Kristi Govertsen is “The Workshop Nerd,” and is passionate about helping people create their own workshops so they can share their unique message with the world. Growing up she split her time between Missoula, Montana and Homer, Alaska as she was raised by three parents: a physics teacher, an artist, and a commercial fisherman and boat-builder. All three influences had a profound impact on her professional trajectory, as she has found that a balance of teaching, creative endeavors, and grounded hands-on work shows up daily in her approach to business and life. Kristi began teaching and curriculum-building in 1997 when she found herself taking a job in a one-room schoolhouse in Alaska. Alongside two other teachers, she worked with thirty K-12 children whose ages ranged from 5 to 18 years old. With the responsibility of seven different subjects: arithmetic, geography, English, algebra, history, photography, government & civics, and marine biology and no formal curriculum to work from, Kristi was thrown into the deep end of the pool of curriculum and instructional design. She was hooked! While her teaching journey took several twists and turns, her ultimate passion in the world of academia was as a math teacher at the college level, where she continued to teach until 2013. While on the academic path, Kristi also started a tutoring business in 1998. It ultimately evolved into a training company and small publishing house as her interest in building personal development workshops and writing books on personal growth flourished. This training company officially became Koi Pond, LLC in 2007, and continues to grow and expand to this day with Kristi at the helm full-time since 2012. Kristi has degrees in philosophy, mathematics, with a Masters of Science in Teaching. While her formal education is complete, she continues to push herself continue to learn and grow every day. Kristi is a sought after international speaker and trainer, as well as a one-on-one consultant to many speakers in the industry. Additionally, she has authored two books: • GO: Grounded Optimism—The Secret Formula to Creating Momentum, Finding the Meaning of Life, and Receiving Enlightenment from a Chocolate Chip Cookie • Awesomeness in Motion (AIM) Kristi lives in Portland, Oregon where in her spare time she loves running, karaoke, and being an active Rotarian and Toastmaster. You can connect with Kristi at [email protected] www.kristigovertsen.com www.facebook.com/kristi.govertsen2 www.twitter.com/kristigovertsen