The Heart of Engagement: Connecting Authentically With Your Community

Dr. Kim D’Eramo is extremely well-known in the Mind Body Medicine industry. With 12,000 Facebook followers, 36,000 Youtube subscribers and 16,000 Instagram followers, Dr. Kim leads a large community of people to heal chronic illnesses and to shift their thought patterns that may have been keeping them sick and in pain. She previously was an Emergency Medicine physician and the owner of a private osteopathic practice in Wellesley, MA. After years of treating patient’s symptoms, Dr. Kim D’Eramo wrote Amazon Best-Seller, "The Mind Body Tool Kit," and founded The American Institute of Mind Body Medicine to share about healing the body instead of managing illness. As her community evolved, it has expanded to also assist other healers to build their own mind-body healing communities. The American Institute of Mind Body Medicine has multiple sub-communities, all aligned with the awareness that our consciousness creates our health and lives, and that we can harness that power to create and heal.



EKOS: What are the benefits to healing in a community?

Dr. Kim: “We're all connected. Our thoughts affect our body, and other people around us affect our physiology. It's essential to have a like minded community that understands this, and are willing to explore it together. People in the community will have wins as they’re going through their journey, and they’ll share them. Those wins will encourage everyone else in the group to continue following that initial “Yes” that brought them to the group and to not give up on their own healing journey. When people feel comfortable sharing, it accelerates the healing and value, because a lot of the questions shared are the same questions other people are having. We’ve cultivated a culture in all of our communities of love, inspiration and non-judgement, and the only way to cultivate this is to be an example of these qualities myself. It is because of this that people are so comfortable sharing and contributing to the growth of themselves and others."



EKOS: How are you able to deeply connect with your community members and spark engagement?

Dr. Kim: “When starting a community, we are often told about strategies for engagement or growth, but what I've really gotten away from that's been astronomically successful is letting go of that idea of a strategy and coming from the heart instead. People want to connect with your heart. It's going to naturally inspire them to be a part of what you're doing. You've got to be in your passion and in your authenticity. I would say that the engagement of the community comes because I'm showing up in my heart – I'm authentically sharing myself and all our mentors, coaches and the tech people show up the same. I do this by making all of our content from a place of pretending like I am talking to and giving advice to my best friend. That allows me to ground in a place of true love in what I am saying. I don't have to think about it. You have expertise that will come right out without you thinking about it. I always tell people I'm coaching, speak it like you're speaking it live to your most ideal client or participant who's psyched to hear what you have to say because that's going to bring you to authenticity and passion. When I finally learned to just hit record as if it's live, I never second guessed anything I said. Everything flowed. I never needed any editing and I still do it like that to this day."



EKOS: What would you say to someone who wants to be a major thought leader and lead a community?

Dr. Kim: “You have to really believe in yourself and trust yourself. Continue to refine yourself and grow as you go through the process of answering, “Why do I want this?” Keep asking it, because if the first answer is, “I want to have this kind of lifestyle and share this type of message,” ask why again. “I want to make a difference in the world.” Why? “Because this is my truth and I want to share and express my deepest truth unconditionally in every area of my life.” When you get to that deeper why, continue to double down on that, because doubt and fear will come up. Whenever people question you or say you can do what you’re doing, go back to your “why,” because that's the part of you that knows, “This is who I’m here to be and that cannot be contested. If you keep investing in your truth, it is inevitable that it will get created."