Personal & Professional Coaching

 

Experience Transformational Change In Your Business and Personal Life


"Everyone needs a coach."

Bill Gates (Founder, Microsoft) & Eric Schmidt (CEO, Google); Advice from two of the most successful leaders in the world.

Welcome !

I’m Kimberly and I am a results-driven leadership and career development coach. My goal as your coach is to be your secret weapon for success. 

I am an International Coach Federation Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and have multiple other certifications including in the Emotional Intelligence (EI) instruments EQ-i2.0® and EQ360® from Multi-Health Systems as well as from the Academy of Leadership and NLP. I offer EI development coaching because it delivers amazing results. This approach will lead to greater self-awareness, improved thinking and decision-making skills, as well as enhanced communication and interpersonal skills. Forbes recently named the MHS EQ-i 2.0 as one of the top assessments every executive should take.

My Professional Background:  I am an experienced leader with 20+ years of professional experience leading award-winning, high-performance teams. I have a PhD in Biochemistry, and before becoming a coach I was a university professor with a successful career as a mentor, educator, and biomedical research scientist. I led large, multidisciplinary teams recognized for outstanding productivity and innovation.

Why hire me as your coach?  The scientist in me is deeply curious, analytical, and all about problem-solving. As a coach, I combine these skills with active listening, fun coaching exercises that empower change, and accountability to both support and challenge my clients to achieve more than they think possible. Helping my clients realize their vision is incredibly rewarding and why I’m so passionate about coaching.

Some of my client’s successes include:

  • Developed effective leadership/management skills
  • Transitioned to a new job/career
  • Completed major writing projects (e.g. book, research manuscript, and thesis)
  • Awarded large grants (e.g. NIH R01 Grant)
  • Successfully navigated academic tenure
  • Career advancement and bonuses
  • Started a new business
  • Improved relationships with co-workers
  • Achieved better work-life balance

I work with inspiring, brave, creative, and resourceful clients in the corporate world, in academia, as well as solo entrepreneurs. While I’m based in the United States, I work with clients from all over the world via the phone and video conferencing. Are you looking for more in your personal and professional career? If yes, I’d love to work with you. Contact Me if you have questions or Sign Up Today for a FREE introductory coaching session.

Experience & Education

Previous Employment:

Education:

Coaching Training
  • The International Coach Federation (ICF) is the largest professional association of coaches and holds the highest standard for professional certification in the coaching profession.

> I have completed an ICF Accredited Coaching Training Program (ACTP) course from the Academy of Leadership and NLP, which is the highest level of ICF approved programs.

> I have also achieved Professional Certified Coach (PCC) Status with the ICF.

ABOUT COACHING

What does your best life look like? Be curious – it will motivate you to find the answer and achieve it!

My Coaching Practice

Coaching is an investment that will continue to grow in every aspect of your life.

Coaching empowers individuals to achieve their future goals through greater self-awareness, personal growth, and accountability. I work with individuals to identify conscious and unconscious thinking, and behavioral patterns that stand in the way of achieving their goals. Through coaching, I help people in many areas of their personal and professional lives (e.g. to find new careers, achieve higher levels of success in their current career, to achieve better life balance, and to improve their personal and work relationships).

Coaching, therapy, and mentoring are distinct professional activities. According to Counseling Today, a coach focuses on empowering individuals to achieve their future goals through personal growth and accountability, whereas therapy often works toward resolutions to past problems to heal emotional wounds. Mentoring and coaching are similar, but mentoring is a long-term, often career-long relationship with a colleague who is often within your organization or field of expertise. Coaching is a shorter term (3-6 months) and is focused on developing personal and professional performance to achieve specific goals and has the added benefit of being external to workplace politics.
My coaching style is a balance between being supportive of you and challenging you to achieve more than you think possible. My role as your coach is to listen, be curious, ask powerful questions, lead you through coaching exercises, and provide a safe and confidential space so that you can grow personally and professionally. In our sessions, we will clarify your goals and also structure action plans that will help you create lasting, positive changes so that you can achieve your goals more quickly.

Setting Up a Coaching Contract. The coach and the client mutually determine the duration and frequency of meetings, depending on the desired outcomes. Coaching contracts are generally 3 to 6 months long.

Assessment. At the onset of our coaching partnership, I will ask you to fill out questionnaires to assess where you are in your life/career now and to better understand where you want to be in the future. Although the forms require an investment of time, it is essential to creating a productive coaching partnership.

Establishing Objectives. The success of any coaching contract is based on defining clear objectives. Objectives must be accompanied by specific and measurable goals or identifiable positive changes that are in alignment with your objectives. We will use these objectives to guide our sessions.

Weekly Meetings. Coaching sessions are typically 45-60 minutes each and scheduled 3 to 4 times a month. Sessions may be held on the phone, via video teleconferencing (e.g. Zoom) or in person. Each week the client establishes the desired outcomes for the session, and we work on these in a focused and productive manner. Upon request, I will take detailed notes of the session for the client to use over the week.

Midpoint Check-In. At the midpoint of the coaching contract, I review the progress the client has made relative to the objectives.

Closure and Transition. The last session of coaching is designed to celebrate successes and design a plan of action that gives the client a clear path to achieving future goals.

View My Profile:

Let’s Work Together

Overcome The Obstacles That Keep You From Living The Life You Want

Executive Coaching For Companies

I’ll work with you to customize coaching engagements that work for the leaders in your organization. When working with companies, my coaching lands on the consulting end of the coaching spectrum to provide direct feedback/strategies that get results. Coaching for Manager up to C-Suite Execs.

Coaching services – options include:

  • 3- & 6-Month Packages Available
  • 40-Minute Free Introductory Session
  • One-On-One Coaching Sessions
  • Alignment Meetings with Coachee & Sponsor
  • Establish Both Short-Term and Long-Term Career Goals
  • Assessments: Emotional Intelligence Leadership Assessments EQi (Individual & 360)
  • Co-Creation of Leadership Development Plan
  • Access to my KM Client Dashboard
  • Email and Text Reminders for Accountability
  • Unlimited Email Support

Coaching For Individuals

If you find yourself feeling stuck or dissatisfied with your relationships, wellbeing, and career trajectory than individual coaching can help guide you through these challenges. Gain greater self-awareness and create changes needed to move toward a life you love.

Coaching services – options include:

  • 3- & 6-Month Packages Available
  • 40-Minute Free Introductory Session
  • One-On-One Coaching Sessions
  • Establish Both Short-Term and Long-Term Goals
  • Personalized Emotional Intelligence Assessment
  • 5 Hours of Editing Services (e.g. Resume and Cover Letter)
  • Co-Creation of an Individualized Action Plan
  • Access to my KM Client Dashboard
  • Email and Text Reminders for Accountability
  • Unlimited Email Support

Testimonials

“May the dreams you hold dearest, be those which come true.”  (An Irish Blessing)

Meet some of my awesome clients

*List of organizations I’ve worked for available upon request.

“Coaching is life-altering, and working with Kim has been a key turning point in my professional journey. Kim, my coach, while rarely giving direct advice, has helped me become a better leader, more so than any single adviser has. She has helped me to understand why I was not delegating well and has helped me to improve. She has helped me to understand my strengths and to recognize the strengths of my team members, and to use that understanding to vastly improve how we work together. Kim helped me to coach a couple of interns in a way that helped them achieve, as interns, what I would have had to pay many times more from professional engineers. Kim has helped me to increase my reliance on the team, reduce my work hours, and improve the company’s performance. But even greater than the visible results, Kim has helped me change my perspective on success. Before coaching, I was trying to outrun failure. Now, I am convinced that success is an inevitable outcome of my work.”

Brad Kriel

Founder and CEO, Velocity Robotics, Inc.

“I highly recommend working with Kim, especially if you like laughing with someone who really cares. Kim changed my life. I came to her miserable and confused about my career and skills, harboring deeply negative beliefs about myself. Through a series of well planned activities and conversations, she guided me along an incredible journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Kim created a safe space to articulate my personal core values and explore new paths using empathy, professionalism, and warm humor. Her expert coaching allowed me to resign from a toxic job, take some time off to heal, and look for healthier roles and environments that aligned with what I actually want and need. I’m now thriving in my dream job at a healthy organization, and confident in my leadership skills thanks to Kim’s evidence-based approach.”

Jasmin Tokatlian

Manager, Global Content Manager, Udemy

“Kimberly is an amazing coach. She’s supportive, curious, intelligent and also has a great sense of humor. She helped me to breakthrough the places I was stuck, and my life has changed dramatically since working with her. I’m more productive, a better leader and I have much greater balance in my life. I credit Kimberly with helping me to get there, and highly recommend her as a coach.”

Devi Cavitt Razo

EQ Specialist, San Anselmo, California

“I sought to work with Kimberly after experiencing extremely stressful situations at work. She very quickly created a safe space for me to explore my situation. Working with Kimberly, I learned how to access more power from within myself to better manage the stress- as well as to gain a better understanding of myself in these situations. She is encouraging and reassuring- I always feel safe exploring the areas, which are uncomfortable in any other circumstance. I’ve learned that I have a choice in how I respond to stressful situations. Working with Kimberly has restored a greater quality of life back to me. This has been invaluable.”

Akiko Mega Hamazaki

Executive Search Consultant, Tokyo, Japan

“Working with Kimberly really helped me get rid of my negative self-talk, and focus on creating the results that I truly want. Throughout our coaching sessions, she was always fully present, inquiring and supportive. She empowered me to overcome several self-imposed obstacles, which led me to become more productive, while also improved my work / life balance. Kimberly is a masterful Coach and she has my highest recommendation.”

Paweł Karbowski

Executive Trainer, Zurich, Switzerland

“I had the fortune to work with Kimberly as I was embarking on a new career journey and felt totally overwhelmed at how to switch career paths while my peers were climbing corporate ladders. I also really doubted whether I had the capabilities to succeed, which led me to deeply procrastinate. Through Kimberly’s adept coaching and humorous support, I was able to see how my new career aligned internally from the highest level to the most microcosmic level, from my mission and purpose all the way down to the environment I prefer to live in. She empowered me to see how my behaviors, skills, beliefs, and values were all supporting me to be successful in my new career. I’m endlessly grateful for her helping me to start this beautiful adventure! I am making incredible progress and feel very confident and fulfilled as well!”

Nicole Lim

Ecommerce Consultant, Honolulu, Hawaii

“Kim helped me smile, laugh, and give thanks to my old behavior patterns. With Kim’s light, kind, and down-to-earth way we created a space for the “what’s next” to exist.”

Jenner Fox

Musician, Grants Pass, Oregon

“Kim is an exceptional coach. She was able to help me work through my negative self-talk and beliefs, most of which were causing me to feel stuck or be stuck in my plans/goals in life. I felt overwhelmed by a whole list of tasks I had to accomplish and Kim helped me to break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces. I stopped my procrastination and started taking my first step with confidence. Kim also challenged me with very deep questions which I have otherwise never thought about. Her questions have helped me to gain deep insights about what I want in my life and which direction I would like to take. I have so much clarity now because of Kim. Kim is also very supportive as a coach and her presence calms me. I highly recommend Kim!”

Sherlyn Tan

Pharmaceutical Executive, Singapore

“Kim helped me to see what I needed to get done to make progress in my goals. She helped me realize the importance and benefits of determining my own style for maximum productivity and this illuminated the negative self-talk I’d been having. I appreciated her patient, calm, and relaxed presence.”

Malar Ganapathiappan

Author and Writing Instructor, San Francisco Bay Area

“Kim is an amazing, empathic coach. She brings lightness, enthusiasm and wisdom to her powerful questioning style. Her approach and ability to be fully present helped me overcome an internal barrier I didn’t realize I had. Doing so allowed me to tap into an expanded vision of what I can accomplish and how I’ll go about it. For those who may be uncertain whether coaching is for them, I highly recommend Kim.”

Carmen Acton

Professional Development Manager, San Rafael, California

Contact Me

The Goals In Your Head Aren’t Getting Any Younger

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kmcdermott@kimberlymcdermott.com

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