Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Leest.
Hi Kristin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
A fascinating aspect of my life is the variety of roles I embrace. I’m not just an author and life coach; I’m also a dog trainer, breeder of standard poodles registered with the American Kennel Club, artist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, wife, and mother of four. Serving as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the local non-profit Big Hugs for Little Hearts, a 501(c)-3 organization in Charleston, South Carolina, has been my passion for the past five years, where we support children overcoming trauma. As a survivor of child trauma, my goal with the organization is to create and provide anything and everything I had hoped and wished I was given to overcome and heal myself. I have learned that sharing my story is a powerful tool for healing and can show others that it is possible to recover which is even more powerful. This is everything I want to embody as a person, model, and mentor for others and our future leaders within our Big Hugs community.
I am grateful for the diverse opportunities life offers; my journey and experiences have shaped me into the person I am today and the life coach I have also become. The pivotal elements of my journey involve uncovering my purpose, embracing authenticity, following my heart, inspiring myself and others, and giving back to the community. These values form the foundation of my happiness and success, which I now embody and model as part of my brand. Recognizing that true happiness and success lie in these principles, I aim to share and inspire others through my endeavors.
In 2022, I began my health and wellness journey, where I lost nearly one hundred pounds and maintained my weight loss for the last two years. After having my son, my body makeup had changed entirely. I had gained a lot of weight with my pregnancy, and I didn’t bounce back like some other moms do. I struggled with getting the weight to come off for years. When I did lose weight, I was able to lose twenty to thirty pounds, but then I would gain it all back. No matter how little I ate, adhering to a specific calorie intake or deficit, and even putting hours on the treadmill five to seven times a week, I wasn’t seeing movement on the scale. I did everything for years, which led to even more frustration. I struggled with polycystic ovarian syndrome, insulin resistance, hormone changes, and aging as I was now in my thirties, sliding into my forties, with high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and more. My body was always sore; I had low energy and found myself very inactive. I thought I was more active than I was, chasing four kids at the time; however, I didn’t have the proper measures in place, and the doctor’s advice wasn’t helping. Eating less and working out more was not the answer and changing my diet wasn’t enough to see the results I needed. So, I researched the answers myself, found the secrets to shed the pounds, and now I share them with all my clients. I share my story and secrets as a fitness coach, and it has also helped me embrace my passion for animals and love for canine health.
In 2023, I established Pawsitivity, LLC. In this new-age natural pet nutritional supplement company, we are committed to providing customized nutrition for dogs and cats. Our health and wellness initiative focuses on crafting supplements that promote vitality and longevity, enhancing the lives of pets everywhere. In the last ten years, pets’ life spans have decreased on average, by three years due to their diet. Dogs living to age twelve, ten years ago now live to about age nine. The number of additives, fillers, colors, dyes, and processed products we put in their food has contributed to this. It often parallels our own food industry. As a pet parent myself, and I am sure many of you can attest to this; our pets are family. We want them with us for as long as we can have them, and often it’s not long enough. We don’t want them ill or sick while they are with us. However, these unnatural items in their food are beginning to affect their health. We are now seeing our pets with similar diseases and illnesses as us. So, I vowed to see change in the industry by way of a new better product for our furry companions. After my eldest pup, Heidi had shown signs of limping and old age, I needed to find a joint supplement to offset and manage her aging. I also needed to find something that was natural without processed ingredients, as she had epilepsy and was on a restrictive diet. She had often been triggered in the past by unnatural products with fillers and additives, shots at the vet, stress, etc. so I needed a natural product that wouldn’t trigger a reaction. This was when I began to see the issues in the pet food industry that I was completely unaware of.
I learned that pet supplement chews were often made of unnecessary fillers and additives and that most of what was in them was unnecessary and unbeneficial. So, I asked myself why would we even use it then and why would it even be available to her? I compared products on the shelf; one product would say extra strength and the other regular strength, yet the regular strength was more potent than the extra strength. Again, I became frustrated. How is this possible I thought? For years, I trusted the industry to tell me what was best for my fur baby, and now it was clear I had to be a canine nutritionist to figure out the best products. The worst part was the regular strength product was more expensive than the extra strength product and I received more product with the extra strength. There was no guideline. I just wanted the best joint product for a senior pet with the highest strength so she could feel the most comfort as soon as possible. This meant that I needed to do a complete analysis as a consumer of each dog product to know if I could have spent less to get more. I was even more upset and frustrated. So, I set out to create a solution and make a better product at the best price with clear transparency so no one would feel like I did that day. Now, I believe our brand does everything I wanted that day while also focusing on educating our customers so they too can feel confident choosing Pawsitivity products and taking back the power of their purchases and the health of their beloved pets at the pet stores.
As an author, I recently ventured into publishing with two works close to my heart. “Meet Me with Pawsitivity: A Comprehensive Guide to Effective Dog Training Through Positive Reinforcement” which offers valuable insights into building strong bonds with your furry friend, and “Cooking with Chef Ginger and Chef Ruby: Wholesome Tails & Trails Cookie and Dessert Recipes for Your Favorite Pet” a delightful celebration of our pets’ taste buds, created with love and care. This cookbook showcases our natural pet supplements and how to create easy homemade treats at home with ingredients in your kitchen. It is a fun book for you, the kids, and the pets. It includes both dog and cat recipes! My soon-to-be-released memoir, “Pawsitivity Unleashed”, is also now available for presale on my website, .www.kristinleest.com, where I unleash my story, life lessons, journey to success, and all my secrets as a life coach. With it, there is “Pawsitivity Unleashed: A Journey to Rediscover, Reinvent and Reclaim Your Life with Purpose and Passion Workbook and Journal” filled with beautiful colors, pictures, inspirational quotes, affirmations, and all the tools and secrets I used to become a six-figure success. I wanted everyone to have the same opportunities I had, so I created a beautiful book to give access to all the secrets.
Through my roles as a Chief Executive Officer, life coach, author, and philanthropist, I strive to impact the lives of pets and their owners positively. My journey has taught me the importance of uncovering purpose, embracing authenticity, following my heart, inspiring others, and giving back to the community. These values are at the core of my happiness and success, and I am dedicated to sharing and inspiring others through my endeavors. If you would like to learn more about me, please visit www.kristinleest.com, www.caninepawsitivity.com, www.powerofpawsitive.com, www.bighugsforlittlehearts.org, and www.simplystandardpoodles.com
At www.Kristinleest.com, I offer free books for kids to support literacy in the online bookshop. You can also find them available at www.bighugsforlittlehearts.org. I always seek ways to give back and connect with the community. Check back on the websites often and subscribe to the sites for free e-books on topics that interest you; join our Facebook groups and communities and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest.
I appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Pawsitivity, LLC?
Pawsitivity is committed to promoting the health and well-being of every dog and cat through a tailored approach to their journeys. Whether in the uniqueness of each pet, they are highly active or more laid-back, nursing, pregnant, growing, or senior, we understand their diverse needs. Pets with specific roles, such as hunting, field trial, or herding, require customized ratios of proteins and fats in their diets, making generic kibble or canned food inadequate. Our solution involves personalized assistance, utilizing natural supplements crafted from globally sourced, high-quality ingredients. Manufactured in the United States, our supplements limit fillers, additives, colors, and dyes. By addressing various health issues, we aim to enhance your pets’ overall well-being, enabling them to feel better, live better, and live longer. Our approach benefits your pet and minimizes the time and money spent on frequent vet visits, allowing you to rekindle the joy of shared activities with your furry companions.
Visit our website, www.caninepawsitivity.com and take our free pet health quiz. Here, we answer and customize solutions based on the information you provide on product suggestions for your pet. Although we are a new brand, I have been using all of our products with my poodle crew of eight over the last year with fantastic results. So far, some of their favorites include goat milk and pumpkin powder, which are our one-ingredient natural treat toppers! Take a moment to watch the videos on Facebook and see me share their experience live! Our one-of-a-kind calming product has also shown amazing results with them during thunderstorms and handling their nervous energy. The best part about the calming powder is that it’s made to work instantly and increase effectiveness with daily use. The BoneBounce joint supplement is one of my favorites because it was made specifically for my special dog Heidi, who has epilepsy, she needed a product with natural ingredients limiting fillers that wouldn’t trigger her epilepsy with maximum strength to help support her aging senior joints. I started her on BoneBounce, and within just a few days, she was already feeling noticeably better and was more active. We also give her the all-in-one daily supplement for adults, but there is one for puppies as well, and we mix it into her food, and I have noticeably seen a difference in her coat and energy level.
What sets us apart is not only that we use natural ingredients in our supplements but also that the entire line is in powder form. So, it gives our customers the freedom to do much more customization for their pet’s nutrition. They can add it to their food, mix it with water, and make homemade treats with ingredients at home. We have even created a cookbook with our poodle chefs Ginger and Ruby, which you can find on YouTube, where they share all the recipes we have tried in our home in the book with each of our supplements to make natural tasty treats at home!
I believe our brand’s values, honesty, integrity, and transparency, set our brand apart from others. As a pet parent, I know all I want in a company is a pet brand that puts my pet’s health first. With Pawsitivity, I’ve set out to be a brand you can trust. We provide pet parents with free educational tools and resources through our online community, created wonderful community Facebook groups to join, and offer additional social sites with additional resources. I make it a point to share up-to-date news about the pet industry so parents can stay aware of what is happening in their pet’s health and wellness industry. I continue to work with veterinarians and pet nutritionists to create the best quality products, using only the best globally sourced natural ingredients while limiting fillers, additives, colors, and dyes. We want every pet to live healthy, so we work to keep costs as low as possible with earth-conscious products. In addition, we also donate one percent of all our sales to local animal welfare organizations and animal shelters. So, pet parents can feel good about helping their pet get healthy as well as those patiently waiting for a family to call their own with every purchase from us.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I love art, music, and sports. I love art shows, music events, and live sporting events, specifically hockey and baseball are two of my favorites. My family and I love to watch the Charleston RiverDogs play and often enjoy events at Charleston Music Hall.
Pricing:
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Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.caninepawsitivity.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caninepawsitivity/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552407599997
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pawsitivity_LLC
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrbhiQw_f1daxECZSCxAz0g
- Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/AWx5wLq2PE9CriQSAQj-GA
- Other: https://www.kristinleest.com
