MA, LPC-MHSP. In January 2010, a vision during an anniversary trip in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, became the beginning of a new path. While driving through Smoky Mountain National Park to Cades Cove, Kimberly Shultz felt deeply called to create retreats in nature, surrounded by the mountains. At the time, she was still in graduate school training to become a therapist and had no plans to work for herself, let alone lead retreats. She had never even attended one before.
What followed was unexpected and powerful: a flood of ideas, images, and the name “Serenity.” Though she was frightened and unsure what to make of the experience, she felt guided step by step. That same day, she and her husband were led into town and to a Christian bookstore, where she picked up a bookmark with Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Later, back at the hotel, her husband opened the Bible and found the verse already underlined.
For years, Kimberly believed that chapter of her life had ended. Then in 2018, she attended her first retreat at Deer Run with Dr. Ted Klontz, and the memories and vision returned with clarity. The experience was especially meaningful because the retreat she attended closely reflected what she had been shown years earlier. On another retreat, she shared her story with a man who told her he kept receiving the word “Serenity,” confirming again that the pieces were still coming together.
Today, 16 years later, Kimberly sees that vision unfolding in real time. She has successfully hosted 12 retreats and continues to grow in confidence, gratitude, and purpose. Once shy and fearful of speaking in groups, she now leads with ease and excitement, eager to see what comes next for Serenity Nature Retreats.
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