The Heart Behind Rhythms of Grace Life Coaching New Transformations
- Shel Dammann
- Sep 23
- 4 min read
Every new step of obedience has carried its own kind of trembling for me.
When I first began coaching, I felt it. When I shared my first poem, my first short article, and then when I slowly began to write more openly about what God was teaching me, I felt it again.
Now, as He calls me into live teaching through webinars, I feel that same weight and vulnerability all over again.
It’s not stage fright—it’s something deeper.
It’s the holy awareness that I carry other people’s stories, their longings for transformation, and their heartbreak from the lies of culture.
These aren’t just topics to teach; they are sacred places of pain and hope, places I’ve walked myself. I know the tears of waiting for change that feels like it will never come, the courage it takes to trust God with broken spaces, and the relief of finding freedom in His truth.
So yes, this is scary—putting myself out there to speak. But it’s also sacred. With a heavy sense of responsibility and a heart anchored in His Word, I step out in faith, believing that God’s unforced rhythms of grace are not only for me, but for every weary soul who longs for healing and abundant life.
Even as I write these words, I’m reminded: God alone is the power source for real change. I’m simply a vessel. Still, I feel the weight of responsibility—because I know firsthand how hard it can be to trust God when diet culture and the world’s lies have been pressed into us for so long.
When I first stepped into coaching, I thought my role would be to help people lose weight without restrictive dieting. I imagined teaching them how to shift their habits, approach meal prepping differently, exercise in ways that felt sustainable, and maybe even let go of the scale.
Those things weren’t wrong—but something was missing.
I don’t fault the methods or the teachers I learned from. Many offered valuable tools for life change. But deep down, I knew there had to be more. And then one day, a small sign at my chiropractor’s office stopped me in my tracks: “Your body’s ability to heal is greater than anyone has permitted you to believe.”
That message began to stir something in me. If God designed my body to heal from a simple cut on my finger, could He also have instructions in His Word for healing the deeper brokenness inside of me? Maybe what I was struggling with wasn’t actually a weight problem at all—
But a trust problem.
A heart problem.
A soul problem.
The truth is, I tried everything the world offered to fix me. Diets. Exercise programs. Personal trainers. Weight-loss clinics. Big-name programs with their branded plans. Over-the-counter supplements. I joined weight-loss communities, was coached, and even went as far as weight-loss surgery. But while some of those things gave me temporary results, none of them healed me. Because what I really needed wasn’t another plan. What I needed was my Savior.
And when Jesus stepped in, everything began to change.
This last time—over four years ago—was different. Not because of another diet, but because I finally left diet culture behind and discovered that God already had a healthy plan in mind for me. One that had nothing to do with restriction, formulas, or quick fixes—and everything to do with trust.
Through His Word, He has taught me how to:
Renew my mind and align my thoughts with His truth.
Feel my emotions rather than stuff them down.
Heal from trauma and CPTSD in His presence.
Restore my marriage and continue walking in grace.
What I once thought was just “coaching” has become ministry. My purpose isn’t simply to teach mindset work or habit change—it’s to invite others into a life-changing relationship with Jesus.
That calling is both bold and weighty. I carry the stories, struggles, and questions of those I walk alongside. I know the long road of healing. I know the time it takes before hope feels real again. But I also know the joy of discovering that what may seem foolish to the world is exactly right for those who put their faith in Christ Jesus.
This is the heart behind Rhythms of Grace Life Coaching: not formulas, not quick fixes, not another diet. Just the gentle, steady invitation to live in God’s unforced rhythms of grace—where transformation, healing, and abundant life are found.
So here I am—still a little shaky, still deeply aware of my own broken places, but walking forward in faith.
Coaching, writing, and now teaching through webinars is my “yes” to God, even when it feels vulnerable. And maybe that’s the point. Transformation doesn’t happen in polished perfection—it happens in the raw, honest places where we lean on Him most.
My prayer is that as you read these words or join me in a teaching, you too will discover that God has written a rhythm of grace over your life, and He is faithful to carry you through it.
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