Finding Myself in the Chart: Human Design, Grief, and the Courage to Begin Again
Some conversations land less like interviews and more like gentle realignments. This episode of TURTZED was one of those rare moments. Sitting with Kerri Keaton, someone who helped me understand myself in a way I never quite had before, felt grounding, expansive, and unexpectedly emotional. This time, the focus was on her journey: discovering human design, navigating personal heartbreak, and rebuilding a life that finally felt like her own.
When a Chart Shows You the Parts You’ve Always Known
Kerri’s introduction to human design came from a simple Sunday morning text from her sister urging her to look up her chart immediately. What began as curiosity became a six-year study that shaped how she leads, heals, and lives. When I first sat with her to explore my own chart, I went in feeling skeptical and guarded. Within minutes, I felt seen in a way I hadn’t anticipated. There is something powerful about someone naming truths you’ve always felt but never articulated.
“You Are Allowed to Be Who You Already Are”
Kerri spent two decades climbing the corporate ladder, leading teams with empathy and heart. But even in success, she felt restricted, asked to focus more on numbers and less on people. At the same time, she and her husband experienced a devastating failed adoption. The combination of professional misalignment and personal grief cracked something open. Instead of collapsing inward, she asked what this moment was trying to teach her. That question became the seed of The Vessel, the practice that would eventually change her career and her life.
Human design helped her to understand those patterns. It showed her why big life events often acted as catalysts, why she was wired for creativity and multi-passionate work, and why certain environments drained her. She began honoring her energy instead of fighting it.
We Become Ourselves by Letting Go of Who We’re Not
One of the first lessons I took from my own chart was the idea of waiting for the invitation. I was used to offering advice, stepping in, solving before being asked. But learning to pause changed my relationships. With my brother, especially, listening without jumping in created space for him to ask when he was ready. That tiny shift deepened our connection more than years of over-functioning ever did.
Kerri emphasized that human design is a blueprint, not a box. It’s not about labeling ourselves but understanding how we naturally exchange energy, make decisions, and navigate the world. It invites compassion, for ourselves and the people around us.
Healing Creates New Rhythms
As Kerri described the three phases of transformation, disruption, the void, and expansion, I felt the truth of it. Disruption shakes what we thought was stable. The void feels unfamiliar, like standing in the doorway between chapters. And expansion is the moment we finally step into the life that fits. Human design became her compass through all three.
She carries with her a lesson from a workshop years ago, one that reshaped everything: life is empty and meaningless until we assign meaning to it. Our stories create our experience. And we get to choose the ones we tell.
Connect with Kerri Keaton
