I completed the training, took exams and practised a lot to become a professionally certified life coach.
I created Balanced Doctor based on my own experience that even successful medical and dental professionals benefit from and need the support to create the lives they want to be living.
Share a typical day in your life with us:
I organise my day around being a mum. Juggling teenage girls, school runs, a dog and work makes for a full schedule. However, there are a couple of things that always happen.
I make sure that I get to do a Peloton class on the bike and take my dog for a couple of walks. I’m pretty flexible about when I do my exercise. It has to fit in around my work and my girls’ schedules. Going for a dog walk resets my brain so I’ll be out and about rain or shine!
If you could vacation anywhere in the world this summer, where would you go?
I would have to say The Maldives. I’ve never been but everyone who has been there falls in love with the clear blue seas and the white sand islands. It’s sad that as sea levels rise eventually the islands will be disappear. Looks like we need to go sooner rather than later!
If you could magically learn a new skill, what would it be?
I’d love to be able to speak Spanish. I’ve studied French, German, Italian and Latin but I’ve not had the opportunity to learn Spanish. Considering I now live in an area where there are so many people who speak Spanish I’d love to be able to speak with them.
What’s something your friends might not know about you?
Being from England I have learnt that even though English is the first language here, Americans and I speak it in very different ways! I am translating what I say into American English. Occasionally you will hear me say things and think what does that mean? Crazily one of the most difficult things to be understood is simply when I ask for water! My accent somehow makes it difficult to understand what I want!
If you got an unexpected gift of (a lot of) cash, what would you do with it?
I would fly back to England and surprise my family! I miss them and would love to see their faces when I arrived at the front door unexpectedly.
How do you relax when the going gets tough?
At the age of 38 I learned how to meditate. I wish this was something I’d been taught earlier in my life. I use it as a way to quiet my mind, feel calm and to stop my imagination and mind running at top speed.
Who do you most admire? Why?
I admire people who face challenges and still smile. Being a parent, working, caring for a family and all that involves is hard work so having a positive outlook on life is so important. I especially admire those who go through really difficult times but maintain their positivity.
What do you most want people to remember about you?
I want people to remember that I genuinely care about them.
One word to sum me up: Loving
