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Meet Your Coaches

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KM-bio

​KATHLEEN'S COACHING SPECIALIZATIONS

Entrepreneurs    Executives    NonProfit Leaders     

 

 

My background and experience as a nonprofit executive and fundraiser, business consultant, educator, marketing specialist, and writer and publisher offer me some valuable insights on those professions and roles that another coach may not possess. I have worked with many people in business and at nonprofit organizations to support their goals, establish helpful habits and approaches that honor their personality types and preferences, and gives them a broader vision for overcoming obstacles, avoiding career derailment, and achieving principal goals.

 

Entrepreneurs and Founders

As an entrepreneur, who has launched several successful creative businesses, I have been advising, mentoring, and coaching startup founders and their teams, and successful small business owners for 20+ years. Clients have been leaders and executives in technology, fintech and biotech, retail and e-commerce, healthcare and scientific research, higher education, publishing, arts, and entertainment industries. I have succeeded and  failed in my own businesses. Both experiences have taught me a lot about what works and what generally doesn’t work in building a business (there are always exceptions, of course).

 

As a coach for entrepreneurs running their businesses, I don’t tell my clients what to do. I help them reach their own conclusions and determine the tactical approaches that suit their styles of leadership and decision-making processes. One size never fits all in coaching or in strategic thinking.

 

Nonprofit Leaders

After 15 years working in nonprofit management, fundraising, and board development, I became a Turnaround Specialist for struggling Colorado nonprofits. I developed a new perspective on running an under-staffed and under-funded nonprofit, which I hadn’t experienced working as an executive for national nonprofits. I know that nonprofit work is incredibly taxing, as well as deeply rewarding. It can burn out some very talented and valued personnel and volunteers. I understand those challenges and I empathize with all the things nonprofit leaders must accomplish – often with less support than they need to succeed. That’s why so many Executive Directors leave their nonprofit jobs after a few years.

 

I want to work with anyone in a nonprofit job who is looking for Success Coaching from someone who understands what they are going through! I offer reduced fees for nonprofit leaders.

 

My Credentials: I have earned Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE Int'l) and Professional Certified Technical Writer (Univ. of Washington). I have BAs in Education and English, with a minor in Linguistics (Western Washington Univ.). I’m on the path to earning the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) certification from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). I’ve been coaching and mentoring for a long time and have discovered the Co-Active Coaching© approach to be the most effective and helpful for my clients. I feel it’s important to earn additional training in and certification for this outstanding, proven coaching methodology.

 

I encourage you to sign up for our free, monthly newsletter, ACTIVATE! We announce new coaching offerings in the newsletter. If you hate newsletters (even short and sweet monthly ones), you can just come back to this website and visit our Booking page for the latest info.

 

Please contact me if you have any questions. If you are ready to talk, sign up for a free, 60-minute Exploratory Intro Session to discover if you’d like to schedule future sessions.

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BRETT'S COACHING SPECIALIZATIONS

ADHD     Introverts     Entrepreneurs    Executives    Founders

 

 

I coach technologists and professionals with ADHD to overcome neurodiverse challenges and powerfully create the lives they really want with their agile brains. And because neurotypical workplaces can stop bleeding profit margins when they learn how to build systems supporting the gifts of neurodiverse employees, I  also train leaders and teams on how to benefit from the assets neurodiverse employees contribute.

 

Through my life's journey I have coached and advised hundreds of entrepreneurs, teams and leaders, earned a Masters’ degree in counseling psychology, been a professional DJ, worked with multi-platinum musicians, rock stars and Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famers, built and led engaged music and tech communities with tens of thousands of members, been a lifelong meditator and book worm, founded businesses that succeeded and others that failed, studied Eastern religions and philosophies, had a private audience with H.H. Dalai Lama, spoke at the White House, coached leaders at companies through massive challenges as well as through acquisitions including one by a Fortune 50 company, and for very good reasons I will forever be the last one picked on any sports team.

 

I’ve also been fired from jobs, quit jobs, lived with daily anxiety around doing and being good enough for bosses, partners, and clients, had minor car accidents, struggled communicating my thoughts to others, been challenged financially, been overly defensive over small issues, felt criticized most of the time, and had a lot of confusing experiences that all made more more sense when I was diagnosed with Inattentive ADHD (aka ADD) and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria later in life. Most of these issues were ADHD-related and I thought there was just something wrong with me.

 

We all have unique stories of high and low points that inform and express who we truly are. I am a connector and helper who is most fulfilled by supporting the success of leaders, innovators and creatives because of how they can create exponential waves of positive impact through their communities and networks.

 

Your actions create ripples through your circles of influence, so let's manage the negatives and maximize the positives for greater impact and happiness.

​

Leaders Managing ADHD/ADD and Introversion

 

My practice includes many types of leaders, managers, and professionals though coaching those with ADHD / ADD is my specialty. Those of us who have an ADHD neurodivergent (faster than normal) brain live life through unique lenses. In a world designed for neurotypical brains where we are very misunderstood and undervalued, coaching can make a big difference in how you build skills and habits to effectively leverage your ADHD behaviors, challenges, and gifts.

 

Others don't realize how it feels for folks with ADHD to live with low executive function (skills related to organization, planning, and prioritizing), low working memory (remembering short term decisions, agreements, and plans), low dopamine, and low serotonin levels. 

 

It’s like having an Apple operating system brain and living in a world full of Microsoft operating systems. Imagine living in this world with the Microsoft OS people constantly not understanding why you aren’t operating smoothly in their systems like they do. 

 

Then it gets worse because they see that you’re very smart (neurodiverse folks have very high IQs) and overproduce in areas that are hard for them, but you seem to be challenged by (executive function and working memory related) tasks that are simple and easy for them to perform.

 

We juggle daily stress, distractibility, impulsivity, defensiveness, hyperactivity, boredom, memory and time management issues, hyper-focus, and generally behave in inattentive ways that leave our loved ones and colleagues feeling unheard and unappreciated.

 

If you can relate to some of these feelings and are looking for coaching on building habits and systems to overcome your challenges with ADHD behaviors, and powerfully create the life you want, then please schedule a complimentary coaching conversation with me now.

 

My Credentials: I have earned an MA in Counseling Psychology from Naropa University, completed coach training programs through Co-Active Training Institute and Newfield Network, and am now working to earn the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC) accreditations from the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

 

Over the past 15+ years I have coached, mentored and advised hundreds of companies and leaders through Google Community Leaders, Founder Institute, SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event, University of Washington Foster School of Business Product Management Center, New Tech Northwest, Washington Technology Industry Association, Startup Weekend, TechStars, and many other accelerators.

 

As an advocate for tech for good I've appeared on NBC, CNBC and CBS television, and shared a stage with national government leaders. As a keynote speaker and panelist, I share insights on how to improve ROI, employee effectiveness, and employee fulfillment through understanding the assets neurodiverse employees bring to the workplace.

 

Having the opportunity to walk shoulder to shoulder with leaders like you as we chart your journey fuels my passion. I am excited about the prospect of diving deep into what matters most to you to take your career, impact and joy to the next level.

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