About Dr. Kerri Fair
Becoming Who You Need to Be in Times of Change
I’m Dr. Kerri Fair, and I understand what it feels like when life asks you to become someone new just when you thought you had it all figured out.
My career in education spans three decades, beginning as an elementary teacher before earning my Master’s degree in reading education. I spent three years as a reading specialist, then moved to an independent school where I taught while also serving as a literacy specialist, coaching my colleagues in literacy instruction.
When I became a principal, I spent seven years in that role before leaving to pursue my doctorate. I currently work as a full-time lecturer in higher education, where I continue to support and guide emerging educators.
Throughout these years, I’ve had the privilege of training, leading, and coaching countless educators through professional transitions. I’ve witnessed how capable, accomplished women can lose themselves in the process of caring for everyone else. I’ve seen the exhaustion that comes from suppressing your own needs while meeting everyone else’s expectations.
My Research
My doctoral research focused on burnout among midlife women teachers, but what I discovered extends far beyond education. I found patterns of emotional suppression, disconnection from authentic self, and a kind of forgetting that happens when women consistently put themselves last. These findings shed light on something I was experiencing myself and seeing in women across professions.
The research gave me language for what so many of us know intuitively: that midlife isn’t just about aging, it’s about awakening. It’s about remembering who we are beneath all the roles we’ve learned to play.
My Personal Journey
I won’t pretend my path to this work was purely academic. A few years ago, I found myself in what I now call “the bad year.” I lost several family members, was in a car crash, and was experiencing the full weight of professional burnout. I had become so skilled at emotional control that I nearly lost the ability to feel anything at all.
That breaking point became my turning point. I rediscovered healing through creative practices like watercolor painting and hand sewing. I found that when I sketched a leaf or moved needle through fabric, something in me that had been holding its breath could finally exhale.
These experiences, combined with my research background, led me to develop what became the FACTOR methodology.
The Factor Approach
The FACTOR framework guides women through reconnecting with their authentic selves:
- Feel: Giving ourselves permission to acknowledge emotions we’ve learned to suppress
- Accept: Understanding what we can and cannot control
- Creativity: Using visual and tactile practices to unlock new perspectives
- Take Action: Moving from insight to meaningful change
- Optimism: Maintaining hope through setbacks
- Reflect: Structured analysis that builds self-awareness and momentum
What I'm Building
I’m currently creating resources and content to support midlife women through transition. My photo-journaling process combines visual thinking with structured reflection, helping women bypass the mental barriers that keep us stuck and reconnect with our inner wisdom.
While I don’t currently work as a life coach, I’m building toward offering direct support to women seeking clarity and purpose during times of change. Right now, I’m focused on developing courses, creating community, and sharing tools that honor both the struggle and the strength inherent in midlife transitions.
I believe that midlife isn’t about decline or settling. It’s about integration. It’s about taking everything you’ve learned about caring for others and finally applying that same care to yourself. It’s about trusting that the woman you’re becoming has been waiting patiently for permission to emerge.
If you’re feeling the pull toward something different, something more authentic, I’m here to walk that path with you.