Today we’d like to introduce you to Eden Holt.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I don’t have a hometown. I grew up in foster care and moved more times than I can count, so for a long time “home” was something I had to imagine rather than something I knew. Looking back, I think that is where my story really begins. When you grow up without roots, you learn early how much connection matters, and how much it can change the course of a life.
I became a mother young and raised my oldest as a single mom for her first 6 years. Those years taught me resilience, resourcefulness, and how to ask for help, even when it was hard. They also taught me that no one builds anything meaningful alone. I went on to earn my degree in Psychology and Communications because I wanted to understand people: what holds us back, what moves us forward, and how we can show up more fully for one another.
In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, I earned my coaching certification. It was a season when so many of us were rethinking everything, and I was no exception. I later earned my ICF Associate Certified Coach credential and served as a SCORE mentor, which gave me the privilege of walking alongside entrepreneurs as they brought their ideas to life.
That work led me to start The Connection Effect, my private coaching practice, and later its photography arm, where I help business owners see and share who they are. It also led me to create The Blueprint: Women in Business Community, because I saw how many talented women in our area were building alone when they didn’t have to.
Today, I am a wife and a mother of three, a coach, speaker, facilitator, and community advocate. Springfield is the home I chose and built, and the 417 is where I get to pour back into others what I once needed most myself: someone in their corner.
If I could tell my younger self one thing, it would be this: where you start does not decide where you belong.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, and I would be a little suspicious of anyone who said theirs was.
Some of the hardest parts came early. Growing up in foster care meant learning to adapt again and again: new homes, new schools, new rules, and very few people who stayed. Later, as a single mom, I was carrying a lot on my own while trying to build a future for my child. Some weeks, simply getting through felt like a win. Those years shaped me, but they weren’t easy, and I don’t want to pretend otherwise.
Starting a business brought its own challenges. I earned my coaching certification during the pandemic, when everything felt uncertain, and building something from the ground up meant learning as I went.
One of my biggest lessons has been learning to set boundaries. I love supporting people, and for a long time I said yes to nearly everything. I gave my time freely, stretched myself thin, and wondered why I felt overwhelmed and frustrated instead of fulfilled. Eventually, I realized I couldn’t build anything lasting while running on empty.
Learning to protect my time and energy changed everything. Boundaries gave me the capacity to focus on what matters most, to show up fully for my clients and my family, and to build with intention instead of exhaustion. I have come to see that boundaries are not the opposite of generosity. They are what make generosity sustainable.
I am still practicing that. With three children, a marriage, a coaching practice, a photography business, and a growing community, there is always more I could be doing. The work is choosing well.
What has carried me through every hard stretch is connection. The right people, the right support, and the willingness to ask for help have made all the difference.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Connection Effect?
My work comes from one belief: connection changes everything.
The Connection Effect is my private coaching practice, and it is the heart of what I do. I work with women, many of them high-achievers, who look successful on the outside but feel disconnected on the inside. They are ready for deeper change, not another quick fix. Every woman deserves to feel at home in herself. For someone who grew up without a place to call home, those words mean a great deal to me.
I am an ICF Associate Certified Coach, and my approach focuses on root-level work. Together we move through three stages, Awareness, Reconnection, and Integration, so that the changes my clients make are lasting rather than surface-level. Clients can choose from our ROOT, RISE, and THRIVE programs, a six-month Steady Path option, a single session, or a Shadow Clearing Intensive, which is a deep-dive session for working through limiting beliefs and patterns. I also offer virtual workshops on topics like goal setting, vision boards, and monthly resets. Coaching is available virtually anywhere and in person here in Springfield.
Every new client begins with a complimentary Connection Session. That conversation helps us understand what they need, and from there I match them with the right coach and the right level of support. Accessibility matters to me, so I built our offerings to give people a meaningful place to start at many investment levels.
What sets us apart is how much we support clients between sessions. Every client has text or email access for accountability and encouragement, along with a growing library of journals, workbooks, and self-assessments I have created. Our longer programs also include Wellness Access Passes, which connect clients with trusted local partners for services like yoga, massage, and nutrition support. Growth doesn’t only happen in a coaching session, and I want my clients to feel cared for as whole people.
Brand-wise, I am most proud that The Connection Effect reflects my own story with intention. The roots, the growth, and the sense of coming home are woven into everything we do, from our programs to the resources clients take with them. We also offer brand photography through The Connection Effect – Photography, helping business owners show up visually as who they truly are.
Beyond my practice, I founded The Blueprint: Women in Business Community, which brings women entrepreneurs in the 417 together so no one has to build alone.
If there is one thing I want readers to know, it is this: you do not have to have it all figured out to begin. You only need to be willing to reconnect with yourself, and we would be honored to walk alongside you.
Learn more at www.connectioneffect.com.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Connection, in almost every form it takes.
My family is at the top of that list. Being a wife and a mother of three is the greatest privilege of my life. After growing up without a place that felt permanent, there is something deeply healing about sitting around my own table with the people I love. Some of my happiest moments are the ordinary ones: a busy evening, a full house, and everyone home.
I am also happiest when I get to watch someone come back to themselves. In coaching, there is often a moment when a client realizes she has been carrying something that was never hers to carry, and she sets it down. I see a similar moment behind the camera, when someone sees a photo and finally recognizes themself in it. Those moments never get old for me.
And I find so much joy in community. Springfield is the home I chose and built, and being surrounded by women who cheer each other on, share resources, and open doors for one another fills me up in a way I can’t quite put into words.
I think these things make me happy because they are what I once needed most: belonging, being seen, and having people in my corner. Getting to experience that now, and to help others find it, feels like a full-circle gift.
Pricing:
- Connection Session: Complimentary. Every new client begins here with a conversation to explore their needs and find the right fit.
- Virtual Workshops (Zoom): Starting at $25. Topics include Goal Setting, Vision Boards, Digital Declutter, Effective Accountability Strategies and a recurring Monthly Reset. Bundles, on-demand recordings and private or team workshops are also available.
- Single Coaching Session: $250 per hour. The session fee is credited toward a coaching program.
- Shadow Clearing Intensive: $695. A 3–4 hour deep-dive session for working through limiting beliefs and patterns. The fee is credited toward a coaching program.
- Steady Path: $2,400. Six months of bi-weekly coaching sessions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.connectioneffect.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connection_effect
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connectioneffect
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-connection-effect
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theconnectioneffect
