Kim Bickel - The Life Of A Joyful Heart And Teacher Turned Wellness Coach
Kim Bickel - Portrait by Lorynn Hunt 2026
Kim Bickel, a former teacher turned wellness coach after retirement, has this bewitching joy that is a constant for anyone who meets her. She is the kind of person one wonders about in the back of their mind, “How does she do it? Is it her smile?” Well, I do believe there is something within her smile that instantly brings light into a dark room, but there is far more depth to this childlike wonder.
Growing up Bickel would describe herself as tomboy, living out in the country she could ride her dirt bike all around the yard, jump on unsaddled horses, and climb trees with her siblings. Not only was she an active kid, but the love for goal setting began around the same time.
“One time I had the goal of staying up till midnight and I was in grade school and my mom said I could do it on a weekend. So I said, okay, well I'm going to stay up till midnight. And that was a big deal because we had bedtimes and we weren't supposed to do that. But I had that goal and mom was going to help me. And when it started getting late, I started getting tired and I was whining and I didn't want to stay up anymore. And she was like, no, you can do this, you can do this. And she was telling me jokes and reading me funny stories and helping me get through it.”
After twists and turns in college, Bickel settled into her seeming to be calling as a teacher, spending 33 years in various schools. When asked what she learned about being a good teacher, she mentioned many of her teaching heroes she able to sit under but she also mentioned the biggest lesson she learned.
“When the people, the students, know that you care about who they are, that matters. And you're not just rushing through the answers. You're listening each time someone asks you a question. I like to end it with, ‘have I answered what you wanted to know?’ with my students. Because It's easy to slip into, ‘I've heard that question 1,000 times,’ And you slap out this answer, and you move on to the next kid, because there's several with questions. And that kid's thinking, but that's not what I was trying to ask. You listen with your eyes and with your heart to what they're saying to you, as if that's a brand new question. Make sure you're answering what they wanted to know.”
One thing that is absolutely unmistakable about Bickel is her joy and positive attitude which stems from her faith in Christ and her love for fitness. In this episode we discuss the importance about taking care of our body and some tips on creating habits that are long lasting in our every life.
Learning from this amazing woman, hearing some of her stories, and just listening to her speak about fitness was such an encouragement. I cannot wait for you to hear this full episode with Kim Bickel. Thank you Kim for just being completely you and an overwhelming blessing, I cannot say enough about you!
Podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePYAZfoV-YlH8fjg9S4w8w
https://open.spotify.com/show/5K9eZC25ipFZHlpiubNoAi?si=ffc6cd30fcd84e2c
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/here-in-my-time/id1858774701
My Guest:
